Reply To: Soteriology Discussion Board 1

[Ben]

Two instances where the grace of God was manifested in my life can be seen thus:

What does Grace mean to begin with? Grace is the goodness of God, freely given. It is not a loan. Grace is also, God reaching out to us and giving us what we do not deserve. Furthermore, Grace is God’s unmerited favor- It is what God does for me independent of me.

The first instance of the manifestation of the grace of God in my life even according to Psalm 102:13, “ You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.” was when I got a Job I didn’t apply for. This Job came at the right time, immediately after my graduation from the University. I was in my house the day I got a call of a Job for me that I didn’t apply for. Interestingly, I didn’t deserve that job because I had no experience in that area, no skill for the job as it was not really what I had studied in the university or apart of any program I had done. I began to discredit myself before the caller; trying to be sincere, but it seemed like the caller didn’t care to know about my disqualification. The caller added that the Holy Spirit ministered to him that I was the one to be reached. That right there was the grace of God.

It didn’t stop there. After that call, I began to prepare for an interview or even for an exam at least but to my greatest surprise, I got to the office and was received warmly and shown my office to resume work immediately. Protocols were broken and the favor of God was visibly at work. The next phase of the manifestation of God’s grace (involvement beyond my no skill for the job and inexperience), was when I was expected to commence work and continue from where the former staff had left off, without any guidance or training. I guess my direct boss felt I was the best at the job.

The caller was a respected partner with the CEO of the company, I got to find out. The CEO had trusted him with getting the best candidate for the Job and there I was, a Historian and Diplomat by profession in a construction company with Engineers. I totally depended on God as I meditated on relevant scriptures to be courageous and to learn on the job. Few weeks into the job, I excelled so well that the CEO from Abuja called me to know how I knew so much about the job when I didn’t have any prior experience. It was all the grace of God.

The second instance would be when I was in my final year in the University. My experience goes in line with Isaiah 41:13 and Psalm 94:18. I received God’s grace in the form of his help where I would have failed. The course I was writing was one you could not wave off. I found out just immediately after taking the exam, that I had written the opposite of virtually all I was asked. I was not confident in the exam hall while writing even though I had prepared. Truly, the notes showed it, after finding the right answers after my exam.

I refused to be worried but took it to God in prayers. To God’s praise, there was a divine intervention. I had an A when the results came out. Sadly, there was massive failure in that course which proved the natural state of things with the course but God helped me out.

These two instances in my life show how the grace of God has played out for me amongst many other instances. It played out in giving me unmerited favor before men and brought me a good opportunity. It played out also, in the help of God in my studies, where my own strength stopped.