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Episode 1
Introduction
One of the most common words found in the New Testament is the word grace. The word and its cognate appear about two hundred times. Of all the biblical writers, the apostle Paul has the most to say about grace.
The word grace is a common expression on the lips of every believer, cell leader and pastor. Everything seems to centre round this word, doesn’t it? When asked ‘How are you?’ a common reply would be, ‘I am fine, by the grace of God’. When a person is congratulated on his/her success, a typical response is ‘by the grace of God I did well’. When a pastor is praised for his/her work in the church, almost instinctively he/she would say ‘it’s all because of the grace of God’. At dinnertime, someone may say, ‘Let’s say grace before we eat’.
Grace is a precious word. But more importantly, it is a biblical word. Have you ever wondered, ‘What does this five-letter word actually mean in the Bible?’ Sometimes a word is used so often that it loses its significance. As a result, a powerful word like grace can degenerate into an everyday expression that loses its significance. Perhaps when you are asked to define grace, a smart answer would be to say that grace is like love. It is easier to experience than to explain!
There is a mistaken notion that the concept of grace begins in the New Testament. The parochial myth that the God in the Old Testament is different from the God in the New Testament (ie the former a God of wrath and the latter a God of grace) must be debunked and challenged. As Carson remarks (2000:70), ‘The reality is that the Old Testament displays the grace and love of God in experience and types, and these realities become all the clearer in the new covenant writings’.
I maintain the idea of grace is present and alive (even if it is nascent) in the Old Testament although the term grace is not used. Anytime a person argues that an idea is invalid if a specific word is not being used, he/she runs into serious exegetical problems (eg the word Trinity does not appear in the Scripture). In exegesis, an argument ‘from silence’ is invalid.
Interestingly, the word grace does not appear in Matthew and Mark. It appears once in Luke 2:40 and thrice in John (1:14,16,17). Yet who can deny that the life and teachings of Jesus Christ reflect grace? Furthermore, who can deny that grace constitutes the gospel? Therefore, it is erroneous to argue that a particular concept is absent or invalid just because a particular word is not used. The word grace is also not used in 1 John, 3 John and Jude.
Grace is a cardinal doctrine in the Scripture. Everything about God is about grace and everything he does in relationship to us is based on grace. However, grace and works are antithesis. They are mutually exclusive (cf Rom 11:6). If God bestows grace on us on the basis of our merit or withhold grace because of our demerit, then it is no longer grace.
From the Scripture we learn that we are saved by grace alone through faith (Eph 2:8-9), we are justified by grace (Rom 3:22-24), we stand on grace (Rom 5:2), grace triumphs and exceeds immeasurably (Rom 5:20-21), we can be strengthened by the grace of God (2 Tim 2:1) and God’s grace will prove sufficient in times of difficulties (2 Cor 12:9). We are also healed by grace, disciplined by grace (Titus 2:11) and called to live by grace (Gal 3:3). Without the grace of God, where would you and I be? Whatever we are and have is all due to the grace of God (cf 1 Cor 15:10).
Without that all-encompassing grace of God, our lives would definitely have been different. Without His sufficient grace, we may not have survived crises. We begin with grace and grace will lead us home.
There are many things that the Scripture teaches about grace. When we understand the scriptural teaching on grace, our Christian living will take on a new dimension. The grace of God is like a multifaceted diamond which has several aspects of ‘saving grace’, ‘sustaining grace’, ‘sovereign grace’ and ‘serving grace’. Let us explore the biblical perspective on the immeasurable riches of God’s extravagant grace. Get ready for a journey that will take you to the oasis of God’s grace.
What is grace? For Greek enthusiasts, the word for grace is charis. While the word grace can be used as a greeting and to express thanks, the underlying meaning of grace is that it is a gift, an undeserved and unexpected favour from God. Indeed, God is the grace-giver. While God is the source of grace, Jesus Christ is the medium of grace. His life and teachings embody and mediate grace. Let’s see how people have defined the word grace.
God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense (Anonymous)
Grace is the unrestrained operation of love (Strombeck)
Grace is the good pleasure of God that induces Him to bestow benefit upon the undeserving (A W Tozer)
Grace is pure unrecompensed kindness and favour (Lewis Sperry Chafer)
Free sovereign favour to the ill-deserving (Benjamin Warfield)
Grace is the celebration of life relentlessly hounding all the non-celebrants in the world (Roger Capon)
Grace in a Nutshell
Grace is God’s undeserved favour freely given to us. He gives us grace not because we deserve it but out of his goodwill and pleasure. In other words, grace is always a gift and cannot be bought or earned. There are no strings attached. Grace has nothing to do with my performance but his infinite goodness. Grace depends on his willingness to intervene in situations which seem hopeless. In other words, God's grace has nothing to do with our deservedness but everything to do with his greatness and goodness. Alexander Maclaren (1997:129) puts it beautifully when he says.
Grace in Paul’s language, means love lavished upon the undeserving and sinful, a love that is not drawn forth by the perception of any excellence in its objects but wells up and out like a fountain by reason of the impulse in its subject and that in itself contains and bestows all good and blessing.
Grace is undeserving. It cannot be earned or repaid. His love does not depend on who we are but who He is. He loves us because He is love. God's love is an action and not a reaction. Grace ceases to be grace if God is forced to withdraw it in the absence or presence of merit. Let’s be honest. There are some people, pastors and churches we think God should not bless for one reason or another. Yet, they seem to be experiencing God’s blessings. Why? In my opinion, the key explanation is the grace of God.
Grace has meaning only when we see ourselves as fallen, unworthy of salvation and destined for hell. Neither our merits nor demerits determine the grace of God. If grace cannot be earned by merit, then it cannot be forfeited by demerit. The Scripture declares that even our righteousness is as filthy as rags (Isa 64:6). We cannot make God do things our way just because we are obedient and sacrificial. To measure the grace of God in our lives by our commitment and service is to misunderstand the grace of God.
Grace and works are incompatible. There is never ‘grace plus works’ in our relationship with God. What God has begun by grace, he will complete by grace (Phil 1:6, Gal 3:3).
The Basis of Grace
Grace is rooted in the very nature of God. Everything that God does flows from the bountifulness of his grace. He is called ‘the God of all grace’ (I Pet 5:10). That is significant. He is not God of some or little but all grace. He possesses all grace and that is why his grace is all-sufficient for human exigencies. We are
urged to ‘boldly approach the throne of grace, in order that we may receive mercy and find grace to give us timely help’ (Heb 4:16).
Since Jesus Christ died and completely paid the awful penalty of sin, God could extend his grace to us through the forgiveness of sin. History has no blacker pages than when the heavens turned dark and the sun withdrew its light at Calvary. The cross became the rendezvous for God and humanity. The fallenness of humanity culminated at the cross. Isaiah chapter 53:5 makes sense in the light of Calvary. Everything becomes intelligible and meaningful in the light of the cross. Jesus paid it all. The debt of sin was cancelled. The rays of grace emanate from God and find their focus at Calvary. Grace makes sense when seen in the light of the cross. It bears repeating that the basis of grace is God’s goodness and greatness. (1486 words)
Discussion Questions