Men did not have this in mind, that God would come here and demand that this occur because we are so good and we need to be saved. It always has the idea of something completely undeserved, something that we could never have achieved by ourselves.įor example, I gave you that example out of John 1:14, that God came to earth to live and to die, and that is not something which humanity could manipulate or deserve because we earned it. The apostles used this word to indicate unearned or unmerited favor. The emphasis of the word is on the causes. The word all by itself, as it would be used in secular Greek, is "gratifying in manner," or we might say, "that which causes delight." It is the causing of it that gives the word its distinctive usage. Paul insists that the very fact you are under grace is what nails you to the floor, that you have to obey the law.Ĭontinuing the series of sermons on grace, we began to see in last week's sermon that the apostles took an ordinary Greek word, charis-and that word has been translated into English as grace-but they turned it into a word of very profound theological and spiritual significance. Everybody is to build on the same foundation, using those gifts which God empowered them. Jesus is not against greatness, but He wants it to be given by God and God is going to give it to those who are in harmony with His law and His way of life. We are to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who, although He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, nevertheless made Himself of no reputation (Philippians 2:6), becoming, as it were, a child. Grace eliminates the possibility of boasting or self-glory because all we have accomplished has been accomplished only because of what He gave.
Forgiveness is only the beginning of the grace process, enabling us to grow or mature into the full stature of Christ.
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