It’s ugly out there. These days, we’re facing unspeakable atrocities in Ukraine; threats of global nuclear war; simmering unrest in the Middle East; endless mutations of COVID-19; chronic political, social and racial divisions in our supposedly “United” States; accelerating inflation; economic uncertainty … need I go on?
Perhaps an even better question is, “How do we keep going on?”
The answer is with the two most beautiful words, like two sides of a blessed coin: Grace and peace, from Revelation 1:4:
“Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come.”
God’s grace can become a lifeline for those who call on Jesus Christ to save them, with promises of peace that follow in lockstep. Imagine living in a world in which grace was abundant, and peace reigned supreme.
It’s not a fairy tale dream. It’s happening and will continue to happen. That’s all a part of God’s plan to be with us eternally.
Here’s how it works in a cliff-note version:
Grace — God’s attitude toward believers and our attitude toward others.
Did you know that God is not mad at you? Quite the opposite in fact. According to John 1:1-3; 14:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being … And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
For half my life I imagined God sternly staring down from Heaven, ready to squash me like a bug if I blew it, even a little. I saw Him as always mad, with a big-time attitude toward me that was anything but welcoming.
I learned later that I was unknowingly projecting onto God the attitudes supposedly “religious” people often exhibited toward me when I was a child.
But in the verses above, the Apostle John clearly presents God (the Word) as having come to Earth, wrapped in flesh to live among us. And of all the words He could have used to describe Jesus Christ, he selects “grace and truth.”
Now I know how unfair it was to assume anything about God unless I had personally met Him. God is a Person, and He deserves the benefit of the doubt, just like any person does.
And yes, I have personally met Him in Jesus Christ my Savior, and now I do my best to offer grace to others in my world of influence.
Peace — The result of accepting God’s grace.
A spiritual war has raged between God and the forces of evil ever since the dawn of time. For believers, however, Christ has made peace between men and God through His shed blood as our Substitute, as written in Colossians 1:19-21:
“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him (Jesus), and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
When Jesus cried from the cross, “It is finished!” He was declaring an end to the enmity that Adam’s sin had caused between mankind and Almighty God that went all the way back to the Garden of Eden. And it was He, Jesus, who did the “settling up” with God the Father, on our behalf.
Doesn’t that give you peace? Knowing that our way back to God has already been secured FOR US by our supremely qualified Substitute/Redeemer?
I don’t know about you, but I’m very sensitive to my external circumstances, which accounts for my frequent “ups and downs.” But when I dive into God’s word, the Bible, I’m reminded of promises like this from Romans 8:31-39:
“With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us — who was raised to life for us! — is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.”
How About You?
Tired of being tossed around by circumstances, unable to offer grace when necessary? Instead, hang your hat on these two beautiful words — from Isaiah 40:7-9 — that come directly from the throne of God through Jesus Christ, who is our timeless, eternal Source. With them, we don’t have to worry or be consumed with these ugly times because one thing will never change:
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
— D.C. Collier is a Bible teacher, discipleship mentor and writer focused on Christian apologetics. A mechanical engineer and internet entrepreneur, he is the author of My Origin, My Destiny, a book focused on Christianity’s basic “value proposition.” Click here for more information, or contact him at don@peervalue.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.