I have been thinking about the term “grace” a lot lately. According to Dictionary.com, the word has several different meanings. When I went to that site today, the “word of the day” happened to be “hedonism.” How ironic…
Word Origin and History for grace
n.
late 12c., “God’s favor or help,” from Old French grace “pardon, divine grace, mercy; favor, thanks; elegance, virtue” (12c.), from Latin gratia “favor, esteem, regard; pleasing quality, good will, gratitude” (source of Italian grazia, Spanish gracia), from gratus “pleasing, agreeable,” from PIE root *gwere- “to favor” (cf. Sanskrit grnati “sings, praises, announces,” Lithuanian giriu “to praise, celebrate,” Avestan gar- “to praise
According to Blue Letter Bible.com, the word “grace” appears in the NKJV 143 times in 137 verses.
My concern in this post is about the grace of God. Nave’s topical Bible shares general scriptures concerning the grace of God, including some that help in the growth in the grace of God. [Note: if you click on that link and hover your cursor over the Bible verse, a box pops up to reveal the entire verse.]
It is difficult to pick a favorite, but for today’s purposes I chose these verses:
Romans 5:15-21 (KJV) 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 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.
Those verses contain the term “grace” five times, and shares the gospel message! That passage of Scripture explains why Jesus Christ is the only way unto salvation!
We are meant to continue to grow in grace! And, how do we do that? Through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
2Pe 3:18 KJV – 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Tags: Bible, God, grace, Savior Jesus Christ
Talk Wisdom 
May 31, 2017 at 4:27 am |
Chris, To grow in grace would mean to grow in knowledge, right? Wouldn’t it be beneficial to know Christ better, and understand God’s messages in the Old Testament that show the foreshadowing of Christ in the New Testament? Maybe, even to know the times, and seasons that God chose to have things happen would be a type of knowledge we should try to have, right?
I think you probably would agree to all of these questions I have. I don’t understand why many Christians are so ardently against knowing God’s calendar. Somehow they relate that to the Law, and it is as if you put a hex on there house.
I want to know when Jesus was actually born as to the real month. I want to see in the Jewish festivals the hints of the joy, and salvation to come. If you don’t try to gain more wisdom, and find the truth how are you growing?
I just thought I would ask you how you felt about this, because this whole “Legalism” thing has me troubled. It seems to be a relatively new idea, which only seems to stifle growth, and the coming together of some religious thought to me. I even read one book that said if anyone talks about moral, civil, or ceremonial laws they are troublemakers.
In my mind a calendar is none of those, but most Christians seem to want to lump that into “Law” as well. I don’t understand when you tell someone that Christ wasn’t born in December, but by reading the Old Testament, and knowing God’s calendar, you know that he was actually born sometime the end of September or the beginning of October, because it was the Feast of Tabernacles, which means God is among us. They either don’t care or don’t want to know. Everything is connected to the calendar not just 2,000 years ago, but now too.
Anyway, I don’t understand the aversion, and I thought you could explain it to me.
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May 31, 2017 at 3:35 pm |
Hi L, it’s nice to see you here again!
Yes, I agree with your first three questions. Growing in knowledge is of course beneficial in knowing Christ. The foreshadowing of Christ in the Old Testament reveals Him as the promised Messiah. We are encouraged throughout Scripture to “know the times and seasons” as you had written. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who do not study the Word of God and expect to just be spoon-fed by church leaders.
It has become more educational (IMHO) to know about the Jewish festivals and dates of occurrence. Recall the Blood Moons movie where historical (and big!) events occurred during the blood moons appearance on or near the Jewish festivals!
It is true that the genuine date of Jesus’ birth is believed to not have been on December 25th, but more likely occurred in one of the Fall months. I have read (in the past) that some have surmised that choosing to celebrate Christ’s birth on Dec. 25th would help negate the pagan rituals done at that time of year in the past. However, we can see that Christmas is not only the day to celebrate Christ’s birth, but also a non-religious “holiday” (i.e. Santa Claus, giving gifts, parties etc.) where unbelievers can celebrate too.
Which Christians are you referring to that have been against knowing God’s calendar? Are these friends or relatives that you know, or certain church denominations?
About the Law. Christ did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it! He said it himself!
Mat 5:17
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
That is what you can say to the naysayers who make the claim that discussion of the Law is somehow anathema to their beliefs. It is also informative to read the verses before and after that Matthew 5:17 verse in order to clearly understand the context. [See Matthew 5]
I went to the Passover celebration at Tyler’s mom’s home this year, and it was a great experience! Knowing the roots of your faith is always educational and a good thing! Some day, I hope to get the chance to share How The Passover/Seder Reveals Jesus Christ.
You wrote:
What, exactly, do you mean by “legalism?” If I’m reading what you are saying about “moral, civil, and ceremonial laws” correctly, did the book author say that it’s incorrect to discuss such matters? I can’t see why that would be a problem or why it might rate a Christian believer as a “troublemaker.” Perhaps it’s the leftist side of the spectrum who don’t want to touch their “religious beliefs” with any pesky need too repent of one’s sins at the foot of the cross of Christ?
There are Bible verses that explains such aversion:
1Co 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
2Co 2:15
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
2Co 4:3
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
The “crossless gospel” is more appealing to the unsaved. It is as you wrote, a question of them “not caring or not wanting to know.”
Hope I helped to answer your questions and I’d be happy to continue this discussion. If I don’t have the answer(s), I know that the Bible does! Sometimes it also helps to turn to the scholars who provide commentary about any portion of Scripture that contains a difficult passage.
God bless you for researching and asking such great questions!
~ Chris
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