"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."_ — *John 1:17*
WHAT MAKES GRACE DISTINCT- THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST* ( a)
Imagine two workers in the same company. The first worker is under probation. His boss tells him, "If you come early every day for six months, if you never make a mistake, and if you meet your target, THEN I will give you a permanent staff ID and a full salary." Every day he lives in fear. One lateness, one error, and his blessing is gone. His acceptance depends on his performance.
The second worker was adopted by the owner of the company. On his first day, the owner gave him a permanent ID, put his name on the payroll, gave him access to all the company benefits, and said, "Because you are now my son, I will teach you how to work like a son should." He obeys not to be accepted — he obeys because he is already accepted.
The first worker is a picture of the Law. The second is a picture of Grace. Many Christians are still living like the first worker, trying to earn God's ID card with fasting, service, and good behaviour. But grace says: Because you are in Christ, you have already been accepted. You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Now, you learn to live like who you already are.
> _"We don't obey to be accepted; we are accepted, therefore we obey."_
Anytime we talk about the grace of God through Jesus Christ, we are talking about a phenomenon that came to be solely because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, not because of human effort.
We received grace because Christ died, not because we performed. If our performance was enough, Christ would not have needed to die.
This is what makes grace radically different from the Law.
1. LAW SAYS "DO," GRACE SAYS "DONE"
In the Dispensation of Law, the order was: *DO, then you will be blessed.*
> _"If ye will obey my voice indeed... then ye shall be..."_ — *Exodus 19:5*
Obedience was the condition for blessing. The blessing was always hanging on what man would do. And man failed again and again.
In the Dispensation of Grace, the order completely changed: *It is DONE, therefore you ARE blessed.*
> _"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ."_ — *Ephesians 1:3 (NLT)*
Notice the tense. Paul did not say "who WILL bless us if we behave." He said "who HAS blessed us." Past tense. Done deal. This blessing has nothing to do with what we did or what we are trying to do, but everything to do with what Christ has already done. Under grace, all reference is to the Cross. That is why we call it the *Finished Work* of Christ.
He is not still trying to do it. He has done it. Our faith can now have a solid anchor.
Under Law, obedience was the *price* for acceptance.
Under Grace, obedience is the *proof* of acceptance.
You don't pray, fast, and live holy to make God love you. You do those things because God already loves you and His love has changed you.
Are you serving God from fear of punishment or from the joy of acceptance? Fear may make you comply for a while, but only love will make you remain.
Father, thank You for the finished work of Christ. Thank You that I am already blessed, already accepted, already loved in Christ. Teach my heart to rest in what You have done, and to obey You not out of fear, but out of love. In Jesus' name, Amen.