For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
-Deuteronomy 7:6
People sometimes mistakenly believe that grace is found only in the New Testament. Stop and consider that this is not the case, for the grace of God is found all throughout the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation we clearly see the grace of God at work in the lives of His servants, and we find that His grace is extended to all who will put their faith in the Lord. Grace was made manifest, tangible, in the person of Jesus Christ yes; in Jesus we see what the grace of God looks like. Christ Jesus has embodied the essence of grace in its purest form. The people of the Old Testament were under the law, but even then they saw demonstrations of the compassion, mercy, and yes, the grace of God. Many times God could have easily destroyed His people, but He did not. Instead He gave them another chance. God gave them opportunity to try to be faithful again. That, my friends, is how grace operates. God’s people of the Old Testament were under the law and commandments, but they experienced God’s grace many times. In that we see a foreshadowing of the perfect grace which would come in Christ Jesus.
God could have done away with us, but He gave us another chance. That’s grace.
God could have condemned us to an eternity in hell, but He chose instead to redeem us in Jesus Christ. That is grace.
God could have sent us away without forgiveness, lost and undone. But instead He adopted us and made us as His very own children.
Imagine a courtroom in which an accused person is found guilty of a terrible crime, and sentenced to death. He is condemned and without any hope whatsoever. Imagine the judge halting the proceedings, taking off his regal robes, stepping down from his high position, and volunteering to take the condemned man’s place. That is what God did for us in Christ Jesus.
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