Continuing with Paul David Tripp’s description of the three great themes of the God’s story. My added comments are in brackets [ ].
The second grand theme of the Bible is God’s grace. This theme confronts and encourages me at the deepest personal level, diagnosing the problems that affect my relationship and giving me the only reliable reason to press on. [In spite of what I am and what I have done, God loves me unconditionally, deeply, consistently. Grace is giving us the opposite of what we deserve.]
God is not only sovereign, he is also abounding in grace. Immediately after Adam and Eve disobeyed him, God made it clear that he was going to do more than punish them. He would send the seed of the woman (Christ) to defeat the Enemy and provide redemption for his people (see Gen. 3:15). God’s response to the willful rebellion of his creatures was grace!
This grace justifies, providing complete forgiveness and unwavering acceptance with God. This grace adopts, welcoming us into his family with all the rights and privileges of true sons and daughters. This grace enables, empowering me to think, say, and do things I could not do in my own strength. This grace transforms, radically changing every aspect of my life.
God’s grace is most powerful and effective at the moment of my greatest weakness, [as He forgives and pours out His unending love on me]. Only in the presence of grace, [as we extend to others the opposite of what they deserve] can the biblical principles for healthy relationships bear lasting fruit.
[God’s call to us is to be grace receivers (accepting His forgiveness, forgiving ourselves) and grace givers (forgiving others as He has forgiven us). Grace brings God’s Kingdom, opening the way for transformation in us and in those around us. Let’s determine to consistently be grace receivers and grace givers.]
