Let’s talk about grace, let’s talk about what the Bible says about it and why it has become so perverted in many churches today to cover a person IN their sin rather than lead them out of it.
To begin with, Grace has a Name and His Name is Jesus! Grace is the sacrifice, Grace is the blood, and Grace is the cross of Christ. Without this Man of Grace, we would have no hope of eternity, nor have any hope on the earth today. The misrepresentation of grace by Christians is sending many on their merry little way to hell. But Grace died so that we didn’t have to make that trip.
Grace comes in many forms, but no grace comes that has not passed through the blood and the cross. Grace is defined as “an unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification”, a “virtue coming through Yahweh”, “an act of kindness and clemency”. God’s grace came because he saw that we humans would never make it on our own so He sent the divine assistance, the grace of a Savior to our aide.
Saving grace – Acts 15:11 “But we believed that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ”. Without the Lord Jesus Christ there is no grace at all. Without His love-based willingness to take our place and become a sacrifice for us, none of us would see heaven. It is through this grace that God makes us right and acceptable in His sight to spend eternity with Him (Romans 3:24 and 5:15). Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God has been revealed bringing salvation to all people”.
Justifying grace – Romans 3:24 “Having been justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God sent forth as a propitiation by His blood through faith to demonstrate His righteousness because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins we previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ”. Justification come through faith in Christ Jesus. To put our faith IN Him is to trust Him and in doing so we desire to please Him walking away from the sinful lifestyle we once lived.
Teaching grace – Titus 2:11-12 “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 this present age”. This passage alone tells us grace did not come as an “allowance” to stay in our sin. There is grace to teach sober righteous living and grace to learn it. There is grace to deny our flesh and walk by the Spirit. According to verse 15 there is grace in teaching to exhort and rebuke with all authority. Nowhere does it say “pat them on the back and send them back in the game without rebuke for sin” yet we continually see people in the pews and pulpits in habitual sin believing that the grace of God “covers” them in it. When we stay in sin and call it grace, we are saying we despise the cross and the blood and the grace thereof.
Enabling grace – 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord 3 times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness”. Grace gives us the power to break from sin and bondage, but it also gives us strength to walk through trials, to deal with thorns in our side. As Paul says these things are given unto us to help us walk in humility. Spiritual pride is just a “ditch away” and no matter how far we walk in our Journey with Christ, the ditch is the same distance all along the road. Humility keeps us on the road as the ditch of pride will wreck us eventually.
Abounding grace – 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound towards you that you always having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work”. Grace provides everything we need to do all things He has called us to do and walk how He has called us to walk. Ephesians 4:7 “But to each one grace has been given as Christ apportioned it”. But you say wait a minute, that guy has more grace than me, that is why I struggle with sin. No! 2 Corinthians 8:9 tells us “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”. His grace is generous for all to come to Him and come through Him. And James 4:6 tells us He gives more and more grace…..to the humble.
The grace of God is sufficient in all things from revelation of Christ that we come to Him in salvation to living a holy life on the earth through the blood of the cross and our willingness to die to ourselves. But nowhere, ever does scripture tell us we accept where we are in sin and bondage because “Jesus paid it all so we don’t have to”. Any teaching that allows for sin to remain under the “covering of grace” is a false presentation of grace and a false presentation of Jesus.
Grace abounds that we may be free to know the real Jesus, live for Him and die in Him spending eternity with Him. Any grace apart from this is not the grace of God, it is the heresy of man and leads to death. #MyGodisYahweh