“Grace” derives from the Greek, charis.
In secular Greek, charis was related to chairo, “to rejoice.” As
far back as Homer it denoted “sweetness” or “attractiveness.”
Charis came to signify “favor,”
“goodwill,” and “lovingkindness” — especially as granted by a superior to an
inferior.
In the New Testament, “grace” (156 times)
takes on a special redemptive sense in which God makes available his favor on
behalf of sinners, who actually do not deserve it.
There is tremendous emphasis in the New
Testament upon the fact that human salvation is the result of Heaven’s grace.
This beautiful truth should never be minimized. At the same time, it must not
be perverted.
It is God's redemption at Christ's expense. Always remember that Grace excludes merit.
“If you don’t preach pure, unadulterated
grace, people’s lives will never be gloriously blessed and gloriously
transformed.” This one statement that God made to Joseph Prince in 1997
completely transformed the way Joseph preached and taught the gospel. And thus
began the Grace Revolution.
God's grace freely provides what we have the inability to produce
ourselves. Grace elicits the confidence that he will accomplish that
which he requires of us—as we cooperate with and obey him. When we preach
grace, we motivate our listeners to trust God in confidence rather than shrink
from him in fear.
The Holy Spirit whispered to me in 2015 whilst I was driving, that,
"Grace is a person". Grace is not a doctrine.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and
only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14b NIV
For the
grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. Titus 2:11
NLT
For the
Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God]
and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 AMP
The Law is about you looking at yourself. However, the new covenant is
all about you seeing Jesus.
"Ungrace," on the other hand, leaves people looking to
themselves to produce the very thing they lack—and therefore, leaves them
burdened and discouraged. I find the article written by Ron Forseth very interesting.
Grace empowers righteous living. Ungrace disables it.
Grace motivates obedience because God has generously given us what we
need. Ungrace demands obedience under threat of condemnation if we
come up short.
Grace begins with the provision of God and ends with the completeness of
the believer. Ungrace begins with the incompleteness of the hearer
and ends with the same. Grace leads to freedom and
victory. Ungrace leads to bondage and defeat.
Grace looks to God as the source of that which is required—and much is
required! Ungrace looks to people to produce what they lack.
Grace is the mark of New Testament preaching and the key to empowering
right living.
And yet, some pastors fear that preaching grace can lead to pitfalls.
Here are five frequently raised objections to preaching grace:
1. Grace Can Be Mistaken As A License To Sin—And The Last Thing We
Want To Do In Our Preaching Is Encourage Sin.
But for the believing heart, it provides the very motivation to say
"No" to sin. It is grace and grace alone that will empower
people to overcome sin! The road to victory over sin is paved with
grace.
2. Preaching Grace Will Undo Sacrificial Giving.
Actually, for those giving from a confused motive to start with, it may
well affect their giving. But if preaching grace decreases your
church's giving (which is unlikely over the long run), then better to make due
on less money than to elicit more money in a graceless or manipulative manner
that leaves people in legalistic bondage. (See Paul’s commentary on
the value of legalism in Galatians 5.)
There is nothing like grace, properly understood, to unleash greater
giving, because the heart of grace is God’s own incredible sacrificial
giving. Sure, manipulation can achieve a short-term and short-lived
result. But grace is the path to long-term, sustained results in the
hearts of people.
3. It Could Lead To A Drop In Attendance.
Similar to giving, grace motivates the believer to engage and not pull back. If
your church members are coming because you’ve withheld grace or exercised law
over them, it’s only a matter of time before they stop coming anyway.
Grace will not rob a preacher of the right to say the hard words or make
challenges or ask for commitment. It enables us as preachers to make
challenges with the best hope of a lasting result. Preaching grace
with power will yield a greater long-term result than will legalistic
manipulation.
4. We Will Be Perceived As Morally Spineless Or, Worse Yet, Actually
Encouraging Sin.
Grace never has, and properly understood, never will encourage
sin. Grace was bought by God at the highest of
prices. And grace dispensed from that account will never take sin
lightly. But it will address it from a different posture—and
actually empower victory over it.
5. Grace May Lead To A De-Emphasis On Truth.
Actually, grace emboldens a proclamation of truth because it
provides the only appealing path back to truth. The path to truth
and holy living is paved not with manipulation but with grace.
To overcome these fears, we remind ourselves that:
- Preaching
grace does not mean avoiding a confrontation with sin.
- Preaching
grace does not mean avoiding a call to commitment.
- Preaching
grace does not mean serving up spiritual mush with no caloric
value for the soul.
But here's what it does mean:
- Preaching
grace always keeps an eye on the incredible forgiving nature of
God.
- Preaching
grace does mean refusing to manipulate your hearers to
accomplish an objective in a fleshly, legalistic manner.
- Preaching
grace does mean loving your hearers in spite of how they respond
to your message.
- Preaching
grace does mean trusting God to accomplish his objectives in his
way and in his time.
May God give you, first of all, an unshakeable confidence in his grace
for you as his child. And then, may he give you the wisdom and the
heart to generously dispense that grace through your preaching.
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