Topic: Grace Is a Person, Not a Doctrine [Joseph Prince Devotional 29 April 2021]
Click HERE for Previous Devotionals
Grace Is a Person, Not a Doctrine
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:17
Do you know what makes Christianity unique and gives it the power to free people from all fears, condemning thoughts, and addictions? Many of the world’s belief systems are governed by moral codes, rules, and laws.
But Christianity is unique in that it is not about an impersonal list of dos and don’ts. It is about having a relationship with Almighty God. And it is God working in us and for us through this relationship that brings transformation in our lives.
Beloved, God is all about having a relationship with you today. The apostle John tells us that “the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
Notice also that the law was given. This implies a sense of distance. In contrast, grace came! Grace is personal and came as a person—the person of Jesus Christ.
The law is hard, cold, and impersonal. You cannot have a relationship with two tablets of stone. But grace is gentle and warm. Grace is not a teaching or doctrine. Grace is a person, and you can have a relationship with a person.
God is not interested in mere obedience and submission. He is a God of love and He longs to have an intimate relationship with you.
Jesus came and died a cruel death on the cross, paying the full debt of sin with His own life so that you and I can reign in life today. His sacrifice fulfilled every requirement of the law perfectly on our behalf (Matt. 5:17 NIV). All that we were unable to do, He did on our behalf.
When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are made holy and righteous by His blood once and for all. You can enter into a relationship with Almighty God and come boldly into His presence without any guilt, condemnation, or expectation of punishment.
You see, when you have fulfilled your debt to the lender for the mortgage on your house, you stop sending in your monthly payments because the debt has already been fulfilled. If the lender sends you a letter demanding additional payment, all you have to do is produce the title deed to your home. In the same sense, the debt that you and I owed to the law has already been fulfilled by our Savior, Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!
When the devil comes to accuse you with the law and shows you how you have fallen short and failed, turn your eyes away from yourself and point to the payment that Jesus made on the cross. Christ is your title deed, which is why you are called a “Christian” today.
You are not your own. You have been purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. His blood, shed for you, is what makes your relationship with God secure. It is what gives you the basis to reach out and receive your freedom from your loving Savior today!