|
About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman
Extending
Grace There are two ways in
which the word "grace" is used in the New Testament.
The first is God's favour directed to us who do not deserve it.
The second is the divine ability provided to us to accomplish God's
will in our lives, which is seen in the following passages. Romans 12:6 states that
God's grace, divine ability, enables us to carry out our ministry
calling. "We have different
gifts, according to the grace given to
each of us." Romans 1:5 states that
Paul and those with him received grace, divine ability, to facilitate
their apostolic mission. "Through him we
received grace and apostleship to call all
the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's
sake." 1 Corinthians 15:10
states God's grace, divine ability, made Paul the man of God that he had
become. "But by the grace
of God I am what I am, and his grace to me
was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not
I, but the grace of God that was with
me." 2 Corinthians 8:1 and 2
state that the poverty-stricken Macedonian believers received grace,
divine ability, to give beyond their human ability to give.
"And now, brothers
and sisters, we want you to know about the grace
that God has given the Macedonian churches.
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and
their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." More passages could be
added to the above to show that God's grace can be defined as His divine
ability given to us to accomplish His will in our lives.
The undeserved favour God has given us is intended to flow
through us and out to others, as seen in Colossians 4:6. "Let your
conversation be always full of grace,
seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" The reception of God's
unmerited favour towards us must be more than a matter of our minds,
more than a theological concept we believe.
It must be a matter of our hearts where it becomes the conviction
whereby we live. Far too
often we talk about receiving God's undeserved favour in our lives but
it ends there. All that we
receive from the Lord is expected to be shared with others, and that
includes grace, His unmerited favour.
If, therefore, we have received God's undeserved favour in our
lives as we claim, we possess God's divine ability to extend it to
others.
|