Grace – Given Redemption At Christ’s Expense (1)

I have often heard that the acronym, G.R.A.C.E.,stands for God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. I feel that this is really awesome as it is a constant reminder of how much God loves us, His children. He has given us His riches at the expense of His beloved Son, Jesus. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV)

As I was meditating on what to write for today’s post, the acronym G.R.A.C.E. took on a more personal meaning for me. To me, G.R.A.C.E. speaks of me as a wretched sinner being Given Redemption At Christ’s Expense. Redemption is GIVEN because I have not done and can never do anything to earn it; it is God’s gift to all who will receive it. 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; (Romans 3:23,24 NAS Bible)

What is redemption? WordReference.com English Dictionary defines redemption as repurchase, buyback, the act of purchasing back something previously sold. It is also defined as salvation. Not only have I been given salvation at Christ’s expense, blessings that previously belonged to me have been bought back at Christ’s expense!

Galatians 3:13,14 sum it up beautifully: 13-14Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham's blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God's life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it. (The Message)

What is my part? I only need to believe! The New Kings James bible says in verse 14 “that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith”