Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Breaking News:

Even Jesus needed grace to operate – Part 7

By Austen C. Ukachi
17 January 2021   |   4:04 am
Does it not surprise you to know that even Christ, Who was fully God and man, and who embodies the fullness of all grace, needed the grace of His Father to succeed? In other words, Christ would not have been able to do His work of redemption without the favour of His Father.

Austen C. Ukachi. Photo: HEISALIVEBLOG

Does it not surprise you to know that even Christ, Who was fully God and man, and who embodies the fullness of all grace, needed the grace of His Father to succeed? In other words, Christ would not have been able to do His work of redemption without the favour of His Father. Luke 2:40 expressly states:
“And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” He was ‘full of grace and truth,’ yet he increased in favour ‘with God and with men,’ (Luke 2:52).

As man, Jesus increased in knowledge, wisdom, strength, and character. The word ‘grace’ in the New Testament commonly means unmerited favour shown ‘to sinners.’ But in this text, it means that God showed Him a favour or that God’s hand of favour was upon Him.

How did the grace of God work and operate in Jesus’ life? Grace enabled Jesus to bear the pain, the reproach and limitations of His humanity all the days when He was on earth.

Long before the birth of Jesus, the Psalmist had written this about Him: “Grace is poured upon your lips. Therefore, God has blessed you forever,” Psalm 45:2. This prophecy later found fulfilment in the earthly ministry of Jesus. Because of the grace of God upon Jesus, He spoke gracious words with authority that left His audience in great consternation (Luke 4:22,32,36).

Grace enabled Jesus to offer Himself to do the will of His Father. “Then, I said: ‘Behold, I have come — in the volume of the book it is written of Me — to do Your will, O God,’” Hebrews‬

Although God, He needed the grace to humble and submit Himself to the Father, even, to the cross. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross,” Philippians‬

The Holy Spirit was Christ’s inseparable companion, never leaving Him nor forsaking Him once. He was a gift given to Him from the Father, so that Jesus could, as a true human, obey and please the Father. The Holy Spirit strengthened Christ at the Garden of Gethsemane, while He struggled with the excruciating pain preceding the cross (Luke‬

“The blood, sweat and tears of our Saviour were not some mere phantom, his sweat, like drops of blood, was the effect of a soul in anguish over the terrifying reality of the cross; and his tears were from a truly broken heart over the effects of sin upon humanity, which he alone could fix through the cross. He took on our nature; a truly human nature, forever, that he might heal us forever.”

If Jesus operated by the grace of God, how much more do we need the same grace to live!
Contact: pastoracukachi@gmail.com

In this article

0 Comments