The Wonderful Grace of God
By Elder Enoch Ofori Jnr
God, in His sovereign state, has chosen to bestow His grace on us and on no other people. He said to Moses:
“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willet nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy [grace]”
OR as the NIV puts it, “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort but on God’s mercy” (Rom. 9:15-16).
Indeed, the race is not for the swift nor the battle for the strong, but the one whom the Lord provides grace to excel!
Not at our prompting but on His own volition He chose to make us inheritors of His Kingdom (Col. 1:12-13). It’s mind-boggling; it’s an awesome thought that the Almighty would give such a wonderful opportunity to us mortals.
As the Psalmist wondered in Ps. 8, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him” (Ps. 8:3-4)
Yes, given how man fell from the grace of God (Rom. 3:23,) who are we as mere mortals to wield power over the devil, heal the sick and cast out demons? Sending the Twelve on an evangelistic mission throughout Israel, Christ mandated them; “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils freely ye have received, freely give” (Matt 10:8).
Believers now share power with God! Halleluiah!!
The bestowal of God’s grace on us is an act of pure love. The apostle John rejoices: “What manner of love the Father [has] bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).
God’s grace in the lives of His people is an unequalled privilege; it makes the difference where otherwise there would have been no hope or escape.
When thousands of years ago the world was filled with iniquity and destruction lay at its door, grace was what made the difference for one man, Noah, and his family (Gen. 6:8-9).
Another time a man (Moses) found grace in the sight of God, it was a rare privilege to see God, albeit His back parts (Ex. 33:12, 18-23).
Of all the peoples of the earth, you and I have been predestined by His grace to share in His glory. We are the ones against whom nothing shall prevail, Satan included (Rom. 8:29-31).
As believers, this should be our true source of pride and joy (Jer 9:23-24). The grace of God is an ever flowing fount of blessings! Chosen before the foundation of the world, we have been made inheritors of one blessing after another (Eph. 1:4-14; John 1:16).
The early apostles who worked exploits had great grace upon them (Acts 4:33). Because of divine grace unleashed by God’s Spirit, the opposition Zerubbabel faced melted away, with the Jerusalem Temple rebuilt accordingly as God promised (Zech. 4:6-7, 9).
The path to greater grace has been revealed in scripture; God gives more grace to the humble, being those obedient to His commandments (Jam. 4:6, Titus 2:11-12). In our humility, he raises us up with more gifts of His grace (Rom 12:6-8)
And yet we await an even greater grace: God’s grace of victory over death and eternal life which will be revealed at Jesus’ second coming (1Pet. 1:13).
Thank God, even at this present time of terrible apostasy, there is still a remnant (an elect) chosen by grace (Rom. 11:5). These are the true believers who have not received the grace of God in vain in this day of salvation but are obedient to God’s commandments (2Cor. 6:1-2; Rev. 12:17)
God’s grace should lead to godliness (Titus. 2:11-12). This is the wonderful grace of God into which we have been called – grace to be like God in righteous behaviour and power.
Happy is He who receives not the grace of God in vain! (See Heb. 10:26-29). With God’s grace, we can do all things in Christ Jesus who strengthens us (Phl. 4:13) Amen!!
