What does Grace mean?

[Brennno]

 

Can someone tell me more about what Grace means to them.

 

Some Biblical passages on God's grace:

 

Eph. 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 

Rom. 6:14

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Rom. 11:6

But if it is {salvation} by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

 

1 Cor. 15:10

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

 

Rom 3:21-26

²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

 

Thanks for your reminding of the word golden eagle, have you read the final quest bby rick joyner. he talks  about the eagles alot at the mountain and under the feathers there is battle scars and the scars are healed up and gold.

[Willa]

How do your use or appropriate God's Grace?. You pass it on to others. You extend God's kindness to people that you know don't deserve it. You show kindness to them not as a wimp, but as from the strength and power of God's love.

You also appropriate God's grace by yielding or surrendering to God. You allow Him to live in you and work through you, enabling you to obey Him and do those things that you cannot do by yourself.

Golden Eagle has been having a great Bible Study from Galatians about living by God's Spirit and not trying to live the Christian life by our own effort.

Even telling others about what God has been doing in your life is a way to appropriate God's grace. The whole Christian life is about appropriating God's grace.

[GoldenEagle]

Can someone tell me more about what Grace means to them.

Here's what grace means to some well-known and other not so well-known Christians...

 

“Grace is the pleasure of God to magnify the worth of God by giving sinners the right and power to delight in God without obscuring the glory of God.” – John Piper

 

“Grace has to be the loveliest word in the English language. It embodies almost every attractive quality we hope to find in others. Grace is a gift of the humble to the humiliated. Grace acknowledges the ugliness of sin by choosing to see beyond it. Grace accepts a person as someone worthy of kindness despite whatever grime or hard-shell casing keeps him or her separated from the rest of the world. Grace is a gift of tender mercy when it makes the least sense.” - Charles "Chuck" Swindoll

“To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God's grace means.” Brennan Manning

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.”- John Newton

"Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue” - Anne Lammott

“Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.” - Jerry Bridges

 

"“The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.” - Billy Graham

"“The gospel of justifying faith means that while Christians are, in themselves still sinful and sinning, yet in Christ, in God’s sight, they are accepted and righteous. So we can say that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope — at the very same time. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. It means that the more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of your sin.” - Timothy Keller

 

“Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“When we wallow in guilt, remorse, and shame over real or imagined sins of the past, we are disdaining God's gift of grace.” - Brennan Manning

 

"Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it. God's saving love in Christ, however, is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are and yet also radical, unconditional commitment to us. The merciful commitment strengthens us to see the truth about ourselves and repent. The conviction and repentance moves us to cling to and rest in God's mercy and grace.” - Timothy Keller

 

[GoldenEagle]

Also

 

“Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.” - Jerry Bridges

[Cailean]

Hi Brennno - Don't know if you got my 1st reply so thought you'd better have it twice rather than not at all!

Desiderata, as I fathom it, is the plural of the Latin Desireratum - something essential or "Desired".

My fave passage comes from Max Ehrmann's interpretation (You can Google it).

Though as I say my Latin can be worse than my English - Munster Gaeligh being my Mother tongue!

Rath De ort; C+

[missmuffet]

Saving grace is the concept of our worth being found only in Christ.Christ is the redeeming factor that makes us acceptable.We have nothing in ourselves that will commend us to God Romans 3:10-11.

[FreeinChrist]

God

Riches

At

Christ

Expense

 

Grace is God gift of Christ righteousness to us unfaithful sinners.

Romans 5:20-21

20)  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound.  But where sin abounded, GRACE did much more abound:

21)  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might GRACE reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

This is the truest gift that God gave unto us, His only Begotten Son became poor that we might become rich.

For we know the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.

II Corinthians 8:9

[GoldenEagle]

God

Riches

At

Christ

Expense

 

Grace is God gift of Christ righteousness to us unfaithful sinners.

Romans 5:20-21

20)  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound.  But where sin abounded, GRACE did much more abound:

21)  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might GRACE reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

This is the truest gift that God gave unto us, His only Begotten Son became poor that we might become rich.

For we know the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.

II Corinthians 8:9

 

Amen!

[gdemoss]

To understand any aspect of the divine nature deeply, one must first receive it from God, possess it for themselves and freely give it unto others.  When I truly received God's grace, I possessed it and had it to give unto others by the power of the Spirit.  I have been enabled to selflessly take another's sin upon me for the purpose of bringing them to God through Christ.  

 

There are examples in scripture about teaching God's people to walk in his Grace and be as he is.

 

2 Cor 8 covers grace giving.  Paul uses the example of the Macedonians giving through grace unto the poor saints in Jerusalem.  Having received the grace of God in Christ, and believing it, they were empowered to extend God's grace unto others in need.

 

I wonder about those people who claim that Jesus paid it all by grace but refuse to extend that grace unto others in need.  They believe Jesus has paid for all their sin but will not release those who have sinned against them through personal forgiveness.  It is never easy except I think back to what God through Christ has done for me.

 

I know I have received the grace of God.  I have it to freely extend to those in need.  According to Paul, I am who I am by the grace of God and that grace works in me mightily toward those in need.

[GoldenEagle]

Another good quote on grace:

 

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” - Thomas Merton