“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” Philippians 4:23 HCSB

What is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ?

One thing grace is not is a license to live in sin. 

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace. What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey — either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to, and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from allegiance to righteousness.”

Romans 6:12-20 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/rom.6.12-20.hcsb

Grace is given by God by and through salvation. 

“so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:7-10 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/eph.2.7-10.hcsb

Grace is given to those who are humble before God. 

“Adulteresses! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy. Or do you think it’s without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously? But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

James 4:4-10 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/jas.4.4-10.hcsb

Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. 

“Though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. He has extended grace to us in the presence of the Persian kings, giving us new life, so that we can rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.”

Ezra 9:9 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/ezr.9.9.hcsb

“As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she won his approval. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.”

Esther 5:2 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/est.5.2.hcsb

Queen Esther was extended grace by her husband and king to approach His presence. We too have grace extended to us to boldly approach God’s throne. 

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens — Jesus the Son of God — let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.”

Hebrews 4:14-16 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/heb.4.14-16.hcsb

Grace is not something to take for granted but it is to empower us to move closer to God. Grace is given to those who are trying to find God. Grace does not excuse our sins but allows us to approach God in repentance as often as we need. Grace is a challenge by Jesus to live for God. 

Therefore live in God’s grace fully dwelling in your spirit Today!