This past Sunday, we stepped into Part 4 of our God’s Amazing Grace series, and in the first half of the message, we focused on what it truly means to stand in grace.
We’ve talked about how grace saves us, transforms us, and empowers us, but it’s just as important to understand that grace is our secure footing—our foundation in the Christian life. Without it, we can be tossed back into striving, insecurity, and condemnation. With it, we can live with confidence, stability, and peace.
1. Standing in Grace Means Knowing Where You Stand
Romans 5:1–2 says:
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Notice Paul says, “this grace in which we stand.” Grace is not just something we receive once—it’s where we live.
When you stand in grace:
You know you are fully accepted by God.
You don’t question whether you belong in His presence.
You approach life with the confidence that His love and favor are constant.
2. Grace Gives Us Peace With God
Before Christ, we were at odds with God—not because He hated us, but because sin separated us from Him. Grace changed everything.
When we are standing in grace, there is no more striving to earn God’s approval. There’s no spiritual performance review hanging over our heads. Jesus has already secured our place with the Father.
Ephesians 2:8–9 reminds us:
“For 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.”
Our salvation began with grace, and it continues in grace every single day.
3. Grace Keeps Us From Falling Back Into Works
One of the enemy’s tactics is to push believers back into self-reliance—making us feel like we have to earn God’s blessing or prove our worthiness. But the moment we start measuring ourselves by our own works, we step away from the firm ground of grace and onto the unstable ground of performance-based living.
Galatians 5:4 warns,
“You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”
This doesn’t mean losing salvation—it means stepping away from grace as your source and going back to relying on yourself. And when you do, peace leaves, joy fades, and condemnation creeps in.
4. Standing in Grace Produces Stability and Joy
When you truly understand your position in grace, you stop riding the spiritual roller coaster of “I’m close to God when I’m good” and “I’m far from God when I’m struggling.”
Grace anchors you in the truth that:
God’s love is not based on your performance.
His acceptance doesn’t fluctuate with your good days and bad days.
Your identity as His child is secure because of Christ’s work, not yours.
And from that place of stability, joy begins to overflow. You no longer serve God out of fear—you serve Him out of love.
Closing Thoughts: Stand Firm in What Christ Has Done
The first half of Part 4 reminded us that grace is not just the starting point of our faith—it is the standing point of our faith.
This week, I want you to ask yourself:
Am I living on the firm ground of grace or the shifting sand of self-effort?
Do I approach God with confidence, knowing I am fully accepted in Christ?
Have I allowed condemnation or performance to steal my peace?
Beloved, you are standing in grace. Don’t be moved from it. Don’t let guilt or fear pull you away from the freedom Christ purchased for you. Rest in it. Live in it. Rejoice in it.
Next week, we’ll continue into the second half of Part 4 as we talk about grace as the fuel for endurance and hope. Until then, keep standing—confident, secure, and unshakable—in God’s amazing grace.
In His grace,
Pastor Chris Tullis
Grace Christian Center
"Empowered by Grace, Living in Faith, Growing in Christ"