- Grace and Glory
Psalm 84:11b
The Lord will give grace and glory:
The Lord promises to give us grace, undeserved favor and blessing, and grace has been poured upon us in spades on account of Christ Jesus. Grace is Amazing, in that God has not given us what we deserved, wrath and punishment, death and torment; but instead He has given us an abundance of great and good things that we have not deserved.
The Lord “gives grace” actually means that He has given us the merits and good works that deserve reward and blessing. Grace means we have earned favor and blessing and that we can claim a right to it based on universal principles of fair pay for an honest day’s work. Although I did not work for it or merit the reward, my Savior Jesus did do the works and merits these blessings for me. Therefore, because of Christ I am bold to demand of God “earned and merited” favor and blessing. Grace does not directly mean the favors and blessings given as gifts but rather the earning and deserving of those favors and blessings; the earning power is the gift. By grace I say, “I earned forgiveness, life and salvation,” though Jesus earned it for me. In other words, Jesus did not give me what He earned by His perfect life and innocent death; no, He gave me His life and death, which earns the rewards and favors. He gave me His earning power so I earned it, though I didn’t work at all. God is obligated to pay me the wages of good work done. My work earns death; Christ’s work earns life. Grace means I now have Christ’s work; He gave it to me.
The Lord “gives glory,” implying that He makes us holy; for glory is the outward evidence of inner perfection and righteousness and holiness. When holiness shines out it is a beautiful and glorious light that elicits automatic praise to God. My problem is that I “fall short of the glory of God.” Sin clouds, covers and darkens all holiness and goodness within so light does not shine. But Jesus died for the sin, took it away and thus has removed the dark shroud hiding the goodness of God that dwells within, and now light shines: this is glory. It looks like sweetness and light; others see your good works and glorify God. Glory is a gift from God; it must be a gift for sinful humans have no glory at all until redeemed and saved by Christ. But we believers have this promise: God has given glory: holiness, righteousness and the beautiful light that shines forth out of His forgiven ones.