EP 22: 5 Freeing Truths About God's Saving Grace
This week on the podcast, we are taking a look at 5 powerful truths regarding the generous and saving grace of our good and glorious God. Grab your Bible and a pen/highlighters and let’s dive in!
Welcome
Hello, hello! Welcome to episode 22 of the Daughter of Delight podcast. I hope you are doing well and I hope you have come ready to embrace the grace that we simply do not deserve but have the opportunity to receive freely in Christ. This episode is going to be shorter than usual, but it’s also going to carry with it a whole lot of truth. Grace is a very complex thing and I want to walk through some of its most freeing truths with you today. And just a heads up for you- I will be sharing several Scriptures, so this is probably one of those episodes where you are going to want to have a Bible nearby and a pen or highlighter in hand. Grab you a cup of coffee or tea while you are at it, too, and let’s enjoy time in His presence, together.
Review of the Week
Let’s take a look at the review of the week first, though. This week’s review comes to us from Sarahbeth_SB and she says,“So excited to see this podcast come into the podcast word! Elle, seeing you grow as a woman of God is truly an inspiration! Thank you for listening to your calling to help encourage and challenge us in our journey!” Sarah Beth, if this isn’t one of the sweetest things I’ve ever read I don’t know what is! Thank you for your kindness! Your words have left more of an impact on me than you will ever know. To anyone listening who hasn’t left a review yet and is enjoying the podcast, I would be delighted if you were to leave one and let me know how you are enjoying it. Each episode takes an average of 5-6 hours to make, and this is such an invaluable way for you to show your support. Okay, let’s talk about grace!
What is Grace?
At its core, grace is the free but costly unmerited favor of God. The message of God’s grace is proclaimed throughout all of Scripture. Take, for example, 1 Timothy 1:8-9, which says, “but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to[a] a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (ESV).Or Ephesians 4: 7, which tells us, “...grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift” (ESV). And don’t forget Exodus 34:6-7, which tells us our Father is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (ESV).
5 Powerful Truths About God's Saving Grace
These are just three of the many examples of the message of God’s grace weaved through Scripture. For the purpose of today’s episode, I want to share 5 powerful and life-giving truths with you regarding the grace of God. My prayer in doing so is that you will cling tightly to them, because His grace is for ALL- even on our darkest days! May we more deeply understand what God has done for us as sinners, so that we are more willing to do whatever He requires. Amen?Truth #1: Christ Died For the UnworthyChrist died for unworthy people (that’s us). Romans 5:7-8 says, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (ESV). His sacrifice for us is not to show us how amazing we are. Rather, it’s to remind us of His unfathomable and unearned love- that He would die for wretches like you and me in order to free us from our sin; in order to be able to dwell in eternity alongside Him one day. Oh, the beauty of His true, unending grace! We cannot even comprehend how good it is!
Truth #2: To Enjoy God’s Grace Means to Remain Aware of Our Need For Him
The way to enjoy God’s grace is to not only acknowledge our brokenness but to remain aware of it. Because, in doing so, we will remain aware of our true need for Him. It is also so important for us to remain rooted in the Word of God. Because the less we read and pray the Scriptures, the more skewed our view of the Father & His grace becomes.
Truth #3: God’s Grace Cannot Be Cheapened
Have you ever tried to use God’s grace to justify sin? I know I have. But here’s the thing: We cannot grab a hold of God’s grace to make us feel better simply when we need it. While God forgives our sincere, repentant hearts (1 John 1:9), we must prove our sincerity by taking the necessary (and hard) steps to avoid sin. (Romans 6:1-2) 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (ESV). And Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (ESV)If you are intentionally living in sin while expecting God’s grace to cover you, you are not experiencing true grace. You’re experiencing trivial grace. And Sis, you need to know that God’s grace is not a trivial thing.
Truth #4: God’s Grace Holds the Victory
God’s grace has power over sin! It not only pardons us from our sins, but gifts us with power over it, too. The power of grace is what can truly transform us from the inside out. EVERY sin pales in comparison to God’s grace when we are in Christ! (Romans 5:20–21).Like Romans 5:20-21 says, “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (ESV).
Truth #5: Sola Gratia
Sola Gratia means, “Salvation is by the grace of God alone”. This means that merit does not equate with grace. It cannot be earned, nor is His grace something we deserve. We are not enough for His grace! Truly, the only merit we have as Christians is the merit of Christ alone, which comes to us by grace through faith. I love how RC Sproul puts it. He says, “Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is an action of disposition of God toward us. Grace is not a substance that can inhabit our souls. We grow in grace, not by a quantitative measure of some substance in us, but by the merciful assistance of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, acting gracious toward us and upon us.” Sis, the fact that we are unworthy of God’s grace is actually really good news- if you ask me, at least. God’s grace is not like an America’s Got Talent audition. We do not have to perform in hopes of receiving the golden buzzer. I remember thinking when I was a little girl that I had to make all of the right decisions, do well in anything I participated in, and know my Bible back and forth in order to be accepted by God. To be called His.Perhaps you can relate to equating this false sense of perfectionism with being received by our Father in Heaven. If so, isn’t it such a terrible feeling? The pressure this false belief brings with it is simply too much. And you better believe the devil absolutely delights in keeping us there!
Oh, the Freedom Grace Brings!
But oh, the freedom that came from realizing there is nothing in us that elicits God’s favor and ultimately leads to our justification. I cannot even begin to tell you what it felt like to have the weight of my skewed understanding lifted off of my shoulders.Nothing saves us outside of His pure, unending, and everlasting grace! It is only because of the Father’s steadfast love & kindness that He extends His grace to His own. We get to come just as we are and take what we need from the fountain of grace, because of what Christ accomplished on the cross and who we are in Him as a result of His sacrifice. Let this sink in for a second.
Come Home
Now, does sin break the Father’s heart? Of course, it does. The Lord aches at the sight of His rebellious children partaking in self-righteous acts. However, because He is God, He stomachs it and continues to call us Home into His loving embrace, where repentance & grace so very beautifully collide over us. Sister, regardless of where you are or where you have been, I want to urge you to come Home today. Come Home and embrace the grace that is yours as a result of your identity. You are a daughter of the Most High King. Let His compassionate grace wash over you today.Sola gratia.
Thank You!
Thank you for tuning in to this episode! I pray that our time of focusing on God’s grace was like a breath of fresh air to your soul. If you are enjoying the podcast, would you prayerfully consider supporting it? A simple $5 a month gets you ad-free episodes and a bonus episode, and it encourages me to continue pouring my time and efforts into the podcast to create all the more Gospel-centered content just for you! If you don’t have $5 to give, please consider supporting the podcast by leaving a review and sharing it with friends and family. I can’t wait to be back with you next week! In the meantime, walk in grace and be the light the Lord has created you to be in this lost and broken world.
More
Did you enjoy this week's podcast episode? Check out last week's episode on the Proverbs 31 Woman here!Want more encouragement? Check out this post!