The Equation

Love + Grace + Forgiveness = ?

I have an equation that you will never forget. And the support behind it comes directly from the Word of God. This simple equation sums up how God treats us as his children and how we should use it to treat one another.

The first part of this equation is Love.

The Word of God tells us in John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

God loves you and me so much that he made a way for us to be saved. He sent his son, a huge piece of himself, through a virgin woman to die for our sins. Jesus’ sacrifice opened the door for everyone to receive the reward of salvation and eternal life. God created every single one of us. God said that he knew us even before we were in the womb, before we were even conceived. He doesn’t want his children to be lost and to perish. Children meaning both saints and sinners. Yes, we all were created in his image and are a part of his family. I’ll talk more about that in another video.

God’s love comes with laws. We are commanded to follow his ten commandments and abide by the Word of God. We are to love God and also love one another. Love is an action word. You can say it as much as you like, but actions speak louder than words. Please remember that yes God loves everyone on this earth, but he hates the sin we commit. In order to love God, we must obey his laws, repent of our sins, and love each other unconditionally.

The second part of this equation is Grace.

The Word tells us in Ephesians 2:7-9 – “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Grace means God’s kindness in borrowed time. Tomorrow is not promised. The good works you do does not save you. The bad works you do will definitely not save you. With God’s grace comes an abundance of patience and tolerance from above. God’s love for us extends into this free gift. He waits for us to recognize our sins and our mistakes and gives us time to stop those sins and fix those mistakes. And ultimately seek Jesus. I call it the time to be ignorant, conflicted, and convicted.  

What do I mean by ignorant? Believe it or not there are a lot of people who do not know about God or Jesus. Yes, they might recognize their names and instantly think Christianity, but they have not personally taken the time to learn and to study the Bible. These people either grew up in a pagan religion like Buddhism or they’ve never given Jesus a single thought in their entire life.

What do I mean by conflicted? There are a lot of people who are atheist, agnostic, or sinners who have many questions about the universe and the bible and are stuck in uncertainty. They express confusion and inconsistent feelings about God based on their biases, their experiences, and their knowledge. We have sinners who claim they have Jesus but live a worldly lifestyle, like cursing, fornicating, and disobeying God’s ten commandments. The conflicted are those with one step in the door for Jesus and one step outside of it, against Jesus.  

And what do I mean about convicted? Convicted means you feel guilty about something. This goes for everyone, sinners and saints. When you do something wrong, if you have a conscious, you will feel bad about it and hopefully do something about it. If you realize your actions are sinful and goes against the Word of God, your spirit will feel that you’ve offended God, and then it would lead your spirit to seek the third part of this equation.

Forgiveness.

The Word says in Ephesians 4:32 – “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we would still be performing animal sacrificing to atone for our sins. And because we are not perfect, we would probably do it all wrong or start slacking or stop taking it seriously. But God knew how the world would become like the days of Noah where lawlessness, immorality, and pagan worshiping lurked in every single corner. So, God made a way for us to be forgiven. All we have to do is go to Jesus with a sincere heart and ask him for forgiveness. And he as our mediator with the father will go on our behalf and clear us of what we confessed.

So just like God forgiving us countless times. We are also told to forgive people countless times. When Peter asked Jesus in Matthews 18:21-22 about how many times should I forgive someone, Jesus said seventy times seven. That’s a lot of times. Forgive them every chance you get.

Yes, it will be hard and may take time to do, but remember Jesus understands and he will take care of you and give you peace afterwards. Holding onto trauma or situations or emotions can hurt our spirit. It can have a negative affect on how we behave and experience life. If God can forgive you for a life of sin before you accepted Jesus, then how can you not forgive that person for one or two things they’ve done to you?

Have you ever had to forgive someone for a wrongdoing or still in limbo on whether you should forgive them or not? Share your testimony or your thoughts in the comments. Like and share this video so we can encourage and pray for each other to do the right thing in dark times.

This equation, Love plus Grace plus Forgiveness equals mercy.

The Word says in Lamentations 3:22-23 – “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Do you know God could execute judgment on you right now, but because of his compassion he has set your judgement aside? He’s given you another chance, another opportunity to seek forgiveness and to accept Jesus. God’s mercy is abundant and it renews every morning. His mercy is given to the just and the unjust, the saved and the unsaved, the old and the young, the prisoners and the homeless, the rich and the poor. So just like God having mercy on us all, we must show mercy towards each other.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

It doesn’t matter if you like the person or not. Their soul is just as important as your soul. God loves you, so you are to love them. God has given you grace, so show grace towards them. God has forgiven you countless times, so you go and forgive that person.

Remember we are not perfect. You are not perfect. I am not perfect. But we are seeking perfection in Jesus Christ. In these last and evil days, we need each other more than ever. We must repent and seek Jesus to change us and to heal us mentally, spiritually, and physically. Jesus is coming back one of these days and we got to be ready.

I encourage you today to tell someone, a friend, a family member, a coworker, a stranger, a child, a teenager, a parent, a sinner, – tell someone to try Jesus and accept him into their hearts and into their lives today. And remember to show love, have grace, and be forgiving because together you are being merciful.

Let us thank God for his compassion.

God Bless You in the Name of Jesus,

LeQuita

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