October 29
Grace—God's Second Chance 
Romans 5:1-6

Scripture records a grim picture of mankind: dead in our sins, under God's wrath, and subject to eternal separation from Him (Eph. 2:1-3). Through the cross, He gives us a second chance to be in a loving relationship with Him. When we place our faith in Christ, He pours out His unconditional love—His grace—upon us.

Because of grace, we have been justified by faith. Justification is a declaration by God that we are not guilty in His sight. At salvation, Jesus' death on the cross is counted as payment for our sins. All our disobedience—past, present, and future—is fully forgiven.

The means of obtaining this pardon is through genuine faith in Jesus Christ. What does that look like? It's a faith that accepts the Lord's judgment that we are sinners who are unable to rescue ourselves and in need of a Savior. It believes that Jesus paid for our sins through His death, that God accepted His payment on our behalf, and that we are forgiven and made part of His family. If we have true faith, we'll give Him our allegiance and wholeheartedly seek to serve Him.

Grace also gives us peace with the Lord. Before salvation, a person is His enemy, under a sentence of eternal death. But after trusting in Christ, that individual is adopted into God's family and has His favor forever.

Through grace, we've been given a second chance. Instead of the eternal punishment that we deserved, we've received acceptance through faith in Christ (Rom 15:7) and have become members of God's family (Rom. 8:15). Make full use of this second opportunity by passionately pursuing Him.

For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.

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