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As a last point, many have wondered how a definition of “desire and power” fits the following verses, already cited: “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) There are a couple of ways […]
One of the more interesting uses of grace (chen) in the Old Testament is as something in, coming out of the lips: “Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.” (Psalms 45:2) “He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace […]
As important as grace is to the work of God in the life it would be tremendous if we had the power to give it to others, so they too would have the motivation, the energy to do what God wants them to. And amazingly, Scripture tells us that this is our job. We can […]
If grace can be decreased in power and effectiveness, hopefully there is a way to increase the same. Paul keeps saying “grace to you” at the beginning of his epistles and Peter tells us to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” ( 2 Peter 3:18) The first […]
“Legalism” on the “right” side and “Lasciviousness” on the other side are both grace killers. So we need to highlight the warnings from Scripture for each. First the legalist: “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, […]
Modern evangelical Christianity has at times lost its way when it comes to the role of “the law” in the life of the believer. Ask the average Christian their perspective on “the law” and they will most likely tell you that it “isn’t for us today” . . . “No law” for the Christian! To […]
It is easy to sympathize with those who regard theological debates such as this as mind numbing and unnecessary. Yet the importance of getting a correct definition for grace is highlighted by the fact that an entire book of the Bible – albeit a very short one – was written precisely for this purpose. Jude […]
Often a concept becomes clearer by what it is contrasted to. So let’s look at some examples: Debt: “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” (Romans 4:4). The idea of wages again. You cannot be guaranteed favor of God by a contractual arrangement. The concept of earning […]
The clearest expression of these effects of grace is seen in a section that does even not contain the word “grace” . . . yet most clearly embodies it: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation […]
Let’s look again at where grace in the Scriptures is not “unmerited” in the Calvinist sense, something forced on randomly chosen individuals for no apparent reason. First in our consideration are verses that build the sense of merit directly into the use of “charis”: “For this is thankworthy (“charis”, grace), if a man for conscience […]