Some of the most beautiful songs ever written have been in response to the awe and wonder that have captured a person overwhelmed by God’s grace. To realize that one “once was lost but now is found” is truly music to the ears, and the wonder of it all is enough to take one’s breath away. But once breath is recovered, such glorious news must then be sung, for being lost without hope and then being brought to life by God’s grace is indeed something to sing about. And not only sing about, but it is enough to lay down one’s life for, as a lifelong act of gratitude. In light of the glorious grace that God has bestowed upon His people through Christ—both in salvation and in preservation—one can only respond with a surrendered life of joyful sacrifice and worship.
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!” These famous lyrics by Thomas Watson are possibly the most well-known, oft-quoted song lyrics in the world today. But what is this grace that is so often sung about? And what about it is so amazing? The answers to these questions have the potential to change one’s life, for tasting of the precious grace of God changes the way one sees and perceives everything. The apostle Paul was so impacted by the grace of God that he proclaimed to not account his life of any value, if only he may “testify to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24). He would later write to the Ephesians of “the glory of His grace” and of “the riches of His grace” (1:6-7), being overwhelmed by the wonder of it all and needing to express his awe and gratitude through praise. So what is grace? Specifically, what is divine grace? The short definition would simply be God’s unmerited favor. Yet even in this short definition, the aspect of God’s grace being unmerited is critical to grasp, for it leaves no room for pride or boasting…only for humility and worship.
To begin to grasp, however, just how precious God’s grace towards man is, one must first understand the lost, hopeless state that man was in—and would still be in—were it not for the priceless grace of God. God…God—the Creator of the universe, the One who gives us life and breath and owes nothing to anyone, yet gives of Himself generously to His creation and allows them to know His eternal love and joy—this very God has unrightly been disobeyed and rebelled against by His very creation. His very creation! Who is man to rebel against his Creator and think that there still might be some sort of hope for him in life? Well, if it weren’t for the grace of God, there wouldn’t be; for the attributes of God, namely, His holiness and righteousness, do not allow Him to be in the presence of sin…which is what man has now tainted himself with. Now, rather than enjoying true life with God in a loving relationship with Him, man is instead separated from God for eternity, with nothing but the peril of death and the promise of hell waiting for him. But God…
Two little words make all the difference in the world. But God… “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved!” (Eph. 2:4-5). So with this background in mind (which is the true reality we live in), what then is the grace of God? A.W. Tozer, in his work The Attributes of God, gives an extended definition: “Grace is that in God which brings into favor one justly in disfavor” (99). It is not an overstatement to safely say that man in his sin has justly been placed in disfavor with God, and deserves no mercy or pity from the good and righteous Creator against whom he rebelled. But thankfully for man, God’s grace prevails, for He is a wonderfully good God, and His grace flows from His goodness; it is entirely of His good pleasure to bestow. As Tozer conveys, “Grace is God’s goodness, the kindness of God’s heart, His goodwill, His cordial benevolence” (103). It is because of God’s grace that man has hope, and it is because of God’s sovereignty in grace that his hope is assured.
God’s sovereignty is an element of His grace that holds significant weight, for it is what makes His grace irresistible. Arthur Pink, a highly respected author and theologian, even includes the sovereignty of God in his definition of grace: “Divine grace is the sovereign and saving favor of God, exercised in the bestowment of blessings upon those who have no merit in them, and for which no compensation is demanded from them” (The Attributes of God 84-85). The grace of God is not only unmerited, but it is unsought and even unwanted unless its beauty is conveyed to the one in need. As Pink suggests, grace “comes as pure charity, and at first, unasked and undesired” (85). Praise be to God that He knows what we need more than we do, and gives it to us even without our initial desire for it. This, too, is grace! And what truly irresistible grace it is; for just as He illumines our minds to how valuable and precious His grace truly is, He also assures that we will not foolishly refuse it. And to be sure, this undoubtedly, too, is grace.
One might think that it doesn’t get any sweeter than this—to have God’s grace poured out upon undeserving man so as to be reconciled back into a loving, righteous, and eternal relationship with Him—but it does! As if lavishing us with His grace isn’t enough, God binds Himself to His word and seals His everlasting grace to us with an eternal covenant. Keep in mind this is God, who owes nothing to anyone and, if anything, is the One who man owes vows and obligations to. But the dynamics of His grace keep expanding. In his book Grace: God’s Unmerited Favor, C.H. Spurgeon basks in this concept, writing, “That God would enter into gracious covenant with men is an amazing thing. That He would create man and be gracious to man is barely conceivable. However, that God would shake hands with His creature and would subject His august majesty to an unspeakable bond with man by His own pledge is astonishing” (8). Astonishing may even be an understatement, for a close look at what this covenant truly entails can only bring one to their knees in amazement at what a gracious God they have.
So first, what biblical covenant are we referring to? The breadth of it can be found in Jeremiah 31:31-34:
“Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers […] which they broke, although I was a husband unto them, says the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Spurgeon appropriately responds to this passage, writing, “Set every word of that in diamonds, for the significance is precious beyond measure” (10). Indeed, what precious words they are, for they convey God’s gracious promise to know longer write His law on tablets of stone, that it, for His law to be given as a hard, crushing command; but He will place His law within His people as an object of love and delight: I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts. What a truly gracious covenant privilege this is.
And it doesn’t end there. God then vows, And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. All that God is He will give to those who are in covenant with Him, and He will love His people, keep them, provide, for them, and be their joy and portion forever. What security and rest this provides for His people…for a people who deserve nothing of the sort! And it still doesn’t end there! God’s covenant people are promised to know Him…to have communion and fellowship with Him, to “know Him as their Father, know Jesus Christ as their Brother, and know the Holy Spirit as their Comforter” (Spurgeon 11). Can the grace get any sweeter?
Indeed, it gets sweeter still, for it should be noted that nothing is required to receive these promises; they are freely given without condition (hence, it is called a covenant of grace). Of this, Spurgeon passionately proclaims, “In this form of covenant, I urge you again to witness that God demands nothing, asks no price, and exacts no payment. But, to the people with whom He enters into covenant, He makes promise after promise—all free, all unconditional, all made according to the bounty of His royal heart!” (13). What a gracious covenant! This remarkable, awe-inspiring reality plays out as though “God observes us, all lost and ruined, and in His infinite mercy comes with absolute promises of grace to those whom He has given to His Son” (Spurgeon 17). And to top it all off, the Psalmist assures us that “He will be ever mindful of His covenant” (Psalm 111:5). If ever there were a category of realities that sounded too good to be true, this would definitely qualify. And yet it’s true. And this is why we sing.

Great God of wonders! All Thy ways
Display the attributes divine;
But countless acts of pardoning grace
Beyond Thine other wonders shine.
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?

In wonder lost, with trembling joy,
We take the pardon of our God;
Pardon for crimes of deepest dye,
A pardon bought with Jesus’ blood.
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?

O may this strange, this matchless grace,
This God-like miracle of love,
Fill the wide earth with grateful praise,
As now it fills the choirs above!
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
-Samuel Davies

As briefly noted earlier, one of the amazing realities about grace is that it is entirely unmerited. As mentioned, this cannot be overlooked or taken lightly, for receiving the true grace of God allows no room for any pride or measure of boasting. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul makes clear that “it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The people of God have been saved by grace alone (sola gratia), and God’s grace is to be held as the sole source of our pardon for sin. When being flooded by the grace of God, there is no option but for all human pride to die, and for God alone to be glorified. For man knows what he truly deserves; Paul himself declared, “For I know that nothing good in me dwells” (Rom. 7:18). Were it left up to man, receiving grave would never be achieved, for he is not even capable of choosing it were it not for God’s grace enabling him to. Charles Spurgeon asserts that “we must clearly see man’s ruin” before we can understand our sheer, utter dependency upon God’s grace to save us (73). Sadly, this concept is frequently undermined by the prevailing idea that man in himself has the ability to freely choose God. This idea, however, diminishes the extent of the grace of God, for it takes ownership of what only God can do in a person, and thereby allows room for pride to seep in, even if one would never admit to it. Surely, this is dangerous territory, and in light of the inexpressible abundance of kindness, goodness, and mercy that God has bestowed upon us, it is only right to give all due glory, honor, and praise for our salvation to Him alone.
Now, just as God’s covenant people are saved by grace alone, they are also preserved by grace alone; grace being the guarantee of the preservation of the saints. This, too, is an important concept to grasp, for failing to see its truth in the scriptures may lead to one questioning his or her salvation at times, or worrying about someday losing it. But God’s grace isn’t bestowed for a little while, only to be taken back. As we have seen, God’s covenant of grace is eternal; for those whom He saves, He saves for good. This is why Paul confidently writes that “He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). Again, Peter assures us that God will keep us “by His power through faith unto salvation,” and that He will do so by His grace (1 Pet. 1:5). Faith, then, both in its origin and its continuance, is a gift of grace, and once again leaves no room for boasting even in one’s perseverance. It does leave room, however, (much room!) for confidence in God, for Jesus declares that He gives to His sheep eternal life, “and they will never perish, and no one can snatch them out of [His] hand […] and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29). Oh blessed assurance! What rest and confidence believers can have as they journey through this life covered and sealed by the protective grace of God. As J.I. Packer rightly proclaims in his wonderful work titled Knowing God, “I need not torment myself with the fear that my faith may fail; as grace led me to faith in the first place, so grace will keep me believing to the end” (136). And so we continue to sing along with Watson’s beloved hymn: ‘Twas grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
There is no question, now, that grace is remarkable, invaluable, and quite arguably the most precious gift a person can receive. But the question remains, is grace given to everyone? Or on whom is God’s grace bestowed? A common assumption that humans tend to make is that God gives His grace equally to everyone. While there is some truth in this assumption, it is actually quite arrogant to assume, and indeed is far from the truth when it comes to God’s saving grace. The bit of truth that it does hold is in application to God’s common grace which His word teaches that He bestows upon all mankind. For example, in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says that the Father “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (5:45). This type of grace allows all humans to receive some measure of blessings on this earth that are not part of salvation, such as enjoying the blessings of nature, having the intellectual ability to think and create, and perhaps most importantly, being restrained from being as evil as they could be apart from His grace. All of these blessings are commonly distributed to all mankind; but note that these blessings are not part of salvation. The grace of God that brings people to salvation is referred to as God’s special, or saving, grace.
To whom, then, does God bestow His saving grace? It is important to be reminded here that grace, by definition, is unmerited; no one deserves it and no one can claim any “right” to it. It they could, it would cease to be grace. With this in mind, it is perfectly right to accept that God does not bestow His saving grace on everyone. Rather, as A.W. Pink asserts, saving grace is “a perfection of the divine character which is exercised only toward the elect” (The Attributes of God 84). This is taught clearly in Romans 9, and Paul emphasizes in this letter that God’s choosing of only some to be saved has nothing to do with some advance knowledge of who will do good or who will be worthy of salvation; none are worthy! To be sure, God does have foreknowledge of His elect; but this has nothing to do with their being elect. This is why, referring to God’s choosing of Jacob and not of Esau, Paul writes, “Though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of Him who calls—it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated’” (Rom. 9:11-13). He goes on to assure that there is no injustice on God’s part in the matter, for total justice would actually eliminate any being saved at all! But rather, He has mercy on whom He will have mercy, and He has compassion on whom He will have compassion, so that our salvation “does not depend on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy” (Rom. 9:15-16).
God is glorified, then, in His bestowing saving grace only to some. This is magnified as Paul goes on to write that “God, desiring to show His wrath and make known His power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory” (Rom. 9:22-23). No matter what we try to make of it, scripture is clear that God sovereignly chooses only some to salvation, and that His choice is made in perfect wisdom to bring Him the most glory. No man can take credit for His own “choosing God,” and no one can claim that God’s election depended upon His pre-existing knowledge of who would choose Him. No one would choose Him! Millard Erickson sums it up best when he writes,
“[God’s] choice of certain people in no way depends on His advance awareness of what they will do, for any good deeds of theirs depend instead on His giving His grace to them. God simply chooses who will receive His grace and who will be left in their sinful condition. There is, however, no injustice in this, for justice would result in God’s condemning all. It is only by an act of great compassion that He saves anyone. The condemned receive just what they deserve. The elect receive more than they deserve” (Christian Theology 3rd Ed. 845).
The true wonder is not that God would withhold grace from some, but that He would bestow grace upon any! And so He is righteous in all that He does.
But God’s saving grace does not merely save us from the eternal punishment that we deserve—though that indeed is reason enough for us to worship Him forever. In fact, before moving on, it is worth stopping to examine for a moment just what exactly we have been eternally saved from (and what we deserve, mind you). We have read many of the horrifying descriptions of what hell is like, as it is presented in the scriptures: It is described as a place of outer darkness, “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:13); a place of fiery hell, “where their worm does not die, and the fire is never quenched” (Mark 9:46); and the place where the devil is cast into—“the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). But worst of all—and surely the greatest cause of the torment—is the eternal separation from God. Eternity is a long time; it is unfathomable, in fact. And to imagine spending this amount of time—this forever—with the unbearable awareness that you rejected God and will never have the hope of being with Him again—with the One who created you and the One who possesses all joy, love, and peace—this, truly, is torment like one cannot imagine. And this is what we have been saved from! Although we have sinned against our holy God and we rightfully deserve judgment and punishment for our sins, our punishment has been paid for by the blood of Christ and we have been set free! What manner of grace is this? It is a grace and love beyond measure, that is for sure. What can we do but sing along with the hymn, Amazing love, how can it be—that You, my King, would die for me?
For think about it. God has loved us with such an immense, eternal love that He—knowing from eternity past that we would tragically forego our relationship with Him and be well on our way to hell—ordained from before the foundations of the world to send His Son, His only Son, Jesus, to come down into this sin-tainted world, live a perfect life among mockers, scoffers, and the His very own murderers, be nailed to a cross, and suffer and die for the sins of the elect. And this is God! This is Jesus, who has eternally existed in joyful unity with the Father and the Spirit in perfect, holy splendor. This is God, stepping down from His throne room into a sin-washed world in order to pour out inconceivable grace to those who deserve the very opposite. This is Jesus, who, “although He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8). Oh, what grace. Yet more than anything, the deepest measure of grace that we see displayed on the cross is not in the physical suffering that our Lord absorbed in our place, but in the Father momentarily looking away from His Son, so that He wouldn’t have to look away from us for eternity. David Platt articulates this well when he writes,
“What happened at the cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus’ hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon His soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ Himself. The Father turned away because He could not bear to see your sin and my sin on His Son” (Radical 36).
This is grace. Such love poured out on the cross is grace. God taking on the punishment we deserve is grace. Forgiveness instead of punishment, reconciliation instead of separation, eternal joy instead of eternal wrath…these are the treasures of grace. And these are the reasons we sing…

Oh how the grace of God amazes me!
It loosed me from my bonds and set me free!
What made it happen so?
His own will, this much I know,
Set me, as now I show, at liberty.

Not for my righteousness, for I have none,
But for His mercy’s sake, Jesus, God’s Son,
Suffered on Calvary’s tree—
Crucified with thieves was He—
Great was His grace to me,
His wayward one.

And when I think of how, at Calvary,
He bore sin’s penalty, instead of me,
Amazed, I wonder why
He, the sinless One, should die,
For one so vile as I;
My Savior He!

Oh how the grace of God amazes me!
It loosed me from my bonds and set me free!
What made it happen so?
His own will, this much I know,
Set me, as now I show, at liberty.
-Emmanuel T. Sibomana, as recorded in Sinclair B. Ferguson’s By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me.

Yes, “If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
But would you believe, there’s more…for His word declares that “He gives more grace” (James 4:6). Yes, just when you think that we have begun to grasp how wide and high and deep is the love and grace of God towards us, we realize that we aren’t even close. For the redemption that God has ordained for His elect not only restores them back into fellowship with Him, but the restoration consists of greater blessings than before! In his sermon “Grace Abounding Over Sin Abounding,” Charles Spurgeon illustrates how Romans 5 brings this astonishing reality to light. He begins with a preface in which he addresses the reasons for which the Law was given. Reflecting upon Romans 5:20, Spurgeon emphasizes that the Law was given “that the offense might abound.” He explains that before the Law, men were not aware of the grave offenses they were committing, let alone of the degree of their offense. But the Law came as a light which magnified the degree of their evil in the sight of God. And not only this, but Spurgeon illustrates how the Law not only reveals sin, but actually “makes the offense to abound by causing sin to be more evidently a presumptuous rebellion against the Great Lawgiver” (126). Before one knew the standard, the offense held less weight. But once aware that the offense is against such a holy Creator, the offense is indeed fatal. The purpose of all of this, though, as Spurgeon suggests, is to show a man the hopeless despair he is in, driving him to seek a Savior: “The Law compels the man to see that sin dwells in him and that it is a powerful tyrant over his nature. All this is with view to his cure […] compelling him to go to that Divine Savior who alone is able to heal him” (127). And upon being healed by this Divine Savior, God’s grace not only restores, but, as we will see, it immeasurably abounds!
Once establishing the purpose of the Law, Spurgeon then examines the second half of Romans 5:20: “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Here, Spurgeon explains how God’s redemption of man not only restores him into a right relationship with God, but pours out upon him even greater blessings and promises than before the fall! He illustrates how the Lord did not say to Adam, “You are a son of God, joint-heir with the only Begotten,” as He says to us (130); nor could man have known what it is to be dead and then brought to life in Christ. But now He makes man to be partakers of His divine nature—something unknown to man before the fall. Grace has so wonderfully more abounded that in Jesus we have gained more than in Adam we lost! Therefore, Spurgeon cheerfully proclaims that “inasmuch as the dominion of the Lord Jesus is more glorious than that of unfallen Adam, manhood is now more great and glorious than before the fall!” (130). Surely, where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more.
​What an unfathomably gracious God we have. Contemplating such grace can only lead one from wonder to worship, for what other appropriate response could there possibly be? This God who has “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13), who continually pours out upon us grace upon grace, who all the while is seated upon His throne of deity—clothed with splendor, majesty, and glory; displaying perfect righteousness and ruling the universe by His wisdom and power—this God is infinitely worthy of all praise, honor, and worship from His blood-bought people. And this, in fact, is the whole purpose of all redemptive history; it is the reason for our existence and the purpose for which we were made. In John MacArthur’s Worship: The Ultimate Priority (whose title speaks for itself), he writes,
“Worship God. That is the everlasting gospel, the message that God has given from eternity to eternity. It is the theme of scripture, the theme of eternity, the theme of redemptive history—to worship the true and living and glorious God. Before creation, throughout creation, and into eternity future, worship is the theme, the central issue, the true purpose, and the ultimate priority for which everything was made” (61).
We have not been redeemed primarily to escape hell, nor primarily to enjoy the eternal blessings of God. In fact, the primary motive for our redemption is not about us receiving anything. Rather, as MacArthur elaborates, “We have been redeemed so that God may receive worship—so that our lives might glorify Him” (54). This is why Paul exclaims in his letter to the Ephesians, “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever” (3:21). We were made to worship Him, and He is worthy to receive what He has made us for.
So how, then, shall we worship Him? What could we possibly have in our poor, empty hands that is fit to offer one such as Him? Surely, the answer is nothing. No offering or sacrifice we make is worthy enough for His majesty. This is why David declares in Psalm 51, “For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it […] but the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (vv. 16-17). True worship, therefore, begins in the heart. It begins with a person broken over their sin, repentant of their ways, and grateful for God’s forgiveness. And true gratitude will manifest itself through obedience, for grace does not allow for the claim, If my salvation is secure no matter what I do, then my conduct doesn’t matter. This, in fact, reveals a lack of grace, and leaves no room for genuine worship of God. This is why Paul proclaims, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? May it never be!” (Rom. 6:1). No, but genuine gratitude will compel anyone who has truly received grace to do as God commands. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15), and so we worship Him by truly loving Him, and we love Him by obeying Him. This, in essence, is what it means to worship our God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24)—submitting ourselves to the truth of God’s word, demonstrated through a spirit of humble obedience, as an outpour of a joyful and grateful heart.
And there is no drudgery in this! Worshipping God through obedience to His loving commands is in fact a delight to the soul who has truly been kissed by His grace. As Trillia Newbell remarks in her devotional, Obedience: A Sign of Love, “True obedience, flowing from a heart that understands God’s grace, is not mere behavior; it is love” (1293). Paul passionately proclaims to the Corinthians, “For the love of Christ compels us” (2 Cor. 5:14), and that is why our worship of God does not merely consist of solemn praise and obedience, but extends even further to a completely surrendered life of sacrificial love and servanthood. But wait…sacrificial love? Didn’t David make clear that God does not desire our sacrifices? Indeed, our offerings of sacrifice God does not desire, for we have nothing of value to offer. But it is our very selves that His word tells us to sacrifice to Him: “Present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1). This, now, brings worship to a whole other level, for it is here we begin to realize that our great and glorious God is not asking us to merely fit Him into our lives as we continue to live for our own ambitions and dreams; He is far greater and far more worthy than that. What this God demands and deserves is our laying down our lives for His kingdom, letting go of any “rights” we ever claimed for ourselves, recognizing that we belong entirely to our Creator, for Him to mold and shape and do as He pleases with. For He is the One who created us, after all; He is the One who puts the air in our lungs and gives us our very lives. And may it never escape our minds—He is the One who gave us true life in His Son! Life eternal—in sweet fellowship and everlasting love with the Creator of the universe and the One who laid down His life for our souls. Is He not worth surrendering our very lives to?
But oh, let it never be forgotten—He is so good. He is the essence of all goodness and the source of pure love. He has loved us with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3), and His sweet and precious promises that He will never leave us or forsake us are inexhaustible in His word. He indeed promises that He is working all things out for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28), and so we have no reason but to trust Him with all our heart and follow Him without any reserve. And what greater joy is there than this…than to belong to the One who has bought us with His blood, and to proclaim His goodness and grace to the nations, knowing that one day people from every tongue and tribe and nation will stand together before His throne, clothed in white robes, and singing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:12; 7:9). Yes, this is the joy of our souls; this is surely what we have been created for. Let us, then, “Sing to the Lord, sing praises to Him!” (Psalm 105:2); let us “ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name, and worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness” (Psalm 29:2). This is indeed the end for which God brought us into being. As John Piper rightly proclaims, “God created the world to magnify the glory of His Son through the glad-hearted worship of blood-bought human beings” (Desiring God). And praise be to God, for those who belong to Him, their joyous worship of their King will have no end.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.

Amazing grace…how truly sweet is the sound.
As David contemplated God’s intricate detail in creating him, he couldn’t help but cry out, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me!” (Psalm 139:6). And what an appropriate reaction to contemplating all the glorious aspects of God’s amazing grace that He has bestowed upon us as well! From the covenant of God’s grace set forth in the Old Testament, to the ultimate manifestation of His grace through Christ’s death on the cross—receiving such unmerited favor is all too wonderful indeed. Not only has He taken us “out of darkness and into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9), but He has promised that “He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6)…all by His grace! Truly, there is no other response to receiving such a gift than to offer oneself as a living sacrifice of worship to Christ the King—the Lamb that was slain. He is worthy beyond measure, and one can only sing along with the lyrics of Isaac Watts:
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

By Laura Dill

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