Key
Word Study #24: GRACE
Acts 15:1-11
Between the two
key words of Division and Unity (key words 22 and 25), there are two other key
words: Humility (key word 23) and this key word study of Grace.
What do we mean
by grace? In Acts 15:11, we see the word “grace” as is most commonly thought of
as far as theological terms go and that is our saving grace. “But we believe
that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same
manner as they,” Peter boldly proclaimed to those who were wanting to put the
yoke and bondage of legalism on the new Gentile believers.
When we talk
about the church, we should definitely address Grace as a key word, as it has
several different applications to the word. We’ve already discussed earlier
about salvational grace and that is what is being addressed in verse 11. But
have your really paid much attention to the way that Paul starts off almost
every epistle he sent?
“Grace to You
and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Has a little familiar
ring to it, doesn’t it? It’s because in every letter, every epistle we have recorded
from the hands of Paul, we have this same formula of an impartation of a
blessing. Every letter? Yep. Look it up if you want to, I’ll be here when you
come back.
Okay, maybe not the book of Hebrews, but many people do not necessarily ascribe that epistle to Paul. But you have to admit, when you look up Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; and Philemon 1:3, that does seem to be pretty consistent, doesn’t it?
Okay, okay, now in 1st and 2nd Timothy and in Titus, what we commonly call the pastoral epistles, we see a slight variation with the inclusion of the word “mercy.” Maybe he knew that pastors especially needed a little more inclusion of mercy, I know I do. But still, grace and peace are there.
Now for the record, Peter also imparts grace and peace in a slightly different form in 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2 and so does the Apostle John in 2 John 1:3, and again in Rev. 1:4.
So, you may ask, now just what is so amazing about grace? (If you didn’t ask it, Philip Yancey must have). Besides the fact that Amazing Grace is perhaps the most universally known hymn, it would be good to define what grace is.
Grace has at its very core the word which is frequently described as “unmerited favor.” Even more simply it is “undeserved blessing.” It has been explained with the acrostic “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” (Did you notice the little acrostic there? No, I didn’t invent that, unless you’ve never seen that before, in which case, every time you use that acrostic, I want you to say, “copyright: Tim McKeown,” or at least post that on your Facebook or Twitter page and attribute it to me. I did say it first at least to you.)
But aside from that, how does the Bible explain grace? 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” In that passage, like Acts 15:11, grace is that unmerited favor which saves us. But what about when Paul and Peter and John were all wishing “grace” on those to whom they are writing? Weren’t they writing to churches which hopefully were already saved? Of course. So let’s look more deeply in how the Bible also uses the word grace in other ways than salvation and saving grace.
Types Of Grace:
Saving Grace is initialized at our salvation
Sustaining Grace is realized in our sanctification and
Supreme Grace is finalized at our glorification.
