"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”~ 1 Cor. 15:10
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry…And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”~ 1 Tim. 1:12,14
I touched on the subject before us (GRACE) slightly, some time back. But in this article I’d like to expand upon it a little more in detail. I hope my readers will give me some elbow room to my personal opinion, as I trust I do you.
To be perfectly frank and honest, I have never felt comfortable with the popular definition of GRACE, as ascribed in the form of an acrostic:
G- God’s
R- riches
A- at
C- Christ’s
E- expense
I have spent several years discussing the subject with other saints, but to no satisfaction to me. It seems to me that the definition found in the acrostic only touches on one aspect of the Christian life (salvation), not the whole of it. The grace bestowed at our salvation was only the start of it; grace also carries us all the way through this life to its end.
From our opening texts I found what personally satisfies me in defining this blessed word. My definition is, and you may disagree, “God’s Gift of Divine Enablement .” I have applied it throughout the scripture to the word and without exception, it fits. To cite just two examples, study our main texts above.
O, the sweet and blessed enabling power of God that’s called "GRACE"! From first to last He gifts us with the ability to do, to bear, to be, and to speak, whatever lies in our path as we do the Will of God.
You will find the term, “He is able,” or “God is able,” in both testaments. In most cases, if not all, He uses human resources to show His enabling power, that is, “GRACE!”'
“…is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able…?” Dan. 6:20
IS HE?
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