Chapter 2: Abundant Grace
Bible Reading:
2 Timothy 1:9
Titus 3:7
Ephesians 2:10
2 Corinthians 8:2, 12:9
1 Corinthians 15:10
Hebrews 4:16
How the Bible Describes God’s Abundant Grace
Whether a Christian can live victoriously and enter into the realm of spiritual abundance depends entirely on how well he knows God. In principle, once a person is saved and becomes a Christian, his knowledge of God should gradually increase until it reaches fullness. Yet in reality, this is often not the case. We must understand that the measure of our knowledge of God determines the measure of salvation we can draw upon, and likewise the measure of His riches we can enjoy. If a son does not know that his father’s vast estate is meant for him, he will not make use of that wealth and will continue living a poor and pitiful life. But if he is fully assured that his father’s abundant possessions belong to him, his entire manner of living will be drastically transformed. In the same way, our God is a God of abundance; yet many Christians live spiritually weak, defeated, and impoverished lives simply because they do not know the riches of God. Therefore, we must come together to behold this God of abundance and see in what ways He is truly rich. Last time, we looked at God’s abundant forgiveness. Now, we will continue by considering God’s abundant grace.
If a duck died of thirst while swimming on the surface of the water, that would be utterly ridiculous, even ironic. In the same way, when a Christian is placed within the abundance of God’s grace yet lives a spiritually impoverished, weak, defeated, and even dying life, is this not likewise something both absurd and bordering on irony?
The Bible uses many expressions to describe the richness of God’s grace. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” Grace originally was in heaven; there was no grace on earth until the Lord Jesus became flesh and lived among men, bringing grace down to earth. And this grace came to us in “full". Then verse 16 continues: “Of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” This shows how exceedingly rich and overflowing the grace God gives truly is.
James 4:6 says, “He gives more grace.” The apostle Paul likewise says in 2 Corinthians 9:14, “the exceeding grace of God.” Here God’s grace is described not only as more, but as exceedingly great.
In Ephesians 1:7 Paul writes of “the riches of His grace.” And in 2:7 he speaks of “the exceeding riches of His grace.” Not only rich, but exceedingly rich—inexhaustible, unending, without limit. By the time Paul wrote 1 Timothy in his later years, he testified, “The grace of our Lord overflowed for me.” Not only rich, but overflowingly abundant. From all these descriptive words, it becomes unmistakably clear how immeasurably rich and boundless the grace of God truly is.
Abundant Grace
Oh brothers and sisters, when we see from the Bible that God is indeed a God of abundance, we must make every effort to receive the fullness of His grace. Now let us consider how God manifests the richness of His grace so that we may truly experience it. In what ways does He extend His grace to us? We can reflect on this from several different angles.
Holy Calling
2 Timothy 1:9 says; "who saved us and called us to[a] a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began." Our calling today is a holy calling—not an earthly summons from a president. A president’s summons is still worldly and earthly, but God’s calling is a sacred calling: spiritual, heavenly, and meant to make us belong to the Holy God. And this holy calling is according to His grace—grace that was given to us in Christ before the ages began, before the world existed. In the eternal ages, God possesses inexhaustible grace. Paul said that he was set apart from his mother’s womb and called by God’s grace. Because this grace is exceedingly abundant, Paul declares in Ephesians: “that you may know what is the hope of His calling!”
Dear brothers and sisters, if God were to call us based on our works, then none of us would qualify. We cannot even count how many sins we have committed from childhood till now. If the holy God were to examine our iniquities, who could stand before Him? Thankfully, God calls us according to His grace. Therefore, from God’s holy calling, we can see how exceedingly rich His grace is. Oh—its richness is unfathomable, its abundance immeasurable.
Redeemed and Forgiven
It is written in Ephesians 1:7: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Our identity was originally that of great sinners, yet through the redemption of Jesus Christ we have received forgiveness. It was not because we paid any price, nor because we had any good works that earned redemption and forgiveness. It is through faith, and it is entirely out of God’s free grace. Therefore, when we experience being redeemed and forgiven, our hearts should be moved by grace to offer praise, saying, Oh! How rich, abundant, and overflowing the grace of God is!
Romans 5:20 says, "But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" This verse does not encourage us to sin; rather, it shines upon us, helping us see that although our sins are more numerous than the hairs on our head, we have nevertheless received forgiveness. It is entirely by God’s grace. Through this we come to recognize how magnanimous, deep, and profound the grace of God truly is.
Luke 7 records a sinful woman who stood behind Jesus, weeping at His feet. Her tears fell upon His feet, and she wiped them dry with her hair. She kept kissing His feet and anointing them with fragrant oil. When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he was displeased in his heart. So Jesus said, “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” This tells that he one who receives greater forgiveness will naturally love the Lord more. The one forgiven little will love little. Therefore, the more a person comes to know the abundant grace of God, the more deeply that person will love the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, the reason we often fail to rise up in love for the Lord is that we have not truly recognized our own sinfulness. When we sees that we are not merely a sinner, but great sinners who has nevertheless been embraced by the Lord’s grace, we cannot help but rise eagerly to love Him. Those who have not seen the depth of their sin will not grasp the greatness of God’s forgiveness—and therefore will not love deeply. For he who receives much forgiven loves much. Through the experience of being redeemed and forgiven, we come to know that the grace of God is boundless and immeasurable. No wonder a hymn writer once declared:
I am a sinner saved by grace
I am a sinner saved by grace
This is my story, To God be the glory
I am a sinner saved by grace
Justified
Titus 3:7 says, “that having been justified by His grace.” Forgiveness is passive. Justification is active. Because of Christ, God regards us as righteous, and this grace is exceedingly great! Luke 15 records the younger son who squandered all the inheritance his father had given him. When a severe famine arose, he became destitute, which compelled him to return home, knowing that in his father’s house there was bread to spare. As he returned, the Bible records that while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, was moved with compassion, ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him repeatedly. This action shows that the father had forgiven the son, and the son had confessed his sin. Then the father commanded the servants, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger…” (Luke 15:22).
Here, the robe symbolizes being clothed with Christ and thus justified by God. The ring symbolizes the restoration of the son’s status and authority. All of this was freely given by the father—pure grace. Thus, our justification is according to the richness of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7). No reason, no price, a grace entirely free.
Good Works
Not only in receiving salvation—such as in God’s holy calling, in being redeemed and forgiven, and in being justified—we see the richness of God’s grace. Even in living out the Lord’s salvation—such as in doing good, giving generously, enduring patiently, bearing the cross, laboring, and serving—we can also see the abundant grace of God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Here we are reminded that our salvation is entirely by God’s grace. Then the passage goes on to tell us why we have received such abundant grace. Verse 10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them..” This means that God gives us His grace so that, on one hand, we may become His masterpiece, and on the other hand, that we may do good works. The “good works” mentioned here are not the moral deeds that the world speaks of. Rather, these good works refer to expressing God’s own nature, manifesting God’s life, because only God is truly good.
This verse adds a special explanation: when God calls us to do good, it is what He has prepared beforehand for us to walk in. This means that we absolutely cannot do good by our own ability; rather, it is by God’s preparation—by the abundant grace He has already made ready—that we are able to do good. Our natural disposition is utterly corrupt, and our self‑life is hopelessly selfish; we are completely incapable of doing good. Therefore, it is entirely by the grace God gives that we can bring forth anything good.
For example, when guests come to our home, the parents bring out a large tray of candies and snacks and tell the little sister to distribute them to the guests. From the little sister’s perspective, one could say she is “doing good,” but the good she does is simply passing out what her parents have prepared. In the same way, the good we do is nothing more than distributing the rich grace God has prepared.
From the many good works done by believers, we can see how exceedingly rich, abundant, and sufficient the grace God has prepared for us truly is.
Generosity
In the matter of Christian giving, we can also see the abundant grace of God. 2 Corinthians 8:1 says, “Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia.” The Corinthian church had not shown evidence of God’s grace—not because God had not given them grace, but because they did not know how to use the grace God had given them. Therefore Paul wrote to them, saying, “I want to make known to you the grace God bestowed on the Macedonian churches.” Verse 2 continues: “that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy…” (2 Cor 8:2) In great affliction, not only did they refrain from complaining, but they even had abundant joy. This truly is the grace of the Lord.
And in "their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part." This is even grace upon grace. Just imagine: in great affliction—when one most needs the understanding and sympathy of others—and added to that, in extreme poverty, urgently waiting for help and relief, they not only received no outside assistance, but instead willingly and joyfully gave to others, not only according to their ability, but even beyond their ability. This is absolutely not something human strength could accomplish; it could only be done through the abundant grace of God. From the generous grace displayed by the Macedonian churches, we see how exceedingly rich, surpassing, and beyond human imagination the grace of God truly is.
Dear brothers and sisters, mammon is what most easily touches a person’s heart, making it the hardest thing for anyone to let go of. Especially in times of lack—when one has personal needs—it becomes even more difficult to give. Yet the churches of Macedonia, in the midst of extreme poverty, astonishingly displayed the abundant grace of their generosity. This was because they had received the rich grace of the Lord; relying on this abundant grace, they gave willingly and joyfully, even beyond their ability. From the Macedonian churches’ generous giving, we see how rich, exalted, extraordinary, and magnificent the grace of God truly is—so glorious and worthy of our admiration and reverence.
Enduring the Cross
When a person is led by the Lord onto the path of life to follow Him, sooner or later the Lord will arrange the experience of the cross for him. Many Christians become fearful and shrink back when they hear about the experience of the cross, because they are afraid of suffering for the Lord. If we speak of believing in Jesus bringing blessing, longevity, and peace, everyone’s face brightens with joy—they love to hear such things. But if we speak of believing in Jesus as accepting the cross, suffering together with the Lord, then their faces fall, they lose interest, and they do not like to hear it.
But we must never forget: only through the cross can life reach fullness; only by passing through the cross can one ascend to the throne. Therefore, we must not only accept the cross, but accept it willingly and joyfully. Paul had especially deep and abundant experiences of the cross—some even call him the messenger of the cross. No wonder every epistle written by him, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, speaks about the cross.
When Paul spoke of his own experience of the cross, he said in 2 Corinthians 12:7: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh.” We do not know exactly what this thorn was, but it is clear that it was meant to deal with Paul’s pride and to keep him humble. Therefore, it was obviously a kind of experience of the cross—one that naturally caused Paul pain. Because of this, Paul pleaded with the Lord three times for the thorn to be taken away. But the Lord answered: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) It was not by Paul’s own strength that he could accept the cross; rather, it was the Lord’s grace that was sufficient for him. It was entirely the Lord’s abundant grace that enabled Paul to endure the suffering of the cross. When Paul felt weak and unable to bear the cross, that very weakness made the power of God’s grace shine forth all the more perfectly.
1 Kings 17 records how Elijah and the widow of Zarephath survived the bitter drought and famine with only a handful of flour in the jar and a little oil in the jug. When all Israel was struck by drought, the people fell into famine, poverty, and unbearable hardship. God sent Elijah to the home of the widow in Zarephath. With just that handful of flour and that little oil, God sustained them until the rain returned, the drought ended, and the famine passed. The poverty and hardship of famine were a deep experience of the cross. Yet Elijah and the poor widow, relying on the jar’s handful of flour and the jug’s drop of oil, were able to endure those difficult days. This reveals the richness of God’s grace, enabling them to bear the suffering of the cross. Outwardly, it seemed like nothing more than a small amount of flour and a little oil—but these became an inexhaustible source of supply, allowing them to live day by day and overcome the hardships of famine. Hallelujah! God has boundless grace that enables us to endure the cross throughout our lives. Just as the hymn says:
The cross is not greater than His grace;
the storms cannot hide His blessed face…
Dear brothers and sisters, on one hand God places us in an unending experience of the cross; on the other hand, He supplies us with His immeasurably rich grace, enabling us to endure the cross with calmness and strength. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” These jars of clay are us, and the treasure is Christ, who dwells within us as our life. He supplies us with the mighty power of His endless life and grants us His boundless grace, so that we may overcome every experience of the cross—being hard‑pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, and more.
No wonder Paul also said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) In Paul’s lifelong endurance of the cross, we see how exceedingly rich, surpassing, and overflowing the grace of God truly is.
Laboring in Service
Paul said in Romans 15:15-16, "because of the grace given to me by God, 16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God." Paul says here that God appointed him to be a servant of the Lord Jesus and a priest of God, and that serving God is entirely because of the grace God has given him. A servant has no freedom of his own, being completely under the Master’s authority. Every Christian is likewise a servant of Christ, and it is also by the grace the Lord has given us—grace so rich that it causes us to willingly and gladly submit ourselves to the Lord’s full authority, allowing Him to govern us strictly.
Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “I labored more abundantly than all the apostles; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” This shows that God’s grace upon him was so abundant that it produced labor and service in his life. The reason we labor in service without indulging ourselves, without self‑love or self‑pity, and even sacrifice ourselves for the Lord, is entirely because the Lord’s grace is with us.
Beloved brothers and sisters, from the labor and service of the saints throughout all generations—from the patriarchs of old to the believers of today—we see how exceedingly rich, perfect, and marvelous the grace of God truly is.
The Throne of Grace
What causes us even deeper gratitude and joy is this: when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the throne He took up is a throne of grace. In the Old Testament, the mercy seat was on the ark in the Holy of Holies; in the New Testament it is often translated as “propitiation,” meaning that God is restoring His people. When we come before the Lord, He is able to recover our weaknesses and failures, because He desires to supply us with abundant grace to fill up all our deficiencies. Thanks be to the Lord—Christ’s present throne is not a throne of judgment, but a throne of grace. Only at the end of the world, when He sits upon the great white throne, will it be a throne of judgment. Today, the throne on which He sits is the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:14 says, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God." and verse 16 continues, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” These verses tell us that the Lord Jesus, having ascended into the heavens, is our exalted High Priest, appointed to bring God’s people grace and blessing. Therefore, we ought to come boldly before His throne of grace, to receive rich grace as timely help.
Beloved brothers and sisters, if we desire victory in our daily living and a testimony in our service, here is a secret, a sure and simple path: come before the Lord’s throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace as timely help. The grace given from God’s throne is inexhaustible—always available for us to draw upon, and always sufficient for every circumstance. This shows us that God’s abundant grace is unlimited, unending, and without measure, waiting for all the saints to take hold of it at any time and in any place.
The Attitude Believers Aught to have
Since God possesses abundant grace and continually supplies it to all the saints, what attitude should we, as recipients of such grace, have so that we do not disappoint the Lord, but instead manifest His grace richly and allow it to flow through us? On the negative side, there are two matters we must guard against and pay careful attention to, which we will now bring up.
Not Indulging the Lusts of the Flesh
Jude 4 speaks of a group of people who “turn the grace of our God into lewdness.” These are people long ago marked out for condemnation, ungodly in their ways. We must never imitate them. Rather, we must be vigilant and cherish the Lord’s grace, refusing to give ourselves over to fleshly indulgence.
Not Receiving the Grace of God in Vain
2 Corinthians 6:1 says, “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” This means that we should not merely receive grace, but also live out that grace and bear witness to it—through doing good, giving generously, enduring the cross, laboring in service, and in all things acting in a manner worthy of the grace we have received.
On the positive side, there are three matters we must pay attention to, so that our experience of God’s abundant grace may become deeper and more practical.
Receiving Grace from Christ
John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, ...full of grace and truth..” Verse 17 adds, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” From this we see that if we are to obtain grace, we must come to Christ Himself and receive grace from Him. Apart from Him, there is no other path by which grace can be obtained.
Standing in Grace by Faith
Romans 5:2 says, "Through whom (Lord) also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” This tells us that the way to enter into grace and to stand firmly upon grace is faith. It is not by relying on our own effort, struggle, or self‑cultivation; simply by believing we may enjoy God’s abundant grace. And through faith, we are enabled to continue standing in this grace and move forward.
Humbly Receiving More Grace
James 4:6 says, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.'” We must take this to heart: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Not only does God give grace to the humble, He gives more grace to those who become even more humble. Therefore, we must strive for humility—pursue humility as much as possible—so that God’s abundant grace may come upon us in even greater measure.
Beloved brothers and sisters, water always flows downward. This symbolizes how God gives grace to the humble. In the lowest places, water gathers into pools and even forms lakes. The meaning is this: in the most humble person, the grace God gives will gather and accumulate into a reservoir of grace, becoming a fountain from which rivers of grace flow forth—unceasing, ever‑springing, and reaching all the way into eternal life.
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