4 Ways the Grace of God Makes You a Superhero
What comes to mind when you think of the grace of God? Grace is often defined as “unmerited favor.” And while this is an entirely accurate definition of the Greek word charis (the word from which “grace” is translated in the New Testament), it may not be the full definition of God’s grace. You see, Jesus was described as being full of God’s grace (charis), and the words that flowed from His mouth were described using the same Greek term. (Luke 2:40 and 4:22) Jesus certainly deserved God’s favor. So while grace is freely bestowed upon us by God even though we don’t deserve it, its definition seems to be much greater than simply His unmerited favor.
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Perhaps the reason we have difficulty defining God’s grace is that it’s so amazingly powerful it can’t be put into a box and neatly defined. Grace and power are often spoken of together, and I don’t believe this to be an accident.Grace has the power to transform your heart, make you brand new, and to bring you into the family of God. And if you allow it to work and move in your life, it will bring you both a power and a strength that only God can give.
- The grace of God makes you alive when you were once dead. Grace has the power to bring the dead back to life again. The Bible tells us that when you are born again, you are made alive in Christ. This is made possible only through the power of God’s amazing grace.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. – Ephesians 2:4-6
- The grace of God makes you powerful. It’s no surprise that grace and power go hand-in-hand. After all, Paul spoke of both working together on numerous occasions throughout the New Testament. Truth be told, the grace of God IS power. It is the power of God that changes you and enables you to live out the Christian life. It is by His power that you are able to do all things through Christ. And it is by the power (and grace) of God that you can love and forgive the way you were called to by Jesus.
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9
- The grace of God transforms every aspect of who you are. Grace transforms you from the inside out. No longer a sinner, you are made righteous. No longer an orphan, you are born into the family of God. And no longer a slave, you are set free. No one understood this concept better than Paul. Once a persecutor of the church, it was grace that transformed him into a man who would bring the Gospel to the Gentiles and write 13 books of the Bible. This was not simply Paul “working hard” to be a better person. This was the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace working in his life.
For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. – 1 Corinthians 15:9-10
- The grace of God gives you supernatural gifts and abilities. When you become a child of God, you are transformed into a new creation. But if that isn’t enough, Ephesians 1:3 says that you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. God equips you with all you could ever need to accomplish your purpose here on earth. His grace grants you gifts, talents, and abilities to be used for His glory.
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. – Romans 12:6-8
The grace of God is a gift from Him – one that transforms our hearts and allows us to live fully and powerfully for Him.
Superheroes have superhuman strength, talents, and abilities. They fight against evil, and they serve and protect those around them. More often than not, we feel as though we are mere human beings. But Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:3 not to behave as “mere men.” The truth is that in Christ, we are no longer mere humans. We are partakers of the divine nature. We have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us. And all of this was made possible by the power of God’s grace.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. – 2 Peter 3:18
*Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
**Photo by Ben White at ChristianPics.co