Bible Basics: Grace
If you were to look up the word “grace” in a dictionary, you would find several definitions. The definitions range from “beauty or charm of movement” to “goodwill” or “favor." More definitions might be "a short prayer before a meal" or "the favor of God toward mankind." While the word "grace" is rich in multiple meanings, it is an essential doctrine in the Bible. The Biblical doctrine of grace is one of the things that makes Christianity unique from all other religions.
For many centuries, paganism dominated civilization. The pagan worshipper was, more often than not, afraid of the god (or the gods) they worshipped. Many of their activities were devoted to appeasing a deity that they really did not want to meet face to face. A simple look at mythology reveals that most pagan gods were petty beings who wanted to torture, mistreat, and abuse mankind. In the beginning, the teachings and ideas of Christianity were new and appealing to people. Many people could not believe that God was a being who loved them and wanted to help them. This is why the Christian message came to be called “Good News.”
Over the next few weeks, we will look at some basics regarding the Biblical doctrine of grace. We will see that grace is something that we all need. Biblical grace is first understood as a way of relating to God. It says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV) God, by definition, is perfect. God has never sinned and cannot tolerate sin. One way to understand this is to look at a courtroom or the justice system. A murderer has no hope that a just and proper judge will allow him to get away with murder. One might as well say, I will take a ride in a rocket ship and pass through the sun without damage. To get close to our sun is to risk incineration. In the same way, to stand before a perfect and holy God is something a sinner would not ever desire to do.
In light of this, how can flawed individuals - sinners, as we rightfully are called - hope to come into God’s presence? Our only hope is grace. By our actions and deeds, we deserve condemnation. How can we have eternal life? How can we escape death? It is only through Jesus that we have hope. God chooses to show grace, and that grace is seen in the saving actions of Jesus.
Join me next week as we continue to discuss one of the important "Bible Basics" - Grace. We will investigate grace as a way of salvation and look at how such a concept works. Keep looking up!