The Freedom of Grace

Dear Readers,

There is a passage in the Bible that describes the relationship between God and you and me. This passage is in the letter St. Paul wrote originally to the Church of Ephesus. Ephesus was a thriving city in what is now Turkey. It is on the southwest coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The one thing that St. Paul was teaching was "we are saved by means of God's grace." There is no better passage that describes God's grace and how it is, than in Ephesians 2:1-10.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to this worldly age, according to the ruler of the atmospheric domain, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and by nature we were children under wrath, as the others were also. But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved! He also raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift - not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation - created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

This is a great passage about bondage to sin and being freed to live in grace. The human nature is sinful. God writes in Psalm 51, "Into sin my mother conceived me." Our natural existence is based upon satisfying our own selves. We are naturally disobedient, we are naturally stuck in the rut of selfishness and satisfying what we want only. We are bound to this. We cannot work our way out of it. Without God, we are not free. And now, God sent Jesus into our lives. Jesus brings the freedom of grace from sin. Grace is the instrument God uses to bring salvation. By the miracle of conversion, we are freed into a life of grace. The Holy Spirit changes our hearts and souls and minds and to believe in Jesus and receive the grace that Jesus gives. Jesus gives us grace freely. It is not earned by what we do or how good we are. Grace is the great equalizer of people in the sight of God. We are all equally freed from sin, condemnation, and wrath. God the Father, looks at us through God the Son Jesus Christ eyes. We are forgiven. We are changed. So now our works take on a whole new light and purpose. Our works are done so that will fulfill the Will of God. There are many works that can be done. We are created so that the works are done. For example, I cannot do all types of work. I am created in a special way in order to do some works. You are created in a special way in order to do some other works that will complement what I do. And there are many more believers created by God in special ways that will complement all what we do to the glory of God.

So it is grace that frees us from the bondage to sin. Grace given to us by Jesus Christ, frees us to experience the life of God. It is His free gift. Let us live in grace.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Hemsath