Isn’t It Amazing?

Merciful God,

you sent your messengers the prophets

to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:

Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,

that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,

now and for ever. Amen.

— Prayer for Advent, United Methodist Hymnal, 201

“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith,” says Ephesians 2:8, “and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Pretty clear, isn’t it?

There’s an old song that leaves even less room for confusion. A couple of lines from its first and last verses say it well —

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!

And in case it’s not clear yet, the chorus resounds with the theme —

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!

Isn’t it amazing?