In his introduction to the Ephesians, Paul wishes “Grace” to them. What does he mean?
To appreciate Grace, we must first acknowledge the existence of sin. If you have ever felt bad about something you’ve done, you know you’re a sinner. And, if you’re honest with yourself, you will know that you’re a repeat offender! The fact is, we’re all sinners and sinners are hopeless repeat offenders. It’s the human condition, even though in the court of public opinion you may be seen as a very nice person.
One way to deal with the problem of sin is to deny its existence, declaring that we can only ever be guilty of feeling guilty, which is not a good thing, and we should get over it! This is a neat modern solution that seems to satisfy a lot of people who are very good at keeping their heads firmly buried in the sands of self-delusion.
Following a religion is another feel-good option. Religion (pick one, they’re all basically the same on this score) teaches that if we try really hard, we can make ourselves eligible to receive mercy from whatever god we serve. That sounds pretty good until we realize that mercy is useless for us if we are chained to sin. We don’t need temporary excusing, we need permanent liberation!
Jesus Christ offers the better way. Through His life, death and resurrection He has the power to both forgive us and to set us free. God’s Grace (that is, favor we don’t deserve) granted to us in Christ fully Liberates, Saves, Justifies and Sanctifies us.
That’s a whole lot more than mercy can do! And it doesn’t have to be earned: it’s available to anyone who sincerely asks for it.