John spoke this morning at Cherry Tree Court about God’s grace. In John 8, we see how the woman taken in adultery was brought before Jesus by people who wanted to embarrass and humiliate her and trip Jesus up at the same time. Jesus’s response was to show grace to the woman, for in saying that the one without sin should cast the first stone, He highlighted that all present, with the exception of His sinless self, were not blameless either. The woman was indeed guilty of breaking God’s law, but she found freedom and grace in Christ’s response.
Grace has been defined as the ‘unmerited favour of God’. We do not deserve it and cannot earn it. The following acrostic gives us further clues into what grace is:
God’s gift to us (Eph 2:8-9)
Restores relationships (since we can only enter God’s holy presence because of His grace)
Always available (‘anytime, anyplace, anywhere’)
Calvary’s Cross (the means by which Jesus purchased our salvation)
Extends to everywhere (for God loves the whole world, Jn 3:16)
