Grace to you

Nathan@work · Mar 21, 2021

Revelation 1:4-6 (ESV) John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

How many times do we glance over that phrase “grace to you”. It’s as if we just take it for granted. Like it’s some meaningless introduction. Treating it as if it is just a common ‘hello’.

Then there are the people who immediately go into ‘law mode’ when they hear the word grace. They think that if someone says the word then they are saying ‘I have a license to sin’.

What does it mean to you? What do you think of when you hear the word grace?

For me, I think of God’s greatness. It humbles me actually. Who am I that God looks at me with favor? It’s amazing.

Mr. M · Mar 21, 2021

Nathan@work said:
What does it mean to you? What do you think of when you hear the word grace?

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always
having all sufficiency in all, may have an abundance for every good work.

SarahsKnight · Mar 21, 2021

Nathan@work said:
What does it mean to you? What do you think of when you hear the word grace?

For me, I think of God’s greatness. It humbles me actually. Who am I that God looks at me with favor? It’s amazing.

Indeed, that is how I look at it, rather than this sudden gasp of horror and the exclamation "So, what?! You dare to presumptuously sin thinking that God will just forgive you?! You OSAS heretic!" that I feel like I am hearing from the more - for lack of a better term in the moment - "fundamentalist"-type crowd that seems to be all about God's judgment and seeing evil to be shunned around every corner lest God condemns them at the first mishap, at the mere mention of God's goodness and grace.

royal priest · Mar 21, 2021

1 Corinthians 15:10
by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Soyeong · Mar 21, 2021

Nathan@work said:
Revelation 1:4-6 (ESV) John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

How many times do we glance over that phrase “grace to you”. It’s as if we just take it for granted. Like it’s some meaningless introduction. Treating it as if it is just a common ‘hello’.

Then there are the people who immediately go into ‘law mode’ when they hear the word grace. They think that if someone says the word then they are saying ‘I have a license to sin’.

What does it mean to you? What do you think of when you hear the word grace?

For me, I think of God’s greatness. It humbles me actually. Who am I that God looks at me with favor? It’s amazing.

In Psalms 119:29, David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law. In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, which is what the Mosaic Law was given to instruct how to do. In Romans 1:5, we have received grace in order to bring about the obedience of faith. In John 1:16-17, it says grace upon grace, so the grace of Christ was added upon the grace of the Mosaic Law. In 2 Peter 3:17-18, growing in grace is contrasted with being taken away by the error of lawless men. In Jude 1:4, the ungodly pervert God's grace into a license for immorality. Strong’s defines “grace” as "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life” and when God's will is reflected in our lives, it takes the form of obedience to His law (Psalms 40:8). So grace is the power of God to overcome lawlessness in our lives and God graciously teaching us to obey His law is itself part of the content of His free gift of salvation.

Bible Highlighter · Mar 21, 2021

SarahsKnight said:
Indeed, that is how I look at it, rather than this sudden gasp of horror and the exclamation "So, what?! You dare to presumptuously sin thinking that God will just forgive you?! You OSAS heretic!" that I feel like I am hearing from the more - for lack of a better term in the moment - "fundamentalist"-type crowd that seems to be all about God's judgment and seeing evil to be shunned around every corner lest God condemns them at the first mishap, at the mere mention of God's goodness and grace.

Believers who hold to the Bible's teachiing on Conditional Salvation or how serious sin can separate us from God should not speak such words like that to you. They can share the Scriptures of how OSAS is unbiblical, but they should not verbally attack you like that. It's not loving. But the good news is not all believers who are against OSAS strongly are like that. Anyways, that does not change the truth of what the Scriptures say, though. Here are some tough words in the Bible (that I did not write).

"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2).

"Now we know that God hears not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and does his will, him he hears." (John 9:31).

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” (Psalms 66:18).

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;” (Hebrews 3:12-14).

Such verses do not make sense in light of OSAS to me. If OSAS is true, then I can sin and still be saved but that is not what the Scriptures teach. In any event, if you disagree, may you be well, and may God bless you.

Nathan@work · Mar 21, 2021

Soyeong said:
In Psalms 119:29, David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law. In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, which is what the Mosaic Law was given to instruct how to do. In Romans 1:5, we have received grace in order to bring about the obedience of faith. In John 1:16-17, it says grace upon grace, so the grace of Christ was added upon the grace of the Mosaic Law. In 2 Peter 3:17-18, growing in grace is contrasted with being taken away by the error of lawless men. In Jude 1:4, the ungodly pervert God's grace into a license for immorality. Strong’s defines “grace” as "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life” and when God's will is reflected in our lives, it takes the form of obedience to His law (Psalms 40:8). So grace is the power of God to overcome lawlessness in our lives and God graciously teaching us to obey His law is itself part of the content of His free gift of salvation.

I like your thoughts, but I take exception with your thoughts on the mosaic law.

This is what I see all to often. Taking Gods grace and adding to it. I see no reason for it and quite frankly it corrupts grace when we add to it.

Those who truly experience Gods grace know it is anything but a license for sin. The ones who pervert it only know of it, they do not actually know it.

The mosaic law was given to a nation as a testimony against them - to show them their wickedness - to keep them in a place where God could show His grace.

Bible Highlighter · Mar 21, 2021

Nathan@work said:
Revelation 1:4-6 (ESV) John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

How many times do we glance over that phrase “grace to you”. It’s as if we just take it for granted. Like it’s some meaningless introduction. Treating it as if it is just a common ‘hello’.

Then there are the people who immediately go into ‘law mode’ when they hear the word grace. They think that if someone says the word then they are saying ‘I have a license to sin’.

What does it mean to you? What do you think of when you hear the word grace?

For me, I think of God’s greatness. It humbles me actually. Who am I that God looks at me with favor? It’s amazing.

Probably the best sermon on this topic.

Soyeong · Mar 21, 2021

Nathan@work said:
I like your thoughts, but I take exception with your thoughts on the mosaic law.

This is what I see all to often. Taking Gods grace and adding to it. I see no reason for it and quite frankly it corrupts grace when we add to it.

Those who truly experience Gods grace know it is anything but a license for sin. The ones who pervert it only know of it, they do not actually know it.

The mosaic law was given to a nation as a testimony against them - to show them their wickedness - to keep them in a place where God could show His grace.

To use an analogy, if a professional musician were to teach me how to play an instrument as a gift to me, then their lessons would themselves be the content of their gift and participating in them would be doing nothing to earn their gift, but rather that is what it would look like to receive it, and our salvation is the same type of gift where its contents is God is graciously teaching us how to walk in His ways in obedience to His law.

In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is not just about being trained by grace to renounce our wickedness, but also teaching us how to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and doing these things is not adding to God's grace, but rather that is what it looks like to receive it. In Psalms 119:29, David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law, not to keep him in a place where God could show His grace.

To use another analogy, the goal of a parent giving rules to their children is not to in order show them how much they misbehave, but rather their rules are given for their children's own good in order to bless them and teach them how to rightly live, and this is that much more true of our Heavenly Father (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12-13). In Titus 2:14, Jesus did not just give himself to redeem us from all lawlessness, but also to purify for himself a people of his own possession who are zealous for doing good works.

com7fy8 · Mar 21, 2021

Nathan@work said:
What do you think of when you hear the word grace?

How God in us effects our character to become like Jesus. Such grace favors, then, how Jesus is and loves and is so pleasing to our Father. And His grace favors us, by correcting our character (Hebrews 12:4-14) so we are like Christ and live and love like Jesus > Ephesians 5:2.

Nathan@work · Mar 22, 2021

Soyeong said:
To use an analogy, if a professional musician were to teach me how to play an instrument as a gift to me, then their lessons would themselves be the content of their gift and participating in them would be doing nothing to earn their gift, but rather that is what it would look like to receive it, and our salvation is the same type of gift where its contents is God is graciously teaching us how to walk in His ways in obedience to His law.

In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is not just about being trained by grace to renounce our wickedness, but also teaching us how to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and doing these things is not adding to God's grace, but rather that is what it looks like to receive it. In Psalms 119:29, David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law, not to keep him in a place where God could show His grace.

To use another analogy, the goal of a parent giving rules to their children is not to in order show them how much they misbehave, but rather their rules are given for their children's own good in order to bless them and teach them how to rightly live, and this is that much more true of our Heavenly Father (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12-13). In Titus 2:14, Jesus did not just give himself to redeem us from all lawlessness, but also to purify for himself a people of his own possession who are zealous for doing good works.

Thank you for your analogies.

From a human(flesh) perspective, they are spot on. The thing is our flesh has a warped way of thinking, which is precisely why God has His laws.

When Adam and Eve ate of that fruit, because they were not God, it gave them a corrupted view of good and evil - not a true one. Before that, they only 'knew' that which was good. They walked in a state of grace with God.

God brought His law in to focus attention. That attention was to point to the grace that was from the beginning - Christ. Salvation - Christ - is the gift that brings us back to grace.

The law serves its purpose in showing us what grace is. Grace teaches us to walk in obedience to His Spirit.

When we pervert the law to be the teacher, instead of grace, then we fall back into the same trap and lie that was from the beginning - sin(imperfect knowledge of good and evil) controls instead of grace(perfect knowledge of God).

[Rom 5:20-21 ESV] Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Nathan@work · Mar 22, 2021

The law shows us we cannot be as God is.

Grace shows us how to be like God is.

Search

Search

Grace to you

Nathan@work

Always ready :)

More options

Mr. M

Well-Known Member

More options

SarahsKnight

Jesus Christ is this Knight's truth.

More options

royal priest

debtor to grace

More options

Soyeong

Well-Known Member

More options

Bible Highlighter

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

More options

Nathan@work

Always ready :)

More options

Bible Highlighter

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

More options

Soyeong

Well-Known Member

More options

com7fy8

Well-Known Member

More options

Nathan@work

Always ready :)

More options

Nathan@work

Always ready :)

More options

Similar threads