November 2026 – Elder’s Message

The Magnitude of God’s Grace

Grace…..what is this? Well, the catechism definition says underserved love. What does this mean for us?

In Ephesians 2 we hear: 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.

Grace is a gift from God.

Grace is underserved love.

Because of Grace we are able to have faith in Jesus and our eternal home is secured in heaven.

Grace is absolutely Awesome!

We are sinners, totally separated from God because of sin. But in grace God sent his only Son to die in our place. A love so unheard of, so unrealistic, so marvelous. God blesses us with this underserved love and provides a Savior who suffered and died and rose again in our place to conquer death, sin, the devil, this world, and is seated at the right hand of the throne in heaven
waiting for us… that is right, our place is prepared in heaven because of grace.

In the book Loving God with all your Mind, Gene Veith Jr. puts it this way. He is talking about Christian doctrine and the attacks against Christianity. The following is selected from pages 47 & 48:

Another example of the general ignorance about Christian doctrine has to do with salvation. Many people, including many of Christianity’s critics, assume that Christians believe that good people go to Heaven and bad people go to Hell. To go to Heaven, a person must live a righteous life, which involves avoiding things that most people enjoy and striving by various means to reach God. If this is Christianity, it is Christianity without Christ. Christians, on the other hand, have always insisted that salvation comes from Christ and is offered to sinners. We do not come to God; God comes to us. Christianity is not about our virtues, but forgiveness for our lack of virtues. Salvation cannot be purchased by good works, much less good habits. It was purchased for us and on our behalf by the blood of Jesus Christ, who claims our sin and allows us to claim his righteousness. When we are united with him by grace through faith, He becomes our Savior. This is far more complicated than the “good people go to Heaven, bad people go to Hell” theology, and it can certainly be criticized. The most severe critics of Christianity often know nothing of the central Christian concept of grace. Occasionally the basic concept of salvation by faith is criticized. In studying the complaints, however, it is apparent that the critics think Christians see faith as mere intellectual belief in abstract doctrines. This salvation by faith becomes far more despised than salvation by works. They do not realize that Christians see themselves as saved neither by faith nor works but by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8). Grace is the love and the action and the forgiveness of God, who in Christ calls us to Himself.

What a blessing to know that God has taken care of all sin for us. What a comfort to know that grace is for us all. Take this free gift from your Savior, believe and cherish it each day until you reach your eternal home in heaven.