Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Mar/68

Contributor - Rev. Gerrit Rezelman

Title - The Cost of God's Grace

Topic - Grace

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." - 2 Corinthians 8 : 9.

We commemorated the Holy Communion of our Lord last Sunday. What a Spiritual Feast this is for God's people in times of strain and stress; what a Time of Rest and Quietness and Meditation; what a Fellowship in the Communion of saints when we can reflect for a while on the great Love of God in Christ Jesus, demonstrated to us in "The Unspeakable Gift" of His Son.

Have you ever counted The Cost of this Great Gift? And realized that it was not just a cheap gift, but given at such a Cost that it made The Giver poor?

"My Father is rich in houses and lands,

He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands."

"My Father's Own Son, the Saviour of men

Once wandered on earth, as the poorest of them."

There was a time when Jesus too was rich in the glories of the Mansions above, as One Person of The Triune God. But "in the fulness of time" He became poor, when He came to share His Riches with us. It was not because we earned or deserved this riches, but only through Grace and because He Loved Us So.

GRACE IS GOD'S UNMERITED FAVOR TO UNDESERVING SINNERS.

Let us examine this GRACE: G - GOD'S; R - RICHES; A - AT; C - CHRIST'S; E - EXPENSE.

G - GOD'S

The Bible begins with "In the beginning God". "All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." He is described as "The Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last". He is The Creator and owner of all riches. Outside of Him nothing exists. All other so-called "riches" is of no abiding value. He Himself has said: "For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me." (Isaiah 46 : 9).

"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory forever." (Rom. 11 : 36).

R - RICHES

Jesus' Riches was natural. It was His Own because He is The Son of God. He Himself is God. And we think now not of His rubies, diamonds,, silver, or gold, but of His greater spiritual and eternal Riches, such as Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Comfort, Everlasting Redemption. When we sin we have an Advocate with The Father, and "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". Likewise when we are "justified by faith we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ". And in Him "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace."

A - AT

This is a small word, but it makes a great difference. When for instance, we purchase something, we figure 10 Items $1.00 = $10.00. AT tells us too that our redemption has been purchased at a great price. This does not mean that we can buy it at a price. For plainly does Isaiah say Chapt. 55 : 1: "Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money ... without money and without price." But it does mean that Salvation has been purchased and grace has been given At A Great Cost.

C - CHRIST'S

Who paid this Cost? None other than God Himself, Through Jesus Christ, His Son. "For neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

And Peter is very plain in his Epistle:

"Who His Own self bare our sins in His Own body on the tree." (1 Pet. 2 : 24a).

There was no other substitute, no person, angel, animal, silver, gold. And so we sing:

"There was no other good enough

To pay the price of sin

He Only could unlock the gate

Of heaven and Let us in."

E -EXPENSE

The cost that Jesus paid was more than a mere verbal declaration that "your sins are forgiven." It was more than a formality of just saying: "Let's forget it." His Expense was actually in terms of Real Suffering and Deep Humiliation. He was "conceived by The Holy Ghost, Born of The Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate. was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. Paul in Philippians 2 : 6-7 describes the Expense as "But He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross".

Think of it, all of this for you and me. For our sakes "He became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich". God's riches was transferred to us, credited to our account, when we in humble faith respond to His Love. Let us accept Him, rejoice in this grace, and live victoriously to His glory.

"Wonderful grace of Jesus, Greater than all my sin;

How shall my tongue describe it. Where shall its praise begins

Taking away my burden, Setting my spirit free;

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me."

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