In an earlier post "Grace is Unmerited Favor - This Common Definition is Wrong", two definitions, by Ps John and James Ryle, were given.
"Grace is not a license to sin but an empowerment of God to enable us to be what we should".
"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."
We have stressed the "empowerment" side of the definition. We simply use "God's Presence & Power" or just "God's Power" in a few of the verses where Grace appeared and find them more enlightening and more powerful.
Today, we want to examine the "You" side of the definition. God's power is directed at "you" and for "you". In fact, Grace Power is in you. Grace's purpose is for you to do what you should (righteousness, Holy Living) to be what God created you to be, and to do what Has called you to do. We can see the following important points.
1. Different people have different types of grace because of different calling.
Eph 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
1Pet 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Paul's own calling in Eph 3:7... I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
1Pet 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Paul's own calling in Eph 3:7... I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
See Eph 4:11, Rom 12:6-13, 1 Cor 12:28.
2. Different people have different degrees of grace due to differences in growth.
We had already cited that Jesus was full of grace John 1:12.
3. Grace is given only if you desire it.
Those who are proud do not want it. They do not think they need it and have no grace whereas the humble have it because of their desire. James 4:6.
Those who want to get right by following the Laws according to their own ability have fallen from grace. Gal 5:4. Heb 4:16 tells us to approach the throne of God not just for mercy (forgiveness) but to find grace and power for our needs.
Those who want to get right by following the Laws according to their own ability have fallen from grace. Gal 5:4. Heb 4:16 tells us to approach the throne of God not just for mercy (forgiveness) but to find grace and power for our needs.
4. The key to growing in grace is to desire and yield to His Spirit.
We have seen Paul stressed many times that when we are weak then we are strong because only then do we seek and rely on grace (God's power). God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. 2 Cor 12:9-10, Phil 4:13.
5. The desire for grace is increased as we realize how weak we are.
We must come to an end of ourselves to start receiving the Grace of God. Salvation is a start … but Sanctification is a continuous process. The road of self-brokenness seems inevitable in this walk of grace.
6. Grace is given when we move out and take action.
Grace is for our growth. As we move out and draw on it, it grows inside of us. Phi 2:12-13 ... work out your salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. When can you tell you have the gift of healing? It is by reaching out to the sick and seeing them healed in the Name of Jesus Christ. How can you know you are a prophet? By prophesying and checking it's against the Bible and the actual happenings.
7. Grace is given to us to be God's best for us.
God's best for us is also our best. We are created by God to fulfill certain roles in His body and we are most satisfied and most valuable when we fulfill our created role. We become what we are created for. "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." John Piper
After Posting Note: Some have expressed concern that this definition of Grace took away the 'unmerited favor' of God. The 'unmerited favor' of God is in Mercy. We don't lose anything with redefinition. We gain a better understanding and effectiveness in our living relationship with God. God's love gives us Mercy, Peace, and Grace.
After Posting Note: Some have expressed concern that this definition of Grace took away the 'unmerited favor' of God. The 'unmerited favor' of God is in Mercy. We don't lose anything with redefinition. We gain a better understanding and effectiveness in our living relationship with God. God's love gives us Mercy, Peace, and Grace.
With the availability of Generative AI, we can feed this passage to ChatGPT and get its comments. It summarizes the key points well and I use a mind map to visualize it better:
1 comment:
Many so-called Christians believe that God's Grace is God's "unmerited favor". If that is true, then how do we explain Lk 2:40? Who would make the mistake of believing that God's "unmerited favor" was upon His only begotten beloved Son?!
-- American Standard
Luke 2:40 And the Child grew and waxed strong, filled with Wisdom and the Grace of God was upon Him.
In Mt 6:33, Jesus Christ told us to seek first God's Kingdom and God's Righteousness. What must we find and believe? Multitudes have decided this question is not important and that is why they have no idea what God's Grace is and they do not have it, exactly as prophesied.
For 3000 years, the Scriptures have warned how the nations would rage against God and against His Anointed One. Read Psalms 1-7. For almost 2000 years, the Scriptures have warned of deceivers who would come claiming to be Christians but they are not. Read 1Timothy 4; 2Peter 1-3; 2John and Jude. Almost 2000 years ago in Revelation 1-22, Jesus Christ sent a critical warning to all of the churches, including all of the future churches symbolized in the seven churches of Revelation 2-3.
In Revelation 3:7-13, originally written to the Philadelphia church, is an amazingly accurate and detailed prophecy of the first true Christian Quakers of 350 years ago, also known as The Society of Friends; it fits them perfectly. They even founded Philadelphia in the USA! During their time, 350 years ago, there was an issue with bowing and lo and behold, we read of a reference to that as well. There are more such references pointing to the first true Christian Quakers. They include the Key of David, the Door, the little Power and why the Spirit calls Himself "He that is Holy, He that is True." The first true Christian Quakers knew very well what it really means to keep His Word and not to deny His Name. Have you ever wondered about the patient endurance and the persecutions that all true Christians are supposed to experience? The true Christian Quaker prisoners of 350 years ago exhibited perfect patient endurance. Also, what was going on with the physical crown in those days was a perfect example of what can happen to our spiritual crowns. And, why would these spiritual Church members be so thrilled about a spiritual Church they would never have to leave or be shut out of?! Do you have any idea what the new Name is? Read John 15:1-17 about the "Friends" of the real Jesus Christ who, through true Christian Love, were willing to lay down their physical lives for God and His Son. They knew what kind of Fruit God is looking for. They knew how the Word of God must wash us. They Loved the True Light sent from God. They had God's spiritual Joy and Power within them. They had God's Word written on their hearts and in their minds. They knew what God's definitions of Faith, Love, Hope, Grace and Peace really are because they had believed in God's exact original Gospel Truth. They had repented of their sins to walk in His Way leading to obedience unto eternal Life in the Presence of God's Glory forever.
The descriptions of the seven symbolic churches in Revelation 2-3 also reveal that there were primarily two large groups of true Christians in the last 2000 years: The early and the latter spiritual rain, the first true Christian Quakers being the last large group. And, there are two synagogues of Satan that oppose true Christians. The first synagogue of Satan was made up of unbelieving Jews who included Pharisees, teachers of the Law, scribes, Sadducees and even Herodians. All of them symbolized the false Christians to come who are the second synagogue of Satan. Neither synagogue of Satan has understood the symbolic wedding at Cana, God's Living Water, the sign of Jonah or other simple but critical Gospel Truths. The Old and New Testaments are filled with warnings against these false Christians. Paul warned how they would follow another Jesus who is only an invention of unholy human minds. These puffed-up human minds are inspired by Satan who masquerades as an angel of Light but he isn't and his servants masquerade as ministers of Righteousness but they are not. The true Christian Quakers of 350 years ago exposed these false Christians, as we are all commanded to do. They knew exactly who the dogs of dogma were and still are. To follow and to teach false gospels is the worst thing anyone can do and it will result in terrible punishment from God. Remember, those who plead, "Lord, Lord..." had thought they were saved and serving God but they will find that they are not saved when it is too late to change!
In 2002, I learned God's Gospel Truth about God's one and only spiritual baptism that we must spiritually drink and why there is so much confusion among so many denominations regarding God's exact original Gospel Truth. Read Matthew 1-13; Mark 1:14-15; Mark 10; Luke 10-13; Luke 16:15-17; John 1-7; 1Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:4-7; etc. I also learned that I had grown up in a false church. Soon, I could easily recognize false churches and by knowing very little about someone, almost without exception, I could tell the difference between a false Christian and a true Christian, a wolf and a sheep, a bad tree and a good tree. I had believed in Scriptures such as Matthew 23:8-12; Luke 21:14-15; John 6:44-47 and I have learned they are completely accurate. Because I have believed, repented and obeyed, I have received many amazing confirmations from my Lord and Savior, the real Jesus Christ, God's Son. One of the best confirmations came 3 and 1/2 years later, in 2006.
Not until 2006 did the real Jesus Christ lead me to read the writings of the first true Christian Quakers of 350 years ago, especially the writings of George Fox, Robert Barclay and Isaac Penington. "A Catechism and Confession of Faith, Containing Twenty-three Articles" and "An Apology for the True Christian Divinity", written by Robert Barclay through God's Power, should be read and thoroughly studied by everyone who claims to be a Christian or wants to be one. The Apology is an excellent summary of the first true Christian Quakers' beliefs in full agreement with the Teachings of the real Jesus Christ and the beliefs of the Lord's Apostles of almost 2000 years ago. For over 300 years, the Apology has accurately exposed all false Christians along with all of their false churches, all of their related false institutions and everyone who has evolved out of them since then. Very likely, the Apology is the second most important book ever printed, the Holy Bible being the first. All mature true Christians will fully understand what is written in the Apology and they will have the very same "adversaries" described in it. Except for a few insignificant non-salvation differences, I have believed in the very same saving Gospel Truth that the first true Christian Quakers of 350 years ago taught, including what Robert Barclay wrote, although I did not know what they believed in or read what they had written until three and a half years after I had learned what I did. How is this humanly possible?! It isn't and everyone should take this very seriously because nothing is more important, absolutely nothing.
Sad to say, the later Quakers did not remain faithful to the Gospel Truth that the first true Christian Quakers wrote so much about. It is a terrible shame and an utter disgrace to everyone who dares to call themselves "Quakers" or "Friends" today. They have had God's exact original Gospel Truth simply explained to them for so many years, especially in the Apology, and yet they have rejected it and their own salvation. Worst of all, they have failed to Love their Neighbors by freely sharing the exact original Gospel Truth that the Holy and True Jesus Christ revealed to His faithful Apostles and Friends, the very same saving Gospel Truth He continues to reveal to everyone who believes, repents and obeys God's Gospel Truth in these Last Days.
Whose gospel have you been following? Where will you spend eternity? Are you sure? Have you tested yourself and the spirits as we are all commanded to do? Do you know how that is done? Read Matthew 6:33; Romans 1-12, especially Romans 1:16-21. Have you obeyed Jesus Christ's command to seek first God's Kingdom and God's Righteousness? Have you found what we must find first of all? Read John 5 and John 8. Have you obeyed Jesus Christ's command to "sin no more"? Do you know how that becomes possible? Have you been sent to the real Word of God who must open the Scriptures for us in His Holy Bible before we can fully understand them? Did Abraham have a Holy Bible? How did he know about Righteousness? Aren't true Christians the Children of Abraham? How do the Children of Abraham leave the Law of Sin and Death to belong to the New Covenant Law of the Spirit of Life? How many were saved from the symbolic Great Flood? What was being symbolized and why? How many were saved from the symbolic fire of Sodom and Gomorrah? What was being symbolized and why? Very, very few people, who have called themselves Christians, know the correct simple answers because they have not been taught by God as all true Christians must be, Psalms 119; Titus 2:11-15.
Truly, many are called but few are chosen! Why? True Christians will boast in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Master, their Rabboni, their Teacher, their Light, their Life, their Power from God but false Christians are not taught by God and they do not have "the Mind of Christ", 1Corinthians 1-3. They do not hear His Voice, John 10. They do not have the anointing from the Holy One of God, 1John 2. They cannot correctly answer the simple questions I ask without incriminating themselves. Can you?
Ask for more free Rock-solid Biblical proof against all false Christians, all of their false churches and all of their related false institutions, all prophesied to be false in these Last Days. They function with money and for money but God's real Water of Life is always FREE. Read Isaiah 55 and Revelation 21-22. I sincerely hope you will take this seriously; it is most critical. Do not hesitate to contact me for more free information and with any questions you may have. Remember: Freely have we received and freely we must give!
In the Service of the Righteous One from God the Father,
anne robare / canawedding at aol dot com
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