In this edition of the Grace Messenger, we would like to look at the word "grace". Let's begin by asking ourselves a few questions concerning grace.
1. What does the word grace mean?
2. What does the word grace not mean?
3. Who receives this grace?
4. By what means is it received?
Let's begin with the nation Israel, God's covenant people. They found grace (or favor) with God for it was through them that God intended to establish His Kingdom here on the earth. God had given them favored-nation status, and they were to be instrumental and the channel of blessing in bringing all other nations back to Himself. Luke writes of these things in Acts 3:25-26, "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, 'And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."
So God had given Israel favored-nation status, however His favor, His grace was something they were instructed and required to seek. Our Lord Jesus Christ exhorted them not to be like the other nations, but rather to: "seek, ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33) He told them, "Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matthew 7: 7)
If Israel would seek God and perform, they would find grace (or favor). "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God." (Deuteronomy 28:1-2)
So, in order to find grace (or favor) with God, it needed to be sought and performed. And by doing so, they demonstrated their faith concerning the things God had commanded them. The end result was finding favor (or grace) with God. But we know that they as a nation failed to measure up to the requirements of God. Time and time again they failed to seek His favor and perform what was required. Rather than seek Him they crucified Him, and rather than repent for it afterward they resisted, blasphemed and persecuted those who did. Paul wrote concerning Israel in Romans 10:2-3, " For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God righteouness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
So as a result of their mind set, and going about to establish their own righteousness and not submitting to the righteousness of God, He has concluded them in unbelief and has temporarily set that program aside. "Well, because of unbelief they were broken off', "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief', "blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." (Romans 11:20, 33, 25)
Israel has been TEMPORARILY set aside. This is evident by the word "until" in Romans 11:25. There are those who teach that God has permanently stopped dealing with the nation Israel, but there couldn't be anything further from the truth. Paul writes in Romans 11:1-2, "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away his people which he foreknew.
In the future God will restore favored nation status to Israel, and establish a new covenant with them. "For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." (Romans 11:27) "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8:8-13)
This future concerning Israel has not yet come, so this leaves a question: What has God done meantime? (between setting them aside and the future covenant He will establish with them?) God has ushered in a new program. This He had in mind from eternity past but kept it secret since the world began until He revealed it through Paul the apostle. What was this program called? It has several titles:
1. It was called the MYSTERY. "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began" (Romans 16:25)
2. It was called the GOSPEL OF THE UNCIRCUMCISION. "But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter" (Gal. 2:7)
3. It was called the DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD. "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery" (Ephesians 3:2,3)
This is where we are today. So let us ask ourselves: "What is God's message for us today? What was kept secret until Jesus revealed it to Paul (the apostle to the Gentiles)? To answer this completely we would have to say it is that entire body of truth contained in Paul's writings and his messages as recorded by Luke in the Book of Acts. But to put it into a nutshell as they say, Paul called it "Christ and Him crucified" (I Corinthians 2:2) or in words we might use "Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us in the death of the cross and in His resurrection". Read it for yourself as Paul writes "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." (I Corinthians 15:1-4) And in another nutshell" summary he writes, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. Much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." (Romans 5: 6-10)
Let us ask ourselves: Where and when did this age and dispensation begin and how does it work? It began with the conversion of Saul (or Paul). Where did this take place? When he was on his way to Damascus. (See Acts 9:1-16) Here was a man that was not seeking the favor (or grace) of God, but rather was out to persecute those who were. But while on his way, our Lord Jesus Christ stopped him, and in unprecedented grace showed him mercy and saved him. This is why to the Ephesians Paul wrote: "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)
The word grace in verse eight means: DIVINE INFLUENCE UPON THE HEART. This is what God is doing today during this age of grace, seeking us out one by one, seeking to influence our hearts with good news of what He has accomplished in the cross (and if we believe this message) resulting in salvation. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise " (Ephesians 1:13) This is how God's grace works today.
Now let's ask ourselves: "What does this word grace Not mean in this present age and dispensation?" Paul wrote, "even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Romans 11:5-6) He writes, "Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:9). Again, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh NOT, but believeth on him that justified the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. " (Romans 4:4-5) Then to the Galatians, Paul explains even further saying "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Galatians 2:16)
Paul is trying to tell us that if we think we can get to heaven by our own works, or by our own self-righteousness, we will come short of the glory of God. This he explains in Romans Chapter three, "there is none righteous, no, not one" "They have all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not ONE." "For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10, 12,23)
Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, many times reminds us that his writings are the words of Christ Himself. (See I Timothy 6: 2-5, I Corinthians 14:38, II Timothy 3:16) Here in Romans Chapter three, how could he make it clearer that it is not by our righteousness, but by His righteousness, His grace, His work in the cross that we are saved? He says, "Being Justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (verse 24).
I would ask anyone who is reading this article; Who's righteousness are you trusting in? I encourage you to study the scripture to see if what is written here is true and especially Ephesians 2: 8, 9 where Paul proclaims, "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. "
This now brings up the last question. Who receives this grace and by what means is it received? God is showing unprecedented grace to everyone today. He makes the same offer to all to be reconciled to Him, showing no difference, with the same result upon believing. "For there is no difference between- Jew and the- Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:12-13) There will not be one of us that will be able to stand before God and say "I never received God's grace". For He wants" all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (I Timothy 2: 4) This is why Paul begged his readers "that ye receive not the grace of God in vain" (II Corinthians 6:1), asking them to believe while this favor (or grace) is still being offered.
So in conclusion, accept the grace of God and as a result of it, believe that what Christ has done on the cross of Calvary was for you, and have the assurance of eternal life.
Grace Bible Church (Click Here)
How God Saves
Men
Believing
Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing
Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
Read
Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
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Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
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