ICS Daily Devotions
Saved by Perfect Love and Grace
Titus 3:4-7 NKJV “But when the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
The bible tells us that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is not just a physical death but more significantly, a spiritual death that separates us from God. We will all have to stand before the Great White Throne of God and be judged for our sins one day. If we know that God is holy, righteous and just, how will He judge us on that day ? There may be constant torment in our hearts and minds if we think that we can not measure up to His holy and righteous standards no matter how hard we try by our own merits and strengths. It could be a constant striving to do good and to earn our ‘worthiness’ or ‘righteousness’. But just how good is ‘good enough’ ?
This need to feel ‘good enough’ can translate into a striving or struggle to find love and acceptance from the people around us. But human love is at most times conditional, even from our family and those we love. Human beings are flawed and we all make mistakes, are self centred and we wrong one another due to our sin nature. We can find it very hard to forgive and love those that wrong us. Reversely, if we have committed a wrong or crime, we may think it is unforgivable, or society judges us and we then lose hope. This is where many may find it hard to believe that despite our sins and disobedience to God, He would show His great love for us by sending His only Son to save us all from eternal separation from Him in hell. His unmerited favour towards us is illogical by the moral system of this world where sin deserves punishment.
Yet God, who is full of mercy and grace, loves Mankind so much that He has a divine solution for the wages of Sin. He sacrificed his only Son, who was sinless, to die on the cross, shedding His blood to pay for our sins. In so doing, He cleansed and renewed us by the Holy Spirit through Christ. We are therefore forgiven and justified ONLY by His grace. This was done so that no one can boast in his own work to be righteous enough, all are given unmerited favour and salvation through faith in Christ’s work on the cross. We only have to repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour. The good news is, not only did He give us the hope of eternal life in Heaven with Him when we put our faith in His Son Jesus Christ, but incredibly, He also allows us to be co- heirs with Him in Heaven ! How magnanimous !
When we can grasp this incredibly great act of sacrificial Love and Grace, we will have a deep sense of peace and comfort that we are loved and forgiven, unconditionally and perfectly, by our Father in Heaven.
Sermon Series: Fear Does Not Belong to You
