ESSENTIALS OF GRACE by Gary Wilkerson

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV).

There are four essentials of grace for every follower of Jesus:

1. Grace is unassisted. We can’t assist the work of Christ’s grace without diluting or diminishing it. 
2. Grace is unmerited. When we detect some unrighteousness in our lives, many of us think we have to pump up our grace again with good works. No—Christ’s grace toward us is totally unmerited, never partially so. 
3. Grace is unchanging. God’s grace does not apply less on the days we pray less. It doesn’t work that way. Even His warnings against sin are a sign of His loving grace. 
4. Grace is unending. Neither the Father nor the Son will be unfaithful to the covenant they have made. It will last through eternity, never to be broken, so as we remain hidden in Christ, we remain in covenant with the Father—we are thus safe and secure. 

Let me say this as well: I know the covenant that God made with His Son, Jesus, is deeper, stronger and more far reaching than any of us can grasp. Many Christians fall short of His glorious grace, our lives dominated by fear. When we make a mistake, we tell ourselves, “Oh, no, I’ve broken covenant with the Lord.” Nothing could be more untrue. It is Jesus who is in covenant with the Father, not us!

This is the reason Christ had to become fully human, made like us. He completely fulfills the covenant on our behalf—and He invites us to partake of all its benefits. Through Him we are fully cleansed, fully at peace with God and abounding in His grace. We cannot add anything to His finished work—His grace is fully sufficient. It is our role to receive the glorious gift—and to walk in it with joy!