John 1:17 (Amplified) tells us that, "For while the Law came, was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ."
When Jesus came, He brought grace, truth, blessing and favor. When you and I received Jesus as our Lord, we received, by faith, all that He came to deliver to mankind. You and I are participants of this grace by our faith in Him. Jesus didn't just come to take away our sins, but once the sin problem was dealt with, He brought us back to the place of sonship and favor with our Father.
Sin caused a barrier between God and us, but once the sin was paid for and taken away, we were declared righteous by the same sacrifice that cleansed us from sin. Now that we've been made righteous by Jesus' righteousness, we are by faith, subject to all our Father wanted to give us from the beginning. The only way to receive the payment for sin, is by placing faith in the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin. If a person will not accept the Lamb of God, then he is still in his sin and is exempt from the blessing and favor of God's grace.
God's grace is still extended to whoever will believe in Jesus. John 3:16 (Amplified) says, "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that (He even) gave up His only begotten (Unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life."
What if we don't believe, don't accept and reject God's gift of grace and favor? John 3:18 (Amplified) says, "He who believes in Him (who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him) is not judged (he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is rejection, no condemnation-he incurs no damnation) but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already (he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence) because he has not believed in, and trusted in the Name of the Only Begotten Son of God (he is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's Name)."
Many people do not wish to believe that they cannot approach God as Father without their receiving Jesus. Today, many believe they can obtain forgiveness of their sin by themselves. Grace has been offered, but faith must accept it. Without faith in what grace has made available, we still are in our sin.
This is the point I wish to stress on behalf of Christian people. This is what so many of us don't seem to be able to accept. Now that we have expressed our faith by receiving Jesus, all of the blessings of His sacrifice have been made available to us, but it still requires faith to appropriate it in our lives. Isaiah 53:4-5 (Amplified) says, "Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains (of punishment) yet we (ignorantly) considered Him stricken, smitten and afflicted by God (as if with leprosy)." Verse 5 says, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; The chastisement (needful to obtain) peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes (that was upon Him, and with the stripes that wounded) Him we are healed and made whole."
Not only our sins were laid upon Him, but according to this scripture, our sickness, our disease, our guilt, our iniquities, our peace and well-being and our healing were also laid upon Him. By faith, we partook of His grace for our forgiveness of sin. But, have we ever extended our faith to partake of the healing and peace that has been offered in this same sacrifice of grace?
We've struggled with the fact that the sacrifice of God's grace has even made us righteous by faith. Everything grace has made available depends on whether we will believe Him for it by faith. It all came in the Blood and resurrection of God's Lamb of grace. See what grace has made available to us if we will believe it in Romans 5:1-2 (Amplified) which says, "Therefore, Since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous and given a right standing with God) through faith Let us (grasp the fact that we) have the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy) peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." Verse 2 says, "Through Him also we have (our) access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God's favor) in which we (firmly and safely) stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God."
We can conclude that all these things belong to the believer by God's grace and that they are appropriated by faith. When you receive Jesus, God accepted you as righteous, as justified and in right standing with Him. We've been granted reconciliation and peace with God. We also have (according to Romans 5:2) entrance and introduction by faith into this grace. Even though it's ours by Jesus' sacrifice, what if we don't or won't believe we have healing, entrance, peace, reconciliation and full acceptance by our Heavenly Father? We still will fail to receive it, because we refuse to take hold of it by our faith.
Remember that we have entrance and introduction into this grace by faith. Even though we have peace and righteousness by grace, there are many who continue stumbling at the fact they have been made righteous and in right standing with God through His grace. We still stand outside the blessings because we fail to believe that by faith, these things are ours. They are ours, but we fail to accept this truth and we never can enjoy what grace has made available to us. It's much like how the world cannot receive the grace for salvation that's been so greatly offered to them. If they won't accept the truth by faith, grace cannot and will not be granted. If we reject this grace and do not believe it (even though it's already ours) and we fail to appropriate it for ourselves, then it's because of our lack of faith in it.
Jesus didn't leave anything to change when He went to the cross. He covered the whole man: spirit, soul and body. Nothing was left to be done except for us to believe. Somehow, we've come to the conclusion that God really only cared about our spirit and not our body and soul. That's not true. Jesus redeemed the whole man when He was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father. It was all done.
Hebrews 4:1 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, While the promise of entering His rest (grace) still holds and is offered (today) let us be afraid (to distrust it) lest any of you should think he has come too late and has come short of (reaching) it."
We haven't come too late or come too short of His rest and grace. All we need to do is extend our faith in Him to a higher place than we had been before. Remember how Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith) As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live by faith."
Our faith is a growing and living walk with our Father that goes from glory to glory. Let your faith in His grace receive into yourself, the fullness of the price of the Blood of Jesus. Let make you all that grace has given you in Him. Don't limit the grace of God in your life by not believing in all His goodness and favor provided us through Jesus. It is already ours by the Lamb given for our salvation. Receive it and walk in His grace daily.
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