For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17

Grace is God’s gift to men.  It is His unmerited favor, it is His divine enablement, it is never deserved.

Grace and holiness always go hand in hand. His Grace teaches us to say no to sin, and by it we put to death the misdeeds of the flesh in the finished works. Any “grace” that is not intrinsically tied to real, practical holiness is not Grace. And by humbling ourselves and repenting and mourning, more Grace is given, submitting to God, resisting the devil, Christ within conquers all our foes.

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude 4

Of course, there are those who would mis-use the term, as there would be with all true things of God be someone who would subvert the truth.  But, there is also that real grace, that real gift, that real gift of God.

But His grace is no more a license than it is freedom to live as we want.  For, we are either a slave to this world and its passions, or we are a slave of Christ.  But, the Grace of God has transferred us out of the dominion of this world, and brought us into the Kingdom of His dear son.

His is the riches, His is the glory of this wonderful transformation.  His is the reward and treasure of this wonderous bounty.

That we might be partakers of this, His Grace.  His love, His Mercy, His anointing, His Holy Spirit.  Never to take advantage of this most wonderful gift, nor to turn our back in pride, trampling underfoot what cost Him all He had to give.

This is His Grace, this is His fellowship.

It is the deep communion with God Himself, Emmanuel.  With He who knew no sin, when we, though we are trying, don’t even know our own sin fully.  But, He was perfect.  And, He was flawless.  And, He is forgiving.

And, James writes of a greater grace.  He writes, in James 4:6, that there is a greater grace, more grace.  For, when we humble ourselves, mourning and weeping and seeking Him, He gives grace to the humble.

Not so the wicked!  They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Psalm 1:4

Those in love understand grace.  They understand that, while a new believer may need to grow in Grace, and faith, and righteousness, and that they are trying, even though they don’t get it right much yet, that that which is born of God does not continue in sin, nor can it.  They understand that though the seed has been planted and will grow, those who are His will hear His voice, and purify themselves.

This Grace is a one-way ticket, so to say.  From the earthly world, to the heavenly.  From the mundane, to the precious.  From time, into Eternity.

It is a prison sentence, to be conformed to Christ, to be adapted to His nature, to take His name, and to lose everything else of the earthly sphere.  This is what it means to hate your life (Luke 14:26).

Of course, for the person who really knows what it’s talking about, this is the most wonderful thing in all of time (Matthew 13:44), but, then, for the person who is merely on the verge, holding to Christ but not yet ready to lose their life to find it, it can provoke quite a bit of reaction, both for and against.

But, ultimately  there is only one true recourse in His Grace, and that is to bow to the Almighty, to fully lose what you couldn’t save, and become one with Him in His love and Spirit.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Romans 8:26

The totality of Grace is only realized, made real in our lives, when the life is totally laid down before Him.  And, even then, who can know the limit of His loving kindness, of His mercy, of His forbearance and goodness?  He is altogether lovely, and He is my friend.

His Grace is the pure, free, precious gift of His Son, the totality of His work, and its change in my life and heart.

With a pure, honest, and meek heart, we obtain Grace upon grace, that we might walk in faith upon faith, and see glory upon glory.

For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

Psalm 36:9