‘But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ [by grace you have been saved] (Ephesians 2:4, 5).’
If you believe you can resist God you are badly mistaken. If God loves you (Cf. Romans 9:13), nothing can take that love away (Romans 8:38, 39). If God wants you to join Him in His kingdom, you will want to join Him there (Isaiah 26:8; Psalm 27:4). If He first loves you, you will respond by loving Him (1 John 4:19). You will not resist Him. You will be drawn to Jesus (John 6:44).
Grace
Grace is often defined as God’s unmerited favour. You do not deserve this favour; you do not deserve His love, and yet He freely gives it to you (John 3:16). You do not deserve it, for there’s nothing in you of any worth (Isaiah 40:17). There is nothing in you that is attractive or desirable to God (Cf. Job 25:4-6). In fact you are a rebel before him. He sees you in your nakedness (Cf. Revelation 3:18). He sees you in your pitiful state. Because of your wilful disobedience you are worthy of nothing but death (Romans 1:32) and everlasting punishment.
However, God is loving (1 John 4:8); He is kind, and He is merciful (Joel 2:13). He is a God who forgives (Psalm 99:8). Not only does He forgive, but He forgets your transgressions against Him. He forgets your sins (Psalm 103:12). If you turn to Him and repent of your sins (Mark 1:15) and seek His forgiveness He will welcome you into His loving arms (Matthew 11:28-30). He will pardon you and forgive you. No longer will you be guilty before him, because He takes way your sin and He washes you clean in the blood of His Son (Revelation 1:5), i.e., Jesus who died for this very purpose. He died and suffered to pay the penalty for your sins (Ephesians 1:7). He *rose from the dead and sits at the right hand of His Father. If you place your trust in Him, you too will be raised from the dead (Romans 8:11) and live with Him eternally.
Receiving Grace
To grasp the measure of God’s grace you must first receive it by faith, which is a gift given to you from Him (Ephesians 2:8). Without this gift you are in your natural rebellious state. You are without hope or knowledge of salvation (V.V. 12, 13). You are spiritually dead in your trespasses and sin (Colossians 2:13). You cannot help yourself escape the inevitable consequences of your rebellion against God. Your allegiance is with satan (John 8:44). You may not realise it, but he is your master. He rebelled against God and was cast to the earth (Isaiah 14:12) where he reigns as the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2, 3; John 14:30). You obey satan, and like him, you hate God (Romans 1:30). You are of the world; you are fleshly in nature (Romans 8:5), and your desires are for self. You do not want a just and righteous God (Psalm 116:5) to rule over you . You do not want Him to be your King (Cf. Psalm 5:2) and your Lord. You want to be free to do the things you want for your own selfish interests (Romans 6:20).
But when the Spirit’s infusing ray of light and life penetrates your stony heart (Ezekiel 11:19) of darkness and death, it enlivens your spirit (John 3:3-8) and you are transformed into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). You willingly become a slave of God (Romans 6:22). You are set free from sin and bear fruit to holiness and to everlasting life (V. 22).
Dear reader, this is my prayer: ‘Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:2).’
*The Resurrection
The Biblical Way 