Grow In Grace
BEYOND THE BASICS
Brian Sullivan | Bancroft, Ontario
Grace is a very popular topic in today’s religious world. Often it is expressed as some vague, indefinable freedom or liberty. Some see it as a cloud-like substance that can be packaged and repackaged to suit the needs of the moment. The child of God is more interested in what the Bible has to say about it, and how the Bible defines it.
Grace Has A Long History Of Expression
The very first mention of grace in the Bible is found in the midst of a world filled with turmoil, corruption, and rampant sin – as in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:1-5). After describing the reaction of our Creator God to the level of degradation where every notion was associated with sin (and sinfulness) and His intention to “destroy man” (Genesis 6:6-7), we read: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (verse 8). There are two things we might observe from this setting: our gracious God acknowledged Noah was different than the rest of mankind (see verse 9), so he “found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” The second point we can draw is, it is possible to serve God faithfully even in the midst of a world on the slippery slope of sin. Noah found grace because he chose to walk in harmony with God and His will, rather than go with the flow. As my late mother-in-law often stated in her life, “Any dead fish can go with the current, but it takes a live one to swim upstream.”
The next reference to someone finding grace in God’s sight comes in the days of Moses. Following Moses’ reception of the Law and returning to find the golden calf (Exodus 32-33). he went outside the camp to pitch his tent, and the people “who sought the Lord” came out of the camp to that site. When Moses entered the tabernacle, the presence of God came in the “pillar of cloud” and conversed with Moses. Moses asked for God’s reassurance, and we find these words: “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people” (Exodus 33:13). Notice the preparedness on the part of Moses to follow God, as he declared, “show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.”
Before we move on to the New Testament we want to include portions of two more Old Testament texts. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). The other text indicates that God is prepared to bestow His grace on all men including the wicked, but they won’t receive it. Here is how it is put by Isaiah, “Let grace be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord” (Isaiah 26:10).
Grace In The New Testament
If we explore further, we see that “grace is very present in the life of Jesus Christ. Luke 2:40 records, “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” John 1:14 speaks of the fleshly entrance of the Word (Christ) into this world and declares Him as “the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” That opens the door for the most significant statement regarding Christ and grace, found in John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” As we are aware, there was a presence of “grace” and “truth” during the days of the Old Covenant, but the fullest measure or expression of these came through Christ Jesus. Notice, the Holy Spirit (through John) did not suggest that “grace” is the absence of truth; rather, “grace and truth” came through Christ.
Some Of Paul’s Declarations About “Grace” And Its Role
Aside from his use of grace in the salutations of his epistles, we can learn other important things about grace through the inspired writings of Paul. Grace is something we must continue in (Acts 13:43). The Lord was “bearing witness to the word of His grace” with signs and wonders (Acts 14:3). God has “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-26). Paul, after stating that “grace is available and sufficient to remove our sins through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:20-21) dismisses the notion that we ought to sin more to receive more grace (Romans 6:1-4). Grace calls for a transformed life – from slave of sin to slave of righteousness (see Romans 6:12-23; 12:1-2).
A Comprehensive Picture Of Grace (Titus 2:11-14)
(1) “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). We have access to it every time we hear God’s word faithfully preached, or read and study God’s inspired book (the Bible).
(2) God’s grace teaches us (Titus 2:12). We would immediately learn grace is part of a message, which Paul revealed, was profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
(3) God’s grace sets before us some essential changes required in our life. “Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, [we] should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12; see also 2 Corinthians 1:12-14).
Ungodliness (a lack of reverence toward God and/or His word) is to be denied. The worldly lusts that dominated our lives before we learn of God’s grace are to be harnessed, subdued and no longer the controlling influence in our lives (1 John 2:15; 1 Peter 4:1-5; Romans 6:16-18). Through God’s grace we learn how to live soberly (clear in thought and action); righteously (right in the sight of God, 1 John 3:7; Romans 6:16-18; Romans 1:16-17) and godly (with due reverence and respect for God and His will) in this present age.
(4) God’s grace has us looking beyond the present soul-making vale (this early realm) to “the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 9:28; Titus 2:13; see also 1 John 3:1-3; 1 Peter 1:5-9; 2 Peter 1:5-11; Romans 8:18-25).
Grace Is Found Through Christ And The Gospel
When Paul, in Romans 6:14, declared, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace,” he was contrasting the old covenant and its inability to remove sin (Hebrews 10:3-4), and the new covenant where sin can be removed and is forgiven by God (Hebrews 8:12). Paul never believed that the Christian was without law to Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21). In Acts 11:23, Barnabas met people who had responded to the gospel (the grace of God) and commanded “with purpose of heart they continue with the Lord.” That same “grace of the Lord Jesus” was equated with being saved, whether one was a Jew or a Gentile (Acts 15:11). In Romans 11:4-6, Paul stated, “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.” Paul is not suggesting obedience to Christ is not required in order to access grace, but remidning us no measure of works under the Law of Moses could do what God has done through the offering of His Son and the salvation through Him. There are works of God we must engage in (John 6:28-29; Romans 1:5; 6:16-18; 6:3-4, and Romans 16:25-27). Paul saw any step to add to the gospel, or to dimish it, was to lose what we had gained through it (see Galatians 1:6-10). Judaizing teachers were trying to convince others they needed to practice faithfully the Old Law in addition to the gospel in order to find God’s pleasure, but Paul clearly argues that is contrary to God’s intention (Galatians 2:21; 5:3-6). What we have and enjoy through Christ is “according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace” (Ephesians 1:5-12; 2:4-10; 3:1-8).
Conclusion
God’s grace is descriptive of all God has made available through His eternal plan (Ephesians 3:8-11; Romans 8:28-30). It is not to be construed as something without dimensions, without restrictions or without elements to obey. Apollos, after some further teaching on “the way of God” from Aquila and Priscilla, “greatly helped those who had believed through grace” (Acts 18:26-28). Knowing it might be the last time that he would see the brethren from Ephesus, Paul declared his intent was “to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), then he made the following statement: “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).
* All passages quoted from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.
17.07.04 | GROW magazine
