Grace Received? Grace to Give!

After doing a search for "grace" in Biblegateway.com I'm thrilled to see such a variety of uses. (You can do this search and your own study, too! Don't let someone else tell you what the Bible says. Read it! It's awesome and will change your life!!)  One thing jumped off the screen into my lap this morning. The whole point of understanding and receiving the grace of God is so that we can give the same grace to others. We can talk and write about grace but if we are not "gracious" ourselves our testimony is null and void. If we cannot love others with the same unconditional love with which the Father loves us then we should not speak of grace. First, we receive grace:

Acts 15:11 We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Romans 3:24 ...and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

...to name a few. All three of these (and most of the others in the NT) are from the Greek work khar'-ece, which is defined in Strongs as "graciousness, of manner or act, especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude."

We are indeed saved by Grace and not by works so that NO one can boast (Eph 2:8-9). There's no way in the universe to be saved from our sins other than the redemptive blood shed at Calvary. No effort, no action, no work can justify us. WE are saved by grace. And this is of vital importance. If we do not begin here; if we begin with any form or works-righteousness, whether subtle or blatant, we will miss the application which is "Grace to give." If we do not feel and even OWN the belief that we are saved by the effort, action, and work of Christ alone then we will be more likely to judge, condemn, ridicule, and slander others. WE will have little or no grace to give. Our ability to cover another person with grace is directly proportional to our own understanding of being covered by God's grace. Let me repeat that: Our ability to cover another person with grace is directly proportional to our own understanding of being covered by God's grace. That's how we have grace to give. 

Grace to give:

Luke 2:40And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Acts 13:43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.

A man (and a woman) can be known to be "full of God's grace" just as was Stephen. Christ Himself was "filled" with the grace of God.  ARE we known to be full of God's grace? Were the Apostles known to be full of God's grace? Yes indeed. The GRACE (khar'-ece) was "SO" powerfully at work in them all. Oh, yes. This IS the same greek work as in those three verses above: "graciousness, of manner or act, especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude."  

So first we receive God's grace in the form of redemption from sins and we receive eternal life through the actions of God in Christ. We are justified by God's grace. How do we know all of this? "Through faith." We must believe it. If you struggle to believe, ask God for more faith. He loves that prayer, and will answer with a resounding yes. Ask Him. You'll see. If you've been taught something other than we are "saved by grace through faith" then ask God to undo the false teaching in your life and replace it with HIS Truth which appears in scripture and which will testify  in your heart by the Spirit. You'll know the grace of God as it grows in you. And like the Spring flowers after a long winter you will come alive! 

Second, "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."  We should not think we understand the Father's grace if we are not also filled with grace. (This is so deeply convicting even as I study this for I have so far to go.) What about the Apostles? Their lives were not marked by their intellect, leadership, and lectures. They were known for their grace. Grace for every occasion, every person, everyday. The "great power" of the Apostles was a power to be filled up with God's grace and to overflow to others. But forget about the apostles for a minute. That was a long time ago. What about you and me? Are we working through the power of God's grace?

• Do we have grace for the one who disagrees with us? 
• Do we have grace for the person who hurt us? 
• Do we have grace for the struggling believer?
• Do we have grace for the person who slanders us?  
• Do we have grace for the faulty church? 
• Do we have grace for the legalists? 
• Do we have grace for the modern pharisees? 
• De we have grace for the sinners and the saints alike?
• Do we have grace for ourselves? 

If our lives are not marked by Grace; if we are not filled with the power of Grace; then we likely don't understand the Grace which God has freely given. Fortunately, it's never too late to learn. God LOVES to help us grow in our understanding of His grace. All we need to do is ask.

His love will overcome.