11 Truths I’ve Learned In My Study on “Grace”

For various and sundry reasons I’ve been spending a lot of my free time these last few months studying the concept of grace. Below are the 15 books I’ve worked through:

I’d like to share which were my favorite in three categories and then a few highlights from my study.

Academic: My two favorite in this category are Grace Alone, by Carl Truman and Paul & the Power of Grace, by John M.G. Barclay. I bought the Truman book so I could read Chapter One, “Grace in the Bible” but the whole thing turned out to be a marvelous historical overview. Barclay’s book has shaken Pauline studies, for good reasons, and he helps us understand grace from the perspective of gift. What does it mean that grace is a gift? Barclay shines here.

Devotional: Transforming Grace, by Jerry Bridges and What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey. Both require and deserve a slow read b/c they are each written so beautifully. Each is filled with soul food – reading them both is like eating dinner and dessert at the same time. Both will bring you to tears. Jerry Bridges targets the mind, Philip Yancy targets the heart. These two make for a glorious and worshipful combination.

Practical: Gracism: The Art of Inclusion by David A. Anderson and Grace in Practice: A Theology of Everyday Life by Paul F.M. Zahn. Anderson’s is a practical guide on how to see 1st Corinthians Chapter 12 as an antidote to racism. Its power is in its simplicity. I’m using it as a springboard to preach to elementary and middle school students next week.

Zahn’s work is dense in all the ways you’d want it to be without feeling overbearing or academic. He spends the first 90 pages talking about the difference between law and grace (best piece of work on that subject out of all the books I read) and then spends the rest of the book showing how grace can be activated in the family, society, the church, and everywhere. The target audience is real, normal people, which most of us can appreciate.

Eleven Truths I Learned:

1. There are four different words in the Bible that are associated with or translated as “grace” throughout the Old and New Testament and which authors variously refer to:

• In the Old Testament, there are three Hebrew words translated as “grace” in Scripture [most frequently in Proverbs (20x) and Genesis (14x)]:
• “Hayn” (that which brings approval, delight, favor or joy). See Esther 2:17, Psalm 45:2, Jeremiah 31:2, and Zechariah 4:7.
• “Hesed” is a deep concept signifying covenantal devoted love, and has many similarities with the New Testament concept of grace. This term appears 245 times in the Old Testament.
• “Cheun” (divine favor) such as in Genesis 6:8.
• In the New Testament, the one Greek Word translated “grace” is charis. It can refer to the freedom of salvation in Christ; a charming quality that wins favor; a benevolent gift given to someone unworthy, or a response of thankfulness. Charis comes from the Greek verb xairo which has a strong semantic association with the different Greek noun xara meaning “joy.”
• For a helpful summary of how God’s multitudinous grace is woven throughout all of Scripture, I recommend Andy Stanley’s book, The Grace of God. In each of his 13 chapters, he highlights God’s grace as it shows up throughout the Old and New Testaments.

2. The Apostle Paul loves the concept of grace. 66% of the time this word is used in the New Testament, it derives from Paul. He uses it twice as often as all other New Testament writers. This word occurs 51x in non-Pauline books, and 101x in Paul.

When Paul speaks of grace he can refer to election, justification, sanctification, glorification, or all of the above. Paul speaks of grace as both an office as well as a type of divine power. Paul uses the word Charis 24x in Romans, 28x in Corinthians and 12x in Ephesians. Whenever grace shows up in Paul, it acknowledges the full implication of sin and yet does not condemn. For a beginner primer on Paul’s use of grace especially as it shows up in Romans, see John MacArthur’s book, The Truth about Grace.

3. Aquinas believed there were six types of grace in Scripture:

1. Sanctifying grace: Whereby God unites people to Himself.
2. Free grace: When someone is empowered by God to help another person to become holy.
3. Operative grace: the grace by which God initially moves individuals to start willing that which God wills.
4. Cooperative grace: The grace by which God continues to move individuals to will what God wills
5. Prevenient grace: God’s grace towards us before we are put into a permanent state of grace.
6. Subsequent grace: Comes after God has brought us to Himself.

4. All Christians need God’s grace desperately, should ask for it continually, and can receive it abundantly. God’s grace is our hope (see especially Hebrews 2:9, 4:14-16, 10:29, 12:15-17 and 13:9); our reward (James 4:6) and is what motivates us to keep going to the end (James 5:10). Grace seeks out those who have nothing good to give in return. No wonder the very last words of Peter in Scripture revolve around us “growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).

5. A primary difference between normal worldly “love” and Biblical “grace” is the unfittedness of the recipient. Biblical grace is like normal love on steroids. Usually, love is expressed between two equal partners, such as a husband and wife, parents and children. Etc. But the Biblical concept of grace is different than that.

According to the Bible, we are given God’s gift of grace without regard (or, in direct contradistinction) to our capacity or worth. It comes free of charge, no strings attached, “on the house.” Jerry Bridges defines grace as, “the love of God shown to the unlovely.” In this sense, God’s grace towards us is unconditioned. Grace establishes what is absent and creates something special from nothing. It lifts those who are low.

6. Receiving God’s gift of grace should evoke a response of active gratitude in the recipient. While it does not require or expect a particular response, God’s gift of grace given to us does create and define a reciprocal relationship. It is transformative in this regard. Grace does not replace human agency, but it empowers it in new directions. Barclay argues we should be thankful for God’s grace because God’s grace is:

• Superabundant – God’s grace is huge, lavish, unceasing, long-lasting.
• Singular in purpose – The giver’s sole reason for giving it is benevolence
• Shows priority – The timing of God’s gift is given before any initiative taken by the recipient.
• Incongruous – God’s grace “maximizes the mismatch” between the giver and receiver.
• Efficient – God’s grace achieves real change for the better.
• Noncircular – God does not give us grace b/c God is needy or dependent on us.

7. Grace is free and wonderful, but paradoxically, difficult for humans to receive. In the words of R.C. Sproul, “Perhaps the most difficult task for us to perform is to rely on God’s grace and God’s grace alone for our salvation. It is difficult for our pride to rest on grace. Grace is for other people – beggars. We don’t want to live by a heavenly welfare system. We want to earn our own way and atone for our own sins. We like to think that we will go to heaven because we deserve to be there.” Not everyone is comfortable with the fact that sinners and odd-balls get an invite to God’s eternal party.

8. Humans typically prefer legalism over grace. The better we think we are, the less we think we need grace. In academic language, many Christians tend to be Augustinian in theory, but Pelagian in practice. The reason we lean towards legalism rather than grace is because legalism fosters self-righteousness and religious pride.

Legalism makes us feel like we are in control of our own destiny. And it justifies our insistence that others must surely live their lives according to the standards we have set for ourselves. When they don’t, we can look down on others in contempt, and can thus feel self-justified in our own superiority. Performance is the language of the West. But as Yancey puts it, “Grace is not about finishing last or first; it is about not counting.”

9. Grace does what the law can’t. I learned from Paul F.M. Zahl that the law is good and true, but it cannot provide the lifestyle it recommends. The law has no power to get us to where we need to go. This is where grace comes in. Grace is God’s pathway for living the Godly life. Without grace, all we have to offer is rebellion, despair and repentance. With grace, we are given access to all of God’s gifts. In fact, God’s grace gives us access to God Himself.

10. Grace is not the opposite of truth. Randy Alcorn’s book, The Grace and Truth Paradox is masterful on this point. It’s a simple and fast read. So just read it and then you’ll believe me.

11. The word, “grace” almost never shows up in Matthew (none), Mark (none) or John (4x – all in John 1:14-17), but the expression of grace is all over those pages. Jesus didn’t simply talk about grace. He lived it out. Watching Jesus live was like seeing grace in action. Jesus Christ was the definitive expression of God’s gift of grace towards us. It all points to Him, it all flows through Him, and He gets the glory for it all.

7 Reasons I’m Preaching Through I-II Chronicles

1. These pages are dusty. Most people I know are unfamiliar with I-II Chronicles. I’ve never preached these books before nor have I ever heard anyone else preach it. Have you? To preach 1-2 Chronicles is to bring a new and unexpected Word to God’s people. 
2. These pages include a lot of history. Did you know the first nine chapters includes the most expansive genealogy in all of Scripture? It begins with Adam and ends with King Cyrus! The only other Biblical genealogy to cover more ground is Matthew Chapter 1. As well, over 50% of Chronicles is a review of the books of I-II Samuel and I-II Kings, but with some added twists and turns along the way. Reading this book is akin to taking a tour of the history of the entire Old Testament. 
3. These pages include much more than history. These pages preach! Did you know Chronicles contains more than a dozen original prophetic speeches found nowhere else in the Bible? Various scholars speak of the author as a “historical theologian” and others categorize this book as “prophetic historiography.” The Chronicler reports the past in order to inspire hope for the future. We learn that no matter how low the people of God sink, their cause is never lost! 
4. These pages are the last words of the Old Testament. Chronologically, Chronicles was the last scroll of the Old Testament to have been written which means 1-2 Chronicles is to the Old Testament what Revelation is to the New Testament. Last words tend to be memorable and important. Chronicles is no exception. Spoiler alert: The punchline at the end is a shocker! 
5. These pages are filled with practical application. Common themes of the book include repentance; prayer; humility; seeking God; singing to God; giving generously; and listening to wise counsel. These actions are just as valuable today as back then. I-II Chronicles highlights healthy spiritual habits that lead to Godly renewal. 
6. These pages include flamboyant stories. Replete with both villains and hero’s, ups and downs, successes and failures. What else would you expect when studying 20 different Ancient Near Eastern kings? Someone once said, “if you want humans to learn the truth, tell them the truth. If you want them to love the truth, tell them a story.” Reading through these stories increases our love for God’s truth. 
7. Because Dr. Carol Kaminski told me to. Not really, but kind of! When Dr. Kaminski recently taught through the Old Testament in my church she mentioned as a sidenote that she believed 1-2 Chronicles was underutilized and under-taught. I’ve not been able to shake that comment since. Her recently published small group study guide and commentary highlight the contemporary relevance of Chronicles and are helping me overcome my hesitance to step into uncharted territory.