Missing Grace

Believers universally stand on the grace of God. We all sing "Amazing Grace", even if it isn't the song. We know we are saved by grace. And we delight in it. Funny thing, though. I suspect most of us miss a major chunk of it.

If I were to chart the views of grace from most believers, I would suggest that most believe God's grace first appears in the pages of the New Testament. That Old Testament God, you see, is ... well ... kind of a meanie. And I'm being kind. That God was harsh; Jesus is gracious. I would contend, if this is the case, that these believers are missing grace.

God's grace and mercy do not first appear at the Cross or even the Incarnation. Would you like to know where they first appear? Go to the third chapter of Genesis. Any competent reader of Scripture will recognize immediately that this is the account of the Fall. The serpent tempts Eve, the two of them eat, they are confronted by God, cursed, and kicked out of the garden. "Yeah, right," I can almost hear the sarcasm already, "that's 'grace'." But wait! It is. Look, what was the threat? What did God say would be the penalty? "From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:17) So, tell me ... did they die? Now, I know, they did indeed die spiritually, but Scripture is pretty clear that they didn't die physically and, indeed, physical death was the product of Adam's sin (Rom 5:12). God would have been perfectly just to simply terminate Adam and Eve and start over. No harm, no foul. He didn't. Instead, He ... promised a Savior (Gen 3:15). That, dear reader, is grace.

Move on. What happened next? God kicked them out of the garden. "Oh, now, see? That is not grace." Or is it? Did you note God's reasoning? "He might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" (Gen 3:22). You see, only in death do we arrive in heaven. Immortality would have resulted in everlasting living torment. Grace again.

Next? Well, then they have Cain. How? Well, Eve was convinced, "I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD." (Gen 4:1) Grace again. And, of course, Cain kills his brother, the first murder. Now we see a God of wrath. Oh, no, wait! No we don't. God banishes Cain (punishment), but protects him (grace) (Gen 4:12-15).

Things go on for awhile. Eventually we end up with complete decay. In Genesis 6 it says, "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5) What a statement! "Every intent" and "only evil continually". Not an ounce of good. So now we see God's wrath. It is in the Flood. He blots out man and beast from the face of the earth. And rightly so. But, He saves a remnant. Why? Why would He do that? "Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Why would God save anything from this miserable bunch? Grace, my friend. Pure grace.

You can trace God's activities throughout the Old Testament. While we surely see a lot of smiting and curses and thunder and lightning and stuff, do not make the mistake of missing the grace. He chose a remnant from Abraham completely for His own purposes. He chose Jacob, the Usurper, as the father of the chosen people. He gave them Moses and Samuel and Saul and David and Solomon. He sent leaders to get them the Promised Land and judges to free them from oppression caused by their sin and prophets to remind them. The Old Testament is full of God's grace.

It is one of our human weaknesses. We appreciate grace. Then we begin to expect it. Then we demand it. But grace that is owed is not grace. Grace is unmerited favor. And the God of grace that sent His Son to die for us started to demonstrate that grace on the first day that Man sinned. He's still doing it today. Never discount that. Don't miss His grace.