4.
The Word of His Grace
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans
1.7; 1 Corinthians 1.3; 2 Corinthians 1.2; Galatians 1.3; Ephesians 1.2;
Philippians 1.2; Colossians 1.2; 1 Thessalonians 1.1; 2 Thessalonians 1.2)
There
are four significant words [1] spoken
of in Scripture: the word of the kingdom,
the word of the cross, the word of the conciliation and the word of His grace. Each word has great meaning
in understanding the purpose of the eons and God’s plan in bringing about His
purpose. Ultimately, each word will extend to and encompass all mankind, not
all at once but each in their era.
The
word of the kingdom, in the context
of Matthew 13, is primarily the message of the Messianic kingdom on earth in
the next eon. However, the word of the kingdom is actually much bigger than
this, for during the eons of the eons, Christ will head up all in heaven and on
earth until He has subjected all to Himself and He fills all in all. When He
has accomplished the mission given to Him by His Father, then He will deliver
up the kingdom to His Father so that God may be All in all. At the consummation of the eons, all mankind will enter
the
The
word of the cross, in the context of
1 Corinthians 1.17-18, speaks of the power of the cross of Christ to sever all
that is of the old humanity so that mankind can enter on the ground of all that
is new. Paul purposed not to perceive anything among the saints except Jesus
Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2.2). Christ is the power and wisdom of
God. The old humanity from Adam has been taken to the cross and crucified with
Christ (Romans 6.5-6). The cross represents a complete cutting away or severing
of the old and all that has stood in the way of mankind entering into
fellowship with God and being enjoyers of an allotment in His kingdom. Today,
the word of the cross is for those who are being saved by the power of God—the
ecclesia, which is the body of Christ. They are already a new creation in Christ.
In the next eon,
The
word of the conciliation, in the
context of 2 Corinthians 5.18-21, speaks of God’s love for the world in how He
was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses
to them. God is making peace through the blood of His cross with the purpose of
reconciling all to Himself (Colossians 1.20). Through the death and
resurrection of His Son, shall all be
made alive. Though God has made peace with mankind (conciliated), not all
mankind has made peace with God so that there is reconciliation (mutual conciliation)
between God and mankind.
However,
the blood of the cross cannot be defeated and all will be reconciled to God
through Christ, each in their own era. Today, the body of Christ has been
reconciled to God. We are no longer enemies of God and shall be saved in the
life of God’s Son (Romans 5.10-11; Colossians 1.21-22). In the next two eons, mankind
will progressively be reconciled until at the consummation of the eons all will
be reconciled to God, and all creation will rejoice in the glory of God.
Once
we understand these three words, there is one word that, we could say, sums up
all the other words, for it is in this word that we discover the gracious heart
of God. It is the word of His grace. It
is the message of His grace, not our grace. It is by grace that all mankind
will be saved and become enjoyers of God. The word of the cross declares that
man has no boast, for all boasting is in the One who has conquered death and
who now gives life. The word of His grace also removes all boasting, for it declares
that there are no works for man to do to save himself; the Son of God has done
all the work to save mankind. However, this is only the beginning of the word
of His grace, for grace not only saves but also builds up and edifies with the
purpose of bringing a people fully into the purpose of the eons in Christ Jesus.
And now I am committing you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to
edify and give the enjoyment of an allotment among all who have been hallowed.
(Acts 20.32 CV)
The purpose of the eons is achieved
by the grace of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the rail upon which God
moves the train of His purpose through the eons. It is the fuel that fans the
fire of God’s passion for mankind and the world. It is the power of God that
moves upon the heart of mankind to effect a change in heart. It is the
discipline of God to redeem a people for His own possession. It is the
persuasive power of God, a gift to mankind, to ensure that all will come into
His glorious family, even if many must wait until the consummation of the eons.
Simply,
there is nothing greater than the grace of God.
What
is grace?
Now,
before looking at specific Scripture, let us look at the meaning of the word grace. In the Greek, the words charis and chara come from the primary verb chairō, which means “to be cheerful, calmly happy or
well-off.” In Scripture, it can appear as the words farewell, be glad, rejoice, greeting, and joy-fully. Chara is the word most often translated
as joy. Charis is the word most often translated as grace. Given the meaning of the root word, it is clear that both joy and grace have something to do with a calm cheerfulness, a sense of
being well-off. In other words, both words are associated with something good
and pleasant.
It
is instructive to see that the word charis
is related to these other words. In fact, in some translations, the word charis is translated as the word joy, as well as the words grace, gift, favor, benefit, pleasure and thanks.
However, by far, grace is the word most
often used to translate charis.
This
leads us to inquire as to the meaning of the word grace. The Concordant Version defines it as “an act producing
happiness, a benefit bestowed on one who deserves the opposite, sometimes
better rendered favor.” Others define it as “unmerited favor” or “unmerited
pardon.” I have defined it as “the enabling power of God apart from human
merit.” Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “pleasing quality, favor, good will,
thanks;” “a disposition to grant something freely; favor, good will;” “the
condition or fact of being favored;” “a favor or privilege;” “mercy, clemency;”
“in theology, the unmerited love and favor of God toward man, or the divine
influence acting in man to make him pure and morally strong, or the condition
of one thus influenced.”
After
studying and meditating on the word grace
in Scripture and considering it in light of all these definitions, I feel that
none of the definitions adequately captures the full heart of the word. Each
might touch upon an aspect of grace but none of them encapsulates the fullness
of the word. For example, Scripture tells us that the grace of God was upon the
Child (Luke 2.40). How can unmerited favor or a benefit bestowed on one who
deserves the opposite apply to the Son of God, who is full of grace and truth?
He never deserved the opposite, for there was never any sin in Him. Further,
how can we say that grace is always given freely when Scripture tells us that
God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud (1 Peter 5.5)? Or, how can
we say it is merely an influence when the Lord told Paul that His grace is
sufficient, for His power is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12.9)? Clearly,
the Lord equated His grace to His power.
After
spending many days meditating on this marvelous word grace, one morning as I sat inquiring of the Lord about its
meaning, the following thought came to my mind.
Grace is “the overwhelming
power of God that takes the ugly and transforms it into the joyously beautiful.”
My
heart leapt with this thought, for to me it captures the whole heart and
meaning of grace. When we see something beautiful, doesn’t it bring joy to our
hearts? Doesn’t it give us a sense of calm, well-being?
Now,
the challenge is to see if this definition holds up under the scrutiny of
Scripture. The challenge in doing this is that the word grace is so integral to the whole evangel of God that a whole book,
and a rather large one at that, could be written on this subject. As such, this
chapter attempts to provide an overview of the word grace with an encouragement to the reader to study and meditate on
this marvelous word in light of Scripture and under the guidance of the spirit
of God.
Mercy
and grace.
Before
moving on, it is needful to understand the difference between mercy and grace, which could best be described as two sides of a coin. Mercy
deals with justice and grace deals with favor. Mercy refers to not receiving the full punishment that we deserve,
and grace refers to receiving lavish
favor that we do not deserve. The simplest way to think of these words is this:
mercy is “restrained justice” and grace is “unrestrained favor.” God’s
mercy is always operative for all mankind and will extend to the consummation
of the eons, at which time grace will be extended to all as well. However,
today God’s grace extends exclusively to those who believe on His Son.
Use
in Scripture.
As
we begin, there are a few facts worth noting about the use of the word grace in Scripture.
The
word grace does not appear in the
gospels of Matthew or Mark, and only appears once in Luke and four times in the
gospel of John. All refer to Christ. In Acts, grace appears eleven times, and in the epistles, grace appears at least 138 times.
It
should not surprise us that Paul, the one who described himself as the foremost
of sinners, introduces us to the word of
His grace. At least 82 of the references to grace are found in Paul’s
epistles, making Paul the primary user of the word (nearly 60% of all uses in
the Greek Scriptures and nearly 80% of the total found in all the epistles). Clearly,
Paul stressed grace far more than all the other writers of the Greek
Scriptures. He opened his letters with grace and he closed his letters with
grace.
However,
we must be careful in how we view these statistics; grace is not uniquely
stressed by Paul, for the other writers of the epistles refer to grace as well.
Peter, who experienced the abundant grace of God just like Paul, referred to grace thirteen times in his two
epistles. [2]
In Acts 15.11, Peter even reminded his fellow Jewish brethren that they were
saved through the same grace of the Lord Jesus as those from among the nations
were saved. We could say that the grace is grace, no matter who is the
recipient of the grace of the Lord.
Since
Paul’s epistles overflow with this matter of grace, it behooves us to look at Paul’s epistles as we study the
word of His grace. After all, Paul is the one who has revealed to us the
purpose of the eons, and we could say that grace is the power of God that
brings about the purpose of the eons.
Paul’s
conversion on the road to
Overwhelming
grace.
Grateful am I to Him Who invigorates me, Christ
Jesus, our Lord, for He deems me faithful, assigning me a service, I, who
formerly was a calumniator and a persecutor and an outrager: but I was shown
mercy, seeing that I do it being ignorant, in unbelief. Yet the grace of our
Lord overwhelms, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Faithful is the saying,
and worthy of all welcome, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, foremost of whom am I. But
therefore was I shown mercy, that in me, the
foremost, Jesus Christ should be displaying all His patience, for a pattern
of those who are about to be believing on Him for life eonian. (1 Timothy
1.12-16 CV)
Instead
of the word overwhelms, other
translations use the phrases abounded
exceedingly (ASV), surpassingly over-abounded (DNT), overflowing fullness (WNT), exceeding abundant
(REB) and superabounded (WAET). Each of these words or phrases has a similar meaning.
Grace is not dispensed in some small or measured way. There seems to be no
limit to grace, as if it is excessive. There is so much of it that it overflows
and overwhelms like a mighty river that has left its banks. Have you ever seen
a river that overflows its banks? When it does, it overwhelms all the dry land nearby
and causes major changes in the landscape. Anything in its path is swept away.
We could say that it removes all obstacles in its way. This is analogous to grace,
only grace does not leave destruction but brings a beautiful change.
Consider
the obstacle that Paul faced. He was in unbelief, which resulted in his
behavior toward the ecclesia of God. How could he have overcome this obstacle
that loomed larger than a mountain in his life? After all, all that he was
doing as a persecutor of the ecclesia was, in his mind, justified and
legitimate. He had a great zeal for the Mosaic system and the law. He had all
the pedigree that gave him full confidence in the flesh that he was right in
what he was doing. He could even claim that, in relation to the righteousness
which is in the law, he was becoming blameless (see Philippians 3.4-6). Paul
was incapable of changing his mind on this matter and making a major course
adjustment in his life. To expect him or anyone else in his situation to do an
about-face would be unreasonable and totally out of the question.
So
what led to his change? Grace! But it was not just a little touch of grace. It
was not merely a favor bestowed upon him by God, as if to say, “Alright, go
ahead Paul, now believe; stop the persecution and love the brethren.”
According
to Scripture, grace overwhelmed his
unbelief, or using other translations, grace
abounded exceedingly or surpassingly
over-abounded. The image projected by these words is of something mighty
that builds up until it is so much greater than the thing before it that it
completely overtakes it. It was as if Paul’s attitude was a huge mountain and
grace came along like a huge tidal wave much taller than his mountain and
totally engulfed and overwhelmed the mountain. It bounded over it. When the
tidal wave receded, the mountain was gone and what remained was a beautiful,
serene valley filled with flowers. This is what grace is like.
Grace
is like a mighty force or power that overwhelms obstacles in our lives that we
are incapable of conquering, and when it has done its work, the result is
something of beauty, which produces joy or a calm delight. In Paul’s case, the
obstacle was unbelief and lack of love or, we could say, hatred. Is hatred not ugly?
Grace overwhelmed unbelief and hatred for God’s ecclesia with faith and love in
Christ Jesus. Is there anything more beautiful than love? Is there is anything
more joyous?
In
this case, grace was not faith and love but the vehicle by which faith and love
in Christ were brought to bear on Paul’s heart. Another way of stating this is
that grace swooped up faith and love that are in Christ Jesus and overwhelmed
Paul with this faith and love to bring about a change in his heart to believe
and to love. Yet, another way of stating this is that Paul was swooped up and
placed in Christ, who is full of faith
and love, so that grace brought him into the faith and love of the Son of God.
Is
there anyone more beautiful than our Lord? Is there anyone that can bring more
joy to our hearts than our Lord? There is no one more beautiful and no one who
can bring us more joy than our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, the grace of God!
Saved by grace.
Is this not what salvation is all about?
All of us were dead in our offenses and sins and were
walking in accord with the eon of this world, in accord with the chief of the
jurisdiction of the air, the spirit now operating in the sons of stubbornness
(Ephesians 2.1-2 CV). We were under the
jurisdiction of darkness (Colossians 1.13). We had no desire for God and His
Son. We were lost in the world that stands against God and His Son. Most of us
had no idea that we were lost, let alone that we were sinners.
I recall some years ago when I was sharing Christ with
someone. When I began to tell the person that she was a sinner, she looked at
me with sort of an incredulous look as if to say: “No, I am not a sinner. I am
a good person.” This person had no concept of sin in her life. Instead she had
a distorted view of good and a total lack of understanding that there is none
good except God. This was a big obstacle in her life.
Before
our eyes were opened to the truth, we all were like this woman in varying
degrees. We were blinded to the truth, and there was no way we could open the
eyes of our understanding on our own.
I
will never forget the day that Christ broke into my life. I was all alone
reading a book (not the Bible), and Christ showed up and in an instant revealed
who He is, and I was given the faith to believe in Him. The moment before, I
had no real desire for God or any understanding of my need. Life was going
along without any hitches in that day. But in an instant, grace overwhelmed my
unbelief and the faith of the Son of God entered my heart. Did I do anything to
save myself? Absolutely not!
No
matter what kind of salvation experience a person has, grace must overwhelm the
unbelief in the person to plant the faith of the Son of God in that person. For
this reason, I do not agree with the altar calls that demand that the lost ask Jesus into their hearts, or open their
hearts to Jesus, or confess with their mouth that He is Lord, or walk the
aisle, or pray the sinner’s prayer in
order to be saved. This is a work, for it places the emphasis on the person
and what he must do to save himself. There is absolutely no work that man can
do to be saved. This does not imply that a person might not do or say some of these
things. However, what it means is that if this is the experience of the person who
is saved, the asking or confessing or walking or praying is only because the
grace of God had already overwhelmed the person and his actions were merely a
confirmation of what had transpired. But to say that a person was saved because
he opened his mouth or responded to an altar call is not according to
Scripture. It all begins with grace that overwhelms.
I
recall quite vividly the times that I was asked to preach in the remote villages
in the bush of
On
one occasion, we visited a village at night, and unknown to my wife and me,
witchcraft was being practiced around the area in which I stood to preach. That
night, the spirit of God met the crowd and the grace of God overwhelmed many
with faith in Christ. When the invitation call came, there was an immediate
response from many in the crowd, including a large number of younger children.
They all wanted to come forward, but the crowd would have been too large for the
brethren with us to handle, so they decided to meet only with a much smaller
number of adults who had raised their hands. The point is that it was not a
matter of us asking the newly saved to come forward. The spirit of grace had
already fallen on the crowd, and the grace of God had already overwhelmed their
unbelief and, we pray, the influence of witchcraft. All we were witnessing was
the manifestation of the work of the grace of God and the move of the spirit of
grace on hearts. It mattered not if they ever talked with any of us that night
or made a move toward the front. They were saved in the spot on which they
stood if the grace of God overwhelmed their unbelief. By the spirit of God,
they were saved. All the glory goes to God!
We
are saved by grace through faith. This was Paul’s experience and this is what
Paul taught in his epistles.
But not as the offense, thus also the grace. For
if, by the offense of the one, the many died, much rather the grace of God and
the gratuity in grace, which is of the One Man, Jesus Christ, to the many
superabounds. (Romans 5.15 CV) [3]
By grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2.5 NASB)
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no
one may boast. (Ephesians 2.8-9 NASB)
For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and
this is not out of you; it is God’s approach present, not of works, lest anyone
should be boasting. (Ephesians 2.8-9 CV)
Notice
that grace superabounds and that grace leads to faith. But do not overlook the
fact that Paul stated you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It is faith that is not of ourselves.
In other words, even faith is not ours, as if somehow we work up the faith to
be saved. If we did, we would have something to boast in, but as it is we have
no boast. Paul declared to the Galatians that he lived by the faith of the Son
of God (Galatians 2.20 DNT). It was not Paul’s faith but the Son’s faith. It
is Christ through and through in regard to salvation.
We
can be assured that when Paul penned these words, he thought back on the day
that grace overwhelmed his unbelief. This is why he was so clear in his
emphasis on being saved by grace through faith. For Paul, there was no other
way, based on his experience; and it must be the same experience for all who
are being saved in this day. Paul had no boast in his salvation, and he knew
that no one could ever boast in their salvation, as well; if they did, it would
be because they were on the ground of their own works and not on the ground of
Christ that saves. We believe through grace and nothing else!
Paul
was not alone in this truth, for when the council at
Justified
gratuitously in His grace.
Paul
also revealed the great truth that we are justified in His grace.
Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness of God is
manifest (being attested by the law and the prophets), yet a righteousness of
God through Jesus Christ’s faith, for all, and on all who are believing, for
there is no distinction, for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God.
Being justified gratuitously in His grace, through the deliverance which is in
Christ Jesus (Whom God purposed for a Propitiatory shelter, through faith in
His blood, for a display of His righteousness because of the passing over of
the penalties of sins which occurred before in the forbearance of God), toward
the display of His righteousness in the current era, for Him to be just and a Justifier
of the one who is of the faith of Jesus. (Romans 3.21-26 CV)
Yet when the
kindness and fondness for humanity of our Saviour, God, made its advent, not
for works which are wrought in righteousness which we do, but according to His
mercy, He saves us, through the bath of renascence and renewal of holy spirit,
which He pours out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Saviour, that, being
justified in that One’s grace, we may be becoming enjoyers, in expectation, of
the allotment of life eonian. (Titus 3.4-7 CV)
When
grace overwhelmed, we were not only saved by grace through faith but also
justified in grace. The unjust were made to be just, just as if they had not
sinned. The Just died for the unjust
that we might stand before God just. This is more than pardon for sins or
forgiveness of sins. It is a complete wiping away of all sin. Of course, this
is only possible through the blood of Christ.
There
is much more in this matter of what we could call saving grace.
Standing
in grace.
Grace
overwhelms with faith, and we are not only justified by grace but also
justified by faith so that we may have peace toward God.
Being, then, justified by faith, we may be having
peace toward God, through our Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom we have the
access also, by faith, into this grace in which we stand, and we may be
glorying in expectation of the glory of God. (Romans 5.1-2 CV)
What
is the grace into which we are to stand? It is having peace toward God, through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ has made the way for us to have peace toward God.
What is peace toward God? It is reconciliation with God. By faith, we are to
stand in the grace of being reconciled with God. In other words, we are no
longer enemies of God and there is mutual conciliation. God is at peace with us
and we are to be at peace with God. By standing in this grace, we see the hope
or expectation of our future glory.
Yet God is commending this love of His to us,
seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes. Much
rather, then, being now justified in His blood, we shall be saved from
indignation, through Him. For if, being enemies, we were conciliated to God
through the death of His Son, much rather, being conciliated, we shall be saved
in His life. Yet not only so, but we are glorying also in God, through our
Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom we now obtained the conciliation. (Romans
5.8-11 CV)
Through
grace we obtain the conciliation by which we may be reconciled to God (see
Colossians 1.20-22). Do you see how marvelous grace is? It takes that which was
an enemy to God, something that we could call ugly, and overwhelms this
adversity to bring about peace between God and His creatures, which is a joyous
and beautiful thing.
Sin
dethroned by grace.
Objectively
speaking, the penalty for sin has been removed for all who believe; however,
the ability to sin continues to reside even in believers because we continue to
live in bodies of death. Death passed through into all mankind, on which all
sinned (Romans 5.12 CV). Sin is ugly and it destroys our peace and
joy. But the good news is that sin does
not have to have a hold in the life of any believer. Why? Because grace
dethrones sin, and where sin might increase, grace superexceeds it.
For if, by the offense of the one, death reigns through
the one, much rather, those obtaining the superabundance of grace and the
gratuity of righteousness shall be reigning in life through the One, Jesus
Christ. (Romans 5.17 CV)
Yet law came in by the way, that the offense should
be increasing. Yet where sin increases, grace superexceeds, that, even as Sin
reigns in death, thus Grace also should be reigning through righteousness, for
life eonian, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Romans 5.20-21 CV)
What, then, shall we declare? That we may be
persisting in sin that grace should be increasing? May it not be coming to
that! We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it? (Romans 6.1-2 CV)
Grace
is sovereign over sin, for grace reigns in life.
Now,
some people think that grace allows one to sin at will. However, this is not
what Paul stated. In fact, he stated just the opposite. It is grace in action
that keeps one from sin; it does not lead one into further sin. By the same
token, if sin does get the best of a person, grace is all the more effective,
for when sin increases, grace not only increases but superexceeds over sin. In
other words, grace conquers sin; it overwhelms sin in our life. Once the grace
of God gets hold of our heart, we will not desire to persist in sin but will
desire to obtain the superabundance of grace that conquers every bit of sin in
us. Thus, grace should reign through righteousness, for life eonian or life for
the coming ages that we should no longer be living in sin but living
righteously through our Lord.
Oh,
the glory of grace!
Rescued by grace.
In Romans 7, Paul recounted the turmoil that he
experienced in his body. He wanted to do the right things, to do good, but he
could not. The practices that he hated to do, he did. Sin was making its home
in him and he hated it. He needed to be rescued from this death.
A wretched man am
I! What will rescue me out of this body
of death? Grace! I thank God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Romans 7.24-25a
CV) [5]
Paul
saw that it is grace that rescues him, and all of us, out of the body of death.
His heart was filled with thankfulness to God, for he knew that this grace
comes through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Consequently, there is no condemnation
for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8.1). Through the reign of grace, believers
are beyond the fear of wrath and can enter the higher ground of living
righteously, even beyond what the law had demanded of the Israelites.
Fall
from grace.
In
relation to the law, one of the greatest stumbling blocks to the Jews was their
insistence that the works of the flesh entered into salvation. In Romans 7,
Paul struggled between the law and grace and, thank God, grace won. However,
this does mean that the law was done away with, for it most surely is still
active and will remain so throughout the eons. Later, in his Romans epistle,
Paul exposed his heart for his Israelite brethren and revealed that a remnant
was saved by grace.
Thus, then, in the current era also, there has come
to be a remnant according to the choice of grace. Now if it is in grace, it is
no longer out of works, else the grace is coming to be no longer grace. Now, if
it is out of works, it is no longer grace, else the work is no longer work.
(Romans 11.5-6 CV)
In
other words, grace and works do not mix. It is either one or the other, and in
the case of salvation, there are no works; it is all by grace.
When
believers start to mix grace and works together regarding salvation or move
from simply grace to works, according to Paul, they fall away from grace. This
was the problem with the believers in
For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore,
and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you,
that, if ye receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. Yea, I
testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that he is a debtor to
do the whole law. Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the
law; ye are fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5.1-4 ASV)
This
does not mean that they were lost or that we can lose our salvation, as so many
teach. We cannot lose our salvation! What it does mean is that believers lose
the benefit that grace affords them in their daily living. They move out of the
sphere in which grace operates and they lose all the benefit derived from being
under grace, and they once again move onto the ground of the law and must be
judged accordingly. We could say they lose the beautiful and come under the
ugly; they lose the joyful and come under the sorrowful. As Paul exhorted the
Corinthians, do not receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6.1 NASB).
Under
grace.
In
reference to sin and the law, Paul declared: For Sin shall not be lording it over you, for you are not under law,
but under grace. What then? Should we be sinning, seeing that we are not under
law, but under grace? May it not be coming to that! (Romans 6.14-15 CV).
We
are not under a tutor as were the Israelites (Galatians 3.24-25). Now, all are
under grace (Jew and gentile alike), which is a far greater power. The law only
condemned and brought failure and never changed the heart. But grace builds up
and brings glory, and changes the most hardened heart.
Dear
brethren, being under grace is how God edifies and builds His house, to His
glory.
Edified
and built up by grace.
As
he was departing from the elders of the Ephesians ecclesia, Paul committed them
to God and to the word or message of His grace.
And now I am committing you to God and to the word
of His grace, which is able to edify and give the enjoyment of an allotment
among all who have been hallowed. (Acts 20.32 CV)
And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his
grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all
them that are sanctified. (Acts 20.32 ASV)
Some
translations use the word edify and
others use the words build up, but either one gives the thought of
growth with a view to a future joy in God’s kingdom, which is the meaning of
the enjoyment of an allotment. What is God building today? He is building a
house, a spiritual house. Years later, Paul encouraged the Ephesians that they
were being built together for God’s dwelling place, in spirit (Ephesians 2.22 CV).
Simply,
grace builds up and edifies so that the sanctified will enter into the joy of
the coming eons when Christ heads up all in the heavens and on the earth. Grace
is intimately joined with the purpose of the eons. We could say it is the means
by which God brings His people into His purpose and ensures that they will
become enjoyers of it, not only in the coming eons but even in our present
wicked eon. Do not put everything out into the future, for, in some measure
today, God wants us to be enjoyers of what is to come. How are we to do this?
By exercising the grace that is given to each of us!
Gifts
by grace.
Each
member of the body of Christ is called into a labor of love for the brethren.
Consider these verses.
And having gifts differing according to the grace that was
given to us…. (Romans 12.6 ASV)
Now, having graces excelling, in accord with the
grace which is given to us…. (Romans 12.6 CV)
I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God
which was given you in Christ Jesus; that in everything ye were enriched in
him, in all utterance and all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was
confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation
of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye be
unreproveable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1.4-8 ASV)
Now to each one of us was given grace in accord
with the measure of the gratuity of Christ. (Ephesians 4.7 CV)
Concordantly
speaking, the word gift is translated
graces. We are given graces in accord
with the grace given. In other words, the gifting that we are given is in
proportion to the grace that is given.
How
are we to exercise our gifts among one another? We are to do it in such a
manner that it edifies and builds up and does not tear down our brethren. Paul
gave one such example in his Ephesians epistle.
Let no tainted word at all be issuing out of your
mouth, but if any is good toward needful edification, that it may be giving
grace to those hearing. (Ephesians 4.29 CV)
Do
you realize that when we open our mouths to our brethren in Christ, we should
be giving grace to those hearing? Why? Because grace edifies and edification
causes the body to grow in love!
Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all
aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being
fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper
working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building
up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4.15-16 NASB)
It
is the grace of the Lord that leads us and shows us how to love one another. At
times, it may be difficult to love, particularly when we find ourselves in
personality clashes with our brethren, but Paul is our example to follow.
Like
Stephen, the martyr who was full of grace, Paul was full of grace and he sought
only to build up and edify the ecclesias; he did not seek to pull them down or
destroy them (2 Corinthians 10.8). He died daily for the ecclesia (1
Corinthians 15.31). How did he do it? By the grace that was given to him!
According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as
a wise master builder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. (1
Corinthians 3.10a ASV)
To
be a master builder of Christ, Paul obtained grace and apostleship for
faith-obedience among the nations (Romans 1.5 CV; see also
Romans 12.3; 15.15; Ephesians 3.2, 7, 8). He labored by grace.
Labored
with grace.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace
which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly
than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians
15.10 ASV)
Paul took no credit for his life in the Lord. He was a
product of the grace of God. He was what he was by the grace of God. What was
Paul before the grace of God overwhelmed him with faith and love? He was a
persecutor of the ecclesia of God. Because of this, Paul declared that he was
the least of the apostles. But the grace of God given to him was so abundant that
he labored, even more abundantly than all the other apostles. Paul was not
bragging in himself; he was giving God the glory for His marvelous, abundant
grace. The grace of God was with Paul. Surely, in Paul’s mind, this grace was
unmerited. It was the grace of God working with Paul that made him what he was
and that led him to lay down his life each day for faith-obedience among the
nations. Praise God for the work of grace!
Paul is our example of one who was stripped of all that
counted for something in his day and among his Israelite brethren. He was
brought to nothing in himself. He was lowered to the depths of selflessness. But then Paul was lifted to
the heights of glory to see and hear things that no man had ever experienced.
He described them as the surpassing greatness of the revelations. However, the
receipt of great revelation required overwhelming grace. We could say that
grace had to exceed the revelation.
Sufficient
is My grace.
Because of the
surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from
exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan
to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the
Lord three times that it might leave me. 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, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2
Corinthians 12.7-9 NASB)
“Sufficient for you is My grace, for
My power in infirmity is being perfected.” With the greatest relish, then, will I rather be glorying in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ should be tabernacling over me.
Wherefore I delight in
infirmities, in outrages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for
Christ’s sake, for, whenever I may be weak, then I am powerful. (2
Corinthians 12.9-10 CV)
To
keep Paul from exalting himself, the Lord allowed a messenger of Satan to torment
him. The revelation given to Paul by the Lord was great, and he needed to be
protected from self-exaltation. It was for Paul’s good, as well as for those he
reached through his evangel, including us. Whatever this thorn or splinter in
the flesh was, it was something that taxed Paul so much that he pleaded with
the Lord to remove it. Three times he pleaded before the Lord until the Lord
spoke to him: “My grace is sufficient for
you!” It was not Paul’s grace but the Lord’s grace that He had given to Paul
for the service he was called to discharge to the nations.
The
Lord did not leave Paul in the dark on the matter. He could have told Paul that
His grace was sufficient and said no more, as if to say that that was all he
needed to know. In His graciousness, the Lord told Paul that it was for his own
good, for this was the only way for His power to be perfected in Paul. Christ’s
strength was to come from Paul’s own weakness, for this was when Christ’s power
kicked in, and Paul experienced the all-sufficiency of the Lord’s grace.
Paul
came to see that his boast was in his weakness, for this was when the power of
Christ tabernacled over him, and he was most powerful in the service he was
commissioned to discharge.
If
we want to know the all-sufficient grace of Christ, we too must be brought to
the place of weakness so that Christ’s power can tabernacle over us. The world
looks at weakness as a sign of failure, but God looks at it as the greatest
opportunity for the manifestation of the power of Christ. God makes stupid the
wisdom of the world. During this eon, it is through God’s grace that we are
trained to serve Him and to be set apart as His cleansed people, a people
readied for the eons of the eons.
Trained
by grace.
For the
saving grace of God made its advent to all humanity, training us that, disowning irreverence [deny ungodliness] and
worldly desires, we should be living sanely [sensibly] and justly [righteously]
and devoutly [godly] in the current eon, anticipating that happy expectation,
even the advent of the glory of the great God and our Saviour; Jesus Christ,
Who gives Himself for us, that He should be redeeming us from all lawlessness
and be cleansing for Himself a people to be about Him, zealous for ideal acts.
(Titus 2.11-14 CV
[NASB])
The
saving grace of God not only saved us but continues to save us by training us.
We need to be trained in the way of reverence, righteousness and godliness, and
often this training requires the disciplining hand or spank of a loving Father.
His hand of discipline can be very strong and yet full of sympathy at the same
time.
Peter
used a similar expression when he encouraged those of like faith to grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3.18 NASB). We grow in grace by being trained by grace because training is for
the purpose of growth, just as a child must grow up to be an adult, shedding
childish behavior.
The
Greek word from which train is
translated means “hit” and refers to discipline. It is more than merely
teaching or speaking words; it is training as a child would be trained, and
this requires discipline. Paul’s thorn in the flesh was for discipline, and
every child of God who is going on in the Lord must come under the discipline
of God. The same Greek word, often translated discipline, is used in the Hebrews epistle.
My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord,
nor yet faint when being exposed by Him. For whom the Lord is loving He is
disciplining, yet He is scourging every son to whom He is assenting. For
discipline are you enduring. As to sons is God bringing it to you, for what son
is there whom the father is not disciplining? (Hebrews 12.5-7 CV; see Proverbs 3.11, 12)
Some translations use the word chastening in the place of discipline.
Grace
is given to those being saved so that they can live a holy life and be a people
cleansed for the Lord that, in some measure during this eon, are zealous for
ideal or good acts that reflect their destiny for the eons of the eons. Our
behavior before the world and even our brethren in Christ is to be in holiness
and sincerity of God, and this only comes through the disciplining work of the
grace of God. If we get off track in a way that will not prepare us for our
destiny or will lead us away from holiness, then the strong hand of God must be
applied to our lives. But always remember, it is a hand of love and one full of
tender mercy. It can be strong and loving at the same time. This is the two
sides of grace, strength and beauty, which should lead us to be glorifying in the
testimony of a good conscience, as Paul, our example, manifested in his life of
service to the Lord and His people.
For our
glorifying is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity
of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the
grace of God, we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly to
you-ward. (2 Corinthians 1.12 ASV)
Dear
brethren, grace demands character in a world that is character-less. Character refers to a life that is
full of the grace of God, which includes such attributes as graciousness,
nobleness, dignity, love, holiness and sincerity. We are called to be a people
for His own possession, and we must reflect the life of the One who has
redeemed us and is in us. We are to be purified and cleansed for Him. When we enter
the celestial kingdom, we will be like Him. Until then, let us reflect His
life. By His grace, we will!
However,
in a world that has become increasingly harsh, more brutal, less loving, and more
and more downright ugly, grace might appear as something too soft and perhaps
too weak or gentle. Actually, it is nothing of the sort. Grace is strength (power)
and beauty, which truly reflects our Lord Jesus.
Be
strong in the grace.
At
the end of his life in the body of death, Paul wrote his last epistle and, we
could say, his last testament, which was sent to his beloved Timothy.
Obviously, he wanted to leave his son in the faith some final words of
encouragement and edification so that he would continue on in the faith after
his dissolution (death). Grace was on Paul’s mind in this regard.
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2.1 KJV)
Other translations use the words be invigorated or be empowered in the place of be strong.
It was not Timothy’s grace but Christ’s grace, and Timothy
was to find his strength in this grace. Be
strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. This was not a call to
weakness but to strength. It was not a call to his ability or power but to the
strength afforded to him in Christ’s grace.
Oh, this word needs to echo in the chambers of our heart
until it is planted into our daily thoughts. Be strong in the grace! Don’t
retreat or quiver under the stress of these dark days. Be strong in the grace!
What did, and does, this mean to Timothy and to us as
well? Paul continued by exhorting Timothy to suffer hardship, run the race by competing
according to the rules, work hard for the evangel and the eonian glory to come,
remember Jesus Christ who was roused from among the dead, [6]
be faithful to the Lord and endure so that he might reign in the coming eon (see
2 Timothy 2.3-13). This is the pathway of one who is pressing on toward the
goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3.14 NASB).
How was Timothy to press on in this way? It was by being
strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus! Simply, it was by grace! How are
we to press on? By grace! There is no other way. By grace, we are to be
pressing on toward the goal for the prize. It is an upward call, a call to be
among the celestials in the eons of eons, and beyond.
The
lavish, transcendent riches of His grace.
In
what is considered one of his greatest epistles, the circular letter commonly titled
Ephesians, Paul unveiled the secret
of the celestial destiny of the body of Christ. In this regard, Paul presented
the transcendent riches of His grace that He lavishes on us. Lavish refers to something extravagant
or more than enough. Transcendent
refers to something surpassing, excelling or extraordinary. It is so great that
it is beyond any human experience we have on this earth but it is not beyond
our knowledge. Riches refer to things
that are of great value and wealth. It is as if Paul could not find words full
enough to express the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As
revealed in Ephesians 1-2, consider the lavish grace of God that overwhelms the
body of Christ. [7]
Blessed with every spiritual blessing among the
celestials, in Christ (1.3).
Chosen in Him before the disruption of the world to
be holy and flawless in His sight (1.4).
In love, designated beforehand for the place of a
son for Him through Christ Jesus; in accord with the delight of His will, for
the praise of the glory of His grace, which graces us in the Beloved (1.5-6).
Having the deliverance through His blood, the
forgiveness of offenses in accord with the riches of His grace, which He
lavishes on us; in all wisdom and prudence (1.7-8).
Making known to us the secret of His will to head
up all in the Christ—both that in the heavens and that on the earth (1.9-10).
Being designated beforehand according to the
purpose of the One Who is operating all in accord with the counsel of His will,
that we should be for the laud [praise] of His glory, who are expecting the
Christ before the wrath comes (1.11-12).
Sealed with the holy spirit of promise (which is an
assurance of the enjoyment of our allotment that will come in the next eon) for
the laud or praise of His glory! (1.13-14).
Made alive together in Christ because of God’s vast
love with which He loves us (2.4-5).
Raised together and seated together among the
celestials, in Christ Jesus, so that, in the oncoming eons, He should be
displaying the transcendent or extraordinary riches of His grace in His
kindness to us in Christ Jesus (2.6-7).
Oh,
the vast love of God with which He loves us! What Paul saw and tried to convey
in his epistle is almost beyond comprehension. It is almost too good to be
true. But dear brethren, it is true!
This
is the evangel of Paul of which he became a dispenser, in accord with the
gratuity of the grace of God. He was less than the least of all saints, but he
was granted overwhelming grace to bring the evangel of the untraceable riches
of Christ to the nations. The transcendent riches of His grace usher saints
into the untraceable riches of Christ. We can only trace the riches of Christ given
to the Hebrew prophets as they saw in bits and pieces, fragments. However,
Paul, by God’s grace, was given revelation that no man had ever been given. It
cannot be traced back in time as revealed to other men, for Paul alone was given
revelation of the glorious secret of the celestial destiny and blessing of a
new creation called the ecclesia, which
is the body of Christ.
Paul
was charged to enlighten all as to how God plans to administer the secret,
which has been concealed from the eons in God. This secret is now beginning to be
made known to the sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials,
through the ecclesia, which is the body of Christ. It is through the ecclesia
that the multifaceted wisdom of God is being made known among the celestials, in
accord with the purpose of the eons, which He makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord;
in Whom we have boldness and access with confidence, through His faith (see Ephesians
3.6-12 CV).
Do
you understand what this means? In Christ, God has taken a people who deserve
nothing less than death, overwhelmed their unbelief with the faith of the Son
of God, and then raised them up in Christ, blessed them with every spiritual
blessing among the celestials and seated them together among the celestials in Christ. Why is this being made known
among the celestials? Because the ecclesia of God is destined to reign among
the celestials! We are not destined for the wrath of God or the second death
resulting from the great white throne judgment, but to be holy and flawless in
the sight of God among the celestials.
Today,
all of this is a spiritual reality that is only discerned in the spirit. But
the spirit of promise within us tells us that one day we will literally enter
the spiritual realm among the celestials to reign with Christ and be part of
His glorious work of heading up all things in the heavens and on the earth.
Hallelujah! [8]
This
is in accord with the purpose of the eons, which is in accord with the counsel
of His will. This is the lavish, transcendent riches of the grace of God!
Do
you realize that if you believe in Christ, you have been called with a holy
calling, in accord with His purpose and grace?
In
accord with His purpose and grace.
You may not be ashamed, then, of the testimony of
our Lord, nor yet of me, His prisoner, but suffer evil with the evangel in
accord with the power of God, Who saves us and calls us with a holy calling,
not in accord with our acts, but in
accord with His own purpose and the grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus
before times eonian, yet now is being manifested through the advent of our
Saviour, Christ Jesus, Who, indeed, abolishes death, yet illuminates life and
incorruption through the evangel of which I was appointed a herald and an
apostle and a teacher of the nations. (2 Timothy 1.8-11 CV)
God
not only saves us but He calls us, not in accord with anything we do but in
accord with His purpose and the grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus.
Grace is never based on our works; works never enter into the picture. Grace is
gratuitously or freely given by God because He has purposed it that way. Do not
argue with it; rather, embrace it with open arms. Grace is the most liberating
power in the entire universe.
Notice
that His own purpose and grace was set in the heart of God before the eons.
This alone should relieve us of any notion that works enter into the equation.
If you believe, you are spiritually seated among the celestials today, awaiting
the literal manifestation of this glory when you are beyond death in the
resurrection and the snatching away to Christ in the air. Christ Jesus
abolishes death and brings us into life immortal.
This
is the evangel of Paul, the apostle and teacher of the nations. It is the
evangel of the lavish grace of God in Christ Jesus!
The
beauty of holiness.
In
many respects, we have merely touched upon the glorious subject of grace.
However, in conclusion, let us revisit the definition of grace.
Grace is “the overwhelming
power of God that takes the ugly and transforms it into the joyously
beautiful.”
There is no doubt that fallen mankind in the grip
of death is something ugly, which only produces sorrow and grief. Even our Lord
Jesus, the Man of sorrows as He walked this earth, suffered the ugliness of
death so that all shall be made alive in Him. The grace of God was upon Him as
a Child so that He could grow up to be the Man to die for the sin of the world.
No one truly rejoices in death. Jesus’ closest
disciples did not rejoice in their Master’s death at the first. But their grief
was transformed into joy as they saw the beauty of the Lord after He was raised
from among the dead.
The evangel of God is that, in Christ, by His
grace, everything is transformed into beauty, a beauty that brings joy to the
heart. The lavish grace of God takes those who are chosen in Him before the disruption of the world and
transforms them into a vessel that is holy and flawless in His sight. As the Psalmist, David,
praised Jehovah, giving Him the glory due His name, he declared: Worship Jehovah in the beauty of holiness
(Psalm 29.2 MKJV).
This is the transforming work of the lavish grace
of God. The body of Christ is to be the complement of Christ, the complete
expression of Christ. Grace is leading His body into the beauty of holiness. In
that glorious day, all who come into this beauty will have that calm-delight,
the joy experienced when all is well in Christ.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with your spirit, brethren! Amen!
[1] There are other words in Scripture, such as the
word of God, the word of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 1.8; 4.15; 2 Thessalonians
3.1), the word of Christ (Romans 10.17; Colossians 3.16), the word of truth (2
Corinthians 6.7; Ephesians 1.13; Colossians 1.5; 2 Timothy 2.15), the word of
life (Philippians 2.16) and the word of faith (Romans 10.8).
[2] A study of the word grace used in the epistles reveals that, by some, grace was
something that was seen as coming in the future unveiling of Christ. For
example, Peter wrote of the grace to be revealed at the revelation of Christ
and he referred to the grace foreseen by the Hebrew prophets. This grace is
more in line with the word of the kingdom, the earthly Messianic kingdom for
which the Israelites were longing. Peter did encourage those of like faith to
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord (2 Peter 3.18). He also desired
that grace and peace be multiplied to them (2 Peter 1.2). However, Peter never
took grace to the heights that Paul did, where grace is lavished upon the body
of Christ.
[3] This verse reveals the reconciliation of all
mankind, for through the one offense of Adam the many are dying, which refers
to all mankind, but through the last Adam the grace of God superabounds to the
many, as well, which refers to all mankind. Where death came in for the many,
grace has overwhelmed for the many.
[4] It is interesting how Peter first of all
acknowledged that the nations or gentiles were saved by grace and then he said
that they, meaning the Jews, were also saved by grace, just as the nations. It
was almost as if the Jews did not realize this great truth and had to be
reminded. This should not be a surprise, for some of the Jewish believers
looked down upon the gentile believers because they continued to see the Jewish
believers as a special class above the gentile believers. In other words, grace
was not the key to salvation for those who had all the promises and covenants.
The flesh still counted for something in their minds. Of course, Paul’s
teaching completely removed the flesh and its benefits. He determined to know
no one according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 5.16).
[5] The word grace
is found in at least one of the ancient Greek manuscripts used in the
translation of Scripture, and it fits perfectly with Paul’s evangel.
[6] Paul injected the resurrection of Christ because
His resurrection was a source of controversy. Some denied His bodily
resurrection and others saw it as merely a spiritual resurrection. However,
Paul injected the fact that Christ was of the seed of David to prove that he
was a Man and that His resurrection was as a Man in a body, in the literal
sense.
[7] Some portions of these verses have been
deliberately left out and other words added to provide clarity. The reader is
encouraged to read the entire chapters.
[8] Living in the spiritual realm among the celestials
requires entering a dimension beyond the physical. Today, we cannot see the
angels or other celestial beings, even though they might be all around us. We
cannot see them because they live in another dimension that we are not suited
for in our bodies of death. We must be changed into the body of the glory of
our Lord to enter this realm.