Grace Upon Grace

“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” (John 1:16 ESV)  

But grow in grace and acknowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever, Amen.

John the Apostle describes God’s work in Jesus. The Apostle is sharing good news, and good news is always about something happening, not something happening in general, but something good happening to us and for us. And that’s what this verse is about. In the coming of the Word, we receive grace upon grace, not just grace, mind you, but grace upon grace.

And what is grace, we might ask. Kindness, joy, delight, favor…that is as unexpected as it is unmerited. Grace is always free – no strings attached – always given without expectation of some return, always based on nothing but the sheer favor and excitement and character of the giver, and almost always comes as a surprise.

And so, the Word comes into our world, endures being rejected by those who should know him, and takes on our flesh all so that we might be showered with not just a moment of grace but a lifetime, more grace than we can imagine or really even receive.

That word, grace, is not mentioned again in the Fourth Gospel. No one knows exactly why, but I suspect it does not matter. Right here, right now, we have the promise that Jesus comes to draw us into a universe of grace. Thanks be to God! Through our faith in Christ and our repentance for our sins, we are made righteous through the blood of Christ. It is here His unending grace is laid upon us.

Prayer: Dear God, remind us again and again that you have drawn us into the world of grace that we may turn and offer that same grace to each other in our words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by Guest Contributor, Pastor Hesbon Arwasa, Kisii, Kenya