BIBLE STUDY AND TEACHING ON THE GRACE OF GOD

BIBLE STUDY AND TEACHING ON THE GRACE OF GOD

The meaning of the word Grace that people hear in most Protestant churches is: "an unmerited gift or favor granted by God".

In Roman Catholicism, Grace is poured by God unearned into human beings. The means by which God grants His Grace include the sacraments (especially the eucharist), prayers, good works and the hierarchical ministry of the church.

In other words, according to both Catholics and Protestants, Grace is something that people absolutely do not deserve, but God is so good that He gives it to them anyway.

This is incorrect and false!

Why should God give people something they do not merit and deserve? It makes no sense.

In many Christian books and Bible concordances the meaning of the word in the original Greek of the New Testament has been changed and adjusted to conform to this view and false doctrine.

The original Greek word for Grace is: "charis", which means "the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, love, and shows them how to keep His Commandments and how to become more like Christ day by day".

In other words, the Grace of God is: "the merciful kindness of God and His blessing that turns people's heart to Christ and gives them the knowledge of how to change and conform to Jesus".

God is only merciful and kind with those who deserve His Mercy and kindness. God blesses with His Grace and gives the knowledge of how to change and conform to Jesus only to those who merit and deserve to have it. Changing is the process of Sanctification.

In the Old Testament time, people were under the God's Law, they could only make any possible effort to keep it and obey God, but they did not have Truth in them with the ability to fully understand, or Grace with the power to effectively change.

Now we live in the New Testament time and we are under a New Covenant thanks to Jesus and we have both Grace and Truth through Him. We have Truth with the ability to fully understand and Grace with the power to effectively change.

John 1:17 (NKJV) - "For the Law was given through Moses, but Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ."

B.        THE LETTERS TO TITUS AND PHILEMON ON GRACE

(Scripture Portion: Titus 2: 11 – 14)

This classic passage gives us the clearest statement of the grace of God in the New Testament. What is the grace of God? It has been defined as ‘‘the favour of God shown to the undeserving.’’

What grace is in God, what grace is in Christ, and what grace is in the believer. ‘Grace in God is: -       

·         God’s mercy pitying,

·         God’s wisdom planning,

·         God’s power preparing and

·         God’s love providing.

·         God’s grace thus stretches from Eden to Calvary.

·         Grace in Christ is saving grace suggested by Jesus,

·         sanctifying grace suggested by Christ,

·         sovereign grace implied by Lord, and

·         satisfying grace by the little word our.

Paul was able to say that he was what he was ““by the grace of God”” (1 Corinthians 15:10).’’ Another definition worthy of note is that ‘God’s grace is His active favour bestowing the greatest gift upon those who have deserved the greatest punishment.’’ Notice that verse 11 begins with the word ‘For’. Paul has been giving Titus instructions as to how he is to teach various classes of people, and he connects this with the outline of doctrine that is contained in verses 11-14, showing us again the connection between belief and behaviour, creed and conduct.

1.      WHAT GRACE BROUGHT

What did grace bring? Grace brought salvation (verse 11). Notice that only the grace of God brings salvation; the law did not do it, science does not do it, psychology cannot do it, humanism will not do it and philosophy is unable to do it. None of these can save, but the grace of God evolved a method of saving men and women –- look up Ephesians 2:8-10. Notice three things about the salvation that grace has brought:-

a.      Salvation is embodied in a Person. The Person is Jesus Christ the Lord, whose name ‘’Jesus means ‘Saviour’. In verse 11 there is a reference to the Incarnation - compare Matthew 1:21 with Acts 4:12, also compare Luke 2:27-30 and 19:19, both of which emphasise that salvation is in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

b.      It is a full and a free salvation. If grace provides it, it must be so. It means that salvation is altogether of God’s providing, and therefore it is entirely free for the taking. This is the meaning of ’grace’- refer again to Ephesians 2:8-10.

c.       It is available to all people, everywhere. This is the significance of the words ‘’all men’’. This salvation is universal in its scope. It does not mean that when Jesus came all men saw Him appear; it means He came to make salvation available to everyone –- thank God! –- look up Romans 10:12-13.

2. WHAT GRACE TAUGHT

Notice verse 12, ‘‘It teaches us…’ which means that grace trains us or disciplines us. Many people think that salvation means having our sins forgiven and receiving a new life, but it is much more than this. The grace that saves us goes on to sanctify us in two ways:-

Ø  Negatively – ‘No to ungodliness and worldly passions’. The word ‘No’ means just that; the word ‘ungodliness’ refers to all that is unlike God - compare Romans 1:18-32. The words ‘’worldly passions’ refer to any unspiritual desires, and in the scriptural usage of this word ‘passions’, the following may be included: inordinate sexual desire, the liquor mania, excessive yearning for material possessions, longing for pleasure, power, self-pleasing –- compare 1 John 2:16; Titus 3:3.

Ø  Positively - we should live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.’To be saved is not just to receive a ticket to Heaven; it is to be ’self-controlled’ (our self-ward attitude), ‘upright’ (our man-ward attitude), and ‘godly’ (our God-ward attitude).

How do you fit in to this picture? Now the Apostle tells us:-

3. WHAT GRACE WROUGHT

We have this in verse 13. The fact that the grace of God has brought salvation means that we have a ‘‘blessed hope’’. What is the Christian’s ‘blessed hope’? It is the personal return of Jesus Christ. The word ‘hope’ does not imply uncertainty; it means ‘a confident expectation’’. The hope of Christ’s coming is blessed indeed. Think of the One who is coming and see how He is described in verse 13, and think how He is coming - first to rapture the Church into His presence - look up John 14:3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, and then to reign in great glory - look up Revelation 1:7, and compare Matthew 25:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7 and 9. We as Christians are to live looking up! Do we live like this? Where do we look? - at the world, its upsets, unrest and sins, or are we looking for Him? Compare Luke 21:28. Now notice:-

4. WHAT GRACE SOUGHT

What did God’s grace seek? What was the great objective of the Incarnation? The answer is in verse 14: ‘to purify for himself a people’. It means a ’different’ people, a people’of His very own’. This is marvelous- that the Lord should seek us because He wanted us for Himself! This is why Jesus died: First, ‘to redeem us from all wickedness’, and then, ‘to purify for himself a people…eager to do what is good.’Here, then, we have a description of the kind of people that grace seeks:-

(1) A Redeemed people –- a Saved people.

(2) A Cleansed people –- a Sanctified people.

(3) An Eager people –- a Serving people.

In case we have emphasised grace to the exclusion of works, Paul’s paragraph closes on the note of good works. We do not work in order to be saved, but when we are saved, then we work with great eagerness for the glory of God

While grace has always existed as a part of the character of God and was epitomized on the cross of Christ, it is expressed in a wide variety of forms. Grace takes many forms in the Bible, and it is well to define it so that the diversity of these forms is taken into account

Ø  Common grace is that benevolence which is poured out upon all men, regardless of their spiritual condition:

“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you; in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:44-45).

“And in the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with good and gladness” (Acts 14:16-17).

God is gracious in making provision for the salvation of all men³⁹ and in commanding its universal proclamation. He is also gracious in delaying judgment, thereby giving men ample time to repent (2 Peter 3:9). One might also imply that God is gracious in not revealing more than He does to those who reject Him, since greater knowledge brings greater judgment (cf. Luke 12:47-48).

Ø  Saving grace is that generous provision of salvation on the cross of Calvary and the securing of it by divine intervention, as we have already outlined above.

“But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are” (Acts 15:11).

Ø  Securing grace is that manifestation of God’s benevolence by which Christians are kept secure in spite of sin.

Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2).

Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! (1 Peter 5:12).

Just as a lost man cannot obtain salvation through any good work of his own, neither can the Christian maintain his salvation by doing good works. Salvation is obtained and maintained by grace alone.

Ø  Sanctifying grace is that grace which works within the true believer in such a way as to bring growth, maturity, and progress in the process of becoming Christ-like:

Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God (Acts 13:43).

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me (1 Corinthians 15:10).

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)

Ø  Serving grace is the enablement to minister in such a way as to manifest the life of our Lord through the saints as members of His body. It refers to acts of generosity and giving (cf. Acts 4:33ff.; 2 Corinthians 8:1ff.). It specifically refers to spiritual gifts (the term “gift” is a derivative of the word “grace”).

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift (Ephesians 4:7).

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10).

Ø  Sustaining grace is grace given at special times of need, especially during adversity or suffering.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

Perhaps some of these distinctions are a bit arbitrary, but the point remains that grace is manifested in a variety of ways. Grace seeks us and saves us; grace keeps us secure; grace enables us to serve and to endure the tests and trials of life. Grace will bring about our sanctification in this life and will ultimately bring us to glory. From beginning to end we are the object of divine grace.

Grace is pure. If we were to describe grace to the chemist, we would say that grace is an element, not a compound. In more biblical terms, grace is never a mixture of divine benevolence and human effort:

Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness (Romans 4:4-5).

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace (Romans 11:6).

Grace is entirely the work of God towards the redemption and establishment of an eternal relationship with man.

God bless you.

See you at the top!

PM