The Gospel of the Grace of God
 The gospel of the grace of God is revolutionary, involving not only Israel and Judah, but also all the nations of the world. It offers a unique personal relationship with God Himself, with His laws written on individuals' hearts instead of on stone. Jeremiah looked forward to the day when Jesus would come to establish this covenant. But for us today, this covenant is here. We have the wonderful opportunity to make a fresh start and establish a permanent, personal relationship with God (see Jer. 29:11; 32:38-40).
The old covenant of law was the covenant that God made with Israel "in the day that [He] took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt" (Jeremiah 31:32). The promise through Jeremiah was that the Lord would make a different type of covenant some day, "not according to [that] covenant." This new covenant would be a covenant of grace, provided by the Lord Jesus Christ. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
The old covenant, broken by the people, would be replaced by a new covenant. The foundation of this new covenant is Christ. He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). The law of God was an impossible way to relate to the Lord. It required perfection, but it offered no perfecting assistance. It was able, however, to convince people of their need for the grace of Christ found in the new covenant. "The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ" (Galatians 3:24).
The gospel that we proclaim is the new covenant of grace, the "new and living way that Christ consecrated for us" (Hebrews 10:20). This was the mission and message of which the Apostle Paul spoke. "The ministry...I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). The gospel is all about the grace of God in truth. Gospel means "glad tidings," or "good news." The good news of the grace of God provided through Jesus Christ is the supreme message for man in all of creation. In fact, the gospel of grace is such good news that unbelievers reject it as "too good to be true." Indeed, it is an astounding reality to consider that forgiveness, justification, righteousness, and new birth are all available and free "by grace...through faith...the gift of God, not of works" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Many believers sometimes react in this same manner as unbelievers when they consider the full range of the grace needed for growth and sanctification. To hear that the entire Christian life is to be "grace upon grace" (John 1:16) may at first seem to us "too good to be true." At times we may ask, "Isn't there any human responsibility in God's plan of salvation?" Yes, there is. All of us must be willing to respond to the offer of God's grace in Christ. We must all relate properly to the Lord Jesus. In all matters, we must seek Him and trust in Him.
Lord God of the new covenant, how glorious is the good news of Your grace! I praise You for Your patience when I act as though transforming grace is too good to be true. I want to seek after the Lord Jesus and trust in Him this day, with all my heart, Amen.
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