All-Sufficient Grace
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
1 Peter 5:10
Perhaps like never before, human depravity is on full display in our country. As in the days of Noah, “the wickedness of man (is) great on the earth, and . . . every intent of the thoughts of his heart (is) only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). Every servant of Christ feels the sheer weight of this, especially those in church leadership who care for those who are deceived, depressed, and downtrodden. But over the course of redemptive history, millions of Christians have suffered. In fact, the apostle Paul, who also suffered greatly, reminds us that “even we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:23). And with every trial we are reminded that we live in a fallen world, cursed by God.
Indeed, sorrow is a familiar companion of every Christian. But for those who rest confidently in the good and perfect purposes of God, there exists an inexplicable, subjective awareness of God’s all-sufficient grace—a tranquil peace impervious to circumstances that flows from the fountain of His covenantal love for those He has redeemed. Like Habakkuk, who faced the terror of the Chaldean invasion, we can therefore rest quietly in God’s purposes and say with confident sincerity, “Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places” (3:18-19).
This is the staggering power of God’s grace—the beneficent outworking of His goodwill regardless of merit. God’s grace not only saves us (Eph. 2:8-9), it also sanctifies us (2 Cor. 3:18) and glorifies us (Rom. 8:28-30). God’s grace is a dynamic force of divine resources that transforms every believer at the moment of salvation and empowers them in every aspect of their life in Christ. It makes the Word of God come alive and causes us to walk in faith and obedience. It helps us endure the greatest sorrows and transcend the greatest disappointments. It provides supernatural infusions of confident assurance and subjective peace to all who heed the words of the Psalmist who said, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord" (Ps. 27:14).
This is the soul-exhilarating “peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension” (Phil. 4:7). This is the joy awaiting all who “have learned to be content in whatever circumstances (they are in)” (v. 11); who know from experience that they “can do all things through Him who strengthens (them)” (v. 11) because they know that “God shall supply all (their) needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (v. 19). This is the grace whereby Christ “will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (1 Pet. 5:10).
May you be encouraged by God’s all-sufficient grace, and with the apostle Paul say, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10).
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