All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may overflow in thanksgiving to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:15 As we reflect on all we have to be thankful for during this Thanksgiving Day, God's grace is at the top of the list. 2 Corinthians 4:15 says, "All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may overflow in thanksgiving to the glory of God." To understand more fully about why God's grace is at the top of our Thanksgiving List, we must first take a close look at the context of this verse starting in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. Paul is the writer of this letter to the Corinthian church. Starting in chapter 3, he writes to explain the differences between the old and new covenants. As explained by Paul, the old covenant is the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone given to us from God through Moses. As glorious as the Ten Commandments are, they brought death to us (2 Corinthians 3:6-11). ...the letter kills. Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses...the ministry that condemns men... Some may ask, how could the Ten Commandment bring death and condemnation to us? The reason is because God's commandments were given to us to be obeyed. However, no one can obey God's commandments. We have all broken the commandments of God. Breaking the Ten Commandments is what sin is. Sin is breaking God's commandments. The penalty for breaking God's commandments is death. So, even though the Ten Commandments are good, they bring death to us because no one can obey them and the punishment for disobeying God's commandments is death. We all have sinned and are under the penalty of sin for breaking God's commandments, which is death. This is where grace comes in! Grace is Jesus taking our place. Rather than each of us being punished for breaking God's commandments, Jesus was punished for us. Jesus died for us and then rose from the dead, defeating death. God is no longer counting our sins against us because they were all counted against Jesus. For Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that one died for all...and was raised again...All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ, not counting men's sins against them...God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 That is grace! Because of God's grace, he is not counting our sins against us, meaning we are forgiven. We are saved from eternal death, we are alive in Christ, we have been made righteous before God, and are reconciled to God when we receive by faith the grace Jesus has brought to us. This is the grace that has reached us, causing thanksgiving to overflow from our hearts to God's. And this is why grace is at the top of our Thanksgiving List! If you find yourself in need of God's grace today, please know his grace reaches out to you. No matter where you are. No matter what you have done. God's grace is here for you. Jesus loves you. He died for all your sins. He is not counting your sins against you. You may feel unworthy and unclean because of sin in your life, thinking this disqualifies you from accepting his grace. But that is what grace is for. Where sin increases, grace increases all the more. You cannot out sin grace. Grace is for those who feel unworthy and unclean. Grace is for those who have sinned greatly. Would you receive God's grace today? Through faith in Jesus, you can receive God's grace and begin a relationship with him today. God loves you and desires to be in a relationship with you. If you would like to be saved from eternal death, experience God's forgiveness, become righteous before God, and begin a relationship with God, then express your faith through this simple prayer below. Dear God, I admit I have sinned by breaking the commandments you have given us. The penalty for breaking your commandments is death. I deserve death. But God, you loved me so much, that by grace, you sent Jesus to take my place. In love, he died for me. All my sins were counted against him. He rose again. Right now, I receive your grace by placing my faith in what Jesus has done for me. I am now in a relationship with you. Thank you for no longer counting my sins against me, making me clean, giving me eternal life, and bringing me into a relationship with you. If you said that prayer, I encourage you to grow in God's grace by attending a grace-based church in your community. You can also read more of my blogs to help you grow as well. It is my prayer this blog has been helpful for you. If it has been helpful, please join me in sharing the good news of God's grace with others by clicking the Share button at the very bottom of this page. Also, if you would like to be updated when I post a new blog, simply complete the form on the Contact page and you will be sent an email when each new blog is posted. Have a happy Thanksgiving! In God's Grace...Brad |