John 1:14-18–“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known."

Today’s devotional thoughts are from the book of John, the fourth of the four canonical (list of sacred books officially accepted as genuine) gospels. In this section, St. John, the apostle, writes about the miracle gift of Jesus, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”  More specifically, the focus is on the grace we receive from this amazing gift from our Lord Jesus - grace upon grace. 

Think back for a moment. Have you ever been in a situation where you knew you blew it - big time? You felt bad about it and truly ‘owned it,’ and the person issuing the rightful consequence knew you understood the gravity of what had transpired and let you off free without consequence? Maybe as a child or young adult, you had such an experience, and you can remember that feeling. I sure did, and although confession is good for the soul, the story is too long for this devotion. 

We may sometimes think that situations in life where we blow it and are forgiven are like God’s grace for us, but it is not. Not even close. His grace is much more, so much more. His grace reveals His nature; His nature is love. It is unconditional love. It includes giving His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins, to die a painful and undeserved death on our sinful undeserving behalf, and for our salvation. This is why reflection during Lent (between Ash Wednesday and Easter) is so purposeful. His grace is about even more: the gift of grace, that is, Jesus, keeps on giving the gift of eternal life. 

Dr. John Kleinig, dean of chapel and head of biblical studies at Australian Lutheran College, Adelaidean, and author of Grace Upon Grace, puts it this way:

“Our whole life as the children of God is a life of reception. We have been justified by the grace of God the Father, so we now live by faith in His grace. Because we believe in Him, we now receive every spiritual gift from Him. We receive grace upon grace from the fullness of the incarnate Christ.”(p. 10)1

We are only justified by God’s grace, which is a gift. It is a gift that does not stop giving. That gift is Jesus, who is ‘full of grace and truth.’ Moses gave us law, and the law condemns. It is Christ who gives us grace and truth and keeps giving us grace, grace upon grace, and more grace! Klenig reminds us later in his book how it is the only way we are justified. What an easy trap it is to think we have some part in this: 

“We believe in justification by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, in practice, we all too often fail to live by grace and faith. In our spirituality, in our devotions and praying, we, in fact, all too easily slip back into justification by works and reliance on our own performance.” (p. 161)2

We are blessed to receive God’s amazing grace, grace upon grace -- the gift of Jesus, the gift that keeps on giving for all eternity. Our world needs to hear about this gift of grace, even more now than ever. That’s where we come in, Saints, to regift God’s grace to a world that desperately needs it. 

Thank you for tuning in and reading during Lent, Saints, but thank you more for sharing this gift of God’s grace with others! Remember, it is our mission at Crean Lutheran High School: Proclaiming Jesus Christ through Excellence in Education (and in all that we do). Amen. 

We pray: Gracious and loving Father, Ruler over all, we know we fall short and are not deserving of Your love. Yet, through Your amazing grace, You gave us Jesus - the gift of grace upon grace. Through faith in Him, and not by our doing, we are saved. We lift up those suffering from illness and those in need and ask that You send healing, hope, and resources. We are thankful for the many blessings that You bestow upon us, Lord. We lift up our community, state, and nation and pray for godly Christian leaders, leaders who read Your word and follow You. We pray all of this in the holy and powerful name of Jesus. Amen. 

Dr. Jeffrey S. Beavers, CEO

Crean Lutheran High School

dr.beavers@creanlutheran.org 

References:

1Kleinig, John. Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today (p. 10). Concordia Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

2Kleinig, John. Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today (p. 161). Concordia Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

*Photo courtesy of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.