The Conspiracy of Grace

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8)

The central, overwhelming trait of Christians is gratitude, thankfulness. It was the grace and love of God that created the world, that created you, that created laughter and wine and friendship and music. It was the grace of God that piled this world high with His gifts, and man in his rebellion sinned against that grace, complained about His gifts, and struck out on his own. Instead of life, he chose death. Instead of light, he chose darkness. But you He has made alive, who were dead in your trespasses and sins. Though there was nothing lovely in you, God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, he made alive together in Christ. We have received grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, and God in His love does not cease to pursue you, to pursue this world with His love. He is steadfast in His love, steadfast in His grace, and continues to pile up the gifts. You are here by the gift and grace of God. You have your family by the gift and grace of God. You are alive by the gift and grace of God. You are forgiven and washed by the gift and grace of God. It’s all grace. It’s all a gift. And that means that the only response is thankfulness. The only response is gratitude. And that’s the response of faith, and that too is a gift. Welcome to the conspiracy of grace. It’s all grace everywhere you turn. There is no escape; there is only grace.