The Sufficiency of His Grace
by Pastor Joseph Cortes There are moments when the Lord slows us down—sometimes even lays us flat on our backs—just to quiet the noise so we can hear again what has always been true. As I listened once more to the songs from RUWA Music volume 13, the words settled deep into my spirit: no chains remain, no debts to pay… who can condemn? And something within me stirred, because that is not just a lyric I wrote—it is the finished reality of what Christ has done. We live because it is done. Not partially done, not waiting on our effort, but completely finished. And when you begin to reflect on that truth, it takes you right into the heart of what Paul spoke about in 2 Corinthians chapter 12—this tension between overwhelming revelation and overwhelming opposition. Paul had seen things—heard things—that could not even be spoken. A glimpse into paradise, into the very presence of God, something so sacred it could not be translated into human language. Yet with that revelation came a weight, a “thorn,” not of physical weakness as many have thought, but a piercing, relentless opposition—an agent sent to buffet him, to resist the very message he carried. And what was that message? Grace. Pure grace. Not grace mixed with law, not grace with conditions attached, but grace that stands alone—complete, sufficient, and final. That is what stirred such resistance then, and it is still what stirs resistance now. Because the truth is, the moment you add even the smallest fragment of law back into grace, you diminish the finished work of Christ. You imply that what He did was not enough. And yet, from the cross, the declaration was clear—it is finished. There are no remaining debts, no chains left to break, no condemnation left to fear. Grace is not a starting point that needs our help to be completed; it is the full and final provision of God. And still, across this world, many will hear grace preached with a hesitation—a “but” attached to it—as though the cross requires an addendum. But true grace stands without qualification.