A Definition of Grace, by bill gothard, PHD. The grace of God is a free gift to every one for salvation and for Godly living. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11–12). This gift of grace for salvation and Godly living was given to us by God before the world began. “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (II Timothy 1:9). Our salvation in Christ brings us into the fullness of God’s great reservoir of grace. “And of his fulness [of grace and truth] have all we received [fully and completely], and grace for grace” (John 1:16). The preposition for (anti) has the meaning of “succession,” giving the sense of “grace succeeding grace perpetually.” We can appropriate God’s grace for every aspect of our lives, and by doing so, our walk in grace by faith will have several expressions and manifestations. The free gift of God’s grace interacts with the gift of faith for salvation and righteous works. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8–10). Just as faith is expressed in good works, so grace is demonstrated in Godly labor as Paul testifies, “By the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (I Corinthians 15:10). An important expression of God’s grace that is freely given to us is our generous giving to others, for “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (II Corinthians 9:8; see also II Corinthians 8:1–19; 9:8–15). God’s grace to believers involves spiritual gifts that are to be used in edifying all the members of the Body of Christ. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (I Peter 4:10). “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:6–8). God’s grace works in us to bring us to spiritual completeness and maturity. “The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (I Peter 5:10). The grace of God is multiplied to us, and we grow in grace through the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord…. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:2; 3:18). The unmerited grace of God can be resisted and also corrupted by turning it into a license to do our own will. “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” (Hebrews 12:15). “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). In affirming this definition of grace, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates commented, “Grace is like God’s power generator, and we are like the conduits which carry His power to its intended purposes by the Holy Spirit.” Grace and Faith Two years ago I wrote a paper on the topic of grace. The questions that it raised confirmed to me that grace cannot be explained apart from faith. The two are linked together in Scripture, and the one activates the other. Both are gifts of God. God’s grace gives us the desire and power to do His will. Related to this is God’s mercy, which withholds the just punishment when we fail to act upon grace. The following points summarize and expand what I have been teaching in the Basic Seminar for more than 40 years. Grace is the desire and the power that God gives us to do His will. Grace is free and unmerited. There is nothing we can do to earn or merit the grace of God. It is the free gift of God to us, apart from any works or effort that we can achieve. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Grace is given to every person. Everyone in the world is given sufficient grace to respond to the light of conscience and of the Gospel. This point is emphasized in Titus 2:11–12. “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Grace is interrelated with faith. It is not possible to define grace without at the same time referring to faith because the two are so intricately entwined, as stated in Ephesians 2:8–9. “For by grace are ye saved through faith.” (See also I Timothy 1:13–14, Romans 5:2). Both grace and faith are gifts of God. Grace is expressed in action. Both grace and faith are expressed in God-directed action. Paul emphasized this in II Corinthians 8:1–2, when he explained how the grace of God that was bestowed on the churches in Macedonia resulted in their generosity. Then he challenged the Corinthians, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (II Corinthians 9:8). Grace is given progressively. We have access to all of God’s grace; however, it is given to us as we have need of it and as we have responded to previous grace. Therefore, Peter urged the believers to “grow in grace” (II Peter 3:18) and prayed that grace would be multiplied unto them (see II Peter 1:2). Paul was assured that God’s grace was sufficient for the trials that he was enduring (see II Corinthians 12:9). As we respond to the grace God gives us, He gives more grace. Therefore, different believers will have different measures of grace. Grace can be resisted. Since grace is given to every person, but not every person is acting upon it to carry out the will of God, it is obvious that we can resist the work of God’s grace in us. Scripture warns of this possibility in Hebrews 12:15. “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” Grace is given to the humble. One of the strongest ways to resist the grace of God is to have pride. Thus, Scripture states, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6). Peter also emphasized the importance of humility in order to receive God’s grace. “Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (I Peter 5:5). Grace requires good stewardship. Peter stated that we are to be “good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (see I Peter 4:10). Grace is singular in this passage; however, there are different applications of grace. For every need, there is grace. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). Different applications of grace would also include various spiritual gifts that are given to each believer. “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…” (Romans 12:6). Grace is the power to overcome trials. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:1–5). Grace Can Be Abused Since grace is given to overcome sin, some might wrongly conclude that by sinning more, we receive more grace. Such a conclusion is condemned by Paul. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1–2). There are also those who view grace as freedom to do what they want rather than power to do what they ought. This view turns God’s grace into a license to sin and is condemned in Scripture. A further abuse of grace is dividing it into two parts. One for salvation, and the other for Christian living. There is no such division in Scripture. One Bible scholar noted, “It is a great irony that the people who cultivate a two-stage Christianity do so in the name of grace but in effect nullify grace. They say there is a faith stage necessary for getting to heaven, and then an obedient stage not necessary for getting to heaven (but perhaps for getting better rewards there)… Underlying this mistake is a misunderstanding of grace. Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God to overcome sin. Grace is power, not just pardon” (Pleasures of God, John Piper, p. 244+).
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 16:30:11 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015