Where to Look for Grace - Revelation 1:4

Grace is defined as “favor or kindness shown without regard to the worth or merit of the one who receives it and in spite of what that person deserves."1 When I think about that definition I wonder who can show me true grace. To whom should I look if I truly want kindness from them that is rooted solely in their love for me and not upon any merit of my own? We know that we have trouble showing favor toward even our children without some consideration of the joy and happiness that they bring us. There is a natural human inability to show perfect kindness to people who do not deserve it. Yet, I want to be shown favor. I want to be the recipient of unconditional kindness. So, if I am to be shown favor and kindness, to whom should I look?

John prays for the seven churches of Asia that they would receive grace, and he prays that the giver of that grace would be the one who is and was and is to come. In other words, for John, the grace that we need comes from God. Why not just say so? Why not just pray that they would be given grace from God? Why the long title? Well, as you might guess it more than just literary beauty that drives John to use the phrase “who is and who was and who is to come.” There is something in the description of God that makes the receipt of His grace more meaningful and desirable.

In that phrase John expands the idea of God's eternal immutability; his unchangeable character; his sameness yesterday (who was), today (who is) and forever (who is to come). If God the Father, before the foundations of the earth were laid, determined to save me based solely on the merit of his son and not on any of my righteous acts, which are as filthy rags, and if this same God never changes, then based on these two facts, 1. his choice to give me grace on his son's merit 2. his unchangeable character, I can be confident that his grace toward me will always be perfect and motivated solely by his unchangeable love for me. I will never have to earn it. I will never have to work to hold on to it. It will always flow from him to me because of the blood of Christ, which has washed me and bought me and made me his own.

If am to look to anyone for grace, for that undeserved favor and kindness which brings true peace to the soul, then I will look to God and to no other.

1. Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of: Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.