THE GRACE IN WHICH WE STAND

Title: The Grace In Which We Stand
Text: Romans 5:1-5
Author: Tony Nester

The Apostle Paul said that he was standing in
Grace, which keeps me asking if that's where
I'm standing. I'm inviting you to ask yourself
the same question, "Am I standing in Grace?"

Here's Paul on where he stands:
5:1 Therefore, since we are justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have
obtained access to this Grace in which we
stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing
the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2 NRSV).
Justified by faith ... peace with God ... thanks
to Jesus ... standing in Grace ... sharing God's
glory.

When you listen to Scripture, you'll discover
that God's Grace isn't the smooth, gentle,
soothing thing we often make it. Call someone
gracious, and you probably mean they have a
winning personality and a kind, generous
spirit. You like being around them. They warm
your heart.

But if you're about to have serious surgery,
you're not looking for a gracious surgeon.
Instead, you want one who can perform a
difficult operation. When you board a plane,
you're not trusting the personality of your pilot,
but his or her skill for flying. And when you're
faced with some kind of catastrophe - a
tornado, an earthquake, a train or car accident
- you don't turn to someone with a lovely
personality, but to the one who can save as
many victims as possible. When the Bible talks
about Grace, it's pointing us to the power that
saves us, not some sweet and warm presence to
soothe us.

Jesus was the most gracious person who ever
lived. "The Law was given by Moses, but
Grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ" (John 1:17). But Jesus wasn't always
sweet and smooth. He unsettled the Pharisees
and called them hypocrites. He overturned the
money tables in the Temple. He disappointed a
rich man - "Give it all away," he told him. The
man sadly s ...

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