For as long as there has been sin, there has been grace. In fact, God set the wheels of grace into motion long before Adam and Eve were created and placed in the Garden of Eden. Isn’t it remarkable to know that God’s grace has transcended time and space? Today, whether you’re a new believer, a seasoned Christian, or you’re seeking your place in God’s family, it’s important to know where you land in the history of grace.
Romans 5:15-17 (NLT)
But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though were are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
In his 2005 smash hit, “Next Thing You Know,” Mathew West said, “You have to find your place in the history of grace.” When explaining the story behind the song, Matthew West explained how his father had always told him that the day that he truly met Christ would be a day that he always remembered. The song is a musical version of Matthew’s personal testimony, as he sings about what he felt while watching a Billy Graham Crusade on television and realizing that he needed to ask Christ to be his Savior. At 13 years of age, Matthew had accepted Christ and would go on to be one of the most recognizable names in Christian music.
Thousands of years before Matthew West found his place on grace’s timeline, Paul wrote a letter to the Roman Church that spoke about the power of grace. The Book of Romans was an epistle of Paul written to a body of believers in conflict. A combination of Jews and Gentiles came together to form the Church at Rome, and there was a lot of confusion about following the Old Testament Law compared to trusting grace. Paul pointed the believers in Rome towards grace.
In doing so, he compared Adam and Christ. Adam, the first man who needed grace and Christ, the embodiment of grace, appeared to be polar opposites. However, we can look at both of them as a means of finding our own places in the history of grace. Whether you’re a new believer, a seasoned disciple, or you’re a seeker trying to find God’s goodness, there’s a place for you in the history of grace.
Adam and Eve
Genesis 3:21 (NLT)
And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
The rules were simple for Adam and Eve. They had free reign in the Garden of Eden, but they were not permitted to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. There is a lot of debate that surrounds this tree. Some people believe it’s symbolic, while others believe it’s literal. For the sake of today’s study, we’re going to take Scripture at face-value and believe that the tree was a literal tree that God didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from.
Satan came into the Garden of Eden one day, and he confronted Eve about the tree. He never told her that God didn’t say they shouldn’t eat from it. Instead, he twisted what God had said to the first couple. That’s still how Satan operates today. Instead of simply saying something that is in direct contrast to what God says, he tries to manipulate us into misconstruing what God really said.
After Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, they realized they were naked. Before that, they had never experienced shame. Why would they? There was nothing to be ashamed of. They were in constant communication with God. However, the Bible says that after they ate the fruit, their eyes were opened, they saw that they were naked, and they were ashamed.
Just as He did every day, God came to walk with Adam and Eve in the “cool of the day.” Since they were suddenly experiencing shame, Adam and Eve ran to hide. God called out for them, as He was just as committed to communing with them after their sin as He was before.
The verse that we just read from Adam’s conversation with God is the embodiment of grace. God recognized that they were ashamed by their nakedness, and He knew that their shame was the result of their sin. God chose grace. He told them that He would make them something to wear that would cover their nakedness, and in turn, their shame.
Grace was the byproduct of the first sin. Today, millennia have passed, and grace is still as available and as powerful as it was then.
The Apostle Paul
Acts 9:3-4 (NLT)
As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
“The mission” mentioned in this verse was pretty straightforward. Paul, whose name at this point was Saul, was on his way to find Christians so he could either arrest them or kill them. The people who were spreading the Gospel were chief enemies of Paul and his fellow religious leaders of the day. Paul was on his way to break up the same types of churches that he would eventually be starting.
Before his conversion, Saul was one of the most feared men in society. When people heard his name, they trembled. The first time that Saul was mentioned in Scripture, he was holding the coats of the men who were stoning Stephen to death. Stephen was a preaching deacon and one of the most vital members of the Church that started in Acts 2. Paul had a direct hand in his murder.
Why would God choose Paul to play such a pivotal role in the spread of the Gospel? Because grace doesn’t see the past. Instead, grace focuses only on the future.
God waited until Saul was almost to his destination before stopping him in his tracks. He posed a question to Saul, asking the Pharisee why he was persecuting Him. Saul immediately recognized Who had stopped him, and he submitted his life to Christ. In the middle of the road, on his way to murder Christians, Saul gave his life to Christ. Grace doesn’t know any limitations. God changed his name from Saul to Paul, and set him on a new path.
It’s worth noting that Paul wasn’t perfect after that moment. Paul still had his struggles. He got into arguments with fellow Christians. In fact, we learn at one point that Paul and Peter got into a heated argument. However, God’s grace was still the most prevailing force in Paul’s life, and He wants it to be the most prevailing force in ours.
History teaches us that thousands of years passed between Adam’s sin and Paul’s conversion. Thousands of years elapsed, and humanity continued to miss the mark of God’s standard of holiness. Grace never changed. As you read this, thousands of years have passed since Saul became Paul on the Damascus Road. For thousands of years, humanity has struggled to hit God’s mark. Grace still prevails.
Grace’s history is a long one, which is great news for us. It means that there’s plenty of room for us on the timeline. Today, no matter where you stand with God, find your spot in the history of grace.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace. Thank You for looking at my future when I’m tempted to focus on my past. Forgive me of my sins, and set me on the path that You have for me. In Christ’s name, Amen.