“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
(Romans 3:24)

I'm someone who generally tries very hard to think as logically and as rationally as possible. Even though I was taught to believe the Bible since I was very young, my commitment to God is based on a personal certainty that Christianity just makes sense. For example…

• My conscience confirms that sin is wrong; the Bible defines sin and its consequences (1 John 3:4; Rev. 20:15).
  
  
• The beauty of nature points to a divine Maker Who is described in Isaiah 40:28 as "the Creator of the ends of the earth."
  
  
• Thousands of Biblical prophecies have been irrefutably fulfilled in exact detail, and many last-days prophecies are continuing to unfold.*

Despite what anybody says, you don’t have to commit intellectual suicide to become a Christian. In fact, to fully know the truth is impossible without becoming personally acquainted with Jesus, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6)

Of course there are some aspects of the Gospel that no human mind can fully comprehend. The underlying principles of grace and unconditional love defy human logic altogether – especially when you consider that we are offered so much more than salvation from hell. The Son of God Himself stands at the door of our hearts, offering a relationship that will radically transform every moment of the rest of our lives (Rev. 3:20).

If this doesn’t astound you, consider Paul’s analysis of grace in 2 Corinthians 8:9,

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He
became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.”

Even though God’s grace cannot possibly be matched by human generosity, imagine passing a stereotypical homeless person on the street who asks you for money. You could brush him off like most people, or give him $10 and feel proud of yourself for the rest of the day. Would you even consider withdrawing every penny from your bank account and handing over your life savings? Would you volunteer to take his place sleeping under the bridge and sign over the title to your house? Hypothetically speaking, would you trade your good health for tuberculosis and frostbite?

Probably not – and yet that’s only an imperfect picture of the grace of God. According to Isaiah 53, He alone “bore our griefs and carried our sorrows.” (Vs. 4) When we had “turned every one unto his own way”, the Father “laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Vs. 6) Our redemption was fashioned through the gruesome crucifixion and marvelous resurrection of Him “Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)

No matter how hard I try, I can’t make sense of the grace of God. It goes completely against the grain of human/Adamic nature that mixes ulterior motives of selfishness and pride with nearly everything we do. But even though it may not seem logical, God’s grace is a very real extension of His immeasurable love for humanity. It’s absolutely undeserved and yet completely free.

"He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt
cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."
(Micah 7:19)

As Christians, we often speak of God's "sea of forgetfulness." We rejoice in the grace and forgiveness of God, and for very good reason. Aside from the fact that He "hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities", we can take comfort in knowing that the Master of creation is on our side and counts us as beloved children He has "bought with a price." (Ps. 103:10; Rom. 8:31; 1 Cor. 7:23)

Simply put, our redemption is an invaluable gift and one that we should keep in constant view. Our attitudes and actions should be influenced above all else by the realization that we are among "they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev. 21:27)

But equally as important as recognizing who you are in Christ is remembering who you were before Christ. Let's take a look at Paul's assessment of our spiritual state before salvation:

"And you...were dead in trespasses and sins."
(Ephesians 2:1)

Contrary to common illustrations that depict man as drowning or dying in sin, the reality is that we were already dead, buried in the grave of wickedness. The thief had stolen, killed and destroyed, leaving us spiritually lifeless and morally corrupt (John 10:10). Our tombstone was engraved with the ominous epitaph: "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 8:12) As Paul continued in verse 12, we were "without Christ...having no hope, and without God in the world."

To say we needed help would be a serious understatement; we needed miracle, and a miracle is exactly what we got:

• We were dead, “but God, who is rich in mercy…hath quickened us together with Christ.” (Eph. 2:4-5)
  
  
• We were “children of wrath” who are now called “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:3; Gal. 3:26)
  
  
• Our “unclean lips” have tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Isa. 6:5; Ps. 34:8).

True life is found only in knowing Christ (John. 17:3). If you’ve accepted God’s gift of salvation and eternal life, never forget where you came from or the price that was paid for your soul (Rom. 6:23). Instead, take a moment today and “look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.” (Isa. 51:1) It may be God has brought you further than you think.