Inscribe the Word . . . The Grace of God.
This May, we begin Part Five in our Attributes of God Series. This year, Inscribe the Word is taking a twelve-part journey through the Attributes of God and we are excited for you to join us. If you have just joined us know that you do not have to study these attributes in order. Jump in at any time. You will be blessed!
If you are just joining Inscribe the Word for the first time . . . WELCOME!
You can read more about Scripture Writing and this unique way to study God's Word daily at this link.
As we lived through April 2020, one question seemed to permeate all others . . . When will this be over? When will we get back to "normal"? COVID-19 has overtaken every inch of our lives, and we find ourselves asking questions without answers and living in the uncertainty of those unanswered questions.
The Holy Spirit inspired my heart to study The Omniscient God in the April Inscribe the Word plan, and while I couldn't foresee all we would encounter, He knew. Studying our all-knowing God brought us such peace and comfort as too many questions without answers seemed to rise out of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Because He knows all things past, present, and future, we can rest. We found our peace in the fact that God knows, even when we do not, and He is in control.
This month, as measures are being taken to reopen our countries and economies, we wrestle with more unknowns. In my prayer time, in my weakness and lack of understanding regarding our "new normal," I hear one thing whispered deep in my spirit . . . "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
As we greet May 2020, we also greet Part Five in our Attributes Study . . . The Grace of God.
What is Grace?
Grace is an essential part of God’s character. Grace is closely related to God’s benevolence, love, and mercy, but it is different.
Mercy has to do with kindness and compassion; it is often spoken of in the context of God not punishing us for sins we deserve.
Grace includes kindness and compassion but also carries the idea of bestowing a gift or favor. In Scripture, mercy is often equated with a deliverance from judgment, and grace is always the extending of a blessing to the unworthy.
Grace can be variously defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s benevolence on the undeserving.” In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us abundantly, in spite of the fact that we don’t deserve to be treated so well or dealt with so generously. (source)
This is grace. “The sole source from which flows the goodwill, love, and salvation of God unto His chosen people.” - A.W. Pink
Grace takes its rise far back in the heart of God, but the channel through which it flows out to men is Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.
The apostle Paul, who beyond all others is the exponent of grace in redemption, never disassociates God’s grace from God’s crucified Son. Always in his teachings the two are found together, organically one and inseparable.
- A.W. Tozer “The Knowledge of the Holy”
Do you find Grace in the Old Testament?
Many see GRACE as a New Testament concept, having no place in the Old Testament. Many teachers of the Bible teach that the Old Testament was under Moses and the law, and the New Testament is a book of grace under Jesus.
Yes, the law was given to Moses, and Christ came to fulfill the law. But the law, as with grace, existed in the heart of God before the foundation of the world. You cannot separate grace from God because grace is who He is as much as He is eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. God is Grace, and God is gracious towards us.
God did not hide His grace in the Old Testament. The first time you find the word grace in Scripture is in Genesis 6:8, when Noah found grace in God's eyes. Moses found grace in God's sight. (Exodus 33:17) Abraham was a friend of God. (James 2:23) David was a man after God's own heart. (Acts 13:22) These things could not be if God's grace was not embroidered through the Old Testament men and women of God.
You will see in the selections chosen for this month's Scripture writing that there are many more references taken from the New Testament because there are more references to GRACE in the New Testament. But this does not mean that God's Grace was not seen in the Old. It most certainly was, and it is beautiful to behold.
As I am writing this post, we are in trying times as we deal with the uncertainty of the future. But over and over again, we hear whispered in the depths of our heart . . . My Grace Is Sufficient.
“God of all grace, whose thoughts toward us are ever thoughts of peace and not of evil, give us hearts to believe that we are accepted in the Beloved; and give us minds to admire the perfection of moral wisdom which found a way to preserve the integrity of heaven and yet receive us there.
We are astonished and marvel that One so Holy should invite us into Thy banqueting house and cause love to be the banner over us. We cannot express the gratifude we feel, but look Thou on our hearts and read it there. Amen and Amen.”
- A. W. Tozer
