For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. ~ Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
Grace is a gift of God. It is THE gift. By its very nature you cannot earn, pay, deserve, or trade for it. It is a gift. Grace is a miraculous blessing bestowed upon fallen man by a loving God. It is our undeserved rescue. Grace is God's good and generous gift to me. It is His good and generous gift to you. You can't fit it in a box, wrap it up in pretty paper, and tuck it under a tree to be opened on the day of your choosing.
Because of my sin I deserve death, eternal death, and separation from God. That's what I have earned. Because of grace I am given eternal life and wonderfully adopted into the family of God. Grace is the loving, willful, attribute of God which inexplicably overrides my incessant desire to sit on my life's throne. Grace is the lasting longing extension of God's loving goodwill to humanity. Grace is the invisible element which holds the stars to their course and keeps the laws of physics in check. Grace is the shadow of a whisper of joy at each unrealized potential devastation. It is the heartfelt loving embrace of Abba Father holding us back from the precipice of our own inclination toward destruction.
Grace alone, by grace alone, To reach the Father's heart, May be my prayer, this quiet hour, And find God's favor there.
More in this series. Faith Alone Christ Alone