Grace is a Gift

With everything that we’ve done or thought, we don’t deserve to spend eternity with God. We were born sinners and we’ve all heard that the wages of sin is death. Thank God for His grace! However, I feel that a lot of people don’t actually know what grace is. Grace is a gift. I struggled with this for years.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (ESV)

I’ve heard “the wages of sin is death” so many times. But rarely have I heard the rest of the verse. The free gift of God is eternal life.

What is a gift?

What is the definition of a gift? A gift is defined as a thing given willingly to someone without payment.
Without payment. We don’t owe anyone anything when we received a gift. If we did, it wouldn’t be a gift, would it? It would be something we had to work for or something we had to pay for. Then, it just turns into a purchase.

What is grace?

So then, what is the definition of grace? Grace is defined as the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

Free (not purchased) and unmerited (we didn’t work for it). God gave us the gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. We do not, and can not, work to earn this. Grace is a gift.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

We keep trying to work for it.

So many people, including myself, simply don’t understand what grace is. My personal feeling is that it isn’t taught properly by a lot of our spiritual leaders. I know and see so many people working so hard to please God. We try to fill up our day with duties that we hope will please God. God doesn’t want us running around, neglecting ourselves and our families. God wants our hearts. Once we understand that, the rest will follow.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8 – 9 (ESV)

You can’t work for your salvation. Jesus gave that to us with the cross. Once you believe in Him, you receive the salvation. You receive God’s grace and mercy. The only thing you have to do is believe in Jesus Christ, our Savior.