This word is one of the most beautiful concepts in the whole Bible; and one of the most misunderstood. I was counseling with a woman one time who wanted to marry a man who was not biblically eligible to marry (in violation of Matthew 19:9). We looked at the Scriptures but then she responded: “But what about grace?” What that individual wanted to think was that grace would allow her to live in sin. Paul asked the question: “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!” (Rom. 6:1-2) That expression “May it never be!” is as emphatic in the Greek language as it could be; the KJV translates it “God forbid!” Paul’s thoughts were directed at Christians who had this woman’s same mentality.
Let’s take a look at what the NT teaches about grace. The Greek word is charis. We first note that the word is not found at all in Matthew or Mark (or 1 John or 3 John). Its first use is in Luke 1:30 where Gabriel tells Mary that she had found “grace” (“favor” in the NASV) with God. This means that Mary did not earn or deserve the right to be Jesus’ mother. As Jesus grew through childhood, the “grace of God” was upon Him (2:40). Here, the word refers to God’s presence and His blessings. Thus in 2:52, Luke writes that Jesus was in “favor” (“grace”) with God and men.
While He was teaching in Nazareth, the people wondered at the “gracious words” with which He was teaching (4:22). This refers to the beauty, gentleness, and wisdom with which He spoke. The word for “credit” (6:32-34) is the word “grace.” We receive no “grace” if we only behave godly toward those who can return the “grace.” The word is translated as “thank” in 17:9 where Jesus states that a master does not “thank” (“have grace,” literally) the slave for doing what he was expected to do. These are all the uses of charis in Luke (8 occasions).
The apostle John has fewer occasions (four) and all are in the first chapter. The “Word” became flesh, full of “grace and truth” (1:14). I understand the word here to refer to the blessings of God, the Father, which were in Jesus Christ and available through Him throughout His ministry. He came to reveal the “grace” of the Godhead, just as surely as He came to reveal the “truth” of the Godhead. Those who believe and obey Jesus Christ will receive His fullness as “grace” is stacked upon “grace” (1:16). All spiritual blessings are available in Jesus Christ. The Law was given through Moses, but ultimately the grace of God is experienced in, and only in, Jesus Christ: “grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” (1:17). This is John’s way of saying that Jesus came to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15). One surprising result of this study is that “grace” (the word) is only uttered by Jesus Christ four times and never in reference to God’s relationship with man!
Next time, we’ll look at “grace” in the Acts of the Apostles as they begin preaching the grace of God.
Paul Holland
