a huge relief

Grace is a gift. The gift. It is the good news. We are no longer bound by the law. We no longer must live a life of strict rules. We must instead live a life of grace.

Grace comes from God's sacrifice for us. Jesus died for our sin. He paid the price. Therefore - we don't have to. Our price has been paid by his grace.

It's a huge relief.

Think of school. You have a huge test that will determine your grade. You have to do well. You must in fact, do perfectly to get the grade you need. You study and study.

Then it's time. You begin reading the test and find that you remember nothing! You put a correct answer here and there, but not nearly enough. You are going to fail.

But then the teacher's aid, the one you were very rude to the day before, takes your place. He begins writing all of the correct answers for you.

He loses his job.

But oddly, the teacher counts your test. You got a perfect score. Though it hardly seems fair.

You remember now, all the times the aid had attempted to help you. All the study tips, lessons, etc he had shared. You realize that you must honor his sacrifice by learning the material. You must do your best to know what he knew.

Not to pass -- that's already happened. But to honor his sacrifice.

....more thoughts on grace tomorrow! :)