A PRIMER ON THE GRACE OF GOD

Published December 5, 2007

One of the principles that you should understand in studying the Word of God (the Bible) is previous usage of a word. This principle is exquisitely shown in the study of the word “grace”. By understanding and applying this principle your understanding of God’s Word will increase exponentially.
Most people use the word “grace” and yet cannot really put a definition with the word. Nor can they tell you how God uses it in His Word. First let us look at some of the scriptures dealing with grace in the times that we live in.
Romans 3: 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 4: 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Romans 5: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 6: 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 11: 6 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.
Ephesians 2: 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
All of these verses are great and explain what we have as Christians came by grace and not of works and that in the future what we will have are the riches of the grace of God. But after all of this we still don’t have a clear definition of the “grace of God’.
Let’s look at the first usage of the word “grace” in the Bible and see if that helps us to understand this better.
The first usage is in Genesis chapter 6. The word “grace” is used in verse eight but to get the context of the scripture we need to start at the beginning of the chapter.
Genesis: 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
In verse four the giants are giants of infamy, People that excelled in evil and wickedness. When god looked at the world, specifically at the people on the Earth He decided to wipe out all living things on the dry ground (notice that the fish and whales are not involved). But, something happened to change His mind and that something was God seeing Noah. Whatever God in Noah stopped God from destroying every living thing off the face of the Earth. God was ready to implement His plan and then… He saw Noah and God, without any given reason spared Noah, the animals, the bugs and the birds. That is grace. To put it into words “Grace is God’s unmerited favor”. God had already decided to destroy all life off the face of the earth but something about Noah changed all of that.
If you continue to follow the word “grace” through the Old Testament you will see that this definition fits God’s grace all of the way through.
Now if you apply this definition to the verses in this article and the rest of the verses in the New Testament you will see that we could not be saved by our own works but that it had to be and still is God’s unmerited favor that has given us so much now and exceeding riches in the ages to come.
What a wonderful Word; what a wonderful God.

Posted in General