Grace by Suzanne Benner

"We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are" (Acts 15:11).

Grace. It is a radical claim, an implausible idea.Yet it is the central tenet of Christianity and the element that sets our faith apart from every other world religion."For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
The Bible teaches that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn God's approval. Because of His holiness, He requires perfection. Yet, "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7:20). If we hope that when our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds it will satisfy God, we are mistaken because Isaiah says, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away" (Isaiah 64:6).

Our good deeds are worthless when compared to God's goodness. How then do we access grace - the undeserved favor of God?" That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). We are asked to believe. In some ways it seems harder than working diligently to change and be good, because it requires utter humility and reliance on God. Yet when we cry, "Save me God, for I cannot save myself," we join the ranks of thousands, who for generations have relied on God's grace alone.

~God, Your offer of grace is beyond comprehension. Help me to believe.