09/20/2023 – The Fullness of Grace in Christ
John 1: 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
As Christmas quickly approaches, the thoughts of many turn to the birth of our Lord Jesus. This most marvelous of all human events changed the world forever. We have no description of our Lord Jesus in terms of physical appearance. There is a description, however, of his spiritual nature.
Luke 2: 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
God has many attributes. But the fundamental attribute manifested in Christ is the grace of God. All the fullness of God dwells in Christ. Every attribute of God is perfectly manifested in Christ. And the main attribute Christ came to manifest in His incarnation is the grace of God. Everyone receives some measure of grace from God; but only Christ possesses fullness of Grace.
This is the first attribute of God you need. Before you can receive His power, you need His grace!
Grace is the divine attribute that He possesses for us. The only reason God is full of grace is so He can extend it to us. He does not need it for himself. Christ is full of grace for you.
But this was not the first manifestation of his grace. First, He manifested that grace in creation. God exists eternally and He did not need anything else to exist; but He created the universe because of His grace. The answer to our recurring question: why is: His grace. He created YOU with fullness of grace. Therefore you are wonderful– not in the sense that you are complete in goodness, but in that you are ideally made to glorify God.
The first revelation by the Holy Spirit in this opening portion of the Gospel is that the world was made through Christ. By the word of God, everything that exists in this world was made. God only had to speak for something to be created out of nothing. Such is the power of the word of God. And the word of God is personified in the Son of God.
Ideal does not mean perfect. It does not even mean always comfortable or convenient. Christ came into a world that was created by Him and through Him. He made it the way it needed to be for GRACE TO TRIUMPH for the glory of God. He knew that by making it this way, He would be rejected and killed. He cared more about the glory of God. Christ made this world good, and although He knew it would be wounded by sin, He made it just the way it needed to be for God to be fully glorified. Let’s not expect God to create ideal circumstances for us. He will do what glorifies God.