In these final scenes of Earth’s history, anyone who stands faithful and true to Jesus to the very end will be wearing a very unique pair of spiritual shoes. These powerful shoes are designed and crafted by the Eternal Airlift Gospel Shoe Company with a heavenly patent.

We learn about these spiritual shoes in Ephesians 6:15: And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The reason our feet must be shod— or “shoed”—with the preparation of the Gospel is that without accepting the Gospel of Christ, we have no foundation to stand on while fighting the battles of life. We have no godly peace, and we get in painful trouble when traveling over rocky, thorny ground.

Paul calls this Gospel of peace, “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

A Definition of Grace

What exactly is this amazing grace that makes up the Gospel? Webster defines grace as, “The influence of the Spirit in renewing the heart and restraining from sin.”

The Bible gives us another clue about grace in Romans 1:16 where Paul says this:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Putting Acts 20:24 together with Romans 1:16, we see that “the gospel of the grace of God,” or “the gospel of Christ” is “the power of God unto salvation.” In other words, God’s grace is His unlimited, forgiving, transforming power to save us from sin’s guilt and power. Notice how Evangelism puts it:

Divine grace is the great element of saving power; without it all human effort is unavailing (629).

How important is God’s grace for each of us? Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us this:

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.

No one has been or will ever be saved apart from God’s grace (see Acts 15:11). So then, how is God’s grace—His wonderful power to save—revealed in the life of a believer in Christ?

The Gospel’s Two Shoes

God’s power to save is revealed in two basic ways, because Ephesians 5:15 tells us our feet must be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Just as both of my physical feet have to be shod, both of my spiritual feet must be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace in order for me to not have a lopsided, shaky walk with Christ.

Eternal Airlift Gospel Shoe #1: The Forgiveness of Past Sins

The first spiritual foot that needs to be shod by the grace of God is my sinful past. If I’m not covered in this area I will struggle with persistent guilt and unhappiness. Romans 3:24-25 describes this spiritual shoe:

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (Romans 3:24-25).

When we personally accept by faith that Christ’s death on the cross is the forgiving, healing, saving sacrifice for our sins, the death penalty we deserve is laid upon Christ. We are free, forgiven for our past, justified, and reconnected to God! This is the first shoe—the grace of God’s loving favor for a people who don’t deserve it. This spiritual shoe enables us to stand unflinchingly under the devil’s accusations and suggestions that we cannot be forgiven for what we’ve done wrong.

Saved by God’s Work, not Ours

When we receive the grace of God to forgive our sins because Jesus died to pay our death penalty, we become brand new by the work of God’s grace upon our hearts. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 that we even become Christ’s ministers of reconciliation, regardless of our physical or social status.

Do you feel like Christian living means striving to follow a set of impossible rules in an attempt to please God and obtain forgiveness? God is gently calling you right now.

Quietly, in the privacy of your thoughts, God is asking you to put on shoe number one of His healing Gospel. Tell God you accept Christ’s death on the cross for your sins and thank Him for His amazing unlimited, unmerited favor in forgiving you for the sins of your past.

Gospel shoe number two is found in Romans 1:5:

By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name (Romans 1:5).

The Gospel of God’s grace also provides “obedience to the faith,” that is, power to obey (Romans 16:26). Ephesians 2:10 tells us that through Christ, the born again believer is created unto good works. Whose works? The works of Jesus!

The second shoe of God’s grace provides the power and sufficiency to work out what the Lord works in us by His Holy Spirit—to actually live the life of faithful obedience Jesus lived here on earth, fueled by the saving power of God (Philippians 2:12-13).

Obedient Attitudes

Do you find yourself in a constant up and down Christian experience of accepting God’s grace of forgiveness, but missing the grace of God’s overcoming power to put to death your earthly attitudes of anger or fear? Consider Romans 6:14-15: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid).

Surrender to the convicting power of the Spirit of grace laboring through the Word of God for your heart. We are told in 2 Corinthians 9:8 that, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”

Could this really be the way it is with God’s grace? Yes, a thousand times yes! Ephesians 3:20 assures us of God’s desire to supply us abundantly with the power of His saving, healing, and transforming grace.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.

If you find yourself dealing with sinful attitudes that won’t seem to go away, recognize that God is calling you not only to surrender the controlling sin of your life and receive Christ’s death on the cross for that sin, but also to accept the empowering grace of God to obey Him. Allow Him to fill you with new love and power to obey His Word. He will give you your heart’s desire.

Growing in Grace

Reach for the two wonderful shoes of the Eternal Airlift Gospel of God’s grace today:

Shoe #1: Unmerited favor for forgiveness for our past.
Shoe #2: Unlimited power to experience the “obedience of the faith of Jesus.”

So, how can you grow in grace?

1. By faith, study to know Christ Jesus better. As you behold His life, you are giving the Holy Spirit the right to infuse your heart with Gods’ love and transform your heart to be like Him (see 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Romans 5:5).

2. By faith, choose to hide His Word in your heart through reading and memorizing. Scripture is the key tool to use against the enemy’s tempting suggestions to disobey God (see 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 and Psalms 17:4).

3. By faith, choose each day to walk in Jesus’ footsteps by responding to life’s situations according to His will, not your own (see 1 John 2:6 and Luke 22:42).

Let’s go to the throne of grace, to the entrance of the Eternal Airlift Gospel Shoe Company, and ask for a free pair of shoes of the Gospel of the grace of God, and put both shoes on, so we don’t have to struggle with a lopsided, shaky walk with Jesus.