Grace means to get something that you do not deserve; unmerited favor. Mercy means you do not get a punishment that you deserve; compassion, forbearance. God is abundant in grace and mercy.
God never changes:
Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I do not change.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
God's grace has always been:
Genesis 6:8
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord"
Psalm 45:2
"Grace is poured upon Your lips"
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and grace will pursue me all the days of my life, Surely goodness and grace will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will return to the house of the Lord forever".
And now, salvation is by grace alone and not by works unless we would boast and surely we would. Ephesians 2:8-9
I understand , that for some, this is hard to believe, after all : "WE have to do something"!
If God said it is by grace, the same grace that has always exhisted, and that this grace is a gift, there is nothing that we can do to merit such a gift.
I have heard some , so intent on doing something to please God, will say it is a combination of works and grace. Surely, anything required of us, any work prior and a prerequiste to salvation, then grace can not exist where any work occurs for it would no longer be by grace.
Heb 13:9
Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. Foods in this verse can be literal or figurative. In this case it must be Spiritual because context is about doctrines not hot dogs.
Various and strange doctrines. Is what has happened to some of the bible. I believe that the enemy of God has caused certain phrases to creep into the church, so our mind jumps to a conclusion that is wrong to keep us from the truth.
Grace is called.... unmerited favor .... This then has to be explained as, God is good to us even though we don't deserve it.
We believe that, because we know that this is basically true. God is good to us even though we don't deserve it. So we accept it.
That's the problem. Because it is not true. Based on what the bible teaches, this simply cannot be the true meaning of grace.
I can show you why, by asking three questions.
1. If Grace is unmerited favor (that is to say, God is good to us even though we don't deserve it.) Then every body gets this grace right?
Then why does God only give it only to the humble? James 4:6, and 1 peter 5:5
If it is truly unmerited favor, wouldn't God give it to the proud more then the humble? Wouldn't they "not merit" it more then the humble?
2. If Grace is unmerited favor (God is good to us even though we don't deserve it.)
then why can you fall from it?
Gal. 5:4 says you are fallen from grace.- So, God is going to give me something I don't deserve and then take it away if I don't deserve it. I'd be better off backsliding so I could get more grace.
3. If Grace is unmerited favor (God is good to us even though we don't deserve it.)
Then why was Grace upon Jesus? Luke 2:40
And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Are you fully prepared to say that grace was upon Jesus even though He didn't deserve it?
See in these verses it doesn't fit. but in some it does. As in Eph 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
So it seems to fit in some, but wait until you see it as it really should be.
It doesn't just change. It almost explodes.
Before I do that, let me explain something;
(God is good to us even though we don't deserve it.)
This is true and we know it. The bible calls this Mercy!
1. Mercy is unmerited favor. And as such God gives it to the humble, and to the proud. His mercy is all over His works; He makes the rain to fall and the Sun to shine on the just and the unjust.
See mercy is given and applied to all of Gods works, Where grace is given only to the humble.
We are all under His mercy, but we are not all walking in His grace.
2. We have blended grace and mercy into one idea; and we explain it like this; "Mercy is God withholding from us what we do deserve, and Grace is God giving to us what we don't deserve".
3. That's clever but it is wrong. Mercy is all of that; and grace is something altogether different. So ... what is Grace?
We need to thank God every day for His mercy.
But now lets find out just what grace is.
What does the bible say?
The Greek word Chris (khar-ece) (5485) No matter how it is translated shows up in the New Testament some 156 times. 110 times in the writings of Paul.
Clearly the Apostle Paul dominates the subject. For good reason, he had a life changing encounter with grace after the Damascus experience
I mean he went from Rom 7:19-20
"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."
On down to verse;24
Where he says "O wretched man that I am!"
All the way to;Phil 4:13
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
How did he get there?
He went through 2 Corinthians 12 where he explains the revelation that didn't just change his life, it changed his living.
2 Cor 12:9
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
(When Paul finally got it, he replied)
"Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me."
Paul right there tells us what grace is. God said "
My grace is sufficient" and Paul said, "that the
power of Christ may rest on me." It's the "
power of Christ".
So we know that when Paul used the word grace, he meant the power of Christ. So when he started a letter saying may grace and peace to you he meant the "power of Christ"
What a pity we settle for only the good that we can do. Instead of what Jesus Christ can do through us.
Mercy is unmerited favor - But,
Grace is the empowering presence of God, enabling you to be who he created you to be, and to do what He has called you to do.
Jesus taught this - The early church believed this - Paul teaches it to us today, through his letters.
This definition,
The empowering presence of God enabling us to be what we were created to be and to do what we are called to do. That is the whole thorn in the flesh conversation.
Paul realizing that the presence of God was there with him enabling him to overcome that thing.
Was the thorn in the flesh taken away? It doesn't matter, because, it doesn't matter. Paul had grace.
This definition answers our questions.
See if grace is the (power of Christ) does it make sense that God would resist the proud and give the power of Christ to the humble? Yes of course, the prideful are on their own and want to be. The humble know they need help.
Does this explain, Falling from grace? (empowering presence of God) Yes, See, it is power for doing God's will. Not your own. When you do your own thing, you are on your own. (fallen from Grace)
Does this explain Jesus having Grace upon Him? (empowering presence of God) Yes, I should say so.
Here's the effect it had on Paul.
1 Cor 15:10
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
Do you think he is talking about unmerited favor?
See the problem with thinking unmerited favor is grace, we read a verse like this and we go fake humble.
We say, "Oh by the grace of God I am what I am but not me just the grace of god in me, all praise to his name."
That is not the kind of thing that will get you fired up and your juices flowing. That is not the kind of thing that will carry the gospel to all four corners of the world.
a.(Empowers you to do what you are called to do)
and it is about all of us, it is about you.
2 Cor 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Can you see that Paul means something more then this God is good to you though you don't deserve it.
God is good to you though you don't deserve it. That is mercy. But God empowers you to do what He has called you to do.
b.(Empowers you to be what you were created to be)
Acts 20:32
"So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
You see, you are not built up until you have grace and you don't receive your inheritance, until you have grace.
The Bible says;
2 Cor 6:1
"We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain."
The word vain means having no intention of doing anything with it.
See unmerited favor will cause you to do just that.
Because when we pat you on the back and say that by grace you are saved and we think by unmerited favor we are saved. Nothing happens.
But when we understand that by the power of Christ you are saved then something must happen.
c.(What it gives us)
1 Cor 1:4-7
"I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
d.(Use what you have been given)
1 Peter 4:9-10
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Steward is one - entrusted with the goods of another to do his business his way.
Use your gifts as to the measure that God has given you.
"The measure of Grace"
Eph 4:7
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
See, it is power for doing God's will. Not your own. When you do your own thing, you are on your own. (fallen from Grace)
If you have fallen from grace, Doesn't mean you have lost your salvation. Just your mind.
What happens if we blow it?
The measure of Mercy!
Ps 145:8-9
8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 The LORD is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
The Grace of God is real, and it's powerful,
And this is what it does,
Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and Godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Come boldly to the throne of Grace!
Heb 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
When you feel the least worthy is when you are the most welcomed!
There is absolutely no excuse for you to linger in a prolonged state of mediocrity.
As I was finishing up this message I asked God, "do I have your heart on grace, and he said "no Look closer." then I read for the zillionth time, "God resists the proud and give grace to the humble."
Not every body gets grace. And it is a salvation issue. That is why calling it, Unmerited favor is so dangerous.
If we are saved by unmerited favor then nothing has to happen and nothing has to change.
But if we are changed by the power of Christ then something must happen, things must change.
It says
James 4:5-7
Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
"God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble."
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:5-7
Submit to God, Resist the Devil
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your Elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
"God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble."
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
You don't obtain grace ( the power of Christ) by standing up and claiming it. You get it at the throne of grace where you receive mercy and obtain grace to help in your time of need.
No matter what kind of husband, wife, employee, church elder, or Christian you have been. You need mercy. And then you will obtain the empowering presence of God
to be who you are supposed to be and to do what you are supposed to.
Eph 6:24
Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Make a list of New testament scriptures on grace and every time you come to the word grace. Stop and insert "The power of Christ" it will cause your bible to literally explode and will change your living.
) ready to pounce, you reported a post on this thread and that’s what brought me here.
