grace – La Vista Church of Christ

In the Age of Grace

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 21:01:14 +0000

by Terry Wane Benton

I talked to a gentleman today at the dentist's office who noticed me reading my Bible, and he struck up a conversation about churches and the Bible. He said the church today is more about rules than grace. I said that is true in some cases, and in other cases, religious people use grace to excuse themselves from ignoring God’s rules. He went on to say that baptism is not part of the age of grace. I pointed out that the age of grace began on the Pentecost of Acts 2 and that the Spirit had Peter command the people to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ “for remission of sins” (to receive the grace offered). While the conversation didn’t seem to make any progress, I was called into my appointment. I invited him to visit with us, and he said he might just do that.

The conversation reminded me that so many people know just enough scriptures to justify anything. Many think that Jesus died for all our sins, and that allows us in this “age of grace” to hold a false assurance that as long as we have faith of any content or measure, we are automatically covered and can believe and practice any number of errors and still go to heaven. I feel a need to correct that concept.

The Bible teaches that grace covers sins we repent of, not sins we are determined to practice (Acts 8:22f). Grace “teaches us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts” (Titus 2:11). If grace doesn’t teach us this, we are not exposed to “true grace,” but a false version of grace not taught by the Bible. Jesus died for our sins so that we would see God’s love and renounce the works of the flesh (the things that nailed Jesus to the cross) and listen to the Spirit of grace teach us how to escape the bondage of sin.

We are in the age of grace, and this means that grace provides what the Law of Moses did not, a real means of pardon. Every animal sacrifice in that system pointed to the ultimate, all-efficient, and sufficient sacrifice of Jesus. It does not mean we are now free to sin. Grace taught the 3000 to repent of their sins, bury their past in baptism, and, in the name of Jesus, rise up to walk in the newness of life, now forgiven and now determined to live under the rule of our king, Jesus the Messiah (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-6). The grace of God teaches us to live godly and soberly (Titus 2:11f), or we have not been under grace as of yet. Beware of those who “turn the grace of God into a license to sin” (Jude 3-4). Grace provides pardon and a drive toward righteous living, not a license to “continue in sin that grace may abound.” God forbid that we view grace in that manner (Romans 6:1ff).

Grow in Grace and Knowledge

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 22:45:48 +0000

by Edwin Crozier

Peter began his second letter saying God’s “divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (II Peter 1:3 ESV). Coming full circle, he ends the letter saying we must “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18 ESV).

He has granted us all things. While the Greek word in II Peter 1:3 differs from the word translated “grace” in II Peter 3:18, the concept is similar. God has bestowed favor. He has given gifts. He has graced us with all that is necessary for life and godliness.

Further, God granted all that was necessary through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He then instructed us to add knowledge as one of the qualities of spiritual maturity (II Peter 1:5). No wonder he concludes by telling us to grow in knowledge.

When Peter tells us to grow in knowledge, he doesn’t mean general knowledge. Learning calculus and American history are good things, but Peter doesn’t have that kind of increased knowledge in mind. We must grow in our knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We must move from mere acquaintanceship to devoted followers. At no point can we be satisfied saying we know Christ well enough. Let us grow in that knowledge.
Growing in knowledge makes immediate sense to most of us. Growing in grace, however, puzzles many. Many equate grace with forgiveness. For those who do, “grow in the grace” sounds like increasingly relying on forgiveness as we continue following Christ. That, however, seems contradictory to the whole point of the letter, which claims we are to increase in holiness and godliness. As we add virtue, self-control, steadfastness, and godliness to our faith and as these increase in our lives, shouldn’t we be sinning less? Shouldn’t we need forgiveness less? All things being equal, that is precisely what we expect from the maturing Christian.

How then do we grow in grace? We do not do so by sinning more and more so God can forgive us more and more (for corroboration, see Romans 6:1-2). Rather, we recognize that while forgiveness is a gift of grace, it is not the sum total of grace. Grace not only forgives us when we have sinned, but it also trains us and strengthens us to overcome sin (see Titus 2:11-12). If God has granted us all things pertaining to life and godliness, we grow in grace by relying more and more on what God has given us.

The battle against sin never ends. Though we increase virtue, self-control, steadfastness, and godliness and, therefore, decrease sin, the enemy still attacks. The false teachers still make their appeals. The persecutors still persecute. The scoffers still scoff. The fleshly desires still lure. We must never believe we have so conquered sin that we no longer need the grace of God to conquer it. Rather, we continue to rely on all God has given us in the battle so we can increasingly overcome. In this way, we grow in grace.

But as we end the letter, we must remember the beginning. God has given us all we need. We can grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus and be found by Him without spot or blemish because of God’s power and promises. We will make every effort, but our efforts are only effective and fruitful because of God’s grace and gifts. Yet, we can take comfort that God has given grace; therefore, we will make every effort to grow in it. And grow we will. For as Peter said at the end of his first letter, God is the one who will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us.

Praise the Lord!

Is the phrase “We are now living under grace” incorrect?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 22:46:06 +0000

Question:

Is the phrase, "We are now living under grace," incorrect?

Answer:

The phrase is based on Romans 6:14, but to understand it properly, let's look at the context:

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6:12-18).

Paul argued that we cannot let sin reign over us (Psalms 19:13; 119:133). The very command implies that we have a choice when it comes to sin. Sin’s roots are in the desires of the body, which must be controlled (James 1:13-16; I John 2:15-17). We cannot give over parts of our body to be used as tools for unrighteousness (Colossians 3:5). Instead, we are to be tools of God to do righteousness (I Peter 4:1-3).

Sin’s existence is defined by the Law (Romans 6:20-21; 7:7), but we are not under the law but under grace. Therefore, sin is not to reign over the Christian. Paul is not saying that we are not obligated to obey the law, but that we are not justified or saved by law. Our justification comes from God’s grace; therefore, sin should have no hold on us to dominate us.

The law forbids sins. Grace is given to forgive sins. Since we are not under the law but grace, Paul supposes there may be some who would conclude that we would have no obligations to be obedient to the law’s commands against sin. Paul asserts that such a conclusion cannot be drawn (Galatians 5:13; I Peter 2:16; Jude 4).

To prove this, Paul points out that we serve whomever we obey. If we are following sin, we are serving sin, not Christ (John 8:24; I John 2:17). You can’t serve both at once (Matthew 6:24). Thankfully, for Christians, service to sin is a thing of the past, ending when we sincerely obey God’s teaching. Set free from sin, we were made slaves of righteousness (John 8:32; Galatians 5:1). Therefore, we have never been left independent to choose our own way (I Corinthians 7:22; I Peter 2:16).

Therefore, the phrase is biblically correct, but people are likely using it incorrectly.

Jesus Is Both Lord and Savior

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:06:11 +0000

by Scott Smelser
via InLight Media

Many of us have friends or family who care about Jesus, are grateful for his sacrifice, respect his word, and want to serve him, but they've also been influenced by common misconceptions at the core of much evangelical protestantism which ultimately paint God as accepting (not preferring of course, but certainly accepting) unrepentant and disobedient lives - so long as faith alone was had, and a sinner's prayer was said.

Conversations about this often get tangled in confusion over the roles of grace, faith, obedience, and works. If that sounds familiar to you, I have a couple of suggestions.

When there is time, it's helpful to do a deep dive into Romans, where Paul addresses all of this.
Lacking the luxury of time, the issue can also be addressed simply and briefly by focusing on Jesus' dual roles as both Lord and Savior, not just one or the other. For example, the blood of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount are both from Jesus, but they serve different purposes. One pays for our sins (Matthew 26:28), the other must be obeyed (Matthew 7:21-29). Obedience does not pay for sins. That's the blood. But Jesus as Lord must also be obeyed.

Jesus is more than just our Savior — He's also our Lord. That's a whole other aspect to God's Son that has huge implications for our relationship with Him, and even for the way we live.

I believe this video can help your friends because it's short, clear, and based directly on Scripture. And it ends with a powerful point from Jesus himself about both grace and accountability (Matthew 18:23-35). I encourage you to give it a listen.

Is it grace that someone survives an accident?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 21:40:31 +0000

Question:

Good day, sir,

When the Bible talks about grace or mercy, does it only refer to salvation? Many people mention grace when someone survives an accident, but grace is used for everything.

Thanks.

Answer:

Grace is a gift given to you because the giver wanted to give it, not because you earned it or deserved it. You can't demand grace because the offer is not your decision.

Mercy is a judge deciding to release you from a punishment that you deserved because of your wrongful actions. You might request mercy from a judge, but you have to understand that it is not your decision as to whether mercy will be extended or not. It is solely the judge's decision.

The terms can be applied to many situations. Thus, surviving an accident can be viewed as a gift from God.

Question:

I appreciate your response.

I guess the actual question is what about the one in an accident who died, while the rest are scratch-free? The other day, my brother told a woman that it was God's grace that helped her. What do you tell the family of the other one who passed on?

Thanks.

Answer:

As with anyone who loses someone he or she loves, you express your sympathy, "I am very sorry about your loss. I know you are missing him." Often, encouraging them to talk about the good memories they have of the person who died helps them balance the pain. Don't minimize the grief they are going through.

In addition, be helpful in specific ways. Instead of broad offers of help, such as "Let me know if you need anything," offer concrete help like "Can I bring dinner tomorrow?" or "I'm going to the store, what can I pick up for you?"

Grace and Baptism

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 02:41:56 +0000

by David Gibson

To say that baptism is essential to salvation does not at all contradict the truth that we are saved by grace. We can never earn our salvation. Baptism is a condition of salvation. It is likely that others have made the following points, but they need to be reiterated.

Dipping seven times in the Jordan was a condition for Naaman to be cleansed of his leprosy (II Kings 5). And washing in the pool of Siloam was a condition for the blind man to receive his sight (John 9). Neither man earned his cure. Neither man could boast about what he had done. Each knew the grace of God had healed him.

God could have used other means in their cases if He so chose. In fact, Jesus healed both lepers and blind men without using water (Matthew 8:2-4; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 17:11-19). But neither Naaman nor the blind man of John 9 could expect a cure unless they went to the water.

Similarly, God makes baptism a condition of salvation. Just as in the cases of Naaman and the blind man, God has chosen water as an element in our healing.

Was there something in the Jordan River water that could cleanse lepers? Could the waters of the pool of Siloam in themselves make blind men see? Surely it is evident that in both cases the power of God healed these men, on the condition that they washed in the water which God specified. This was a test of their faith and obedience.

Water does not wash away sins, but the blood of Christ does. When? At the moment we are buried with Him in baptism (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

Praise be to God for His marvelous grace!

Naaman Was Healed by Grace Through Faith

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 18:48:29 +0000

by Terry Wane Benton

At first, Naaman did not appreciate the simple instructions to dip in the Jordan seven times (II Kings 5:1-14). He wanted to be healed of leprosy, but he wanted it to be on his terms. He imagined that God would heal him some other way. He was wrong. God would not heal him until he washed in the Jordan as instructed.

God does not say something and then allow man to ignore or change what He said. There was nothing meritorious about Naaman that deserved healing. Thus, if Naaman gets healed at all, it would be by grace. God’s grace offered terms of healing. Naaman would have to believe God and His terms enough to obey. Even when Naaman obeyed, it was not works of merit that saved him from leprosy. Obedience is not works of merit whereby God owes us. God did not owe Naaman healing even when Naaman obeyed the terms. It was by God’s grace, and it was through faith that Naaman was healed. However, until Naaman obeyed the terms (dipping in the Jordan seven times), he was not demonstrating faith. He was showing unbelief.

The same is true of the terms of pardon from sin. 3,000 Jews cried out, “What shall we do?” on Pentecost (Acts 2:37). They were told to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). Remission of sins was not theirs until they met the terms offered by God’s grace. By grace, they were saved through faith, but faith is not of the saving quality until it obeys, until repentance and baptism in the name of the Lord.

When faith is tested by the command to repent and be baptized, but instead, like Naaman, begins to argue about the terms, then it becomes unbelief. Unless the 3,000 actually repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, their conviction of sin does not bring them the remission of sins.

Faith is submissive and obedient to the command to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins. It is still a free gift offered by God. It is still by grace through faith. When the 3,000 gladly received his word and were baptized, their sins were washed away just as Naaman’s leprosy was washed away when he dipped seven times in the Jordan. His faith was challenged by the command to dip seven times in the Jordan. His faith was failing him until he obeyed. Likewise, the faith of the 3,000 would have failed them if they did not obey the terms of pardon.

Has your faith moved you to obey? Has your faith failed?

Grace and Obedience of Faith

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 27 May 2025 16:59:24 +0000

by Steve Wolfgang

The relationship between grace and the human response through the obedience of faith (see the bookended inclusio of Romans 1:5 and 16:25) has been true even in the Old Testament, often erroneously viewed as a primitive, works-based covenant. But, truly, even the Mosaic law itself, as well as the Abrahamic covenant, were fundamentally expressions of faith in accepting and receiving the gifts of God's grace:

"The promise to Abraham was effective because he believed it and acted upon it, continuing to do so long after it had become humanly impossible. The exodus was promised by God, but it would not have happened if the Israelites had not responded to the leading of Moses, and even then some of them did so reluctantly. The same people received the promise of the land, but because their faith and obedience failed at the crucial point, they never received it and perished in the wilderness. And so it goes on all the way through scripture. The promise comes as the initiative of God's grace and always depends on his grace. But that grace has to be accepted and responded to by faith and obedience."
[Christopher J.H. Wright, Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992), p. 68, LOGOS edition].

Always with Grace

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 20:26:45 +0000

by David Gibson

It was about 4:00 a.m. in the ICU. There had been a change of shifts, and a nurse entered Chub Lambert’s room whom he had not met before.

“Good morning!” Chub said. “How are you doing today?” She didn’t respond at first. After a pause, she said, “I don’t know how to answer that because in all the time I’ve worked here, no one has ever inquired how I am.”

How many of those whom a nurse serves are irritable and demanding? Nurses must have a thick skin and exercise great patience with their patients.

How do we view those who serve us in restaurants, stores, and other public places? Do we see them as individuals with needs and feelings, like ourselves? How sensitive are we to how our words and actions affect them personally? Are we careful about our tone of voice? Do we say thank you when they refill our glass of water?

Do we tell people off when the service is deficient? What impression does that make on the gospel? Do we communicate our concerns calmly and courteously if we have a real problem with a product or service?

“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Colossians 4:5-6 NASB).

What Chub’s nurse said indicates that consideration is in short supply. Therefore, any effort to be pleasant will definitely be noticed! How simple, yet it can open hearts to the gospel!

From Now on Sin No More

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 16:17:05 +0000

by Zeke Flores

There she sat, crumpled on the ground and completely humiliated. She was plainly guilty of her adultery, but her only defender turned the legal quibble into a moral quandary. Who had the right to judge her? No one, it seems.

One by one, they dropped their stones and shuffled away.

Jesus chose forgiveness over condemnation, but make no mistake: It was not some sort of "cheap grace" that He extended. His explicit instructions, "Go and sin no more," detail the acceptance He offered. Just a moment ago, she was humbled in humiliation; now, she had an opportunity for righteousness and self-respect. We can only imagine that the woman sought to do just what Jesus said: go and sin no more.

What about you?

Jesus accepts you, but He accepts you on His terms. That makes sense since He's a Sovereign King. When we try to insinuate Him into our lives without making room by clearing out sin, we fail miserably.

If we want His forgiveness, His instructions to us are the same as He gave to the woman: Go and sin no more.

"Jesus stood up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neigther do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more'" (John 8:10-11).