What does your favourite chair look like?

Is it a ratty recliner held together with pieces of duct tape, like the one used by Marty Crane on the TV sitcom “Frasier”?

Or is it more regal and imposing, dominating the room like a throne?

I think many of us rather like the idea of having a throne like the ones monarchs throughout history sat on.

The seat of the Chinese emperors was known as the Dragon Throne. The Mughal emperors of India had the Peacock Throne.

Korean monarchs sat on the Phoenix Throne, and Japanese emperors on the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The Shahs of Persia sat on a royal throne known as the Marble Throne, while Swedish monarchs were crowned on the Silver Throne.

Both the emperors of Vietnam and the Pharaoh Tutankhamen were enthroned on a Golden Throne.

And of course fantasy novelist George R. R. Martin has given us the Iron Throne, the seat of the monarch in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. It was said to have been made of the swords of defeated enemies.

But there’s a throne made of something infinitely more precious than any of the above…

The Throne of Grace.

The Bible makes reference to it in Hebrews 4:16:

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

We understand what a throne of gold or marble might look like, but what about a throne of grace? What is grace, anyway?

Grace can be described as God’s favour or benevolence toward the undeserving or unworthy. Grace is both part of God’s character and a gift that He bestows on us.

Because of our sin and unrighteousness, we are technically enemies of God. We have no way of saving ourselves and are in line for eternal punishment.

But God in his abundant grace supplied a solution: His Son Jesus bore the punishment that should have been ours. We are now offered forgiveness of our sins and a way to be reconciled with God. Thanks to grace, we can spend eternity with God.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

We deserve precisely none of this. Grace is a gift that we can’t earn and don’t merit. It costs us nothing, but came at great cost to our Saviour. It’s ours forever and keeps overflowing into our lives. Grace abundantly blesses us, enriches us spiritually, delivers us, justifies us, comforts us and strengthens us.

“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favour upon favour, and gift heaped upon gift]. (John 1:16)

God’s throne no longer represents judgement for believers, but rather His extravagant grace. We can come boldly to this throne because we come on Jesus’ merit and sacrifice, not our own.

I’m not exactly sure what a throne of grace looks like, but I know that it sits on a platform of love and is bejewelled with forgiveness and kindness. Above all, it is fashioned primarily out of grace!

“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

2 corinthians 9:15

© 2024 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.