But, grace works very differently. To be treated graciously is to be treated with love when one does not deserve to be. Grace does not look to any reason within someone to treat him that way. It sees no merit or intrinsic dignity with which to justify its love.
God, having loved us deeply, treated us graciously when he decidedly withheld judgment and condemnation from us and blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). By his grace, he gave his own Son to bear our iniquities against him and the punishment that came with them. We've also been given his Son's righteousness which, though not our own, is counted as our own in his eyes. As a result, we are acquitted from the charges that were previously made against us due to our sins. Furthermore, the barrier of sin that kept us from our God has been broken and we are now drawn to have a relationship with him. What great love he has for us!
None of this was deserved. If God gave us what we deserved, we would all be paying off an eternal debt in hell. If we received what was our due, our lives would have consisted in nothing but misery, and life after death would be not only a continuation of but also an exponential intensification of misery.
But, praise God that he has not dealt with us according to our sins but according to his grace.
"Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
And the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!"
- Psalm 117
