Let's try to say and describe “grace” in a new way.
Of course, “grace” means that it is a gift that a person does not deserve. It is given to you freely, undeservedly, free of charge.
God gives it to you because He is a good, loving God. This is who He is in the essence of His being.
Now what does this gift of “grace” entail?
Yes, part of this “gift of grace” is everything, everything, everything that Jesus is still doing and has done for us in and through His life, His cross, His death, His victory over the powers of hell, His resurrection from the dead, and while reigning now at the right hand of the Father, as the One on the throne, as the King of all kings.
Part of this “gift of grace” is therefore the total salvation that Christ Jesus has worked for you and me and has already achieved. It also includes the total work of reconciliation that He has completed for each of us on the cross through His blood and the sacrifice of His Body.
This includes forgiveness, justification, healing, restoration, sanctification, and victory until the end of our lives.
This also means that part of this “gift of grace” is the promise that God will equip us and continue to equip us with day by day with everything we need to do and for what He wants us to do in His greater plan.
Yes, that which God’s Spirit speaks of prophetically in Eph. 2 when it says: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
As someone said: “God set us up in His grace in Christ Jesus for the success He has in mind.”
“Repent”, in Hebrew, is “teshuv ah” which if we can translate it literally, means “return to “Hei”, which can mean “grace”, but which in Hebrew can also mean “God”. (The Hebrew letter “Hei” is used many times as a replacement of the holy Name of God.)
In other words: “Return to God’s grace”!
However, remember what the Lord has already said and revealed about “His grace”.
Like what the Spirit of God reminded Paul of in 2 Cor. 12: “Remember that My grace is always sufficient for you!”
If I have to think about this practically, what it means if I believe, it means that I have to say: I choose to serve and follow Jesus as King again in this part of my life, in this area or aspect of my life, come what may! I choose to believe and honor God's grace in Christ Jesus.
Of course, we do not always understand what this entails and cost! However, everything starts with the choice to say this in faith and choose to believe it every day, come what may!
Friends, make today the day you choose again to follow and obey Jesus as King unconditionally, regardless of the cost!