When was the last time you heard the phrase "That's not fair!"? Maybe you heard the phrase when your children were arguing over someone getting a bigger slice of cake. Maybe you said, "That's not fair!" when your friend shared about a coworker getting a promotion over them. Maybe you are the one who said or thought silently, "That's not fair!" when your neighbor bought the dream car you had been hoping for. We operate under a mentality that everything in life must be fair and equal, but that belief is simply not true. You see, God's grace is not fair. We do not deserve God's grace or do anything to earn it. He simply gives it to us.
The apostle Paul writes about grace, which is entirely not fair, in Ephesians chapter 2. In this chapter, he talks about salvation, which is a complete gift of grace from God. He wrote to his readers, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God” (verse 8). Salvation is a gift from God, Paul wanted His readers to know. It is unfair because we did nothing to deserve that gift. We did not do anything to earn it. We did not do anything to deserve salvation. Our good works did not earn salvation, as good as they might be. God’s gracious gift of salvation is given to us simply because He loves us.
Because God’s gift of salvation is an unfair gift of grace, we cannot carry any ounce of pride for anything we have done. We cannot brag about anything except God, the one who, in His grace, has given us the ultimate gift of salvation. This means that we can stop trying to earn God's love and favor. In the words of pastor and writer Bobby Schuller, "I'm not what I do. I'm not what I have. I'm not what people say about me. I’m a beloved child of God. It’s who I am. No one can take it from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His love with the world.”
Write the word grace down on a notecard or piece of paper. Let this verse be a reminder to you of God's grace, which you did not earn or deserve but was given to you freely when you placed your faith in Him. Live in light of God's incredible grace that He has given to you.
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
