Grace is a word that is used often in the Christian world. Some have defined it as unmerited favor. Others have said grace is receiving what you do not deserve. There are two kinds of grace in the Bible: Old Testament grace and New Testament grace. The grace described in the New Testament has many levels of meaning to it. Here below is a portrait of the amazing grace of God.
Note from the Author:
This is a multi-part series of explanations of the powerful and deep truths about the grace of God. Grace is all about abundance and there is an abundance of descriptions to fully understand what the grace of God is.
First: What is Old Testament Grace?
The grace mentioned in the Old Testament meant “favor.” Many people “found grace” in Old Testament scripture. There are examples such as Noah (Gen. 6:8), Moses (Ex. 33:12), Jacob (Gen. 33:10), and Joseph (Gen. 39:4). Each time grace was mentioned as a sign of favor in another’s sight. In the New Testament, we receive something bigger and better than favor.
…[Jesus] is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Hebrews 8:6b
New Testament Grace Defined
The grace in the New Testament is multi-dimensional. In the simplest terms, grace is the power of God. The Bible tells us that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17). It also tells us that this gospel is the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). The grace of God is the counter-ruler against sin: “as sin has reigned through death, grace reigns through righteousness”(Rom. 5:21). The “Good News” of the gospel is that we are saved through grace!
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation…
Rom. 1:16
The Grace of God is Jesus Christ
The book of Titus says that the “grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.” Who came down to earth to bring salvation to us all? Paul told Timothy to be “strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1). Grace under the New Covenant is Christ working in us what He has accomplished for us. When we ask God for grace, we are asking for God’s power to work through us —not from us. Let me explain: we receive power when we receive the Holy Ghost. (Acts 1:8). Who did we receive? Jesus told His disciples that He would soon dwell in them (John 14:17). The promised power we received was none other than Jesus Christ Himself, working through us, becoming our source for an overcoming life.
Grace is God At Work
The grace of God is God’s power working in us. It is not God giving us power. God will not deposit anything into our flesh. God has made it very clear that our flesh is unuseful to Him. Instead, when He couldn’t find a worthy man, though He looked, He came down Himself. God has full confidence in Himself alone. He tells us to trust Him and “have no confidence in our flesh ” (Phil. 3:3). Grace is Christ operating in us, exclusively. Christ is the vine (the source), we are the branch that bears —not produces— the fruit of the Spirit. God doesn’t pour out a portion of patience, joy, love, etc. He is our joy, He is our peace, He is our righteousness. When He speaks of giving us these things, look at what He gave us —Christ. In Him, we have everything.
Conclusion
Christ lacks nothing that we could ever need. Grace encompasses all of the provision and power that God has. The word grace can be exchanged for Christ many times in the New Testament, without changing the meaning of the scripture. There are pages more to be written about the grace of God. I encourage you to pray to understand His grace that is the gospel (Acts 20:24), that is a throne (Heb. 4:16), that is the place “wherein we stand (Rom. 5:2).”
…I [Peter] have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
1 Peter 5: 12 KJV
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