Grace is the Experience of Divine Favor • Deshen Daily

Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of Grace (2 Corinthians 1:15 ESV)

Grace is an experience. In 2 Cor 2: 15, Paul expressed his desire to see the Corinthians have a second experience of grace. What did Paul call an experience of grace in this verse? To answer this question, we should begin from what happened to the Corinthians at their first experience of grace when Paul initially visited Corinth? They heard the gospel, became born again, were filled with the Holy Spirit, manifested the gifts of the Spirit, etc. So all the good things that happened to them because of God’s kindness are the experience of grace.

Moreover, grace is not only an experience but is the experience of divine favor. Favor means a good or friendly disposition towards someone. To put it another way, favor is the kind thoughts and feelings of goodwill in a person’s heart. However, grace is not merely God thinking or meaning well towards us. It is the tangible acts that demonstrate His goodness towards us. When God acts or does something, we receive or experience the results of His actions. Consequently, divine acts of kindness result in human experiences of His goodness. These experiences are the experience of grace!

From Deshen Daily devotional yesterday titled “The Anatomy of Grace,” we can see the experience of grace is that facet of God’s grace that is seen in the results in our lives. Grace is not merely teaching or doctrine. It is tangible experiences and expressions of God’s goodness in our lives.

How would you explain the experience of grace in your own words?

God’s kindness is not merely the goodwill of His heart but the good things that happen to us when He acts in kindness to us. Grace is far more than the teaching of God’s goodness; it is the experience of this kindness. Receive and enjoy elegance until it overflows! ( John 10:10).

Thank the Father for His bountiful grace.