Understanding Grace 6

The Bible speaks of the manifold Grace of God:

5 different types of grace.

Saving Grace

Sanctifying Grace

Strengthening Grace

Sharing Grace

Serving Grace

Saving grace is God’s power and ability to justify us, forgive our sins, and make us a new creature in Jesus Christ.

It’s grace that keeps us from being lost. It’s impartation of God’s forgiveness. Its love rescuing us.

Sanctifying grace is God’s power and ability to purify us and enable us to live holy lives in a corrupt world.

keeps us from being contaminated

Its a impartation of God’s holiness

Its love cleansing us

There is two sides to every coin and there is two sides to our life in Christ.

a. there is your:

Identity - Lifestyle

Position - Practice

Positional truth - Temporal truth

Position - condition

Legal side - experiential

b. sanctifying grace brings the truth of your position in Christ into your outward conduct.

c. it’ true that God sees us through the eyes of redemption, He does not become oblivious to or disinterested in our conduct.

d. if we teach one side of the coin at the expence of the other we end up distorting the Word of God.

e. distortion looks a lot like this:

Since God’s grace was not based upon our performance or perfection, God must not care how we live.

Since God’s love and acceptance is on based on our works, we are free to do whatever we want and live however we like.

Since God only sees us in Christ, our behavior is of no consequence.

Since God has already forgiven us of everything, sin doesn’t matter.

f. The apostle Paul was aware that some would distort what he taught and took precautions to defended the truth of grace from both possible errors of legalism or living without restraint. There is always a ditch on both sides of the road of truth.

For example:

Romans 5:20–21 ESV

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

Romans 6:1–2 ESV

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

2 Peter 3:14–18 ESV

14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

g. There are problems that arise when we take a topic in the Word of God like grace and teach it like there is no other perspective to the Bible.

It was never God’s intention for grace to be an independent spiritual force.

Weather love, faith, or grace, all of the expressions and attributes of God are complementary and connect seamlessly to make us healthy, productive believers.

3. Sharing Grace

sharing grace is God’s power and ability to meet our needs and make us joyful in giving to others

it keeps us from lack and selfishness

its the impartation of God’s generosity

sharing grace is love supplying

4. Serving Grace

Serving grace is God’s power and ability to serve Him and others with His divinely imparted gifts and aptitudes.

it keeps us from being unproductive

its the impartation of God’s ability

5. God’s strengthening

Colossians 1:11–12 The Message

11 We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, 12 thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

Strengthening grace is God’s power and ability to energize and inspire us to live victoriously, to reign over the challenges and circumstances of life.

its the impartation of God’s might

its love empowering

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi made a fascinating observation about what happens when people get worn out. He said “fatigue makes cowards of us all”

Van Havner, a baptist preacher said, “ Satan does some of his worst work on exhausted Christians, when nerves are frayed and the mind is faint”

Philippians 4:13 ESV

13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Strengthens is present tense in the Greek.

I can’t live in yesterdays grace for today. Or tomorrows grace

Jesus said do not worry about tomorrow. Grace will be there for tomorrows problems

If anybody needed strengthening Grace it was Paul.

2 Corinthians 11:23–28 NIV

23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

2 Corinthians 12:8–10 ESV

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.