The believer is forgiven and saved/redeemed by the grace of God. So, what is grace? “Grace” is a concept that can only be found in the Bible. If ever it is found in other stories, a work of art, a cultural belief or practice, another book, all those are actually influenced by the Bible or by a leader or teacher who was influenced by the Bible. The concept that a benevolent, loving and holy God would forgive an offender because He knows that the offender has no means whatsoever to compensate for his offense, and He Himself would provide the compensation to meet the terms of forgiveness, and in fact, the provision is no less than the life of His own only Son, His only Heir, is a totally unheard of concept in any culture, civilization or religion except Christianity. The terms of forgiveness is set by God Himself and the stipulation is that there is no forgiveness if there is no shedding of blood. (Hebrew 9:22) It is a concept that goes totally against the grain of the system of justice in the world where the offending party has no other option but to provide for the compensation himself. “Grace” is a gift of forgiveness from the God of the Bible, to the sinner who totally does not deserve it, but God gives it to him anyway just because of His great love for the sinner. It is an unmerited favor from God. Yesssss, it is a free gift from GOD!!!
The system of sacrifice in exchange for a favor from a god is a common concept in all religions. It could be an animal blood sacrifice, a food offering, or a drink offering, even a dance offering, or a performance offering, etc. But those sacrifices and offerings are always offered by the worshiper, not the god. In Christianity the offering is provided by God Himself, because the worshiper is not capable of coming up with a suitable offering that would compensate for his sin. The God of the Bible requires a sinless offering, a stand-in for man (he must be human, not an animal sacrifice), a sinless human being – pure, pristine, unblemished, perfect. Only God’s own Son who Himself is God (Colossians 2:9) taking the form of a human would satisfy that requirement. Thus, “grace,” as described in the Bible is found only in the Bible. It is one of the marvelous treasures that sets Bible Christianity apart from other faiths.
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Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible, Bible App by YouVersion.com
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Art courtesy of YouVersion Bible app. I am using the Bible App by YouVersion.com for my daily devotion. Download it now for your mobile device. https://j794q.app.goo.gl/nd4yPrGj7Hbhy9Kk8
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