True Grace Part 2 & 3

Doctrinal Clarity  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Introduction

Last time we looked at this topic we went to the Greek Old Testament to find some additional context for this New Testament word.
We also looked at the relational aspects of the notion of grace.
I want to revisit both of those notions.
In the first place, I want to add to the Old Testament usage with some contemporary 1st Century context.
Then I want to dig a little deeper into the two parties in a relationship of grace.
Finally, I want to move to the next stage and consider our own reflection of grace toward others.

1st Century Grace

There are a few terms that will be helpful as we consider the usages of this word among 1st century peoples.
Patron - one that uses wealth or influence to help an individual, an institution, or a cause
Client - one that is under the protection of another
Benefactor - someone or something that provides help or an advantage : one that confers a benefit (Lk. 22:25).
Beneficiary - someone or something that provides help or an advantage : one that confers a benefit
Broker - one who acts as an intermediary
Luke 7:2-10 Illustrates these relationships well.
Three Usages:
“The willingness of a patron to grant some benefit to another person or group.” (cf. Rom. 5:15)
“Used to denote the gift itself, that is, the result of the giver’s beneficent feelings.” (cf. 1 Cor. 1:4)
Can be used to speak of the response to a benefactor and his or her gifts, namely, “gratitude” (cf. Col. 3:16)
The dance of the graces:
There are many depictions of three women representing three stages of grace.
There is the giving, the receiving, and the returning.
Any interruption of this cycle spoils the gracefulness of the dance.
“Only a gift requited is a gift well and nobly received. To fail to return favor for favor is, in effect, to break off the dance and destroy the beauty of the gracious act.”
While there is exchange here, it is not mere commerce; “The element of exchange must settle into the background, being dominated instead by a sense of mutual favor, of mutual goodwill and generosity.” - deSilva, D. A. (2012). Honor, patronage, kinship & purity: unlocking new testament culture (p. 113). Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Unwritten rules:
Just because this is a relationship and not based on written rules doesn’t mean that there were no rules.

There was no law for the prosecution of the person who failed to requite a favor (with the interesting exception of classical Macedonia), but, Seneca affirmed, the punishment of shame and being hated by all good people would more than make up for the lack of official sanctions. Neglecting to return a kindness, forgetfulness of kindnesses already received in the past, and, most horrendous of all, repaying favor with insult or injury—these were courses of action to be avoided by an honorable person at all costs.

Gratitude for, and pleasure at, receiving these gifts should be expressed “not merely in the hearing of the giver, but everywhere”

“The greater the favour, the more earnestly must we express ourselves, resorting to such compliments as:…‘I shall never be able to repay you my gratitude, but, at any rate, I shall not cease from declaring everywhere that I am unable to repay it’ ”

Increasing the fame of the giver is part of the proper return for a benefit, and a gift that one is ashamed to acknowledge openly in the hearing of all, one has no business accepting in the first place

While the giver is to train his or her mind to give no thought to the return and never to think a gift lost, the recipient is never allowed to forget his or her obligation and the absolute necessity of making a return

If the recipient should say to himself, “She gave it for the sake of giving; I owe nothing,” then the dance has turned sour, and one partner has trampled the other’s toes.

Moreover, because patrons were sensitive to the honor of their clients, they rarely called their clients by that name. Instead, they graciously referred to them as friends, even though they were far from social equals. Clients, on the whole, did not attempt to hide their junior status, referring to their patrons as “patrons” rather than as “friends” so as to highlight the honor and respect with which they esteemed their benefactors.

These are not foreign rules though they are often set aside (Rom. 2:4).

The Grace of God

God is the ultimate patron and benefactor in that He creates and sustains life (Acts 17:24-28; 1 Cor 8:6).
We live in His debt from the moment we exist (Rev. 4:9-11).
God has at times given even greater grace to some (Rom. 2:4).
He has now given this greater grace to all men (Acts 11:15-18).
But we have all failed to return grace and even scorned His grace given to us (Rom. 3:23).
And so He has bestowed grace and offered still more grace to His enemies (Rom. 5:8).
Christians are those who have accepted this additional grace and have therefore become a part of the household (Jn. 1:12-13).
He has called us friends (Jn. 15:14-15).
We are able to see all of the gifts in our lives and coming from our great benefactor (Jas. 1:17).
His instruction is grace (Lk. 4:22).

Jesus’ ministry of teaching could also be considered a gift (and not something the crowds endured in order to receive gifts!), since good advice and guidance were valued and valuable commodities. Seneca (Ben. 1.2.4), for example, includes “advice” and “sound precepts” amidst the various kinds of assistance a friend or patron would give.

Even suffering can be received as grace (Acts 5:41; Phil. 1:29-30).
Opportunities to give are grace (2 Cor. 8:4).
We can also see whatever those gifts produce as having been produced “by His grace” (1 Cor. 15:10).
Christ is both our benefactor and our broker (Lk. 23:34).

Reciprocal Grace

Because we think about the grace of God through the lens of sixteenth-century Protestant polemics against “earning salvation by means of pious works,” we have a difficult time hearing the New Testament’s own affirmation of the simple, yet noble and beautiful, circle of grace.

These were not earned, but grace is never earned in the ancient world (this again is not something that sets New Testament grace apart from everyday grace).

Thanksgiving is the foundation of our response (Heb. 12:28; Psa. 92:1-4; 1 Thess. 3:9).
We must proclaim His excellence among men (Lk. 12:8-9).
This proclamation should also be in deed (Matt. 5:16).
There is a standard of behavior that is “worthy” and that which is not (Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12).
There is also an expectation of loyalty and trust (Matt. 6:24; 1 Pet. 1:5-13).
This explains how we might come short or fall from the grace of God (Heb. 12:15; Gal. 5:4; Heb. 3:6).
All of this puts the idea of law vs. grace into a much different light (Rom. 6:12-18).
Grace is even more demanding.
But God is not a cruel benefactor and has made it clear what staying in His good graces looks like.

Grace Extended

We are not only to respond directly to God with grace, but also to imitate it in our relationships with others.
The giving of grace to the poor is considered giving back to God (Matt. 25:31-46).
But it is also mere stewardship of His gifts to us (2 Cor. 9:10-13).
To go one further, we become the “clients” in all our giving because God has made us debtors to all (Rom. 1:14-15).
What would it change if we viewed every relationship through the lens of being beneficiaries (Matt. 5:39-42)?
We would find ourselves owing love to everyone (Rom. 13:8).

Conclusion

God has given you grace upon grace from the moment you existed and continues still. But His desire is to give you even greater grace.
If you are not a Christian, then you are enjoying grace while ignoring the giver. That will not go on indefinitely. Unless you return grace (which we will speak about this evening) then the cycle will eventually be cut off.
Have you courted God’s favor? Are you in His good graces? You could be.
It would change your life.
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