Everyone likes to talk about God’s grace – and rightly so. We would have no hope without it. But many have stretched the concept far beyond what Scripture actually teaches.<\/p>\n
Some view grace as if it automatically overlooks every act of disobedience. Others make it so mysterious that no one can really know where he stands with God. The truth is much simpler. God’s grace is wonderful beyond measure, but it operates within the conditions He has revealed.<\/p>\n
Before we can appreciate grace, it helps to understand what grace is not.<\/p>\n
Grace is not a permission slip for sin. Some seem to think that because we are saved by grace, our conduct is no longer important. Paul addressed that very error when he asked, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?<\/em>” His answer left no doubt: “God forbid<\/em>” (Romans 6:1-2). Grace does not excuse sin; it provides the means by which God forgives our sins.<\/p>\n Grace is not unconditional. We certainly cannot earn salvation. Paul plainly taught that we are saved by grace through faith, “not of works, lest any man should boast<\/em>” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet God has always attached conditions to His blessings. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8), but he still had to build the ark exactly as God commanded (Genesis 6:22). God’s grace provided the opportunity; Noah’s obedient faith accepted it.<\/p>\n Grace is not forced upon anyone. God offers His favor freely, but He does not remove man’s ability to choose. The Scriptures warn that one can “fall from grace<\/em>” (Galatians 5:4) and can receive the grace of God “in vain<\/em>” (II Corinthians 6:1). These passages would make no sense if grace could not be resisted.<\/p>\n So, what does grace do?<\/p>\n First, grace teaches us. Titus 2:11-12 says that the grace of God has appeared, “teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world<\/em>.” Grace is more than God’s favor-it is God’s instruction. It teaches us how He wants us to live.<\/p>\n Second, grace provides the remedy for our sin problem. All have sinned (Romans 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Left to ourselves, we would be in a hopeless condition. Through His grace, God sent His Son to die for us, making forgiveness possible while He remains perfectly just.<\/p>\n Third, grace gives us access to God. Because of Christ, we can “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need<\/em>” (Hebrews 4:16). What a tremendous blessing!<\/p>\n The bottom line is simple: Grace is God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. But His grace never relieves us of the responsibility to do what He has commanded.<\/p>\n May we never take God’s grace for granted. Instead, let us receive it humbly, obey Him gratefully, and walk faithfully in the light of His truth.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Greg Gwin via Seeking Things Above Everyone likes to talk about God’s grace – and rightly so. We would have no hope without it. But many have stretched the concept far beyond what Scripture actually teaches. Some view grace as if it automatically overlooks every act of disobedience. Others make it so mysterious that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[426,48],"class_list":["post-98854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-free-will","tag-grace"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31874,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-support-conscientious-objection\/","url_meta":{"origin":98854,"position":0},"title":"Do you support conscientious objection?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you or your church support selective conscientious objection and conscientious objection? Answer: Registering for the draft is a government law that does not violate any teaching of God. \"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1296,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-boy-girl-relationships-not-advisable-at-a-young-age\/","url_meta":{"origin":98854,"position":1},"title":"Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 3, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age Answer: Youth is a time of impatient desires. They want the things available to adults, but adulthood seems so far away. The typical teenage boy enters puberty around the age of 11. The typical teenage girl enters puberty around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37138,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/we-lost-the-surprise-somewhere\/","url_meta":{"origin":98854,"position":2},"title":"We Lost the Surprise Somewhere","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I remember watching Mayberry RFD and related shows most of my childhood. Poor ignorant Gomer Pyle who worked as an auto mechanic was a notable character. But I can still recall my shock when I found out that Jim Nabors, who played Gomer, could sing --\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Gomer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32196,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-sin-to-take-out-insurance\/","url_meta":{"origin":98854,"position":3},"title":"Is it a sin to take out insurance?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it a sin to take out medical insurance or legal insurance? Are we rather expected to put our faith in the Lord to take care of those things? Answer: We were taught to pray, \"Give us this day our daily bread\" (Matthew 6:11), but God still commands us\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61889,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-book-of-my-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":98854,"position":4},"title":"The Book of My Life","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 19:23-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Each week the paper publishes its list of top selling books \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes the books are biographies, fictional stories, or fiction placed in historical settings. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They hope that others will also purchase the books, if for no other reason than curiosity. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many author\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6988,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-there-passages-that-refer-to-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":98854,"position":5},"title":"Are there passages that refer to THE Lord’s Supper?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have been studying the Lord's supper issues and one of our main concerns is about a second offering in which only a few partake, for the reasons you listed in your article (not doing it together). 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