This Chaplain’s Corner is a continuation of last week’s theme on grace. Last week I focused on common grace. This week’s focus is on saving grace.

God created the universe and all that is in it. Only God could do such a great work. Everything that we as humans do to create, invent, or build first starts with God-given abilities and materials. Before the universe existed, God is. He is the Great I Am.

When God created the universe, he created mankind. He set aside the Garden of Eden (Paradise) for Adam and Eve and allowed them free rein, except for one thing—they were not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Have you ever thought about the fact that this tree was evidence that evil was already present? God had also already created the angels, and Lucifer/Satan had already fallen and was now in open conflict with God.) God gave mankind the choice to obey Him or fall into the hands of Satan. Obedience to God would lead to eternal life (the Tree of Life was also in the Garden of Eden). Disobedience would lead to death (banishment from the Garden and access to the Tree of Life).

The following then transpired:

• Genesis 3:3-4 – Satan tempted Eve/Adam (it’s always Satan who tempts, never God).
• Genesis 3:6 – Eve, then Adam, fell for Satan’s lies (Satan is the great deceiver) and disobeyed God. This is what we call “The Fall.”
• Genesis 3:15 – God cursed the serpent and promised that one day Satan would be crushed by the son of Man (Jesus).
• Genesis 3:23-24– God banished man from Paradise. However, we see through the Scriptures that even though man was banished from Paradise, and even though the earth became more and more corrupted (Genesis 6:11), God remained a presence in their lives. He continued, and continues, to provide common grace as we read last week.
• All the Scriptures from Genesis 3:16 until the appearance of Jesus in the New Testament tell of God’s relationship with man after the Fall. God, through Moses, created a system of religion by which man could access Him. He gave the law and the ability to daily offer sacrifices to atone for sins. God’s promise to man continued to be to obey and have eternal life, or to disobey and die. This is known as the Old Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:15-18). It is conditional upon obedience, and therefore a works-based religion.

Then, with the appearance of Jesus in the New Testament, God fulfilled his promise in Genesis 3:15. Some of the Old Testament prophets also referred to the promise of a New Covenant (example Jeremiah 31:31, 33). God sent his beloved Son, Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus Christ has paid the price. He has done the deed. He has been obedient to his Father and offered himself as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for all our sins so that by believing, we can receive the promise of eternal life. The old religion of works is over. There is nothing we can do on our own. We just have to accept this incredible gift of saving grace (Hebrews 9).

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

I am so thankful that God didn’t give up on us. I am so thankful that he has continued to love on his Creation. I am so thankful that he sent his Son, who was obedient to death on the cross, for me and you. I am so incredibly grateful that my salvation is not conditional upon anything I do; because hard as I try, I can never be good enough. I am thankful for saving grace.

A few weeks ago, my oldest granddaughter (age 12) told me that she had accepted Christ into her life. I told her that nothing in her life would ever make me happier—not the day of her birth, the day of her graduation, the day of her wedding or first child that would make me happier than the knowledge that she has accepted Christ. A couple of weeks ago, our fellow NRM staffer Michelle Brinson shared that her son Jadon had accepted Christ into his life. She rejoiced, and we share in that rejoicing. I pray that you have received this gift. If you are not sure, please let me know. I will come and pray with you and we can talk about it. I want you to possess this gift of saving grace. I can’t think of anything greater to be thankful for.

Blessings,

Judy