Jim Wilson's Blog, page 21

Definitions of Grace/Grace in the Bible

“Bigwords” normally mean lots of letters and a surplus of syllables. Here, I willuse “big” to mean a word’s frequency of use and its influence on society.

Thereare many wonderful words in the languages of the world. Some of these wordshave precise definitions like the word kind. Because of thispreciseness, the word is not a “wide” word. There are other words that are“big,” “wide” and are not wonderful. Sin is one of those words. However,there is a word whose definition is “big,” “wide,” and it is still wonderful. Thatword is GRACE.

BeforeI tell you about this word, let’s look at the various definitions of the word“definition.”

Thedictionary defines “definition” as:

Definition #1: A statementof the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or symbol.

Definition #2: The meaningof a word from the context of a paragraph or a story or a lecture.

Thereare many such examples from the books of L.M. Montgomery. Here is one:

“Butan August afternoon, with blue hazes scarfing the harvest slopes, little windswhispering elfishly in the poplars, and a dancing splendor of red poppies outflowingagainst the dark coppice of young firs in a corner of the cherry orchard, wasfitter for dreams than dead languages” (Anne of Avonlea).

Bothscarfing and outflaming are invented participles made up from thetwo legitimate words scarf and flaming. The definitions are clearfrom the basic words and the context. Harvest is a legitimate word if itis used as a verb or a noun. Here it is an adjective. However, the definitionis clear. Dancing is a legitimate word, but it modifies splendor,which should not make sense, but it does.

Definition #3: An agreed-uponmeaning of a word within a certain group of people.

Twopeople invited to dinner could agree, before they arrived at the dinner, thatthe main dish would be called “garbage.” At the table they would say thingslike this to each other: “Please pass the garbage,” or “Boy, this garbagetastes good.” The hostess might be offended, because she knows the standardmeaning of “garbage.” She was not in on the agreement.

Thishappens in religion frequently. Mormons, Christian Scientists, Jehovah’sWitnesses, and Muslims all speak of Jesus, but they have differentdefinitions of who He is. They do not agree with each other’s definitions orwith the Bible’s. However, if we do not know that each group has an “agreed-upon”definition within itself, we might think that they are talking about the same personwe are talking about.

Theyknow what they are talking about, but others who know the dictionary definitionor have a contextual definition of the same word, but who are not in on theagreement, do not know what they are talking about, although they will thinkthat they know.

BothReformed and Wesleyan theologies have modified the contextual definitions ofgrace with their agreed-upon definition in their own group. The Reformed groupprecedes the word with the modifiers sovereign and efficacious. Thesemodifiers are used so often that after the group is convinced of the modifiedmeaning, then “grace” can be used by itself and people will hear it in the lightof the new meaning. The emphasis is on God giving what cannot be refused.

TheWesleyan group will place the modifier “free” in front of grace and useit until the meaning is commonly understood. The emphasis is on man receiving.

Gracehas a cleardefinition all by itself. The modifiers are applied to help God out so that peoplewill be sure to understand God’s meaning, as if He had not made it clearHimself.

Agreed-upondefinitions are O.K. for small societies using “in” words. They are notlegitimate for words of world-wide import. We should stick to the dictionarydefinition, contextual definition, or common usage if the common usage islanguage-wide.

Hereis the definition from Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary: Definition#1: grace, unmerited divine assistance given man for his regeneration orsanctification.

Gracein the Bible

Nowlet’s look at this wonderful word from the context of the Bible. This isdifficult because there is a lot of context. I will quote one passage from eachverse group to give some, if limited, meaning. I will group the verses in anorder based upon common meanings.

TheSource of Grace

·       Luke 2:40: “And the childgrew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was onhim.”

·       John 1:14

·       John 1:16-17

·       Acts 15:40

·       Acts 20:24, 32

·       Romans 1:7

·       Ephesians 2:5, 8

ForWhom Is This Grace?

·       Titus 3:5-7: “He saved usthrough the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he pouredout on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having beenjustified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

·       Ephesians 3:2, 7-8

·       2 Corinthians 12:9

·       2 Corinthians 1:2

Modifiersof Grace

·       Acts 4:33

·       Acts 6:8

·       Romans 5:15, 17, 20: “Butthe gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of theone man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace ofthe one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! … For if, by the trespass ofthe one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those whoreceive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousnessreign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! … The law was brought in sothat the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased allthe more.”

Rejectionof Grace

·       Jonah 2:8

·       Galatians 5:4: “You who aretrying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you havefallen away from grace.”

·       Hebrews 12:15

Relationshipto Mercy, Faith, and Love

·       Acts 18:27

·       1 Timothy 1:14: “The graceof our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love thatare in Christ Jesus.”

WhatDoes Grace Do?

·       Acts 15:11

·       Romans 3:24: “And all arejustified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

·       Romans 5:21

 

 

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

“Christians” to Stay Away From

You may have experienced or witnessed Christians orpseudo-Christians who have divided the body of Christ. The Bible speaks to usabout them in several places.

“They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scofferswho will follow their own ungodly desires.’ These are the men who divide you,who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit” (Jude 18-19).

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a secondtime. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a manis warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3:10-11).

“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who causedivisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching youhave learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our LordChrist, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive theminds of naive people” (Romans 16:17-18).

“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord JesusChrist, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be nodivisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought”(1 Corinthians 1:10).

“In the first place, I hear that when you come together as achurch, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. Nodoubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God'sapproval” (1 Corinthians 11:18-19).

We are to be separate from those who divide. How do werecognize them? There will be indications:

·      They will secretly slip into the church (Jude4).

·      After they are in, they will say that grace isfreedom to sin (Jude 4).

·      They will deny Jesus Christ the Sovereign Lord(Jude 4).

·      They will gossip.

·      They will slander.

They will do all of this so well that many of the believerswill believe them and enter into their sins.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

The Gospel That Saved Us

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the onewho called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a differentgospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing youinto confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if weor an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preachedto you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal. 1:6-9).

This is a good measuring stick against which we can measureanything that is declared to be true. It is the Gospel that saved us. ThisGospel is succinctly expressed in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5:

“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel Ipreached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. Bythis gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you asof first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to theScriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.”

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

All Knowledge and No "Puff"

Jesus had just finished saying to the twelve that after Hisresurrection they should no longer ask Him anything. They should ask the Fatherin Jesus’ name, because the Father Himself loved them.

“Now we can see that you know all things and that you do noteven need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you camefrom God” (John 16:30).

Normally, we would come to two conclusions concerning John16:30. Either a person who knew all things would not need to ask anyone anyquestions, or a person who knew all things would want others to ask himquestions in order to display his knowledge.

Because Jesus spoke clearly and without figures of speech,the twelve first could see that He knew all things, and second that He did notneed to have anyone ask Him questions. These two conclusions made them believethat he came from God.

"Knowing all things" would make any person believethat Jesus came from God. However, that was not convincing enough for thetwelve. They also knew Jesus was not interested in displaying His knowledge. Hehad no need for someone to ask Him questions so He could answer them and gainpraise from men. On the contrary, He was humble and secure, though knowing allthings. According to 1 Corinthians 8:1, "knowledge puffs up." Moreknowledge = more puff; all knowledge = all puff. However, in Jesus' case, itwas all knowledge and no puff. He had no need that anyone ask Him questions,therefore they believed he came from God.

 

Written November 1991.

This post coordinates with yesterday's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

The Father Himself Loves You

"I have said this to you in figures; the hour is comingwhen I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of theFather. In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that Ishall pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loves you, because youhave loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. I came fromthe Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world andgoing to the Father" (John 16:25-28).

This is a wonderful statement! The Father Himself lovesyou. Many Christians do not believe that, even though they know John 3:16and Romans 5:8. They read those verses in such a way as to read, "ForJesus so loved the world," and, “Jesus commends His love for us.” TheFather loves us. We should dwell on that fact. It influences all of ouractions.

 

Written August 1986.

This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Helping Mormons See

 

Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guiltyof sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains” (John 9:41).

We all know people who claim they can see but who are, in fact,blind. Their guilt remains. You may not know this but here in the United Statesthere is a geographical area in which the entire culture (social, religious,political, and business) claims to see. It is the Mormon culture that controls Utahand the contiguous areas of Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada.Backslidden Mormons are more willing to admit that they cannot see.

We have one mission station in this area: Oasis Books inLogan, Utah, the location of Utah State University. Please pray for our staffas they work with people who do not know that they are guilty of Romans1:22-23: “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged theglory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man…” Their ideaof God is one that is physical and looks like man. They deny the efficacy ofthe cross, saying that the atonement did not take place on the cross. They denygrace by saying, “We are saved by grace after all that we can do.” Theyhave many biblical words in their vocabulary. Almost all of them have adefinition different from the ones in the Bible.

We do not wish to win arguments with these blind people who thinkthey can see. We wish to help them see.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Who God Is

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that youalso may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father andwith his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. This is themessage we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him thereis no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in thedarkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, ashe is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood ofJesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:3-7).

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so thatwe might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have beenhealed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to theShepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25).

I selected these two very clear expressions from thewritings of John and Peter because in a succinct way they tell us about God—whoHe is, what He did, why He did it, and the resulting fellowship we have withHim and with each other. To declare all of this is our reason for being.

Written November 1990.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Our Rock, Our Light, Our Truth: God's Word

 

"This world is a slippery place, and the Scriptures are arock on which to stand. This world is a dark place, and the Scriptures are thelight with which we may make our way. This world is a corrupt place, and theScriptures outline the true way of purity for us. The world is a false place,and the Scriptures tell us the truth—about God, about man, about sin, aboutsalvation, and about revelation. The world is a seductive place, and theScriptures speak to us in a way that reveals the vanity of it. The world is ablurry place, and the Scriptures bring everything into singular focus. Theworld is a distracting place, and the Scriptures bring all the right prioritiestogether. The world is an evil place, and the Scriptures testify to us of allthat is holy, righteous, and good. The world is a lost place, and theScriptures show us how we might be used to lead the world home."
- Doug Wilson, Mere Fundamentalism
The 2023 To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge begins Monday, September 4.Please join us in reading through the Bible this school year at TotheWord.com.

 

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

The Lamb's Book of Life

“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine init, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nationsof those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earthbring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day(there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honorof the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything thatdefiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written inthe Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Rev. 21:23-27).

It’s very simple. Nothing unclean will be in heaven, and noone who practices abominations or lying, but only those whose names are writtenin the Lamb’s book of life. A person gets written in the Lamb’s book of lifewhen he recognizes that he is a sinner by birth and a sinner by practice, andhe receives the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for his sins, as his Savior andLord. That is the means of gaining access to heaven. At that time, his name iswritten in the book of life.

When we die, it will be simple. If your name is written inthe Lamb’s book of life, you will be in that holy city.

According to this passage, liars do not make it. Forgivenliars do make it. The Bible tells us that all of us have sinned and fallshort of the glory of God. That’s not the same as saying all men are thieves orliars or murderers. But just being short of God’s glory is the definition ofsin.

If you haven’t been written in the book of life, then youare still someone who sins by nature, very naturally—even if you are a verymoral person, as I was before I was a Christian. I didn’t smoke, I didn’tdrink, I wasn’t sexually immoral. I did lie. I lied a lot. In high school, Ifabricated a lot of stories about myself. It didn’t bother my conscience. Ididn’t even know how to exist without it. My identity was in lying. Then, inOctober 1947, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

 

Written in 2019.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the SamePage Summer Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily readingplan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading withus. We will start a whole-Bible reading plan next week.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Three Types of People Christians Aren't Loving

There are three types of people in the world that Christians donot love with the Gospel. The first type are the people we witness to butdo not love. The second type are the unbelievers that we do not witness to. Thethird are people we love but do not witness to.

That sounds like doubletalk. Let’s change it. 1) We witness topeople we love. 2) We love everybody and witness to them with love.

As Christians, we have the fruit of the Spirit—love. We arecommanded to love our neighbors and our enemies. The first thing is to havethe love. The second is to choose to love our neighbors and enemies.

Sometimes we can’t make the choice because we have lost thefruit of the Spirit, love. We lack the fruit of the Spirit of love because we areunder the chastening of the Lord because of unconfessed sin. In order to getthe love back, we must confess sin.

Once we get the love back, we can choose to love our neighborsand enemies and preach the gospel to them.

 

Written December 22, 2017.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships