Define Grace; what is grace?

Define Grace; what is grace?
Specifically, what is God's Grace?
And what's the difference between justice, mercy, and grace?


Grace is much different than Justice and Mercy:
Justice is getting exactly what we deserve. (which in our case is death)
Mercy is not getting the bad that we deserve. (again, death)
Grace is getting the good that we do not deserve. (eternal life, NO death)


But simply put, GRACE can be defined as unearned favor.  Specifically, God's grace is something God does for the benefit of His people just because He loves them, not because of something they have done to earn it.  Grace is a gift and can never be earned.  It's always totally free.  ("Cheap Grace" is a counterfeit of God's amazing free grace.  "Cheap Grace" claims to accept the benefits of God's Grace without accepting the change in the way we behave.  "Cheap Grace" requires no repentance and so there is no need to live like God asks us to live.)

God's justice, mercy and grace can be compared to the pardon that a governor of a state can give to a guilty prisoner who is facing execution (the punishment of death) for something that he or she actually did.  JUSTICE will be served and they will be killed unless the governor has MERCY and pardons (forgives) the prisoner.  But if the governor goes on and gives that prisoner not only a pardon, but also total freedom, a huge mansion to live in, and unlimited resources then he has given that guilty prisoner both MERCY & GRACE.

JUSTICE - If we only received justice from God we all would be dead because all of us have sinned Romans 3:23, and the "wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23, yet we have been given a “stay of execution” for now.

MERCY - During this "stay of execution" God offers us a pardon.  He wants to forgive us and set us free from the results of sin, and He has the legal right to do this because His Son and our Creator, Jesus, willingly came and died so that we would not have to die.  Jesus died for us so that we could live, but His death can only be our salvation if we accept it.  Just like the prisoner above, we can turn it down or we can accept this pardon that God offers; it is our choice.  John 3:16.

GRACE - If we accept the pardon that God offers us, not only will we not die, He then gives us a life that will never end.  He continues by giving us an awesome room in His own home to live in, unlimited resources, and total freedom.  That is God's AMAZING GRACE!

God's Grace is "the power of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves".  And the fact is, we cannot do anything for ourselves.  Jesus says, "...without me ye can do nothing."  John 15:5

The Bible gives us a beautiful example of what grace is and does.  When Moses took the Children of Israel out of Egypt and into the desert the people soon became thirsty, but there wasn't any water to be found, especially not for 2,000,000 people, plus their herds of animals.  God told Moses to strike a specific rock and He (God) would give the people water. (see more on this example)

The water that came out of that rock demonstrates the grace of God flowing out to all who would drink.  It also caused the parched and barren land to blossom which in turn gave the people and animals something to eat.  Without this water, without God's grace supplying the needs of the people, the people would have died.  Christ is the Rock; He is also the Living Water.

Without God's mercy and grace, without the pardon that God gives us and all the blessings we receive every minute, we would die.  Everyday God supplies us with the light of the sun, air to breath, and something to eat and drink. In fact, when you stop to think about it, without the materials that God has provided for us we cannot even create electricity on our own to make light, or create oxygen, or even create food.  God supplies all we need, but we must choose to accept His gifts, or to reject them.  We have the option of refusing to eat or drink.  We have the option of closing ourselves up in an air tight, waterproof and darkened room, but it will kill us.  We need God’s mercy and grace just to live.

And God's grace does not stop with just our physical needs either.  He has supplied what is needed for our spiritual well-being too.  If we will only read and hide it in our hearts, God's Holy Word, the Bible contains all that we need to be happy, gain total freedom and have eternal life.  The Bible tells us who God is and what He is like.

In addition to the Bible, the Father allowed His Son, Jesus, to come and show us who He (the Father) is and what He is like.  Jesus gave His life so that you and I do not have to die.  God's justice, mercy and grace are all wrapped up in Jesus.

God's grace is all around us.  He wants us to live forever and be happy, but we have a choice to make.  We can accept some of His grace during this “stay of execution” period and live here on earth for a few years, or we can accept ALL His grace and live forever with Him!

Accept the grace that God offers through Jesus, and live!

Parables of Jesus Christ The Net Scripture: Matthew 13:47-53

The Net

Scripture: Matthew 13:47-53
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 51 "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." 53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there.

Meditation: What can a story of a dragnet and a great catch of fish tell us about God's kingdom? The two most common ways of fishing in Jesus' time was with a casting-net (or hand-net) which was thrown from the shore and the drag-net or trawl which was let down or cast into the waters from a boat. As the boat moved through the waters the drag-net was drawn into the shape of a great cone which indiscriminately took in all kinds of fish and flotsam and jetsam swept in its path. It usually took several men to haul such a net to shore. What is Jesus' point here? Just as a drag-net catches every kind of fish in the sea, so the church acts as God's instrument for gathering in all who will come. Just as the drag-net does not or cannot discriminate, so the church does not discriminate between the good and the bad, the useless and the useful. God's kingdom is open to all who will accept and believe. But there will come a time of separation, at the close of the age, when the angels will send the good and the bad to their respective destinations.Our duty is to gather in all who will come. God, in the end, will give the good and the bad the reward they deserve.  God offers the treasure of his kingdom to all who believe. Do you hunger for God and his kingdom?

"Lord, increase my hunger for your kingdom and fill my heart with eager longing for you that I may one day gaze upon your face in everlasting bliss."

The Parables of Jesus The Weeds in the Grain (or The Tares) Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30

The Weeds in the Grain (or The Tares)

Scripture:  Matthew 13:24-30

24 Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?' 28 He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be  burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

Meditation:  What can malicious weed-sowing tell us about the kingdom of God? The image Jesus uses here is a common everyday example of planting, harvesting, and sorting the good fruit from the bad. Weeds can spoil and even kill a good harvest if they are not separated and destroyed at the proper time. Uprooting them too early, though, can destroy the good plants in the process. Just as nature teaches us patience, so God's patience also teaches us to guard the word he has planted in our hearts and to beware of the destructive force of sin and evil which can destroy it. God's word brings life, but Satan seeks to destroy the good seed which has been planted in the hearts of those who have heard God's word. God's judgment is not hasty, but it does come. And in the end, God will reward each according to what they have sown and reaped in this life. In that day God will separate the evil from the good. Do you allow God's word to take deep root in your heart?

"Lord, may your word take deep root in my heart and that I may bear good fruit for your glory. May I hunger for your righteousness now that I may look forward to the day of judgment with joy rather than with dismay."

The Parables of Jesus Christ The Grain of Wheat Scripture: John 12:24-26

Welcome to The Parables of Jesus Christ The Grain of Wheat hope you enjoy reading this Book of Psalm. But before we get right into The Parables of Jesus Christ The Grain of Wheat  us give homage to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and after doing this we can read Book of Isaiah.


John 1

The Word Became Flesh

The Deity of Jesus Christ

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it
.

Colossians 1: 15

The Supremacy of the Son of God


15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.


Mark 15:33-38

The Death of Jesus


33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[a]

35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.


1 Peter 1:3

[ Praise to God for a Living Hope ]j Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:2-4 (in Context) 1 Peter 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations





Scripture: John 12:24-26
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  25  He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  26 If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.

Meditation: What can a grain of wheat tell us about life and the kingdom of God? Jesus drew his parables from the common everyday circumstances of life.  His audience, rural folk in Palestine, could easily understand the principle of new life produced by dead seeds sown into the earth. What is the spiritual analogy which Jesus alludes to? Is this, perhaps, a veiled reference to his own impending death on the cross and resurrection? Or does he have another kind of "death and rebirth" in mind for his disciples? Jesus, no doubt, had both meanings in mind for his disciples. The image of the grain of wheat dying in the earth in order to grow and bear a harvest can be seen as a metaphor of Jesus' own death and burial in the tomb and his resurrection. Jesus knew that the only way to victory over the power of sin and death was through the cross. Jesus reversed the curse of our first parents' disobedience through his obedience to the Father's will -- his willingness to go to the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins and to defeat death once and for all. His obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom and new life in the Holy Spirit.  His cross frees us from the tyranny of sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love.

There is a great paradox here. Death leads to life. When we "die" to ourselves, we "rise" to new life in Jesus Christ. What does it mean to "die" to oneself? It certainly means that what is contrary to God's will must be "crucified" or "put to death". God gives us grace to say "yes" to his will and to reject whatever is contrary to his loving plan for our lives. Jesus also promises that we will bear much "fruit" for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake. Jesus used forceful language to describe the kind of self-denial he had in mind for his disciples. What did he mean when he said that one must hate himself? The expression to hate something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says that nothing should get in the way of our preferring him and the will of our Father in heaven. Our hope is in Paul's reminder that "What is sown in the earth is subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible" (1 Cor. 15:42).  Do you hope in the Lord and follow joyfully the path he has chosen for you?

"Lord, let me be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for you.  I want to follow wherever you lead me.  Give me fresh hope and joy in serving you all the days of my life."

Jesus Christ love for one another

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Genesis 22:2
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
Genesis 22:1-3 (in Context) Genesis 22 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 24:67
And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Genesis 24:66-67 (in Context) Genesis 24 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 25:28
And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Genesis 25:27-29 (in Context) Genesis 25 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 27:4
And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
Genesis 27:3-5 (in Context) Genesis 27 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 27:9
Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
Genesis 27:8-10 (in Context) Genesis 27 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 27:14
And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
Genesis 27:13-15 (in Context) Genesis 27 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 29:18
And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
Genesis 29:17-19 (in Context) Genesis 29 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 29:20
And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
Genesis 29:19-21 (in Context) Genesis 29 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 29:30
And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
Genesis 29:29-31 (in Context) Genesis 29 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 29:32
And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.
Genesis 29:31-33 (in Context) Genesis 29 (Whole Chapter)
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ANOINTING » Of Jesus, as a token of love (Luke 7:37,38,46; John 11:2;12:3)
ASSURANCE » Confirmed by love (1 John 3:14,19;4:18)
ASSURANCE » SAINTS PRIVILEGED TO HAVE » The unalienable love of God (Romans 8:38,39)
BENEVOLENCE » See LOVE
BROTHER » Love of (Proverbs 17:17;18:24; Song of Solomon 8:1)
BROTHER » Reuben's love for Joseph (Genesis 37:21,22)
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CHARITABLENESS » See LOVE
CHARITY » See LOVE
CHILDREN » GOOD » Show love to parents (Genesis 46:29)
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