Grace upon grace.

grace

 noun, verb, graced, grac·ing.

the freely given, unmerited favor and love of god.

At this point in my walk with Christ - even though I have a hard time comprehending grace, I feel monotonous writing about being saved through grace.  I know that "by grace (I) have been saved through faith.  And this is not (my) own doing, it is the gift of God..." Ephesians 2:8

This week, I read about grace in a new way: "... those who through grace had believed..."  Acts 18:27  I knew that it was by grace that I have been saved, but it is also through grace that we BELIEVE.   In a sense this is saying the same thing - but it is different because all of humanity has been offered the gift of salvation, yet we have all still been given freewill and it is still our choice to believe.  So, it is by grace that we "believe."

I have a really hard time understanding how God allows for only some people to believe.  It is clear that He knew not all would believe, when Christ prayed "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word..." John 17:20  Throughout the Bible, and especially in Revelation, it is clear that God desires for all to believe.  It is His compassion, agape love, and limitless grace that allows all of us second chances - He grants to all humanity chance after chance to choose to believe Him, and believe in Him.

The first person who "believed" God or "believed in" God in the Bible was Abram, when God told him his offspring would be numbered like the stars in the sky.  "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." -Genesis 15:6  We are Abram's offspring, we have adoption as Sons through Christ.  So, it is our heritage to believe, but now it is also our choice.


God has and will give us grace upon grace, but will we choose to accept God's grace and believe?

"And from the fullness we have all received; grace upon grace.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17