Week 11 - Monday

Standing In Grace

through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand (Romans 5:2a)

The words "through whom" refer to Jesus Christ. Knowing Jesus not only makes it possible for us to have peace with God, it also gave us our introduction or access to God. Stop to consider that God is the King of the Universe and you are only one person out of more than 5 billion who are alive on earth today. You can no more approach God on your own than you could walk into the White House, sit down in the Oval office and talk with the President. But what if the President had a son and you were a friend of his son. You still probably wouldn't be allowed to walk in on your own but the president's son could introduce you to his father. If you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are his friend and because you know Jesus, you have the right and priviledge to personally approach God.

The Jews did not think that such access to God was even possible. They had good reason to feel that way too because that's how it was under the Old Covenant. When God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, He told Moses to warn the people not to try to come too close to get a look at God because if they did see God they would die (Ex. 19:9-12, 21). Years later, after the Temple was built, there was a place separated from the rest of the Temple by a heavy veil called the Holy of Holies. This was where God's divine presence dwelled. The Jews were forbidden to go in there. The one exception was the high priest and he could only go in once a year to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. This was meant to remind them that God was pure and holy and because they were not, they were separated from God by their sins. When Jesus died on the cross, the penalty for all sins was paid. At that very moment the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom and a New Covenant began (Matt. 27:50-51). Now, whenever anyone puts their faith in Jesus, their sins are covered by His sacrifice. With their sins removed, God is able to have a personal relationship with them. Even though personal faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation, it is the grace of God that actually does the saving. What Jesus did by dying on the cross, was give us access to that grace.

Once we have received God's grace in salvation, we stand in it. The word stand gives the idea of standing firm, permanent and unmovable. It is from the Greek word histemi which is defined in Thayer's Greek dictionary as, "to cause or make to stand". It is not because of our good works or by the power of our own faith that we are saved Neither do we continue to stay saved by our own power but only by the grace of God. Christians can and do sin. The reason we continue to stand in God's grace is because Christ's sacrifice keeps on paying the penalty for our sins. Were it not for that, we would all be doomed to hell for any and every sin we commit. After a person has put their faith in Jesus, whenever they sin, their sins are forgiven. However not everyone's faith in Christ is genuine. It is possible to say you have received Jesus and have it not be true. Someone who claims to be a Christian but deliberately and regularly continues to sin, probably is not a Christian at all. There are all kinds of people who once claimed to believe in Jesus but later have no interest in following Him. This doesn't happen because God didn't keep them saved. The reason it happens is because they never were saved. They didn't really receive Christ, they only faked it for awhile. (1 John 2:19). God doesn't save people from eternal punishment so they can be free to sin whenever they want to. When God saves someone He puts His Spirit in them and changes their heart. He does this so that they will hate their sin and want to obey Him.

Jesus is God's Son. He paid the penalty for our sins so that we wouldn't have to. Because He keeps on interceding for us, that will never change. God has declared that He will forgive forever anyone who puts their faith in His Son, and no one is greater than God. That means no one can overturn God's verdict. The first thing that guarantees a believer's salvation is that because of their faith in Jesus, they are now at peace with God. The second thing that secures it is their permanent standing in God's grace.

Readings for today: Heb. 7:25; John 6:37; Rom. 8:31-34, 38-39; 11:29; Jude 24-25