Grace

Today, let us study on ‘Grace’ in John 1:17^b (“grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”)

I. Definition

Grace is a free gift from God. The gift is ‘righteousness’ (precisely, the Righteousness of God, as opposed to self-righteousness). The Righteousness of God is the ticket to the Paradise.  So, the gift is also ‘salvation’.

II. Origin

Grace began with Abraham’s righteousness of faith (Genesis 15:6) [2] well before the law was given.

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

God credited ‘belief (faith)’ to Abram as righteousness. Abram was renamed Abraham (Genesis 17:5).

III. Faith vs Work

The difference between ‘work’ and ‘faith’ is explained in Romans 4:4-5.

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

We can become righteous only by ‘faith’. Why can righteousness not be obtained by ‘work’ (= by keeping the entire law of Moses)?

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10)

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (Romans 3:20)

IV. Conclusion

Even though we are sinners according to the law, we can be forgiven by grace.

Grace is free to us, but costly to God [3] because He had to pay for the penalty of our sins on the cross.

References

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Anglicised Edition, 2011). (2011). (Revised and updated edition). London: Hodder & Stoughton.

[2] Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: John (p. 77). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

[3] The Grace of God Revealed in Jesus Christ. Dec 2016. https://www.bbgb.org/the-grace-of-god-revealed-in-jesus-christ