The Message of Grace – by Tom Durst

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• Tom Durst

Jan 19, 2016 1973

For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation for all mankind.—Titus 2:11 Amplified

For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. —Ephesians 2:8-9 GNT

If a person were to pinpoint the essential difference between Christianity as taught in the Bible and all other world religions and philosophies it could be summarized in one simple word—grace.

Grace most purely defined is “His unmerited favor and blessing.”  This is not taught anywhere else except in the Christian faith.

There is indeed much good ethical teaching to be found outside of Christianity and I don’t disparage that in the least but everywhere else you are left to good works in some form for the basis upon which you can put your hope.

English Bibles use the word “grace” some 200+ times.  The sad part of it is that in Christian circles today you will rarely hear clear teaching on the grace of God and the all sufficiency of the righteousness of Christ which is bestowed upon believers purely as an act of grace.

“Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling” is rarely presented in simplicity and clarity.  There would be no way that I could ever even come close to expressing in words my gratitude for the gospel of grace.  Truly the gospel is not good advice but good news.

I do the very best that I can to serve God with integrity but at the same time I can say with Paul,

by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. —1 Corinthians 15:10 NKJV

The believer depends upon the grace of God for right standing and also for the power to do His will.  We need to heed this warning,

how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?—Hebrews 2:3 ESV

– Tom Durst. Used with permission from the Union With God Devotional Forum.