The Power Of The Gospel Of Grace

By Arthur J Licursi

“…the gospel… is come unto you, as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also IN YOU, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth” (Col. 1:5-6).

It’s wonderful to see “the gospel of the grace of God” (Act 20:24) do its work in the lives of believers – liberating them from religion’s bonds and empowering by the very life of the indwelling Christ!

Paul had never even seen the Colossians to whom he wrote the verse above. He had only sent missionaries to them from Ephesus with the good news of the grace of God, but this gospel of grace had produced amazing results.

Wherever “the gospel of the grace of God” is preached in its purity it produces results, that is so long as it is not corrupted by mixing it with “the Law.” No one hearing Paul’s message of pure grace can go away the same. Either they will consider it utter foolishness and be hardened by it, or they will see its vital importance and be softened by it. Ultimately the hearers will either be eternally condemned, or eternally saved and justified by their free-will response to that message of pure grace.

“The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (I Cor. 1:18).

“Christ crucified… is unto them which are called… the power of God and the wisdom of God” (I Cor. 1:23-24).“The power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 1:16).

Note that it is “the gospel of the grace of God” (Act 20:24), the “preaching of the cross,” that produces such results. The “law of Moses” never did, “For what the law could NOT do, in that it was weak through the flesh,” God sent His Son to accomplish for us (Rom. 8:3-4).

This is why Paul proclaimed, at Antioch of Pisidia:

“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39).

God’s message to us is a message of love, proclaiming to even the vilest sinner that he may be “justified freely by [God’s] grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).