• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
ReligiousLiberty.TV / Founders' First Freedom®

ReligiousLiberty.TV / Founders' First Freedom®

religious liberty and religious freedom news

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Articles
  • Podcast
Home » God Has Enough Grace for Everybody

God Has Enough Grace for Everybody

May 13, 2013 by Jason Hines

iStockPhoto

By Jason Hines –

At the suggestion of a follower on Twitter (thanks @bsudah!) I went through a word study of grace in the Bible. In the NASB, the word grace appears approximately 125 times. A good amount of the time the word is used either in greeting at the beginning of an epistle or at the conclusion of an epistle. It happened so often that it almost made me think that God’s grace might be something that only applied to Christians, a concept that only made sense in discussing what God had done for us. Paul extends the grace of God so often to his readers/listeners that I can almost understand why it seems like some Christians today believe grace only belongs to them.

But what is grace exactly? That’s another thing you lose sight of as you are inundated with the word “grace” being used similarly then to the way we use hello today. This was the dictionary definition that I liked best – “a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior.” How perfect an encapsulation of what Christ has done for us! In my short jaunt through scripture I was able to glean a few things about God’s grace. First, Christ’s death is the evidence of His grace, His grace was given without regard to our desire for it, and it was given to everyone. Rom 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” If God’s death was given while we were yet sinners, then it seems obvious to me that it is a gift that is extended to the righteous and unrighteous alike. Second, God’s grace continues to operate on my behalf and continues to have absolutely nothing to do with my own goodness. Paul says it so simply when he says, “if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.” How great is God that He extends grace to us regardless of whether our lives deem us worthy of this great gift. It’s a good thing He does that too, because it seems evident that we will all need it at some point, even after we find Christ. “ [F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3: 23, 24)

Paul goes into even greater detail on this point in 2 Corinthians, using his own life as an example. In 2 Cor 12:7-10 Paul talk about a thorn in his flesh, that was sent by Satan to torment him. When he asks God to remove it God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” I have always found this fascinating and there has been more than enough ink spilled on the theories of what the thorn in the flesh was. But if Paul’s weakness was spiritual as opposed to physical, then the implications of this verse are far-reaching. Could it be that God refused to remove a temptation Paul felt because that temptation allowed God’s grace to strengthen Paul and kept Paul from exalting himself? I have no idea, but the idea that Paul could accomplish all that he did even as he struggled with his own demons gives me hope in the power of God’s grace.

It is this cognizance of our own struggles that confuses me when I see how unwilling some Christians are to extend grace to others. When I see the vitriol that is spewed against “sinners” or the downfall of society by those who claim to have accepted the free gift of God I wonder, “Where is that grace?” When I see Christians accusing other Christians of not being Christians because of their sexuality or because they believe differently than them I wonder where God’s grace has gone. Someone on my blog this week accused me of not believing in the Bible (and by accused I mean told me I didn’t believe in the Bible) because I questioned the potential mistranslation of a text. I wonder sometimes what this world would be like if we responded with the love and grace of God instead of with the seemingly righteous condemnation we hear far too often. I know every Christian doesn’t act that way, but sometimes it seems like we think God’s grace is some finite substance, and that if we extend it to the people most in need of it, we somehow won’t have enough for our own use. I am here to assure us all tonight; God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness, and God’s grace is not only sufficient enough for you, but for every single human being.

###

Jason Hines, an attorney and doctoral candidate in church-state studies at Baylor University, originally posted this article on his blog at http://thehinesight.blogspot.com

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhoto

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: Cross, forgiveness, grace, Jesus Christ, justice, mercy, Paul, thorn

Primary Sidebar

Geneva, Switzerland - December 03, 2019: World Health Organization (WHO / OMS) Headquarters - DepositPhotos.com

Biden admin could hand over US control of health emergencies to WHO next week

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The ultimate control over America’s health care and its national sovereignty will be put up for a vote next week at a meeting of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) governing legislative body, the World Health Assembly (WHA).  On May 22-28, 2022, the 75th World Health Assembly will convene at the United Nations […]

Statement on the Leak in Dobbs

The leak was intended to disrupt the processing of the decision and we are not going to dignify the leak or the unidentified leaker by analyzing it prematurely. As a constitutional republic we cannot go down that road without doing severe damage to the institution of the Supreme Court where there must be professional courtesy between the justices and their staffs.

Boston City Hall - photo from Supreme Court Opinion

Supreme Court rules 9-0 that Boston violated 1st Amendment in refusing Christian flag at City Hall

This morning the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Shurtleff v. Boston (Dec’d 5/2/2022) that the city of Boston violated the free speech rights of a Christian group when it refused to allow them to participate in a city flag raising program.

Active Liberty - a survey of Justice Stephen Breyer's religion clause jurisprudence - Supreme Court

Active Liberty: A Survey of Justice Stephen Breyer’s Religion Clause Decisions

A comprehensive review of retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s decisions in Free Exercise and Establishment Clause cases.

Canadian gov’t calculates that expansion of assisted suicide will save taxpayers millions of dollars

In Canada, it is easier for the disabled who do not suffer terminal illness to get approval for assisted suicide than approval for affordable housing. The government has calculated the cost of providing healthcare versus providing assisted suicide.

Random Quote

“In America, it is against the law to fire an employee for expressing his religious beliefs—especially when that expression takes place at church. This kind of religious intolerance by an employer has no place in today’s workforce.”

— Andrew Coffman

Get the ReligiousLiberty.TV Newsletter!

Comes out a couple of times a month. Unsubscribe anytime automatically, no questions asked.
* = required field
unsubscribe from list

powered by MailChimp!

Copyright © 2022 Founders' First Freedom is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Articles
  • Podcast
0
0
0
0