THE SWEETNESS OF GRACE

“But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20).

Oh, the sweetness of grace! How sweet it is to the soul to know that in spite of how sinful we are; yes, that we have “added sin to sin” (Isaiah 30:1) in our lives; yet, the glorious promise of God is that His grace is much more greater than ALL of our sins. What makes this amazing is that it is not what we can do; or that we had any part in offsetting the consequences of sin in us, which is condemnation and death and separation from God, but simply the awesome grace of God given to us in Christ Jesus His beloved Son! When God looks upon the chiefest of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), and His grace has abounded upon such a one, then it can be said of them as of Israel of old: “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel” (Numbers 23:21). Therefore, ALL our hope for forgiveness is that God “hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:6, 7).

But let us be reminded “that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:21). In other words, beloved, although true that Grace is given to us freely; for it is the ‘unmerited favor’ of God to unworthy sinners such as we are, yet Grace can ONLY reign “by Jesus Christ our Lord”; and it is ONLY “through righteousness” provided by our glorious Savior. His Life, Obedience, Death and Resurrection are the means whereby God “might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). Read verses 12-21 in chapter 5. By faith in Him we now have “eternal life”, which is ALL OF GRACE! Therefore, no matter how high the mountain of sin is in our lives, the Grace of God will surpass it for the forgiveness of the multitude of our sins so “that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Yes, Sin is Bitter, but Grace is Sweeter! Hallelujah!!!