The God of all grace. 1 Peter 5:10

When the Confederate Army was finally defeated, Abraham Lincoln was asked how he would treat the rebellious Southerners. The question hinted at the desire to see the South severely punished. Rather than showing revenge, the gracious President said, “I will treat them as if they had never been away.” Wow, what grace!

Lincoln showed unmerited favor toward those who deserved punishment. Surely he could have poured out his wrath upon the South, yet chose to demonstrate a similar grace that God regularly shows toward his people: “Turn to me and have [grace] on me, as you always do to those who love your name” (Psalm 119:132). As in today’s passage, Peter called God “the God of all grace.”

Without grace, we would have to achieve salvation by human effort, but that would be impossible because we are not perfect. Thus, without God’s favor we would all spend eternity in Hell for we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Instead, we are vindicated by his grace through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23). The promise of grace comes to those who have faith in God (Romans 4:16), who are humble (Proverbs 3:34), and who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11). In no way do we deserve God’s grace, just as the Confederacy did not deserve exoneration. Furthermore, your success in life will be dependent upon God’s continuing grace.

“Grace is everything for nothing to those who don’t deserve anything.” – Anonymous