Bible Talk 101: Grace

Bible Talk: 101

UNDERSTANDING GRACEby Charles R. Swindoll

John 1:14

What exactly is grace? And is it limited to Jesus' life and ministry? You may be surprised to know that Jesus never used the word itself. He just taught it and, equally important, He lived it. Furthermore, the Bible never gives us a one-statement definition, though grace appears throughout its pages . . . not only the word itself but numerous demonstrations of it. Understanding what grace means requires our going back to an old Hebrew term that meant "to bend, to stoop." By and by, it came to include the idea of "condescending favor."

If you have traveled to London, you have perhaps seen royalty. If so, you may have noticed sophistication, aloofness, distance. On occasion, royalty in England will make the news because someone in the ranks of nobility will stop, kneel down, and touch or bless a commoner. That is grace. There is nothing in the commoner that deserves being noticed or touched or blessed by the royal family. But because of grace in the heart of the queen, there is the desire at that moment to pause, to stoop, to touch, even to bless.

The late pastor and Bible scholar Donald Barnhouse perhaps said it best: "Love that goes upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace."

To show grace is to extend favor or kindness to one who doesn't deserve it and can never earn it. Receiving God's acceptance by grace always stands in sharp contrast to earning it on the basis of works. Every time the thought of grace appears, there is the idea of its being undeserved. In no way is the recipient getting what he or she deserves. Favor is being extended simply out of the goodness of the heart of the giver.

Passing The Test

Grace: This is NOT a test!

I came across this story while in my studies and I thought I'd share it. While it's not the full length of the devotional, it's a great story depicting what grace really is and how it applies to our faith. What are your thoughts?

YOU RELATE TO GOD AND OTHERS GRATEFULLY MATTHEW 20:1-16

 

Denise Banderman left work early so she could have some extra, uninterrupted
study time before her final exam in a youth ministry class at the Christian college
she attended. When she got to class, everybody was doing their last-minute
studying. The teacher, Dr. Tom Hufty, came in and said he would review with
them before the test. Most of his review came right from the study guide, but
there were some things he was reviewing that Denise had never heard. When
questioned about it, he said they were in the book and they were responsible for
everything in the book. They couldn't argue with that. Finally it was time to take
the test. "Leave them face down on the desk until everyone has one,” Dr. Hufty
instructed, “and I'll tell you when to start."

When they turned the tests over, the students saw, to their astonishment, that
every answer on the test was filled in. Denise’s name was even written on the
exam in red ink. At the bottom of the last page Dr. Hufty had written these words:
"This is the end of the exam. All the answers on your test are correct. You will
receive an A on the final exam. The reason you passed the test is because the
creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for this test
did not help you get the A. You have just experienced…grace." Dr. Hufty then
went around the room and asked each student individually, "What is your grade?
Do you deserve the grade you are receiving? How much did all your studying for
this exam help you achieve your final grade?" Then he said, "Some things you
learn from lectures, some things you learn from research, but some things you
can only learn from experience. You've just experienced grace. If you know
Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your name is written down in a book, and
you had nothing to do with writing it there. That is the ultimate grace experience."
 

When Jesus is King, you relate to God and others gratefully. You live with God
because of grace. You serve God because of love.