Grace rules!
Romans 5:21
That as sin ruled in death, so also Grace might rule through righteousness to eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
When God created Adam and put him in the garden, death did not exist. But Adam sinned by disobeying God, for God had commanded him; you may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:16+17)
The devil deceived Adam+ Eve and they disobeyed God by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore death came into being and ever since then, all men died, because the soul that sins shall die. (Ezekiel 18:29) and like Adam we all sin. (Romans 5:12+13) And it got even worse for us, God giving the law to his people through Moses and by the law sin revived and we all died again. (Romans 7:9-11)
So we were in a hopelessly lost condition, what can be worse than being dead to God? Surely the devil thought he had won victory. But God who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loves us, (Ephesians 2:4+5) had the solution for his own already planned out. He sent his beloved only Son to take on the punishment for our sins, death and eternal separation from God. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.( 1Peter 3:18)
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received; that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, ( 1Corinthians 15:3) And also the most famous verse in the bible;
John 3:16; for God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God by his Grace sent Jesus Christ to die in my place, take my punishment. Jesus Christ by his Grace gave me his righteousness, the righteousness that he obtained by living a life on earth of perfect obedience to his father. Now I can stand before God justified, because when God looks at his own he sees not our imperfections but Christ’s righteousness.
And the Holy Spirits grace manifests itself by his indwelling in us and leading us to live a righteous life by faith and its end eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! This is amazing Grace!
The devil thought he had us, because he was able to enslave us through sin, but God by his Grace broke the slavery through Christ’s sacrifice. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, Christ himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil and deliver all those who through fear of death were subjects to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14+15)
None of us deserve to be saved, because the righteous punishment for our sins is death, eternal death. Therefore our being saved is solely based on God’s Grace and God’s Grace is sufficient to obtain salvation for us. We, God’s elect, live now a life based on his Grace, living by faith in what God through Jesus Christ has done and what he promises us in his word, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Our goal is to remain in him and reach our goal of eternal salvation, being with our Lord and Savior in his kingdom forever. I hope you can see now that Grace RULES, or at least get a little glimpse of it.