God has rescued us out of darkness and has given us an exceeding abundance of His grace, grace upon
grace. Therefore, we are to live in accordance with His will and to grow in grace ourselves and to be increasingly gracious toward others.
This word, grace, in the New Testament is the Greek word,
“charis”, from which we derive words like character and charisma.
From the word grace itself, you can clearly see we get words
like graceful, gracious, grateful, gratitude, gratuity, ingratiate, and congratulate.
Grace and Truth Came by Jesus Christ
Joh 1:14-17 KJV
(14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
[Like Jesus, we too want to be full of grace and truth]
(15) John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
(16) And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. [the New American Standard Bible, the NASB, says “grace upon grace”]
(17) For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Joh 1:16 AMPC For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.
Let’s look at just a few of these gifts of grace in the Book
of John –
Joh 6:44 KJV No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 14:15-17 KJV
(15) If ye love me, keep my commandments.
(16) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
(17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Whom the world cannot receive because it sees him
not, neither knows it. The world cannot receive the Spirit of God because verse
15. The world does not love God nor do they keep His commandments; therefore, God
has not qualified them to receive His Holy Spirit.
Joh 15:16 KJV Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Joh 16:23 KJV
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
· You have the Father drawing you, that’s grace! (John 6:44)
·
You having Christ validating you, that’s
grace! (John 15:16)
·
You can now pray directly to the Father, that’s
grace! (John 16:23)
·
You have God’s Holy
Spirit living in you, that’s grace! (John 14:17)
·
Christ will raise you
up at the last day, that’s grace! (John 6:44)
Grace upon grace upon grace! Gift heaped upon
gift!
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: (Eph 2:8 KJV)
We have been justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Rom 3:24 KJV)
Rom 5:1-2 NKJV
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Always rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God
Col 1:3-6 KJV
3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
From the very beginning, you began to change and to show evidence of
the fruits of the Spirit by God’s grace as he opened your mind to the truth.
Col 1:10-13 KJV
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [qualified us] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
We are called out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1Pet 2:9)
When we are begotten by God’s Holy Spirit we become His
adopted children, and we are translated into the kingdom of his dear
Son.
What does that mean?
To understand the full sense of verse 13 let’s read it in a couple
other translations.
First the NASB. The NASB is more of a
word-for-word translation than is the KJV.
Col 1:13 NASB For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
Notice the NASB doesn’t say into the kingdom
of His beloved Son. Since flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, we
have not been transferred into the Kingdom just yet but transferred to
the authority and reign of our King, the beloved Son.
Col 1:13 AMPC [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
When we become a baptized member of God’s Church, God gives
us His Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us and comfort us. We come under the domain,
the control and dominion, of His Kingdom. We have been
placed under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of God. We are under the authority
of His Kingdom and the reign of our King, His Son, and we His subjects.
We are no longer under law but under grace of the One who
placed us there.
The rest of the world is not under grace but are still
subjects of the prince of darkness. God may still grant them some modicum of
grace until such time as he determines if this person is someone he can work
with and chooses to call them. Bear in mind, we have not chosen Him but He
chose us and his Spirit lives in us. (John 15:16)
1Co 1:26-29 KJV
(26) For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
(27) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
(28) And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
(29) That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Not wise. Not mighty. Not noble. But Foolish.
Weak. Base. Despised. Nobodies. I guess we’re deplorables after all.
God may have found
us in a deplorable state but we don’t stay that way.
By God’s grace we
were chosen to confound the wise; to confuse the mighty; and to bring to nothing
the things which are. Like when Peter and John came before the priests Annas
and Caiaphas in Jerusalem, they perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant
men (by their judgment) and they marvelled at the deep and insightful things
they said.
By God’s grace, with
repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands, we receive His Holy Spirit in
us. No longer just with as when we were being called, but in
us.
Makes it’s abode with
us, then in us enabling us to walk in newness of life leaving that
deplorable state of being behind!
Rom 6:1-10 KJV
(1) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
(2) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
(3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
(4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
(5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
(6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
(7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.
(8) Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
(9) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
(10) For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
We have been buried in the likeness of Jesus’
death and raised in the likeness of His resurrection. In that He lives unto God,
so do we.
We live unto God, walking in newness of life. By
the power of the Holy Spirit, we can now overcome sin, the lust of the flesh,
by the very power of the Holy Spirit.
By God’s grace, we now have his very essence in
our lives! The Sovereign Ruler of the Universe personally involved in your life
and in my life!
Rom 6:11-14 KJV
(11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
(13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
(14) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
You have pledged your life by a symbolic death of the old man, that
person you once were. That death is joined to the death of Christ. That is the covenant
relationship beginning between you and God the Father and Jesus Christ. At that point, when you receive the Holy Spirit, God now gives
you the strength and the power through His Spirit to overcome what you could not overcome while you
were a subject of the prince of darkness.
That’s under grace!
1Cor 15:55-58 KJV
(55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
(57) But thanks [charis – glory] be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[Victory over death. We no longer fear death]
(58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
In return, we give God our loyalty, our faith, our gratitude. When we
come to God, drawn by His grace, we create an obligation, a debt of sorts, to
forevermore be loyal to Him, to remain faithful to Him, to serve Him, and to
defend the faith once given.
Things are different now. We are in a special
relationship with God and Christ.
1Jn 1:3 KJV
(3) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
We are now qualified to have fellowship with God
and Christ to learn the ways of God. God welcomes us to his family.
We now have access to God the Father and Jesus
Christ and fellowship with them! How amazing is that?
Those that are seeking God and God is working with
and calling, begin to be drawn by God, which is the first step of grace, but
they are not yet under grace until they have been baptized and
received his Holy Spirit.
That changes your standing before God! His grace changes
everything!
We conduct our lives differently under the jurisdiction
of God’s Kingdom and the reign of our King, His dear Son. We need to learn how
to conduct ourselves in the world and be a light and represent him to others.
Grow in Grace and Knowledge
2Pe 3:18 KJV 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.
We tend to think of growing in grace as increasingly receiving more and
more of God’s grace for ourselves. Grace with God. And that is indeed the case
as we draw closer to him. Grace upon grace.
Of course, we want to grow in God’s good graces and increase the grace
we receive from Him.
Think of a child growing closer to his father and his mother. They
naturally bestow more privilege and favor to him as he grows and becomes more
obedient and responsible.
But we are also to grow in our grace, our graciousness, towards
others. Grace with man.
Think of the pride of a father or mother as they see their child
behaving graciously toward other children, especially the less fortunate. Think
of how their face lights up with joy when they hear reports of their good
manners and respectfulness from other parents. God is the same way.
“This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased”. (Matt 17:5)
Let’s first examine –
Grace with God
It is sin that separates us from God. (Isa 59:2) So, just like that
child who knows his father loves him because he’s been obedient, respectful,
loyal to the family name, and receiving of his father’s good graces, we too
must be the same toward God to have a clear conscience, to feel certain of His
love, to know we are in His good graces.
A Clear Conscience Before God
Heb 9:12-14 KJV
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The good news is, it is the blood of Christ that purges and cleanses
our filthy conscience. We can’t purge our own conscience.
The blood of Christ does! So stop trying.
Just let go of all that old stuff. Stop dredging it back up. Forgetting
those things which are behind and press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Php 3:13)
We have but to trust in him.
1Jn 1:5-10 KJV
(5) This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
(6) If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
(7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
(8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
[When we do sin, and we will…]
(9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
It’s not what we feel that matters. Our feelings are from
the heart and therefore deceitful. What do we know? What does the word of God
tell us? What are the facts according to God, who cannot lie? We can take His
promises at face value and trust in them. We can count on them regardless of
how we may feel.
If we do those things which are pleasing in His sight always, we will
have no reason to doubt. When we do sin, trust in what the word of God tells
us. He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness restoring our standing in His good graces.
19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
We have been freed from sin and the penalty that hung over
our heads. The ransom was paid to free us and now we are no longer subject to
eternal death. When we sin, we bring it to the Father, to the throne of grace,
and He is faithful and just to forgive. (1John 1:9)
Rom 8:1-5 KJV
(1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
(3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
(4) That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
It’s a wonderful thing that we have and live in God’s
grace.
But if that’s all we focus on, the grace given to us,
it’s self-centered. We are called to deny self and take up our cross
daily and serve others as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. (Luke 9:23)
We are to love our neighbor, our fellow man, even as we love ourselves.
1Ti 1:5 NKJV Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,
Out of the abundance of
the heart… Mat 12:35; Luke 6:45
Paraphrasing from David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, he has this to say –
The purpose of the commandment: The purpose of the law is found in its inward work upon the heart, not in mere outward observance.
Love from a pure heart: If spending time in God’s word does not produce love from a pure heart, a good conscience, or sincere faith in us, something is wrong.
...instead of showing love we are harsh and judgmental; instead of having a good conscience we always feel condemned knowing we don’t measure up; and instead of sincere faith we practically trust in our own ability to please God.
We must trust in the blood of Christ to cleanse us and our faith and
just Father to forgive us our sins.
Having a clear conscience before God and living in His good graces
allows us to respond with a pure heart towards others.
Grace with Man
Act 24:16 KJV And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.
We can’t force people to like us or what we stand for. In fact, Jesus
told us we would be hated of all men for his name’s sake.
But we can have a clear conscience void of offense toward God and
toward men.
Rom 12:17-18 KJV
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
We treat everyone with kindness, compassion, and love not because they
deserve it. We don’t treat them kindly because of who they are. We treat
them kindly because of who we are.
We are children of the living God who is no respecter of persons. We
may no longer live in a model nation but we can be model citizens of the
Kingdom and good ambassadors of Jesus Christ.
Paul described his approach toward his fellow man this way –
1Co 9:18-22 KJV
18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
We are to meet people where they are, on their level. We meet them on
their level of understanding and point them toward Christ and the Kingdom of
God. We show them grace and kindness despite whether or not they understand the
truth.
2Ti 2:24-26 KJV
24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
As the beginning of sorrows continues to unfold, there will be those
who are seeking answers. We need to be in the right state of mind, growing in
grace, in order to minister to them of the grace of God. We can’t make a
difference to all who are in the world, but to some we can make all the
difference.
After God poured out His Holy Spirit at Pentecost, how did they
respond?
Act 2:46-47 KJV
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour [charis – grace] with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Immediately following the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit on Pentecost
they were glad, with all simplicity, sincerity, and generousness of heart and showed
grace toward all the people.
How were they able to be so gracious? By God’s Holy Spirit!
We are to continually grow in grace moving toward the direction of perfect
love. Diligently seeking perfection even as our Father in Heaven is perfect. For
God is love. (1John 4:8)
Luk 6:31-36 KJV
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. [the Golden Rule]
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank [charis – grace] have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank [charis – grace] have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank [charis – grace] have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind [chrestos – gracious] unto the unthankful [acharistos – unthankful] and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
When you do good, it is genuine, sincere. We don’t treat people kindly
to “virtue signal” in order to gain the praise of men. We don’t seek the praise
of men.
It is our duty. We have our reward, the grace and the praise of the
Father.
'We are but unprofitable servants. We have done
what was our duty to do.' (Luk 17:10)
Don’t expect thanks when you do good. It is what God expects of us and
that is thanks enough, that’s grace, God’s grace.
Forgive them for they know not what they do.
1Ti 1:12-14 KJV
12 And I thank [charis – gratitude] Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
As it was toward us. And still is to this day.
We might have a
tendency to shake our heads when others just don’t get it. But they are only
ignorant in their unbelief. Don’t get defensive when they don’t understand. Unto
you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but not unto them.
(Mark 4:11)
Show grace,
compassion, and mercy exceedingly abundant with faith and love which is in
Christ Jesus.
What manner of
persons ought we to be?
2Pe 3:10-14 KJV
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe 3:18 KJV 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.
1Pe 4:7-11 KJV
7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. And
having done all. Stand therefore. In this amazing grace in which we stand.
Posts
