“Amazing grace how sweet the sound…” We've all sung the song and we all know the lyrics, but have we stopped to really think about what makes grace so amazing? In today’s blog I’d like to explore two truths that will help us to answer this question.

We don't get what we deserve

The first truth that makes grace so amazing is owing to its undeserving nature. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explained it well, “It is unmerited favor or kindness shown to one who is utterly undeserving… It is not merely a free gift, but a free gift to those who deserve the exact opposite...” This explanation highlights the scandalous nature of grace because God gives us the “exact opposite” of what we actually deserve. But what do we deserve?

We deserve God’s wrath (Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10). Wrath is not an uncontrolled emotion like that often witnessed during peak time traffic in Joburg. Rather, it is God’s necessary response to those who fail to worship Him as the most valuable person in the universe. You see God created us to glorify Him, but we rejected Him and worshipped idols instead (Rom. 1:21-23). This is why we deserve to be paid with physical and spiritual death for our sins (Rom. 6:23).

All this talk about wrath and judgement may seem excessive. However, if we live with a sense of entitlement that assumes that God owes us His grace, then we only feed our idolatrous hearts more. Unless we realize that we are sinners deserving of wrath we will never see ourselves as debtors to God’s grace. The reason why grace is so amazing is precisely because God gives us life instead of death, righteousness instead of condemnation.

The reason why grace is so amazing is precisely because God gives us life instead of death, righteousness instead of condemnation.

However, although this grace is freely given to us, we must remember that it came at a great cost.

We gain from Christ's expense

The second truth that makes grace so amazing is owing to its costly nature. God’s just (Isa. 30:18) and holy character (Isa. 6:3) requires Him to judge sin. If a human judge were to overlook wrongdoing and let guilty criminals go free, then we would consider that judge evil and unjust. How much more then should we expect the Creator of the universe to punish sin? The solution to God's just character and mankind’s sin problem was the cross.

At the cross God presented Jesus as a propitiation for our sins (Rom. 3:25-26). This means that Jesus acted as our wrath-bearing sacrifice by dying in our place for our sins. He paid the debt that we could not pay with His own blood. His sacrifice was the ultimate demonstration of God’s love for us (Rom. 5:8). By punishing Jesus in our place, God could legitimately offer His righteousness freely without compromising His justice.

God's grace can be understood as an acronym: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

I am a great sinner, but Christ is a great Saviour

After converting to Christ, John Newton cut ties with his involvement in the slave trade and became a pastor. He wrote this song about grace because he knew that if it were not for the substitutionary death of Christ in his place, he would still be lost and blind. God's grace had found him and had given him eyes to see the truth (2 Cor. 4:4-6). At the end of his life when his memory was failing him, he would say that there were two things that he remembered “I am a great sinner; but Christ is a great Savior!”

Friend, perhaps you have come to realize that you too are a great sinner deserving of God's wrath and judgement because of your rebellion. However, you have also come to understand that Christ is a great Saviour, who paid your debt in full so that you could be forgiven of your sins. The cross was the place where God's justice and love met perfectly so that you can be made right with God. If you believe the gospel, then please consider praying this prayer and then getting in contact with us. We'd love to journey with you towards spiritual joy and maturity in Christ.

“Dear God, I admit that I am a great sinner who has disobeyed Your Word. I deserve to be separated from you because of my sins. I realize that I cannot get to heaven by being good or doing any good works. However, I thank you today that Jesus Christ is a great Saviour, who paid for my sins with His own blood and then He rose again from the dead. Please forgive me today for my sins. Thank you that by your amazing grace I may receive eternal life and righteousness instead of death and condemnation. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”