Grace Has a Name

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth… And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.—John 1:14, 16-17 NKJV

Human beings are created to have intimate relationship with God. Regardless of the personal conviction of those who say they don’t need God or that God does not exist, man was born to have a relationship with their Maker.

It is this inborn and deep desire to relate or connect with God that gave birth to religion. Religion basically, is man looking for, seeking ways or attempting to reach out or connect with God. This is why you find all sorts of world religions and some weird religious practices.

Christianity, however, is not a religion. It is a relationship with God who reached down to live in man through Jesus Christ. That’s why I sometimes ask myself why Almighty God would leave His glory and choose to reach out and connect with sinful people like us. The answer, I now understand and believe, is grace, God’s wonderful, unending and marvellous grace.

We recently looked at “The Fight for Grace”, where we mentioned the grace of God should be esteemed and held higher than duty, work and performance. With regards to our relationship with God, we know that no amount of work, sacrifice or law-keeping can make us right before a holy and righteous God. The continuous fight for grace, the appreciation of the grace of God to mankind, keeps us focused on the truth of Jesus’ unfailing love, mercy, truth and faithfulness to man.

When Moses gave the Israelites the law, it was God’s demand and requirement for holiness and not really for grace. The law exposed or revealed the state of the unrighteousness and wickedness of the heart of man and highlighted the need for a Saviour. The law represented God’s standard of how He wanted the Israelites to live, to be separate, unique and distinguishable from other nations. But His grace displayed or exhibited His character, attitude and relationship to human beings who struggle to keep the law – “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17 (NKJV)

In Exodus, God declared to Moses that He is – “…The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” Exodus 34:6 (NKJV). This statement and declaration echo or confirms what John said about Jesus that He is “full of grace and truth.”

We’ll unpack this grace of God later, but suffice to say that Grace has a name, the name Jesus.

Stay blessed,

LaraLex