The Gifts of Grace in Christ
Orientation
Grace is often misunderstood as a vague benevolence or a sentiment we must earn, rather than God's unmerited favor where all divine riches are freely given in Christ.
- All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, leaving no human merit to attract or obligate Him.
- God's grace begins and ends with His own love and choice, not with our worthiness or potential.
- This foundation removes pressure, as grace is God's work from start to finish, established for our safety and assurance.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
— Romans 3:23
Clarification
Grace is not a partial rescue or a conditional blessing, but a wholesale transfer into the full inheritance of Christ, secured by His finished work alone.
- Grace guarantees an eternal, incorruptible inheritance to every believer without exception or regard to performance.
- It is not a quest to get God to move, but an unveiling of what is already secured and complete in Christ.
- Any system that places blessing or security on our works forfeits the rest and assurance Christ purchased.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3)
— Ephesians 1:3
Structure
Biblical grace reveals a divine logic where faith in Christ joins us to Him, positioning us as sons and coheirs who are seated with Him in the heavenlies.
- Through faith, believers are adopted into sonship and made coheirs with Christ, receiving His unsearchable riches.
- God positions believers in Christ in the heavenly realms, far above all authority, blessed with every spiritual blessing.
- This structure is built on Christ's accomplished work, producing a faith-rest that ceases from our own striving.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6)
— Ephesians 2:6
Weight-Bearing Prose
Grace is God’s positive action toward those judged as having no merit. The cause is God’s great love and choice to give His riches through Christ; the effect is salvation through faith into sonship and coheirship. The Pauline category is clear: justification is not merely about heaven later, but about receiving Christ as our righteousness, sanctification, and reward now (1 Cor 1:30). Every divine blessing is a spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Eph 1:3). The inheritance is eternal and incorruptible, guaranteed by grace, not performance. This refutes any system of merit or conditional blessing. The finished work of Christ means everything God will ever do for the believer is already accomplished. To introduce human striving is to undermine justification itself and return to the futility of works. The believer’s position is seated with Christ above all rule and authority—this is the present, finished reality of grace.
Integration
Rest here. Grace is God’s gift, complete in Christ. Your standing is secure, not because of your effort, but because of His finished work. You are as blessed as Christ is, for you are in Him. This is your assurance. Let the knowledge that you are already seated with Him in the heavenlies calm every fear. There is no pressure to advance or earn. Christ is your rest, your reward, your home. Re-anchor in this: God’s pleasure and will are fulfilled in giving you every spiritual blessing in Christ. This is grace.