Plan A or Plan B: Understanding Grace

EPHESIANS 1:3-7 (NIV)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

This passage is not for a discussion about predestination vs. free-will. Today it's to show how intimate and loving God truly is. This majestic, all-powerful God thought you up before the creation of the world. God's plan A: He loved you so much that He breathed life in to you. He found you important and special and wanted to have a relationship with you... God created you holy and blameless. God adopted you into His family.

God wants to talk to you and share His love and wisdom with you. He wants us to love Him back and share our thoughts with Him. In plan A: God wanted us to be a part of His family and wanted us to fellowship with Him.


EPHESIANS 2:1-9 (NIV)

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Our plan B: Because of our sinful nature, we have chosen the things of the world. Craving lust, greed, selfishness, envy, hatred, and lying. We have chosen everything God is not. That is what has caused a wedge in our relationship with God.

The good news? God knew many of us would fall into the junk, the filth of this earth. He knew many of us would turn our backs on Him, even though He created us for the sole purpose of perfect fellowship with Him. God, being patient and loving- gave us a second chance. He has given us a special gift called Grace. Grace is not earned, it can only be given. He is saying to you if you pin all your trust in Christ, and believe He died on the cross to rid that wedge(sin) between us and God, then God will raise us up out of our dark, filthy place and bring us back home to Him. God always has plan A for our lives. It's a matter of us accepting His gift of grace, love, and eternal life with Him.

God loves you!

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