The Riches of Grace

 Ephesians 1:7-8 (NASB)

⁷  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
⁸  which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 

We sinners needed help out of our wayward pitiful condition. We were held hostage by sin and the Devil. That is when God sent Jesus to pay the ransom and rescue us. Those who have experienced such a wonderful salvation may have a hard time getting over it. May God never let us get over it. 

Our ransom payment for redemption, while free to us, did not come cheaply. It required a blood sacrifice. The very sinless Son of God made a propitiation for our sin. His death and blood atoned for our guilt. We did not deserve it. We could never earn it. We were on a collision course with the wrath of God. Through the shed blood of Jesus, we not only have redemption, but we are also forgiven. Pardoned. 

All of this a result of the riches of His grace. The words riches can also be translated as abundance. The abundance of His kindness, favor, benefit, and free gift. We sum all that up in the word grace. What a wonderful word for those of us who have experienced it. 

God did not cheaply dribble grace on sinners. He lavished it out. To put that another way, He let it overflow, run over, and abound. From start to finish it is through God's grace that we are saved, sustained and will persevere to the end. Paul also promotes grace in Eph 2:8-9. 

Grace has fallen on the people of God like a waterfall. His grace is like being drenched in a rain shower. It is like being overwhelmed by a wave in the ocean. It runs over our lives like coffee spilling out of the cup because it is full. His grace flows through us like a river. 

That is why there are so many hymns written about grace. So much of Paul's writings are laced with grace. And grace will lead us all the way home. Praise God for the riches of His grace.