The Undeserved Gift of God's Grace

"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." - Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

There's a beautiful story told by Jesus that illustrates God’s grace for us. It’s the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. A young man asks his father for his inheritance, goes off and squanders it on wild living, and then, broken and out of money, returns home hoping for a modest job in his father’s fields. But instead, he is greeted by the father with open arms, a robe, a ring, and a celebratory feast.

He didn’t earn his father’s grace. He didn’t work for it. His father’s love was freely given, irrespective of his mistakes. That's grace—an undeserved favor. It’s a picture of how God loves us. We might stray and mess up, but His grace is waiting to receive us back.

The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, “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.” This truth is a relief for our souls. We can’t earn salvation. It's given freely for us to receive because of God's immense mercy and grace.

In response to this grace received, we have an opportunity—a responsibility—to respond in the light of that grace. We've been recipients of this amazing gift, and we get to pass it on. We get to be conduits of that undeserved gift to a world in desperate need of it.

Power of 4 Discussion Question:

How can you share this grace with someone in your life?