Bible Reading: Matthew 26:17-25
“And as they were eating he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” (Matthew 26:21-22)
You and I do not deserve grace. We do not deserve the mercy of faith. We do not deserve to be freed from the bondage and evil of sin. You and I are sinners. Before a holy God, we deserve eternal condemnation. There is no one who can stand. As Malachi 3:2 says, “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?”
Furthermore, not only do we fall in sin, we love, indulge and invest our joys and identities in sin. We love our skewed ways. We take pride in our iniquities. To God’s truth, we are blinded. No one seeks righteousness because we love to seek sin. Like Judas, we covet for wealth, and like the Pharisees, we covet for power and reputation. Like the Jews, we fail to see the salvation of Christ because we trusted in the law and our own capabilities to obey. There is no one who is naturally inclined to believe in Him. Isaiah 53:1 says, “Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”
If we have become sons of grace, what differentiates us? If we are not sons of perdition who betray God like Judas, how did we come to be? Peter betrayed Jesus just as Judas betrayed Jesus. How did Peter’s faith hold and Judas’ perish? Only the good grace and mercy of our Lord. Luke 22:32 says, “but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”
What holds our faith and grants us salvation? Only the good grace and mercy of our Lord. And, the extent of God’s mercy for His elect is immeasurable, encompassing the whole expanse of the universe throughout all time. Yet still, it is richer and more wondrous than our imagination can withstand. Why is this so?
Ephesians 1:6 says, “to the praise of his glorious grace”. And so, if the Spirit once again crushes your heart, acknowledge in humility the glory of His grace and the greatness of His love. Know and praise God because He alone accomplished salvation for us.
Also, for those who doubt, affirm this; that your salvation is based not on your ability to believe but on the glorious grace of God as evident for you in Christ’s full atonement on the cross for His children. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Do you confess and believe in your heart that Christ is Lord, the true ruler and Master of your life whom you are willing to serve in obedience? If so, accept the full assurance and bounty of God’s grace offered freely to you because of Christ’s atonement and redemption on the cross. Cry with the father of the possessed child, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).
This easter, as we continue to pray and meditate on the cross of Christ, ask God to grow in knowing Him so that we may grow in witnessing the glorious grace which He has given us.
