Grace In The New Testimentby Pastor Arthur F. KohlI. Grace In The New TestamentWe are said to be “not under the Law, but under Grace” in the New Testament age of the Church. What then is this Grace that we are under? (Romans 6:14-15) “Grace” comes from a Greek word “Charis” which means: a. “The Divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life,” by the Strongs Concordance. b. “Divine favor that practically affects the spiritual state of those who have experienced its exercise; empowering and equipping them for service,” from Vines Expository Dictionary of Greek words. Grace is given to us by…
The word Grace is found in every single New Testament book except: Matthew, Mark, 1 John and 3 John. It is used 129 times in the New Testament. II. Grace In The Life Of Jesus Christ!We find in the Life of Christ on earth that He had this relationship with Grace.
III. Greetings Of GraceEvery letter (epistle) written by the Apostle Paul both begins and ends with a greeting and ends with a benediction of Grace. This is true of every one of his letters except Hebrews which only ends with a benediction of Grace. This is significant. Grace was so important to Paul that he wished it would be with and on all those he wrote to. We should also wish and pray for the grace of God to be on all that we are ministering to. Look up the following in your KJV Bible: Romans 1:7; 16:20; 16:24, 1 Corinthians 1:3; 16:23, 2 Corinthians 1:2; 13:14, Galatians 1:3; 6:18, Ephesians 1:2; 6:24, Philippines 1:2; 4:23, Colossians 1:2; 4:18, 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 5:28, 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 3:18, 1 Timothy 1:2; 6:21, 2 Timothy 1:2; 4:22, Titus 1:4; 3:15, Philemon 1:3; 1:25, Hebrews 13:25. Peter and John also bestowed Grace upon others through their writings as they were led by the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 1:2, 2 Peter 1:2, 2 John 3, Revelation 1:4; 22:21. Their example should set a pattern for us to pray and ask God to bestow his grace upon individuals and churches. IV. Possibilities of GraceA. Negative Possibilities:1. Grace Can Be Received in Vain– 2 Corinthians 6:1-2. In regards to salvation, Grace can be received in vain. The word vain (Greek Kenos) means empty. It refers to unbelief. It is the same word used in James 2:20 to describe man whose faith is empty. Paul was concerned that this large church in Corinth was filled with unbelievers who said they had received the grace of God at salvation, but didn’t really. Some had perhaps been professors but not possessors. In this letter, he encouraged them saying, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” 2 Corinthians 13:5. In 2 Corinthians 6:2 he encouraged them “… now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.” 2. Grace Can Be Frustrated– Galations 2:21. Read the entire Chapter of Galations 2. You will see there was a dissension among the church leaders over the doctrine of Justification. Some wanted to add the works of the law to the faith of believing on Christ for salvation, as a result they frustrated Grace. The word frustrate is the same word translated “disannuleth” in Galations 3:15. It means “to make void, disannul, to put no value in, to thwart the power of something”. Paul’s conclusion in this argument is found in Galations 2:16, “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.” Similar words are said in Ephesians 2:8-9, “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.” Don’t frustrate the grace of God by adding anything to grace for salvation. 3. Grace Can Be Fallen From– Galations 5:4. It is possible for believers to fall, Revelation 2:5. For example, a believer can fall from their own steadfastness, 2 Peter 3:17; or over another believers poor example, Romans 14:13; or over his own pride- 1 Corinthians 10:12, 1 Timothy 3:6; or into the snare of the devil, 1 Timothy 3:7; or by riches, 1 Timothy 6:9; or by unbelief, Hebrews 4:11. It is also possible for a believer to fall from grace, read Galations 5:1-13. Certain people had crept into the churches of Galatia teaching circumcision as a part of justification. They are described in this discourse as troublers. Paul wished they would be put out of the church. “Fallen from Grace” means that they had fallen away from the doctrine of Grace, and fallen back into the law. It does not mean that they had lost their salvation. A believer can fall from his own steadfastness in doctrine, 1 Timothy 4:1, 1 Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:9, Romans 16:17, Ephesians 4:14, 1 Timothy 1:3. Don’t fall from the doctrine of Grace and don’t let anyone teach you otherwise. 4. Grace Can Be Failed– Hebrews 12:15. The grace of God will never fail us, but we can fail of the grace of God. For example: If a person fails to put gas in their car, their car did not fail them, they failed their car. A believer may fail to go to the throne of Grace to find grace to help in time of need, Hebrews 4:16. Often “we have not because we ask not”, James 4:2. The result is that we fail to have the grace that we need in our time of need. Many believers become bitter, according to Hebrews 12:15, at God. The fact is, God did not fail them. His grace was available to them, but they failed to use its availability. They failed to put gas in their car. 5. Grace Can Be Turned Into Lasciviousness- Jude 1:4. The word lasciviousness means, “The absence of restraint, indecency, one of the evils that proceeds from the heart, Mark 7:22, that is classified among the works of the flesh, Galations 5:19. It is also a sin among the unregenerate who are “past feeling” 1 Peter 4:3, Ephesians 4:19. It is any fleshly sin practiced in a shameless way.” (Vines). Believers confuse Grace with liberty. It is liberty from the law, but not from the righteousness of the law, Romans 8:4, 1 Corinthians 9:21. Grace is not a license to sin, it is freedom from the law but personal responsibility to make sure we do not put a stumbling block in front of a weak brother by our example, Romans 14:13, 1 Corinthins 8:9. Grace does not teach us that we have the liberty to do whatever we please, but rather the opposite. Titus 2:11-12 tells us what grace teaches, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…” Don’t let any smooth talking believer or unbeliever tell you that grace is a license to do whatever you want, especially in the flesh. Grace does a purifying work in us. B. Positive Possibilities:1. Grace Can Be Found– Hebrews 4:16. We can find Grace to help in our time of need at the throne of Grace. This is the only scripture in the New Testament that tells the believer where to find Grace. Grace must be found and sought for every time of need. Not every believer has this living grace at all times. It must be found. It is easy for us to find grace, we just have to come boldly to the Father, for His throne is a throne of grace. In the Old testament, it was not so easy. People had to find Grace in the sight of God and in the sight of man in different ways. The first 25 times the word “grace” appears in the Bible, it is preceded by one of these two words: “found” or “find”. Study it out: Genesis 6:8, 19:19, 32:5, 33:8, 33:10, 33:15, 34:11, 39:4, 47:25, 47:29, 50:4, Exodus 33:12, 33:13, 33:16, 33:17, 34:9, Numbers 32:5, Judges 6:17, Ruth 2:10, 1 Samuel 1:18, 20:3, 27:5, 2 Samuel 14:22, 16:4. What is God trying to teach us, Romans 15:4? That we must find Grace! But, praise the Lord, he has told us where to find it in the New Testament, Hebrews 4:16, at the throne of Grace. 2. Grace Can Be Grown In– 2 Peter 3:18. Just as a believer can grow in love, charity, faith, experience, wisdom, etc. So he can grow in Grace. The Bible says so. That is what this course is all about: To learn what Grace is, and to grow in our Knowledge of it, how it works, what it can do, etc. This is how all education works. At first you don’t know anything, then you dig in and study and grow in the knowledge of it. So is Grace. The Lord wants us to grow in Grace. Learn more and more about it. The word “grow” is the same word used to describe plants and fruit. So grace can start like a seed in our understanding that grows and grows to full maturity. This is what God expects in us. 3. Grace Can Be Continued In– Acts 13:43. It is not enough just to grow in our knowledge of Grace, but to apply it and continue in all of the days of our life. We are to continue in: -the Lords word- John 8:31, -in the Lords love- John 15:9, -in the faith- Acts 14:22, -in witnessing- Acts 26:22, -in His goodness- Romans 11:22, -in prayer- Colossians 4:2, -in charity- I Timothy 2:15, -in doctrine- I Timothy 4:16, -in what you have been taught- 2 Timothy 3:14, -in Brotherly love- Hebrews 13:1, And we are to continue in the Grace of God. Don’t ever, ever quit. Learn about grace, and continue all of your life to apply what you have learned. V. Different Types Of GraceA. Saving GraceWe have already defined Saving Grace by the acrostic: God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. Now lets see the scriptural basis for this type of Grace. Here are 18 verses that teach us of saving grace: -Acts 15:11- Grace saves. -Acts 20:24- We are to testify the gospel of the grace of God. -Romans 3:24- Grace justifies. -Romans 4:4 –Trying to work for ones salvation is the opposite of saving grace. -Romans 4:16 –Faith is the vehicle that brings grace to us. -Romans 5:15 –The grace of God, and the free gift that grace brings to us are by one man, Jesus Christ. -Romans 5:17 –Saving grace is given in abundance. There’s more than enough. -Romans 5:21 –Grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life. -Romans 11:5 –Grace votes for us. -Romans 11:6 –Grace is the opposite of works. -Ephesians 1:7 –We have forgiveness of sins by the blood of Jesus Christ, and by the riches of His grace. -Ephesians 2:5 –Saving grace. -Ephesians 2:8 –Faith is the vehicle that brings grace to us. -Colossians 1:5-6 –Hearing the gospel taught us of the grace of God. -2 Timothy 1:9 –Grace is the opposite of works. -Titus 2:11 –Faith brings grace. Grace brings salvation. -Titus 3:7 –Grace justifies. -1 Peter 1:10 –This grace was enquired of diligently by the prophets of old. B. Living GraceThe experience of the believer with the grace of God does not end at salvation, it begins there. We cannot be saved without the grace of God, and we cannot live successfully or become what God wants us to be with out the grace of God. Living Grace is God’s enablings for the believer to sustain him/her through whatever they must endure. Let’s look at 28 characteristics of Living Grace, 2 Corinthians 1:12:
C. Dying Grace.Dying Grace is mentioned once in the Scriptures, Hebrews 2:9. This verse, speaking of Christ says “…that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Although there is no reference to each Christian having dying grace, the attribute of Grace itself is to give us the resources of God at each experience we go through. Click here to read our message: You Can Know For Sure That You Are Going To Heaven! |
Grace in the New Testiment
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