Back to the Basics: Grace Upon Grace
For by grace you have been saved through faith
As I read through the passage for the message on Sunday, I wondered what the difference was between a “trespass” and a “sin,” so I decided to look up the Greek words to see the difference. What I found was that a trespass could be either willful or unintentional were as a sin is an act that has no forgiving quality, such as an accidental error.
The part that was the focus of the message, as is clear from the title, is the word Grace. Before I go any further, let me insert the scripture. My initial reading caused me to pen a number of notes, and it occurs to me that as I’m writing this without that scripture having been read, it muddies the waters. Here’s the passage.
1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:1–10 (NASB95)
The trespass and sin part is from verse 1, and the word Grace is from verse 8 but also appears in five. I’m not going to insert the Greek entry for trespass and sin, but I am for Grace. The message is about grace rather than the sins and offenses we commit that require grace. Let’s look at the Greek entry behind the word found in verse 8. An interesting point is that the word used in this passage was accompanied by the article ho (Strong’s 3588), which typically indicates a deific reference or other more notable emphasis.
Greek Strong’s Number: 5485
Greek Word: χάρις
Transliteration: charis
Phonetic Pronunciation: khar’-ece
Root: from <G5463>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 9:372,1298
Part of Speech: n f
Vine’s Words: Accept, Accepted, Acceptable, Benefit, Benefactor, Favor, Favored, Grace, Liberal, Liberality, Liberally, Thank, Thanks, Thankful, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, Thankworthy
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
grace 130
favour 6
thanks 4
thank 4
thank + <G2192> 3
pleasure 2
miscellaneous translations 7
[Total Count: 156]
from <G5463> (chairo); graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):- acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace (-ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).
James Strong, “Χάρις,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
What I find extremely interesting about the Greek entry on Grace is this, “…especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude)….” “Including gratitude.” Our reaction to grace is to show our gratitude for that gift that we do not deserve. How does that manifest in each of us? It comes out according to our gifts and our abilities. We respond to God and His gift of grace through the things we are good at and use them obediently to further His desires in the world.
Why do our thanks have to manifest only to further His goals? Let’s look at verse 10 for our answer.
10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 (NASB95)
We are made by God, in His image, for “good works.” Good works according to God, not the world, which means God defined those things which are good “beforehand.” It occurred to me that this use of “beforehand” is one of the Calvinist “predestination” passages. I am reluctant to use those too often because people misread me or focus on the idea that God set it all up on rails and our choices mean nothing. That’s not the case. What I believe this means is that God defined what “good works” are “beforehand,” meaning he set up what a good thing looks like, and it always has been “good,” unchanging, and immutable. It doesn’t mean the little old lady who needed the Boy Scout to help her cross the road was a specific “good work” God “preordained beforehand” for that specific Boy Scout to do. What it means is that when we help the “little old lady” cross the street, aid to a person in need was “preordained beforehand” to be a “good work.”
“But verse 9 says it’s “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” That’s correct. That refers to the gift of grace that saves us through our faith (verse 8 before.) There is no list of “good works” we do to earn grace so that we can wave it around like a flag for all to see shouting “I’m saved, and you’re not!” That’s what that means. That’s the point about it not being about works, not that we shouldn’t do them. We are saved by faith in, and nothing other than, Jesus Christ and what He did. Our actions, inactions, words, or silence does nothing to move the needle one bit to save us. It cannot. Jesus is the only way to salvation, as Jesus Himself said in John.
6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
John 14:6–7 (NASB95)
Let’s talk about what Grace does because that’s where the message went. This is important because I have a few things to say, which I hope are points of clarification and not counterpoints to what was preached yesterday. I’ve often said Monday Morning With Jesus is NOT intended to be a “rebuttal” of anything said in church. However, I will present my disagreement with those things when and if I feel led to do so. That’s what my comments will be shortly; clarification, I hope.
Grace is the undeserved gift from God that washes us clean of our sins. In Sunday's message, Pastor Lee stated it “removes us from death” which is accurate, but where does that death come from? It comes from our “trespasses and sins.”
10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
12Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—
13for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Romans 5:10–13 (NASB95)
Some see this as a difficult passage, but it isn’t. Sin and death came into the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience when they ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Because of that act, human beings made bad choices that caused death to be the ultimate end to our existence. However, through the obedience of Jesus, his substitutional sacrifice on the cross, fulfilling the Law of God, washes all people who will ever exist for all time clean. Jesus’ act does that because He was God, a sacrifice of such immeasurable worth that it was of sufficient value to cleanse us all and allow us to enter into everlasting life in Heaven with God. Only Jesus can do that. No other figure that ever existed or will exist can do that. No other religion has Jesus. That is why He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life and no other.
Pastor Lee asked us to all write down our own definition of what grace is to us and for us. I did, and I took a picture which I will share with you. Yes, I have horrible penmanship. You’ll just have to endure that, sorry.
Pastor Lee went on for some time, pointing out how this definition is also for everyone sitting around me, and not only them but others as well. She began using a word that caused me to believe I needed to clarify some things here.
Pastor Kristen Lee began using the word “universality” as it relates to my definition of Grace. Further, she stated we “get grace just for being.” I also take issue with that statement. Before I clarify, let me say this, at no point did Pastor Lee say she supported the heresy of Universal Atonement, the idea that everyone goes to Heaven regardless of their faith because Jesus’ sacrifice carries that level of power. Universal atonement is a heresy of the Christian faith specifically because it operates outside faith in Jesus, which directly contradicts scripture as in John 14:6-7, among other places.
To be as clear as I can, Kristen did not say that was her point.
Pastor Lee said that for everyone around me in church and, by implication (which I am inferring here), all Christians, grace is the free gift of Jesus to those who believe in Him. It is also a gift waiting there for anyone who repents and believes as well. Those who awaken turn from their unbelief and profess faith in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, that grace exists too.
She went on to close with the expression that we do not control grace at all. We receive it and can treat others with grace, but it is not our gift to give or withhold from or to anyone. This gift is God’s alone to bestow on His children through the Holy Spirit. People do not control this. Our actions and inactions do not control this. Only God controls His grace, which is an amazingly comforting fact because I need His grace and mercy. If I want it for myself, how can I think or suggest it should be withheld from anyone else? The clear answer is that we shouldn’t, so don’t. God bless and Godspeed.