The essence of grace

374 the essence of graceSometimes I hear concerns that we are putting too much emphasis on grace. As a recommended corrective, it is then suggested that, as a kind of counterweight to the doctrine of grace, we might consider obedience, justice, and other duties mentioned in Scripture, and especially in the New Testament. Those concerned about “too much grace” have legitimate concerns. Unfortunately, some teach that how we live is irrelevant when it is by grace and not by works that we are saved. For them, grace is tantamount to not knowing obligations, rules, or expectant relationship patterns. For them, grace means that pretty much anything is accepted, since everything is pre-forgiven anyway. According to this misconception, mercy is a free pass - a kind of blanket authority to do whatever you want.

antinomianism

Antinomianism is a way of life that propagates a life without or against any laws or rules. Throughout church history this problem has been the subject of Scripture and preaching. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a martyr of the Nazi regime, spoke of “cheap grace” in his book Nachfolge in this context. Antinomianism is addressed in the New Testament. In response, Paul responded to the charge that his emphasis on grace encouraged people to "persevere in sin, that grace might abound" (Romans 6,1). The apostle's reply was brief and emphatic: "Far be it" (v.2). A few sentences later he repeats the allegation made against him and replies: “What now? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Far be it!” (v.15).

The apostle Paul's answer to the accusation of antinomianism was clear. Anyone who argues that grace means that everything is permitted because it is covered by faith is wrong. But why? What went wrong? Is “too much grace” really the problem? And is his solution really to have some kind of counterpoise to that same grace?

Which is the real problem?

The real problem is to believe that grace means God makes an exception in terms of observing a rule, command, or obligation. If Grace actually implied granting rule exceptions, then with so much grace, there would be as many exceptions. And if one says God's mercy, then we could expect him to have an exemption for every one of our duties or responsibilities. The more mercy, the more exceptions, in terms of obedience. And the less mercy, the fewer exceptions granted, a nice little deal.

Such a scheme perhaps best describes what human grace is capable of at best. But let us not forget that this approach measures grace in obedience. He counts them both against each other, whereby it comes to a constant back-and-forth-Gezerre, in which never comes peace, because both are in conflict with each other. Both sides destroy each other's success. But fortunately, such a scheme does not reflect the Grace practiced by God. The truth about grace frees us from this false dilemma.

God's grace in person

How does the Bible define grace? "Jesus Christ himself stands for God's grace towards us". Paul’s blessing at the end of the 2. Corinthians refers to "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ". Grace is freely bestowed on us by God in the form of His incarnate Son, who in turn graciously communicates God's love to us and reconciles us to the Almighty. What Jesus does to us reveals to us the nature and character of the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures reveal that Jesus is the true imprint of God's nature (Hebrews 1,3 Elberfeld Bible). There it says, “He is the image of the invisible God” and “It pleased God that all fullness should dwell in him” (Colossians 1,15; 19). Whoever sees him sees the Father, and when we know him, we will also know the Father4,9; 7).

Jesus explains that he is only doing “what he sees the Father doing” (John 5,19). He lets us know that only he knows the Father and that he alone reveals him (Matthew 11,27). John tells us that this Word of God, which existed from the beginning with God, took flesh and showed us "glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." While “the law [was] given through Moses; [has] grace and truth [...] come through Jesus Christ.” Indeed, “out of his fulness we have all taken grace for grace.” And his Son, dwelling in the heart of God from everlasting, “ announced him to us” (John 1,14-18).

Jesus embodies God's grace towards us - and he reveals in word and deed that God Himself is full of grace. He himself is grace. He gives it to us out of his being - the same one we meet in Jesus. He does not give us gifts out of dependency on us, nor on the basis of any obligation to us to give us benefits. Because of his generous nature, God gives grace, that is, he gives it to us in Jesus Christ of his own free will. Paul calls grace in his letter to the Romans a generous gift from God (5,15-17; 6,23). In his letter to the Ephesians he proclaims in memorable words: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (2,8-9).

Everything that God gives us, he gives us generously out of goodness, out of the deeply felt desire to do good to everyone who is lesser and different from him. His acts of grace arise from his benevolent, generous nature. He does not cease to let us partake of his goodness of his own free will, even if it encounters resistance, rebellion and disobedience on the part of his creation. He responds to sin with forgiveness and reconciliation of our own free will through the atonement of his Son. God, who is light and in whom there is no darkness, gives himself freely to us in his Son through the Holy Spirit so that life may be given to us in all its fullness (1 John 1,5; John 10,10).

Has God always been merciful?

Unfortunately, it has often been stated that God originally promised (even before the fall of man) that he would only grant his kindness (Adam and Eve and later Israel) if his creation fulfills certain conditions and fulfills obligations that he imposes on it. If she didn't, he wouldn't be very kind to her either. So he would give her no forgiveness and no eternal life.

According to this erroneous view, God is in a contractual "if...then..." relationship with his creation. That contract then contains conditions or obligations (rules or laws) that mankind must comply with in order to be able to receive what God asks of it. According to this view, the most important thing for the Almighty is that we obey the rules that He has laid down. If we don't live up to them, he will withhold his best from us. Worse still, he will give us what is not good, what does not lead to life but to death; now and forever.

This wrong view sees the law as the most important attribute of God's nature and thus also the most important aspect of his relationship to his creation. This God is essentially a contract God who is in a lawful and conditional relationship with his creation. He conducts this relationship according to the "master and slave" principle. On this view, God's bounty in goodness and blessings, including forgiveness, is far removed from the nature of the image of God it propagates.

In principle, God does not stand for pure will or pure legalism. This becomes particularly clear when we look at Jesus, who shows us the Father and sends the Holy Spirit. This becomes clear when we hear from Jesus about his eternal relationship with his Father and the Holy Spirit. He lets us know that his nature and character are identical to that of the Father. The father-son relationship is not characterized by rules, obligations or the fulfillment of conditions in order to obtain benefits in this way. Father and son are not in legal relationship. You have not entered into a contract with each other, according to which non-compliance on one side of the other equally entitled to non-performance. The idea of ​​a contractual, law-based relationship between father and son is absurd. The truth as revealed to us by Jesus is that their relationship is marked by sacred love, faithfulness, self-reliance, and mutual glorification. Jesus' prayer, as we read in Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John, makes it abundantly clear that that triune relationship is the basis and source of God's action in every respect; for he always acts according to himself because he is faithful.

A careful study of the Holy Scriptures makes it clear that God's relationship with his creation, even after the fall of man with Israel, is not a contractual one: it is not built on conditions that must be observed. It is important to be aware that God's relationship with Israel was not fundamentally law-based, just not an if-then contract. Paul was also aware of this. The Almighty relationship with Israel began with a covenant, a promise. The Law of Moses (the Torah) came into effect 430 years after the covenant was established. With the timeline in mind, the law was hardly considered to be the foundation of God's relationship with Israel.
Under the covenant, God freely confessed to Israel with all his goodness. And, as you will recall, this had nothing to do with what Israel itself was able to offer God (5. Mo 7,6-8th). Let us not forget that Abraham did not know God when he assured him to bless him and to make him a blessing for all peoples (1. Moses 12,2-3). A covenant is a promise: freely chosen and granted. "I will accept you as my people and I will be your God," said the Almighty to Israel (2. Mo 6,7). God's blessing was one-sided, it came from his side alone. He entered into the covenant as an expression of his own nature, character and essence. His closing with Israel was an act of grace - yes, grace!

Reviewing the first chapters of Genesis, it becomes clear that God does not deal with his creation according to some kind of contractual agreement. First of all, creation itself was an act of voluntary bestowal. There was nothing that deserved the right to exist, much less a good existence. God Himself declares, "And it was good," yes, "Very good." God freely bestows his goodness on his creation, which is far inferior to him; he gives her life. Eve was God's gift of kindness to Adam so that he might no longer be alone. Likewise, the Almighty gave Adam and Eve the Garden of Eden and made it their lucrative task to tend it so that it would be fruitful and yield life in abundance. Adam and Eve did not meet any conditions before these good gifts were freely bestowed upon them by God.

How was it after the fall, when the sacrilege made its entrance? It turns out that God continues to exercise his goodness voluntarily and unconditionally. Was not his intention to give Adam and Eve the opportunity of repentance after their disobedience, an act of grace? Also consider how God provided them with skins for clothing. Even her rejection from the Garden of Eden was an act of grace that was to prevent her from making use of the tree of life in her sinfulness. God's protection and providence towards Cain can only be seen in the same light. Also, in the protection he gave Noah and his family, as well as the rainbow assurance, we see God's grace. All these acts of grace are gifts given voluntarily in the name of the goodness of God. None of them is reward for the fulfillment of whatever, even small, legally binding contractual obligations.

Grace as undeserved benevolence?

God always freely shares his creation with his goodness. He does this forever out of his innermost being as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Everything that makes this Trinity manifest in creation comes from the abundance of its inland community. A legally and contractually based relationship with God would not honor the triune creator and author of the covenant, but make it a pure idol. Idols always enter into contractual relationships with those who satisfy their hunger for recognition because they need their followers as much as they do theirs. Both are interdependent. That is why they benefit each other for their self-serving goals. The grain of truth inherent in the saying that grace is God's undeserved benevolence is simply that we do not deserve it.

The goodness of God overcomes evil

Grace does not come into play only in the case of sin as an exception to any law or obligation. God is merciful regardless of the factual nature of sin. In other words, there is no need for demonstrable sinfulness to be merciful. Rather, his grace persists even when there is sin. It is true, therefore, that God does not cease to give his goodness his creation of his own free will, even if it does not deserve it. He then voluntarily gives her forgiveness for the price of his own reconciliation atoning sacrifice.

Even if we sin, God remains faithful because he cannot deny himself, as Paul says "[...] if we are unfaithful, he remains faithful" (2. Timothy 2,13). Because God is always truthful to himself, he loves us and holds true to his sacred plan for us even when we rebel. This constancy of grace bestowed on us shows how earnest God is in showing kindness to His creation. "For while we were still weak, Christ died for us ungodly... But God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5,6;8th). The special character of grace can be felt all the more clearly where it illuminates the darkness. And so we mostly speak of grace in the context of sinfulness.

God is merciful, regardless of our sinfulness. He proves to be faithful to his creation and holds fast to his promising destiny. We can fully recognize this in Jesus who, in the completion of his atonement, does not allow himself to be dissuaded from the power of the wicked evil. The forces of evil can not stop him from giving his life for us to live on. Neither pain nor suffering nor the heaviest humiliation could prevent him from following his holy, love-born destiny and reconciling man with God. God's goodness does not demand that evil turn to good. But when it comes to evil, goodness knows exactly what to do: it's about overcoming it, defeating it and conquering it. So there is not too much grace.

Grace: law and obedience?

How do we view Old Testament law and Christian obedience in the New Covenant regarding grace? If we reconsider that God's covenant is a one-sided promise, the answer is almost self-evident. A promise elicits a response on the part of whoever it is made to. However, keeping the promise does not depend on this reaction. There are only two options in this context: to believe in the promise full of trust in God or not. The law of Moses (the Torah) clearly stated to Israel what it means to trust in God's covenant in this phase before the ultimate fulfillment of the promise he made (i.e. before the appearance of Jesus Christ). Almighty Israel, in his grace, revealed the way of life within his covenant (the old covenant).

The Torah was given to Israel by God as a bounty. She should help them. Paul calls her a "teacher" (Galatians 3,24-25; Crowd bible). So it should be viewed as a benevolent gift of grace from Almighty Israel. The law was enacted within the framework of the old covenant, which in its promised phase (awaiting its fulfillment in the figure of Christ in the new covenant) was a pact of grace. It was intended to serve the covenant God-given purpose of blessing Israel and making it a pioneer of grace for all peoples.

God who remains true to himself wants to have the same non-contractual relationship with the people in the New Covenant, which found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He gives us all the blessings of his atonement and reconciliation life, death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. We are offered all the benefits of his future kingdom. In addition, we are offered the good fortune that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. But the offer of these graces in the New Covenant asks for a reaction - the very reaction that Israel should also have shown: Faith (trust). But within the framework of the new covenant, we trust in its fulfillment rather than its promise.

Our reaction to God's goodness?

What should be our response to the grace bestowed upon us? The answer is: "A life trusting in the promise." This is what is meant by a "life of faith." We find examples of such a way of life in the "saints" of the Old Testament (Hebrews 11). There are consequences if one does not live in trust in the promised or realized covenant. Lack of confidence in the covenant and in its author cuts us from its benefit. Israel's lack of confidence deprived her of her source of life—her sustenance, welfare, and fertility. Distrust got in the way of his relationship with God so much that he was denied a share in pretty much all the bounties of the Almighty.

God's covenant, as Paul tells us, is irrevocable. Why? Because the Almighty is faithful to him and upholds him, even when it costs him dearly. God will never turn from His Word; he cannot be forced to behave in a manner alien to his creation or his people. Even with our lack of trust in the promise, we cannot get him to be unfaithful to himself. This is what is meant when it is said that God acts “for the sake of his name”.

All instructions and commandments that are connected with him are to be obedient to us in faith in God, freely given kindness and grace. That grace found its fulfillment in the devotion and revelation of God himself in Jesus. To find pleasure in them it is necessary to accept the graces of the Almighty and neither reject nor ignore them. The instructions (commandments) that we find in the New Testament state what it means for the people of God after the foundation of the New Covenant to receive God's grace and to trust in it.

What are the roots of obedience?

So where do we find the source of obedience? It arises from reliance on God's faithfulness to the purposes of his covenant as realized in Jesus Christ. The only form of obedience to which God is concerned is obedience to faith, which manifests itself in belief in the Almighty's constancy, fidelity to word, and fidelity to oneself (Romans 1,5; 16,26). Obedience is our response to His grace. Paul leaves no doubt about this - this is particularly clear from his statement that the Israelites did not fail to comply with certain legal requirements of the Torah, but because they "rejected the way of faith, thinking that their deeds of obedience must reach their goal bring” (Romans 9,32; Good news bible). The apostle Paul, a law-abiding Pharisee, saw the striking truth that God never wanted him to achieve righteousness of himself by keeping the law. Compared with the righteousness that God was willing to bestow upon him by grace, compared with his participation in God's own righteousness which was given to him through Christ, it would (to say the least!) Be regarded as worthless filth ( Philippians 3,8-9).

Throughout the ages it has been God's will to share his righteousness with his people as a gift. Why? Because he is gracious (Philippians 3,8-9). So how do we obtain this freely offered gift? By trusting God in this regard and believing His promise to bring it to us. The obedience that God wants us to exercise is nourished by faith, hope and love towards him. The calls to obedience found throughout scripture and the commandments found in the old and new covenants are graceful. If we believe the promises of God and trust that they will be realized in Christ and then in us, we will want to live according to them as actually true and truthful. A life in disobedience is not based on trust or perhaps (still) refuses to accept what is promised to it. Only obedience arising from faith, hope and love glorifies God; for only this form of obedience bears witness to who God, as revealed to us in Jesus Christ, really is.

The Almighty will continue to show mercy to us, whether we accept or refuse His mercy. Part of his goodness is no doubt reflected in his refusal to respond to our opposition to his grace. This is how God's wrath shows itself when he responds to our "no" with a "no" in return, thus confirming his "yes" granted to us in the form of Christ (2. Corinthians 1,19). And the Almighty's "No" is just as powerfully effective as his "Yes" because it is an expression of his "Yes".

No exceptions from grace!

It is important to realize that God makes no exceptions when it comes to His higher purpose and sacred purpose for His people. Because of his faithfulness, he will not forsake us. Rather, he loves us perfectly—in the perfection of his Son. God wants to glorify us so that we trust and love him with every fiber of our ego and also radiate this perfectly in our walk of life carried by his grace. With that, our unbelieving heart fades into the background, and our life reflects our trust in God's freely granted goodness in its purest form. His perfect love will in turn give us love in perfection, bestowing upon us absolute justification and eventual glorification. “He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1,6).

Would God be merciful to us, only to ultimately leave us imperfect as it were? What if exceptions were the rule in heaven—when a lack of faith here, a lack of love there, a little unforgiveness here and a little bitterness and resentment there, a little resentment here and a little hubris there didn't matter? What condition would we be in then? Well, one like the here and now, but lasting forever! Would God really be merciful and kind if he left us in such a "state of emergency" forever? No! Ultimately, God's grace admits of no exceptions - either to His governing grace itself, nor to the dominion of His divine love and benevolent will; for otherwise he would not be merciful.

What can we counter those who abuse God's grace?

As we teach people to follow Jesus, we should teach them to understand and receive God's grace, rather than ignoring it and resisting it out of pride. We should help them to walk in the grace that God has for them in the here and now. We should make them see that no matter what they do, the Almighty will be true to himself and to his good purpose. We should strengthen them in the knowledge that God, mindful of His love for them, His mercy, His nature and His purpose, will be inflexible to any opposition to His grace. As a result, one day we will all be able to partake of grace in all its fullness and live a life supported by his mercy. In this way we will joyfully enter into the "commitments" involved - fully aware of the privilege of being a child of God in Jesus Christ, our Elder Brother.

from dr. Gary Deddo


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