INTRODUCTION

 

I got my first taste of the grace of God when I prayed to be exonerated from offenses that I was charged with by law enforcement authorities as an eighteen-year-old.

In my hour of desperation and helplessness, I looked up to heaven and said, “God! If you are up there, please look down and deliver me from my troubles and I will believe you forever”. Through a series of inexplicable events, I was released to go free. It was a heaven-sent miracle that I was let off. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, that it was God who intervened and showed me the favor I did not deserve.

I saw God’s hand in my life. His goodness caused me to turn to Him. God’s forgiveness filled me with gratitude and happiness. More than feeling remorse for my wrongdoings, I was filled with joy to see how God miraculously orchestrated my release even though I knew in myself that I did not merit being excused for my crimes.

I became a new creation in Christ. I began to speak to Him and enjoyed reading His word. And soon I started to hear Him speak to me. I unceasingly bragged on God for absolving me of all my appalling deeds. I felt His love for me in a special way. I felt like one who never did commit a crime. I was truly and completely justified.

This unmerited favor that God had shown me, made me fall in love with Him more and more. I understood that a little faith was enough for God to open the floodgates of His kindness to me. I can testify that it was truly the grace of God that brought in me the life-changing transformation. Besides believing that God truly existed and that He answers prayer, I did nothing. This experience left in me an indelible impression that above all, God is pleased when people believe in Him. I later came to know that without faith it is impossible to please God.

Some of us may remember back in our school days we had what was called ‘grace marks’. These were marks given in cases where a student's score narrowly missed the pass mark so that the student could be promoted to the next class and not drop out of school altogether.

These marks were awarded to the ‘undeserving’ student that would have failed otherwise. It enabled the student to go further.

Similarly, God provides us grace to promote and encourage us to go on further and higher. It is testified of Him as one who will not break off a bent reed, nor put out a flickering lamp. A bent reed is unusable and a flickering lamp is soon put out, yet God does not discard either of them.

While I basked in the warmth of God’s grace, I faced well-meaning Christians who projected ‘carnal ordinances’ that were aimed to instill a fear of God in me. These included keeping the Mosaic Law. Since I was already in love with Him, I discovered that this ‘unhealthy’ fear of God only attempted to detract me from the lavish grace of God.

God was faithful in keeping me in this grace wherein I now stand, by which I can present to you ‘Grace Realities’, a brief exposition on how the grace of God can be a catalyst to living an overcoming and victorious life, well-pleasing to God our Father.

Grace Realities is also an attempt to clarify conflicting notions about grace and law which are seen in the Church today.

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” - John 1:17

- MELCHIZEDEK