My wife and I grew up in a Christian fellowship called Grace Church. The theme verse of the church was "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that (faith) not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." (Eph.2:8-9) God grants us the gift of faith, which is confidence in Him, confidence to believe, trust and worship. He also grants us His grace, a gift that is undeserved. He gives us heaven when we deserve hell, life rather than death. It has been said that mercy is not giving us what we deserve but grace is giving us what we don't deserve.
Recently, a group of friends went to see the movie, Amazing Grace. It was the story of William Wilberforce, a British member of the House of Commons, who worked for over 15 years to abolish the slave trade in England. He cofounded the Anti-Slavery Society after experiencing the grace of God in conversion to Christ. He was influenced by John Newton, a former slave ship Captain, who experienced the grace of God. He wrote the classic hymn and lived to right the wrongs he committed against human souls created in God's image. His first-hand testimony before Parliament regarding the evils of slavery was influencial in passing the law in 1807 to end the slave trade in England.
My wife and I just finished reading Philip Yancey's classic, What's So Amazing About Grace. We were convicted about the critical nature of God's grace. It is what separates Christianity from all other religions and cults. God's grace cannot be duplicated by human government, laws and organizations. It is God's grace that enables us to love our enemies, to bless those who persecute us and not take revenge. God's grace might be the most important theological word in our Bibles. God's grace will lead us home.
