Tuesday, 15 April 2014

Partakers of grace

just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. – Philippians 1.7

There are a lot of descriptions of what it means to be a Christian. I like the pictures. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are joint heirs. We are members of Christ's body. We are part of the household of God. And there are a few others.

This is one of my favourites. We have already seen our precious the Philippian believers are to Paul. We see another indication of that here when Paul writes 'I have you in my heart.' He knows that they are with him even while he is in bonds. They are with him as he confirms and defends the gospel. Even though they are not with him in body he knows they are with him in spirit - because they are 'partakers with him of grace.'

Even today we are still partakers of the same grace. The super abounding grace of God has not run out over the 2000 years of the history of the church. As Paul and the believers were partakers of the same grace we too are partakers of the same grace with them. As we all must partake of the same grace it reminds of that we all need the same grace. Rich or poor, male or female, black or white or yellow or brown, upper crust or bottom of the barrel, dirty or clean, American or Irish or English or French or Chinese or Congolese or Korean or whatever ever without the grace of God we would all be without hope and without help.

As the old saying goes 'the ground is level at the foot of the cross.' No one is any greater a partaker of the grace of God than anyone else. No man is any lesser a partaker of God's grace than anyone else.

We all share equally in the grace of our God - and praise God for allowed us to partake of His amazing grace,


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