What is Grace? One of the best-known definitions of grace is only three words: Gods unmerited favor. A. W. Tozer expanded on that: Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines him to bestow benefits on the undeserving. Berkhof is more to the point: grace is the unmerited operation of God in the heart of man, effected through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Grace is not merely unmerited favor; it is favor bestowed on sinners who deserve wrath. Showing kindness to a stranger is unmerited favor; doing good to ones enemies is more the spirit of grace (Luke 6:27-36). Grace is not a dormant or abstract quality, but a dynamic, active, working principle: The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation…and instructing us (Titus 2:11-12). It is not some kind of ethereal blessing that lies idle until we appropriate it. Grace is Gods sovereign initiative to sinners (Ephesians 1:5-6). Grace is not a one-time event in the Christian experience. We stand in grace (Romans 5:2). The entire Christian life is driven and empowered by grace: It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods (Hebrews 13:9). Peter said we should grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Thus we could properly define grace as the free and benevolent influence of a holy God operating sovereignly in the lives of undeserving sinners. Paul frequently contrasted grace with law (Romans 4:16; 5:20; 6:14-15; Galatians 2:21; 5:4). He was careful to state, however, that grace does not nullify the moral demands of Gods law. Rather, it fulfills the righteousness of the law (Romans 6:14-15). It does not annul the righteous demands of the law; it confirms and validates them (Romans 3:31). Grace has its own law, a higher, liberating law: The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2; cf. James 1:25). Note that this new law emancipates us from sin as well as death. Paul was explicit about this: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? (Romans 6:1-2). Grace reigns through righteousness (Romans 5:21). That is the good news of the gospel! God has acted to set us free from sin — not just the consequences, but its very power and presence. One day we will never know the experience of temptation, a stray thought, a misspoken word, a false motive. Guilt will be gone, and with it shame, and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17). In the meantime, we enjoy the liberation from sins cruel power and defiling influence. God has enabled us, through grace, to deny ungodliness and worldly desires so that we can enjoy a sensible, righteous, and godly life in the present age (Titus 2:12). For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). Adapted from The Gospel According to the Apostles © 2000 by John MacArthur. All rights reserved. What is Grace? One of the best-known definitions of grace is only three words: Gods unmerited favor. A. W. Tozer expanded on that: Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines him to bestow benefits on the undeserving. Berkhof is more to the point: grace is the unmerited operation of God in the heart of man, effected through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Grace is not merely unmerited favor; it is favor bestowed on sinners who deserve wrath. Showing kindness to a stranger is unmerited favor; doing good to ones enemies is more the spirit of grace (Luke 6:27-36). Grace is not a dormant or abstract quality, but a dynamic, active, working principle: The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation…and instructing us (Titus 2:11-12). It is not some kind of ethereal blessing that lies idle until we appropriate it. Grace is Gods sovereign initiative to sinners (Ephesians 1:5-6). Grace is not a one-time event in the Christian experience. We stand in grace (Romans 5:2). The entire Christian life is driven and empowered by grace: It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods (Hebrews 13:9). Peter said we should grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Thus we could properly define grace as the free and benevolent influence of a holy God operating sovereignty in the lives of undeserving sinners. Paul frequently contrasted grace with law (Romans 4:16; 5:20; 6:14-15; Galatians 2:21; 5:4). He was careful to state, however, that grace does not nullify the moral demands of Gods law. Rather, it fulfills the righteousness of the law (Romans 6:14-15). It does not annul the righteous demands of the law; it confirms and validates them (Romans 3:31). Grace has its own law, a higher, liberating law: The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2; cf. James 1:25). Note that this new law emancipates us from sin as well as death. Paul was explicit about this: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? (Romans 6:1-2). Grace reigns through righteousness (Romans 5:21). That is the good news of the gospel! God has acted to set us free from sin — not just the consequences, but its very power and presence. One day we will never know the experience of temptation, a stray thought, a misspoken word, a false motive. Guilt will be gone, and with it shame, and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17). In the meantime, we enjoy the liberation from sins cruel power and defiling influence. God has enabled us, through grace, to deny ungodliness and worldly desires so that we can enjoy a sensible, righteous, and godly life in the present age (Titus 2:12). For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). Adapted from The Gospel According to the Apostles © 2000 by John MacArthur. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 09:32:54 +0000
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