Lesson 2: How Grace and Faith Work Together
Understanding God’s Love for You
THE BIG IDEA
Here’s something beautiful about how God designed the Christian life: Grace came first, then belief follows. God’s love reaches toward you first, and faith is simply you reaching back. When you understand how much God loves YOU, faith becomes natural – not something you have to manufacture, but something that grows automatically in your heart.
Think of it like the sun and a flower. The sun shines (that’s grace). The flower opens and grows toward the light (that’s faith). The flower doesn’t create the sunshine. It just responds to it.
WHAT IS GRACE?
Grace = God’s undeserved love and favor toward you
It means God gives you wonderful things you didn’t earn and doesn’t give you bad things you did earn. For example: You deserved punishment for your sin, but God gave you forgiveness instead. You didn’t deserve eternal life, but God gave it to you anyway because Jesus paid the price on the cross. You couldn’t earn a relationship with God, but He gave you one through Jesus.
Grace is God loving you and blessing you when you don’t deserve it.
WHAT IS FAITH?
Faith = Trust and confidence in God
It means believing God is who He says He is, believing God will do what He says He’ll do, and trusting Him even when you can’t see the full picture.
Faith is your “yes” to God. It’s you saying, “I believe You. I trust You. I receive what You’re offering me.”
If someone offers you a gift, faith is you reaching out your hand and taking it. You’re not earning the gift by reaching for it – you’re just receiving what’s being offered.
THE RIGHT ORDER: GRACE FIRST, THEN FAITH
Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (NLT)
Did you catch the order? God saved you BY HIS GRACE when you believed.
BY GRACE = God’s love came first
WHEN YOU BELIEVED = Your faith was the response
Grace comes first. Faith follows.
Think of it like this: Grace is the river flowing toward you. Faith is you getting into the river knowing that it will take you to the destiny God has for you, and it’s a good one. You don’t create the river – you just position yourself to receive it.
WHY THIS ORDER MATTERS
If faith came first, it would depend on YOU. How strong is your faith? Are you believing hard enough? That puts all the pressure on you and makes you anxious.
But since grace comes first, it depends on GOD. How much He loves you? What has He already done? How faithful is He? That takes the pressure off you and gives you peace.
Your faith doesn’t create God’s love – it receives God’s love that’s already there.
THE STORY OF PETER AND JOHN
Let me show you two different approaches to Jesus. These were two of Jesus’ closest followers with very different perspectives.
PETER’S APPROACH: FOCUSED ON HIS LOVE FOR JESUS
Peter made bold promises:
- “Lord, I will follow you wherever you go!”
- “Even if all these others leave you, I never will!”
- “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you!”
Peter’s focus was on HIS love for Jesus. HIS loyalty. HIS commitment.
The Problem: When Jesus was arrested and people asked if Peter knew Him, Peter’s love failed. Three times in one night, he denied knowing Jesus. His human love crumbled under fear.
JOHN’S APPROACH: FOCUSED ON JESUS’ LOVE FOR HIM
John did something different. Five times in his gospel, he called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”
Notice what John DIDN’T say. He didn’t call himself “the disciple who loved Jesus the most” or “the disciple with the strongest faith.” He called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”
John defined himself by what he RECEIVED from Jesus, not by what he GAVE to Jesus.
The Result: When Jesus was crucified, Peter was gone – hiding, denying, collapsed. John was at the cross – standing with Jesus to the end, the only disciple who stayed.
Why the difference? Peter was relying on his love for Jesus (which failed under pressure). John was relying on Jesus’ love for him (which never fails).
THE SECRET JOHN DISCOVERED
John discovered something powerful: When you focus on how much JESUS loves YOU, faith and loyalty naturally follow.
If you’re constantly worried about whether YOUR love is strong enough, you’ll always be anxious. But if you’re secure in HIS love for YOU, you’re free. From that security, real faith and real love flow naturally.
1 John 4:19 says: “We love him because he first loved us.” (NIV)
HE FIRST. That’s grace. We love Him. That’s faith – your response.
The order matters. His love comes first. Your love is a response.
HOW GRACE PRODUCES FAITH
Here’s exactly how this works in your daily life:
STEP 1: God reveals His love to you through the Bible, other Christians, and your experience. You begin to see that God genuinely loves YOU specifically.
STEP 2: You receive His love. You don’t earn it. You simply let it sink in. “God loves me. Just as I am. Right now.”
Here’s what the book of Romans 5:17 says
“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17, ESV)
So those who receive God’s free gift of righteousness and those who receive the abundant provision of GRACE will REIGN in life. Receiving is something that needs to be learned and practiced until it becomes who you are. The desire God has for you is to reign in life.
Before Jesus who is Grace in person came into your life, death, sin, fear, guilt, and circumstances reigned over us. We were subjects under their control.
But through Christ, the reign has reversed. You are no longer ruled — you rule.
Reigning in life means you are no longer a slave to what once mastered you. So when you receive God’s grace through Jesus, you reign…….
You reign over condemnation
You reign over anxiety and depression
You reign over fear
You reign over trouble
You reign over life.
STEP 3: Confidence grows in your heart. When you know you’re deeply loved, security grows. Peace settles in.
STEP 4: That confidence IS faith. You’re not manufacturing it. It’s growing naturally as a response to receiving God’s love.
Step 5: Faith lthen leads to action. His grace gives you the power to walk as Jesus walked: humble, generous, forgiving, and full of compassion.
STOP FOCUSING ON YOUR LOVE FOR GOD
Many Christians get stuck trying to love God more. “I need to love God more. I need stronger faith.” And they exhaust themselves.
Here’s what I want you to do instead: Focus on HOW MUCH GOD LOVES YOU.
Romans 8:38-39 says: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” (NLT)
NOTHING can separate you from God’s love. Not your failures. Not your weaknesses. Not your doubts. Not your worst day. NOTHING.
Romans 5:8 says: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”(NLT)
Think about that: God loved you BEFORE you loved Him. He loved you when you were still sinning. He loved you when you were far from Him.
That’s grace. God’s unchanging, unshakable love for you.
Ephesians 3:17-19 is Paul’s prayer for you: “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” (NLT)
When you’re rooted in God’s love for you, everything else flows naturally – including faith.
BECOMING “THE ONE JESUS LOVES”
Like John, make God’s love for you your primary identity. Not your achievements. Not how good you’ve been this week.
Your identity is this: You are the one Jesus loves.
Say it out loud: “I am the one Jesus loves.”
Say it again: “I am the one Jesus loves.”
Does it feel strange? Say it anyway. Say it until it feels true, because it IS true.
When that becomes your identity, everything flows from it naturally: Faith flows. Obedience flows. Love for others flows. Peace flows. Confidence flows. All because you’re secure in His love for you.
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE EVERY DAY
MORNING: Before you do anything else, spend a few minutes receiving God’s love. Say: “God, thank You that You love me. I receive Your love right now. Fill me up with it.” Start your day FROM fullness, not working FOR fullness.
THROUGHOUT THE DAY: When challenges come, when you mess up, when you feel anxious, remind yourself: “I am deeply loved by God. That doesn’t change based on my circumstances or my performance.”
EVENING: Before you sleep, reflect on God’s faithfulness: “God loved me today. He was with me. He helped me. He never left me.”
WHAT NATURALLY GROWS WHEN YOU FOCUS ON GRACE
When you stay focused on receiving God’s grace, these automatically flow:
✓ Peace – Because you’re secure in His love, not anxious about earning it
✓ Confidence – Because your worth comes from Him, not from your performance
✓ Boldness – Because you know God is FOR you, not against you
✓ Rest – Because you’re not striving to earn what you already have
✓ Generosity – Because you trust the Source and aren’t afraid of running out
✓ Natural, strong faith – Because you’re responding to what you’ve received
All of these grow automatically when you focus on grace.
THE BEAUTIFUL PARTNERSHIP
Grace and faith work together like this:
Grace says: “I love you.” Faith says: “I receive Your love.”
Grace says: “I provide for you.” Faith says: “I trust Your provision.”
Grace says: “I’m always with you.” Faith says: “I’m not afraid because You’re here.”
Grace says: “I’ve made you righteous.” Faith says: “I believe it and I live from it.”
It’s a beautiful partnership. God always initiates with grace. You simply respond with faith.
YOUR DAILY DECLARATION
Every morning, say this out loud:
“God loves me completely, right now, just as I am. I don’t have to earn His love. I don’t have to prove my worth. I simply receive His love. And as I receive His love, faith grows in me naturally. I trust Him because I know He loves me. I am the one Jesus loves, and that changes everything.”
Say it even if you don’t feel it yet. Your feelings will catch up to the truth.
A WARNING: DON’T REVERSE THE ORDER
Here’s what doesn’t work: Trying to have faith so that God will love you.
That’s backwards. And it will exhaust you.
“If I have enough faith, God will love me.” “If I believe hard enough, God will accept me.”
No. Stop. That’s the wrong order.
The truth is: God ALREADY loves you (grace). Now you simply receive it and respond to it (faith).
You’re not earning His love through your faith. Your faith is responding to the love that’s already yours.
THE INVITATION
Stop trying to work up more faith. Stop feeling guilty when belief feels weak. Stop comparing your faith to other people’s faith.
Instead, do this:
Focus on receiving God’s love. Let it sink deep into your heart.
Meditate on His character. He is good. He is faithful. He loves you.
Remember His promises. He will never leave you. He provides for His children. He’s always with you.
Let His grace saturate your thinking. The more you receive His love, the more faith naturally grows.
Because faith isn’t something you create out of thin air. Faith is something that grows when you receive grace deeply.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- Have you been trying to love God more, or have you been receiving how much God loves you? What’s the difference?
- When you think about Peter (focused on his love for Jesus) and John (focused on Jesus’ love for him), which approach have you been taking?
- What would change in your life if you made “the one Jesus loves” your primary identity?
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE:
Every morning for seven days, before you do anything else, spend 3-5 minutes receiving God’s love. Simply sit quietly and say, “God, I receive Your love for me right now.” Notice how your confidence and peace grow as you make this a daily practice.