God Given Grace

Is grace bestowed on everyone, or just the followers of Christ?

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. - Romans 5:1-5

In today's reading, Paul states that grace is obtained through Christ. 

That sounds exclusionary and there is a reason for that.  Paul believes all of us have sinned, turned away from God, and as a result, God can leave us there, or do something radical, like send Himself in the form of His son, to bring us back into God's grace.

Now before we judge Paul harshly, consider this.  Paul realizes that all of us suffer in this world.  And while suffering can make us turn from God, or blame God, it can also produce endurance, our ability to withstand the difficulties and move forward with renewed strength.

He seems to be saying that this endurance is made possible through the Holy Spirit, which we only receive if we are baptized into Christ.

So, there is hope for all, and grace for all, but those who live in the Spirit have a greater ability to work through the difficulties, knowing there is a place for them (for all of us) in God's Kingdom.

So, if Jesus came to show the lost how to find God, that grace is available to all.  All we need to do is accept it.

Now you can turn back to God and live in His commandments, love one another and accept that grace without accepting the Holy Spirit to dwell within you, but it will be more difficult to make it through the suffering and pain in this life if you do.

So, for me, I will invite everyone to live this way.  Who knows how many wonders we can experience when we are guided by God's Holy Spirit?

More to come...