Equipped 2026: "Grace from the Beginning" by Steve Higginbotham

The sermon challenges the common misconception that God in the Old Testament was harsh and ungracious, while the New Testament reveals a kinder, more merciful deity. Steve Higginbotham argues that grace was present from the very beginning—starting in Genesis 3, where God immediately seeks out Adam and Eve after their fall, not to punish but to reconcile. He highlights five acts of grace: God's initiative in coming to them, His call for confession, His confrontation of sin (not as cruelty but as loving discipline), His provision of permanent clothing made from animal skins (a foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice), and His removal of them from Eden to prevent eternal life in a fallen state. Higginbotham emphasizes that discipline, like thorns in a hedge, is not punishment but protection and love. He shares a powerful personal story of a former 'Crazy Ed' from high school who repented and became a believer, proving that God's grace extends even to the most unlikely. The message is clear: God’s character has never changed—He is both just and gracious, and His grace was active from the foundation of the world.