"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." [1 Tim 1:14]
For those of us who are “saved through faith [by grace],” [Eph 2:8] we may all confidently look back upon our salvation which God wrought and proclaim, “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” [Psa 126:3] Our salvation is such a precious thing, that is, it was expensive – we were not “redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” [1 Pe 1:18-19] The blood of Jesus was so efficient, so effective, so overflowingly powerful, that a few liters of it did in one instant what millions upon millions of gallons of animal blood could never possibly hope to do: “for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” [Heb 10:4] but it was exceedingly possible for Christ’s blood to purge us, and indeed, He has “washed us from our sins in his own blood.” [Rev 1:5]
In similar fashion to the blood, it being abundantly sufficient, for though not all will accept His gift, yet Jesus “is the propitiation…for the sins of the whole world,” [1 Jn 2:2] so too is His grace. For it is written, “the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” We see here that God’s grace was not just sufficient, not just barely enough to save each and every soul who would accept Him; neither did His grace, faith, and love rise up just enough to cover over the sins of those who are saved – no, but they are “exceeding abundant…in Christ Jesus,” yes, both at our point of regeneration and presently.
That which is available in God for us to lay hold of is beyond comprehension. For if our God is “from everlasting to everlasting,” and “The Eternal God,” [Psa 90:2, Deut 33:27] then certainly every aspect of His nature is such. So then, when we read that “The LORD is gracious and full of compassion;” [Psa 111:4] or that our God is “the God of Peace;” [Rom 15:33] or that, “The LORD thy God, He is God, the Faithful God;” [Deut 7:9] or that finally, “God is love,” [1 Jn 4:8] then we must conclude that the loveliness and blessedness of their reality is just as incomprehensible as God Himself. As Job’s friend said rightly, “canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? [He] is as high as heaven…” [Job 11:7-8]
Our understanding of God’s grace, faith, and love becomes all the more sweet when we realize there is no end to them. They are as a never-fading fruit tree, as the “tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month.” [Rev 22:2] We can be confident they shall not one day run out, nor shall we come to find that the full comprehension of them has been reached, for they are as God: eternal. Consider now another verse regarding God’s grace, found in Ephesians. Paul writes,
“[God] hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” [Eph 2:6-7]
Notice one reason in particular why God has saved us by grace, having raised us up with Christ and having seated us in the heavenlies as it were. “That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” If God’s grace in His salvation of us was “exceeding abundant,” how much more in the ages to come when He will display to us “the exceeding riches” of them! If today His grace, love, and faith have been overflowing, how much more in eternity when this promise shall be fulfilled! Let this comfort and wash over the soul and mind, for if we have seen a magnificent portion of God’s character in this life, we have not even begun to experience the fulness of it.
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