A Biblical Understanding Of Grace - Worthy Christian Forums

The Grace of God; It is, perhaps, the most sublime matter that can be found in all of Scripture. From beginning to end, the Bible is a revelation of God’s grace to fallen man. From the day that God first killed an animal to clothe Adam and Eve until that final day when we all be transfigured and clothed with the glory of God, one of the Bible’s uppermost themes, is the inestimable Grace of God.

I. The Definition of Grace
What is grace? Often grace is defined merely as “unmerited favor.” But that does not really do it justice. From Genesis, to Revelation, we see God showering grace upon a fallen, miserable, rebellious race known as the human race. From the day that Adam brought sin into the world through his rebellion to God’s command, mankind has been living in open rebellion against God.

We see God all throughout the Bible putting forth His hand in kindness calling and longing for man to both receive His love and to return it in kind. We see Him extending His love toward man only to have that love answered with contempt, pride, open rebellion, and an utter revulsion at the suggestion of His very existence. How would you react, if the very object of your love, the one who is your chief desire, responded with disdain at the fact that you were alive?

When God sent His Son, Jesus, it was His ultimate act of Grace taking precedence over all that He had done, or has done since. Jesus, God in the flesh, came unto his own, and His own received Him not (John 1:11). Jesus brought the grace of God down to fallen man in a way that man could see who God is, and how much He loves each and every person. He healed the sick, He raised the dead, He fed thousands, He reached out to the outcasts the misfits, the societal “throw-a-ways.” He brought forgiveness and hope to those that the religious leaders had given up on. Jesus showed that it was God’s will bless His us, not to harm us. Even to those who should have been destroyed according to strict adherence to the law, Jesus brought mercy and restoration. Jesus demonstrated that mercy is grace in action. The Hebrew word for “bless” is barakh. It means to kneel. It is not a reference to kneeling is subjugation, but rather “kneeling to enrich.” The word picture is that of a father who kneels to relate to his children face to face. Jesus did exactly that. He brought the love of God down to us. Jesus was the Father’s way of getting down on His knees to relate to us face to face, to pull us to Himself and hold us close; close enough that we can hear his heartbeat.

Yet for all that, Jesus was reviled, he was hated so much that a “kangaroo court,” a mockery and sham of a trial was instigated against Him. False witnesses were brought to accuse him, and nearly 200 laws from both the Torah and the Talmud had to be broken just put Jesus on trial. He was reviled and lied about, but He never opened His mouth. He was beaten, and scourged within in an inch of death, and he never once sought to defend Himself. Surely, those twelve legions consisting of 72,000 angels of the armies of the Living God stood ready with swords drawn, nearly busting the seams of heaven to come to the aid of their King if He would but give the word. Just one word from Jesus, and the earth would have been a cinder block hurtling through space.

Yet, Jesus as he never failed to do, continued to demonstrate God’s Grace by offering up prayer for His enemies. “Father, forgive them… they don’t know what they are doing.” Even on the cross in agony, His mind was not on His pain, his torn flesh, the splinters in His back, the torture of the nails that impaled Him to the cross. He thoughts were for His enemies. His thoughts were for His mother. His ministry did not end in Gethsemane. Even on the cross Jesus offered salvation and forgiveness. Jesus’ thoughts were not upon Himself, but upon us. Jesus was thinking about His enemies, the thief, His mother, and he was thinking about you.

It has been said that offering salvation was a greatest the act of God in the history of the universe. It was a greater demonstration of His power than the creation of the universe. This is so, because in salvation, God gave all He had. Jesus gave EVERYTHING to save you and me. We are rebellious, selfish, demanding, impatient, prideful, full of vanity, bitter, foolish, contemptuous, and yet God still loves us. He never gives up on us. He always is there to give a second chance, a third chance, a 56th chance. Even when we are faithless, the Bible says, He is faithful. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. We have spurned his love, and trampled it with our selfish desire to do our own thing. And once we have screwed everything up and made a horrible mess of our lives, He is there, waiting at the portals, watching like the Father of the prodigal son. Waiting to embrace us in His loving arms. No matter how much we have hurt Him, He is willing to receive us back with open arms. One thing you can be sure of; Jesus will never break your heart.

I posit therefore, that grace is NOT unmerited favor at all. Grace is the over-exhibited mercy, loving kindness and “favor” of God, given freely to those who merit His uttermost contempt, and disfavor.

That has to be the most touching, wonderful few sentences I have read in a long time, thank you Shiloh!

Thank you Shiloh, that was beautiful. infact I may well print a copy for myself.

Shalom,

eric.

II. Grace Manifested by God

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
(Ephesians 3:14-19)

I would like to draw your attention to the last verse of the above passage. The last part of Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians is that they would know the love of Christ which “passeth knowledge.” He is asking God that they be able to comprehend that which is incomprehensible. Moreover it is in knowing this love of Christ which is beyond knowing that will fill them with all the fullness of God. In other words, “that you may have the richest measures of divine consolation and of the divine presence; that you may partake of the entire enjoyment of God in the most ample measure in which he bestows his favors on his people.” (Barnes) It is so that we may be full of God Himself. His will is not that we have a limited or partial experience of His Presence in our lives, but that we are filled to overflowing with all the good things that He has in store for us in this life, and in the world to come. As John Gill masterfully states: “ …as to be filled with a sense of the love and grace of God; with satisfying views of interest in the righteousness of Christ; with the Spirit, and the gifts and graces thereof; with full provisions of food for their souls; with spiritual peace, joy, and comfort; with knowledge of divine things, of God in Christ, of Christ, of the Gospel, and of the will of God; and with all the fruits or righteousness, or good works springing from grace; or else of that fullness which they shall receive hereafter, even complete holiness, perfection of knowledge, fullness of joy and peace, entire conformity to God and Christ, and everlasting communion with them.”

Nothing God calls us to do is beyond our reach. Knowing the love of Christ, which is unknowable is paradoxical, but it is not impossible, for God would not have called us to do that for which he has not also supplied the resources to accomplish. Our ability to fulfill God’s will is implicit in His command. The demands placed upon us by His Will are matched fully by the Grace meted out to accomplish the task. So, what has God given us to enable us to know His love?

Over 5,000 years ago, God called a man named Abraham to be the progenitor of a nation of people known in common parlance as the Jewish people. This was a particularly daunting expectation on God’s part seeing that this man Abraham was 100 years old, and his wife Sarah was 90 years old and she was barren even during her child bearing years. Yet God approached Abraham with what amounts to impossible reality. His wife who was barren would give birth to a child, AND she would do it when it was absolutely biologically impossible for a woman to bear a child.


After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
(Genesis 15:1-3)

God approaches Abraham and declares Himself to be both Abraham’s shield and great reward. This follows on the heels of Abraham’s successful rescue of His brother Lot from the Canaanite Kings that had captured Him and his camp. When Abraham was approached by the King of Sodom to reward him, Abraham refused to take even a strap from the sandals of the King lest the King of Sodom might think that He had made Abraham rich.

Now God comes to Abraham and says, “I am your shield and great reward.” This is a reward greater than anything He could have received from spoils of battle. Naturally, Abraham wants to know what this reward entails. “What are you going to give me seeing I am childless? I have no children and the best I can expect is that my servant Eliezer will inherit all I have after I die.”

And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
(Genesis 15:4-8)

God’s promise is staggering!! Not only will Abraham bear a son, but he is going to Father an entire race an entire nation. Yet, Abraham’s next question is a fair one. Abraham wants to know how He can trust in what God has said, How can he know for sure, given the insurmountable odds, that such a promise could be fulfilled?

God responds:

And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
(Genesis 15:9-11)

This was something that Abraham was very familiar with. It was a blood covenant, and was the most important covenant in the Middle East. There were different kinds of covenants. There was the shoe covenant, the salt covenant, and other kinds of covenants, but the blood covenant was the most serious of all. When it came to covenants, this one is the bottom line. It was the most binding, and it was the most deadly if either party broke the agreements made in blood.

Abraham did has God had commanded. He split the animals down the back and laid the halves opposite one another. He then pooled the blood in the middle of the halves as was customary, and then waited on God. It was customary that both parties would walk together between the halves, and together declare the blessings and curses of the covenant. They would then cut a slit in the palms of their hands and mingle their blood together. This was symbolic of the parties becoming one blood, one family. This was a customary covenant cut not only between Kings but also between families. Often, families would “covenant” together based upon their weaknesses. One family had skilled craftsman but no business skills, and the other family were made up of savvy business folk but had no marketable skills. So, the two families would cut a covenant together in order to benefit from each other.


Abraham should have walked with God between the halves. He should have stood in the blood as God declared to him his responsibilities required of him to uphold his end of the covenant that God was making. God, however, had other plans. According to verse 12, God put a deep sleep upon Abraham that evening. Yet, Abraham had a vision of God walking between the halves. The text has an interesting way of putting it:

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
(Genesis 15:13-17)

After telling Abraham what would befall his descendents over the next 430 years, He allows Abraham to see a burning lamp and a smoking furnace pass between the halves. This is an interesting imagery. Abraham sees two persons walking between the halves. One is a burning lamp or flame of fire; the other is a smoking furnace. It is no coincidence that these two things are seen just after God’s promise to redeem the Children of Israel from bondage. Recall that as the Children of Israel were led out, God going before them as a flame of fire by night, and a pillar of smoke by day led them. Just as God was the shield and reward of Abraham, likewise he was a shield and reward of His descendents as well.

God picked the most grave and deadliest traditions known to that part of the world to express to Abraham just how serious He was about keeping His promise. This was not something that Abraham would have taken lightly. The import of this covenant spoke volumes to Abraham. It was the one thing that Abraham could grasp, to give him assurance that God would indeed keep His Word. This is why Abraham had so much faith when God told him to sacrifice his son. Abraham did not argue, or complain. He packed up the things necessary for the sacrifice, took his son, and two headed for Moriah. Abraham KNEW that he and Isaac would come back together.

And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
(Genesis 22:5)

Abraham remembered that God had cut a covenant in blood, and even if Isaac was sacrificed, God had told him that this son would be his heir. So, if Isaac were burnt to ashes on the altar, God would just have to resurrect Isaac from the ashes. In Abraham’s eyes, God had bound Himself to keep His Word.

We see in this story, the grace of God manifested in two ways. First of all, Abraham and Sarah were barren. They had no chance of having children from a biological perspective. It was simply impossible by human standards. God could have approached Abraham with this offer 60 years earlier when there was still hope that things might change. But God waited. He waited until it was hopeless by any natural means for a child to be born to these people. God wanted it to be clear to everyone that He, and he alone had made this happen. It was not by Abraham’s efforts that Sarah had been made pregnant, and given the strength to carry a child to term. Secondly, we see that it was God and God alone that bore the responsibilities for bringing the fulfillment of the covenant to pass, for only God waked between the halves. In truth, it was the Father and Jesus walking that day in between the halves. Abraham did not play a part in the fulfillment of the covenant cut that day.Abraham was merely the beneficiary, as are his descendants.

The grace of God is manifest to us in a similar way. The Abrahamic covenant was an act of God’s grace. Abraham’s response was faith. Likewise, the New Testament is God’s ultimate act of grace. You see the picture is unmistakable. Abraham killed the animals to be used in the covenant. Each of those animals are themselves symbolic of Christ. Just as Abraham killed those animals and shed their blood, likewise Jesus allowed himself to be taken by men and crucified and have his blood shed on our account. Just as the Abrahamic covenant was really between God and Jesus, likewise the New Covenant is also between God the Father and mankind’s covenant representative, Jesus. They are the only guarantors of this covenant. It is only by grace that we receive the benefits of this covenant. We have no part to play in maintaining the covenant since the covenant was not cut with us.

Think of it this way. If our illustrious leader George, and our road kill grill man Dr. Luke, make a covenant to give IslandRose 1 million dollars, and they have the whole thing set in stone all nice and legal, the 1 million dollars belongs to IslandRose solely upon the integrity of George and Dr. Luke to fulfill their agreement. IslandRose did not sign up for this; she did not have anything to do with the creation of the covenant. All she has to do is be IslandRose. She has to only reach out take the gift given to her by George and Dr. Luke.

Grace is always a gift. It is never a reward for service. It cannot be merited. As I will demonstrate later, grace is manifested in the life of a believer as saving grace and daily grace. Grace is not the absence of sin, but the presence of God ‘s mercy and loving kindness.

This is really awesome and highly needed around here. I think it should be stuck to the top of the forum like some of the other topics. (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.gif)

Shiloh, is it cool to reprint this, use it noncommercially and whatnot?

I dunno if you write a lot of stuff like this, but if you do you may want to take a look at Creative Commons if you haven't before.

http://creativecommons.org/about/history

Excellent essay btw

III. God’s Grace Manifested in The Life Of A Christian



This is the first manifestation of God’s grace in the life of a believer. The first work of grace is salvation. Salvation from beginning to end is God’s doing. Grace is God’s invitation to man. Faith is man’s response.

In all of biblical record, it has been God who was the initiator. It was God who came looking for Adam when Adam sinned, and broke fellowship with God. It was God who went looking for Abel after Cain murdered him. It was God who came to Noah and commanded him to build an ark of safety. It was God who approached Abraham with the offer of a lifetime. It was God who appeared to Moses, and called Him to be lead His people from bondage. It was God who said, “Build me sanctuary that I might dwell among my people.”

Salvation by grace is a three-fold process. Salvation is comprised of justification, sanctification, and glorification; in that order. A correct, biblical understanding of grace requires us to know just how these three are related to each other, and how they operate in the life of a believer. All are a product of God’s grace. Salvation begins in the heart, and will culminate in our being clothed with God’s glory as was Adam and Eve. That is the biblical pattern. God begins with the spiritual, and works his way out to the natural.

In Exodus, God gives the command for a sanctuary to be built so that he can dwell with his people. God gives two sets of instructions with regard to the sanctuary. First he tells them how the sanctuary is to be built. He begins with the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies. This represents the heart. From there he moves out to the main sanctuary, and all everything it will contain, as well as the different curtains that cover it, and the fence surrounding the Tabernacle. God’s second set of instructions pertained to the service of the Tabernacle, the sacrifices, and so on. We see in the first set of instructions, God’s approach to man (grace), and in the second set of instructions, man’s response to God (faith). “By grace are ye saved through faith….”

Justification is where God begins. Justification as it is used in the Scriptures with relation to man’s standing with God, comes from the Greek word dikaioo, and it means to declare innocent/righteous. It is important to realize that it does NOT mean to “make” righteous. That is not how it is used in Scripture with relation to the present state of the Christian. “Justification is a judicial act of God pardoning sinners (wicked and ungodly persons, Rom. 4:5; 3:9-24), accepting them as just, and so putting permanently right their previously estranged relationship with himself. This justifying sentence is God’s gift of righteousness (Rom. 5:15-17), his bestowal of a status of acceptance for Jesus’ sake (2 Cor. 5:21) The necessary means, or instrumental cause, of justification is personal faith in Jesus Christ as crucified Savior and risen Lord (Rom. 4:23-25; 10:8-13). This is because the meritorious ground of our justification is entirely in Christ. As we give ourselves in faith to Jesus, Jesus gives us his gift of righteousness, so that in the very act of “closing with Christ,” as older Reformed teachers put it, we receive divine pardon and acceptance which we could not otherwise have (Gal. 2:15-16; 3:24).” J.I. Packer

Righteousness is the product of Justification, and is imputed, to us. It is credited to our account.

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.
(Romans 4:20-25)

Justification is entirely of God’s grace. It is not based upon works either in its procurement, nor its maintenance. We cannot “maintain” Justification. It is a one-time legal declaration based upon the work of Christ, and therefore we have nothing to add to it.

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
(Romans 3:24)

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
(Titus 3:7)

To be justified means that God’s justice has been satisfied. It means that we are no longer estranged from God because of sin.


Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
(Romans 5:1)

We have peace, or reconciliation with God. God has reconciled man unto Himself according to 2 Cor. 5:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
(2 Corinthians 5:17-19)

According to the above passage, God is not imputing our trespasses against us. This is because he imputed them all to Jesus. Just as His righteousness is imputed to us, our trespasses and sins were imputed to HIM when He went to the cross.

Grace also sanctifies us. Having declared us forensically righteous, God sets us apart from the rest of the world unto Himself and His purposes. It is vitally important that we do not confuse sanctification and justification. Both are a manifestation of grace but they differ in many respects. "They differ in their design: justification removes the obligation unto punishment; sanctification cleanses from pollution. They differ in their form: justification is a judicial act, by which the sinner as pronounced righteous; sanctification is a moral work, by which the sinner is made holy: the one has to do solely with our standing before God, the other chiefly concerns our state. They differ in their cause: the one issuing from the merits of Christ’s satisfaction, the other proceeding from the efficacy of the same. They differ in their end: the one bestowing a title to everlasting glory, the other being the highway which conducts us thither. "And an highway shall be there,...and it shall be called The way of holiness" (Isa. 35:8). A.W. Pink

As I stated earlier both justification and sanctification are a manifestation of God’s grace. We are set apart the minute we put faith in Christ. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14) It is by Christ’s sacrifice that we are sanctified, and perfected. Elsewhere the Bible tells us that we are sanctified by The Holy Spirit, and by the Word of God. Nowhere are we sanctified or perfected by our works. It is totally a work of God’s grace.

Finally we are looking forward to the great day when faith shall be made sight, and all that God has promised will be finally and fully realized. The Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 1, that the present indwelling of the Holy Spirit is but a foretaste of, or a down payment upon our full inheritance in Christ. It is the final manifestation of God’s grace. We will realize the final eradication of our sin nature. We will be clothed with God’s glory, and all will be restored as if Adam had never sinned. All of our troubles will be forgotten, and our corruption will have put on incorruption.

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
(1 Corinthians 15:51-55)


We will finally be able to look upon the face of our God and He with us. We will walk with Him again in the Garden, communing as friend to friend.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
(Revelation 21:3-4)

Tomorrow, I will deal with daily grace in the life of the believer. (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Yay, it got pinned!!! (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.gif)

Shiloh, if you aren't trying to get published, you are wasting your talent! Not that we don't appreciate it, because we do.............but you need to get these words out there, in the world!

Thank you for the kind words Kahlan!! (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I am working on a book BTW. It is a defense of Israel. One of my chief passions.