Niagara Falls Church of Christ

2011 Tennessee Ave.,  Niagara Falls, NY  14305

(716)285-6534 (716)285-6534 (for phone and fax)

James Lawrence, Herschel Walker - Elders

Eddie J. Cornelius, Minister Emeritus

In the great anthem "America The Beautiful" there is a line which says: "God shed His grace on thee". The fact of the matter is that God had shed forth His grace on all mankind. Paul explains it this way in Eph. 2:4-8: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" This is a marvelous act of mercy motivated by the God Love. John tells us in the third chapter of his gospel and the sixteenth verse: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

How many people today really understand the nature of this beautiful grace? It is sad to say, not very many. Even in the church of Christ, many members would be hard pressed to define or explain God's wonderful grace beyond saying that grace is "God's unmerited favor." Among those outside the church of Christ the misunderstanding goes even deeper. Many, in fact most, people believe the grace of God to be automatic. Many believe that God's grace covers the sins of even unrepentant sinners. Many believe that God's grace has saved all of mankind, regardless of what they do or believe. How sad this is.

The grace of God is identifiable! Those who stand in this grace should be able to identify it for themselves and others. In Titus 2:11-12 we are told: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" Here we are told at least three things about God's Grace: (1) it has appeared to all men, (2) it brings salvation, and (3) it teaches us. If we are to identify the grace of God, we begin by looking for a gift from God that possesses all three of these characteristics.

In John 1:29 we find these words: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."  It is apparent from these words that Jesus and His mission was apparent to John, showing that Jesus had appeared and that He brought salvation with Him. It is also apparent from John 3:17-21 that Jesus is that which was sent by God to illuminate, or teach, the world the way of salvation. Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God's marvelous grace.