A Father's Motivation of Love
We did nothing to motivate God to save us. His motivation was intrinsic. It came from within His nature. He saw our plight and felt compassion for us. Anyone who has stopped along the road to pick up a stray dog or move a fallen bird's nest to a safe place has in a limited way mirrored the compassion expressed by God in salvation.
Paul explains this even further with his parenthetical remark, "By grace you have been saved." The Greek form of the term grace implies that grace is the "instrument" used to accomplish salvation. In other words, if one were to ask God, "God, how did You save me?" He would answer, "Grace."
Grace summarizes the entire salvation process. It encapsulates the sending of Christ, the offer of forgiveness, His crucifixion, His resurrection, and His ascension. Why grace? Because grace indicates unmerited favor; it suggests an undeserved expression of kindness and goodwill. The whole of salvation is just that-an undeserved gift. From start to finish, salvation is by grace. We have now answered two basic questions.
Q1: Why did God save us?
A1: He loved us.
Q2: How did God save us?
A2: By grace; by an undeserved series of events enacted for our benefit.
Paul answers yet another crucial question. He reveals the purpose for our salvation: so that we might be the eternal objects of God's kindness.
This truth underscores the depth of the love that moved God to begin with. Unlike the nature lover who stops to rescue an injured bird, God's love goes beyond pity. He did not save us just to keep us out of hell. He saved us to guarantee an eternal relationship with us, a relationship in which we would continue to be the recipients of His kindness.
God's grace toward you did not stop with forgiveness. His grace will continue to be poured out on you forever! That was His purpose from the very beginning. Is there anything keeping you from accepting God's free gift of salvation right now?
Taken from The NKJV Daily Bible
No comments:
Post a Comment