The Grace of God
Many of the terms and phrases of Paul the
Apostle have become lost on us. Men have supposed that this
is due to the change of word usage and/or the language barrier
of translating his words from Greek to English. Others have
postulated that Paul was speaking in idioms and colloquialisms
and that has caused them to have been lost for all time.
The truth is that when you follow the unjust
plumb line of the traditions and doctrines of men you will
not find the truth of Christ. Instead you will find only more
traditions and more doctrines of men. This is because the
traditions and doctrines of men lead only to men. But the
truth of the true Gospel always leads you to the feet of Christ
and God.
Take now the word grace, charis in the Greek.
We have been told by three centuries of fundamentalist theologians
that this word charis that is translated as grace means “favor”
or “enablement.”
The question then comes, if grace actually
means favor then why is it not translated favor rather than
the ambiguous word “grace?” A second question is how is “favor” word wise
considered the same as “enablement?”
We will deal with the second question first
because this opens a wider discussion of the Greek word Charis.
As we have already stated Charis in the New Testament has
almost been universally been translated as “grace.”
But there is another form of this same word
in the Greek “Charis-ma.”
“Charisma” is not translated as “grace” or more properly
“a grace bestowed” but as the word is translated instead “spiritual
gift” This word Charisma is actually where these scholars
glean the term “enablement” from. The reason is that adding
the MA to Charis makes the “favor of God” from a perceived
general favor to one that is given that is given to a specific
individual. – However in this study we are going to see that
these earthly fleshly doctrines and traditions concerning
the word “Grace” pale when compared with the word “Grace”
that Paul selected when speaking of the workings of God in
his life and the lives of true believers.
Let us now look at the bible of Paul the
Apostle, and see the word Charis that he selected to describe
something that he had been endowed with and that he wanted
all believers to be endowed with.
In Genesis 6:8 we come to the first use of
the word “Charis” in scripture.
Genesis
6:8 But
Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
We will return to this verse because the grace
in this verse is not defined.
In
Genesis 18:1-5 we find the second use of the word Charis in
scripture.
Genesis 18:1-5 And the LORD appeared unto him (Abram) in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the
day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men
stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from
the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My LORD, if now I have
found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from
thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and
wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort
ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore
are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou
hast said.
In
this scripture the Hebrew counterpart to the word Charis is
translated as “favor.” This
verse defines the word Charis for us. Abraham was first spoken
to by God in Babylon and he came forth with his father, and
his cousin. Abram had a ministry, God called Abraham a prophet,
and Abraham had a deep abiding relationship with God that
included dreams, visions, and personal physical visitations.
Note how Abram defines Charis – If they servant has found favor
in thy sight – pass not away in a fleeting visitation, but
abide with me.
Grace
is not a so-called one-time revival event, but the abiding
of God with an individual that has come into a place of sanctification,
and personal relationship with God.
This allows special favor with God. Compare
this with the current use of the term “unmerited favor” and
decide if God was correct in meriting this special favor to
Abraham? This Charis was not given to Abram’s father,
it was not given to Lot and it was not even given to Sarai.
This Charis was to Abram alone – because of his walk and relationship
with God..
In
Genesis 30:27 we find the third use of the word Chairs and
this thought of “abiding “ as part and parcel of that grace
is carried on.
Genesis 30:27 And
Laban said unto him (Jacob), I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry:
for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed
me for thy sake.
Charis is again translated
as “favor.” And we see here that this favor that is based
on his (Laban’s) personal relationship with Jacob. And that
the “Favor” Laban is speaking of is not a passing or a fleeting
visitation of Jacob, but the “Grace” or “favor” is that Jacob
would “abide” with Laban. For in Jacob’s abiding Laban says
that he has received tokens (physical manifestations) of God’s
blessings.
Jacob
had God’s “Grace” on him, and this Grace of God was shed abroad (Almost a quote of Paul) – not by Jacob saying
or doing anything, but by Jacob just being there. Jacob was
a light shining in the darkness and Laban realized this.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace
(the approbation or love of God) are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God:
Faith does not work of itself – this is the
error of modern confession and faith teaching. Faith does
not work apart from Christ. It works only if you have developed
that deep abiding relationship with Christ – and by becoming
upright before the Lord – as you level by level receive sanctification
you receive also the tokens, the Charis of His affection,
one of those tokens is faith – which Paul declares: this faith
does not have its origin in you, it is not of yourself.
And therefore this faith is not a faith that is independent
of God. And Paul then further states it is the “Chris-ma”
a token of God’s affection to an individual that God deems
as meriting His favor.
Genesis
6:8 But
Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
With what we have seen concerning grace with
Abraham and now Jacob do you suppose that this grace that
Noah received was “The Smile of God in his life.” Do you suppose
that this Grace that Noah received was “The sunshine of God’s
spiritual presence?”
We can state here that Noah walked with God,
He actively diligently sought God and over time Noah found
grace in the eyes of the Lord. This grace included the Lord
speaking to him in dreams, visions and quite probably personal
physical visitations as God needed to check the physical integrity
of this “never been seen before” project that He put Noah
in charge of building. Noah
had to have great grace to have been able to build something
of this magnitude and to get it right the first time. God
probably abided with Noah in every step of the process.
It is inconceivable that God told Noah build me an
ark and then walked away until the project was completed yet
since my youth I have heard this preached.
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
and because of this Noah received of God special favor with
God, the tokens of Gods affection.
Exodus
33:12-17 And
Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring
up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt
send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also
found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I
have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I
may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight:
and consider that this nation is thy people. And He (The Lord) said, My presence shall go with thee, and
I will give thee rest. And
he (Moses) said unto him, If thy presence go not with me,
carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and
thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that
thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people,
from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou
hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I
know thee by name. And he (Moses) said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
And He (The Lord) said, I will
make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim
the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will
shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there
shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold,
there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that
I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee
with my hand while I pass by:
And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see
my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
This is the Passage in Psalms where David
says: “Israel saw God’s acts, but
Moses the ways of God.” Here
again we see that Charis of God is not bestowed upon the multitudes,
it was not bestowed upon Aaron, or any of the priests, this
Charis of God was not bestowed upon the 70 elders that visibly
saw God and later prophesied being made partaker of the spirit
of God that was upon Moses.
(Moses speaking) Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name,
and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore,
I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now
thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy
sight: and consider that this nation is thy
people.
Moses tells God that God has not only
made himself known to Moses by name but He has also made known
to Moses that Moses has found “Charis in the eyes of the Lord.”
Note here that Moses a man of great selflessness and asks
to use this token of God’s affection not for himself but that
this charis be used regarding this nation and God’s people.
How many who suppose they have found favor in the eyes of
the Lord in this hour try would to use that fleshly perceived “charis” to heap upon themselves the lust of their
flesh? How many would use that fleshly perceived “charis”
to promote themselves and their ministry. This is why by definition
“they neither know the Lord nor have received His “charis.”
And He (The
Lord) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will
give thee rest. And
he (Moses) said unto Him, If thy presence go not with
me, carry us not up hence.
For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people
have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest
with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from
all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
My
presence shall go with thee and give thee rest. Isn’t this the promise of the Baptism of the
Holy Spirit “Is this not the refreshing spoken of in Isaiah
the prophet?” This rest is not sleep. This rest of God is
a refreshing, a filling with God’s Spirit, that is to make
one to be “stirred up in Spirit” This is the refreshing or
rest that God is speaking of.
Note here that Moses speaking of this
refreshing, this enduement of God’s Spirit among His people
shall make it known that these individuals and these people
have found Charis in God’s sight.
So
shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people
that are upon the face of the earth. This
separation or mark upon his people is caused by this refreshing
of God, or the impartation of part of God himself, His Spirit,
The Spirit of God. And when one has so been endowed by His
grace they are separated or marked in the eyes of the Lord
from all other flesh or peoples. On the flip side in scripture
we see also that there is a loss of God’s favor with an individual
and a people. That is to say that the separation or mark of
God can be removed. We might call this verse: Is it
not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated,
I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face
of the earth. Is the “law of the Spirit”
The Spirit of God, His charis is His mark, and this
mark that can be perceived only by God and Angels shows the
separation between His people and the world, and the lack
or loss of this mark means that God sees no separation between
these individuals or people regardless of whether they call
themselves by his name or not and the world.
And we can say if those who lose this mark it is regardless
of their past walk or their past acts.
Ezekiel
18:20-32
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear
the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear
the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous
shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall
be upon him. 21 But if the wicked
will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep
all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he
shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All
his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not
be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done
he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure
at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and
not that he should return from his ways, and live? 24 But
when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and
committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations
that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness
that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass
that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned,
in them shall he die. 25 Yet ye
say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of
Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? 26 When
a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth
iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath
done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away
from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that
which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because
he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions
that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not
die. 29 Yet saith the house of
Israel, The way of the LORD is not equal. O house of Israel,
are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? 30 Therefore
I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to
his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves
from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your
ruin. 31 Cast away from you all
your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make
you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house
of Israel? 32 For I have no
pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD:
wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
And he (Moses) said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And He (The Lord) said,
I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim
the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will
shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there
shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold,
there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that
I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee
with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt
see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Here we now see
Moses seeking to use this Charis he has earned from God through
his relationship with God for himself. Does Moses as for riches,
power or a long life? No he seeks not the carnal things of
this life and neither did Solomon or Christ.
And Jesus said:
John
16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will
give it you.
In that day refers to the day that
the disciples have personally entered into the Charis of the
Father. And in that day because of a deep work of sanctification the twelve disciples
shall no longer fight among themselves who will be the greatest, they shall no longer lust after for seats of
wealth and power in a carnal kingdom,
and they shall no longer seek after who will sit at
the right and left and of Christ. In that day they will be as Moses
and request for themselves that God would abide and further
reveal himself to them.
John 3:27 John answered and said, A
man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
While the word
Charis is not in this verse John the Baptist understood the
value of a personal relationship with God and that anything
that one might receive would stem from the merited favor of
God.
This word Charis
as defined by Abram and Moses is the word that Paul chose
to define his relationship with God and the relationship of
true believers with God. It is Paul’s earnest desire that all believers come into this charis
that Paul had so experienced.
But receiving the charis of God is not a done deal,
it is not automatic, and it cannot be confessed into ones
life as is taught in the current madness.
We need to come
to grips that the Church as an entity has fallen far short
of the Glory of God. That the Church long ago fell from this
charis of God and that in our day virtually no one in the
ministry has the Charis of God.
Instead from God’s
point of view He sees no difference between most people of
this hour that call themselves by his name and the world,
and to be explicit in this matter this list of have-nots include
Fundamentalists, Charismatics, and Pentecostals. For those
who doubt these words explain then how in the book of Revelation
we see this mark being restored? And when is the mark made?
It is during what is termed the great tribulation.
It is not that we cannot seek God and come into a deep
abiding relationship with Him now, but on their own few chose
to pay the price to do thus. It is only when this people shall
have their houses, lands, and mother, father, sister and brother
and corrupt mammon stripped from them, and by their being
pressed beyond measure that they in any number shall turn
to the Lord and cry out.
Romans
1:5
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for
obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Paul is not speaking
here of an unmerited favor, he is speaking of merited favor.
And this meriting is not reckoned by men or the will of the
flesh it is reckoned unto an individual just as it was reckoned
unto Abram unto righteousness.
Romans 12:5-7 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one
members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given
to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the
proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait
on our ministering: or he that teacheth, (wait) on (our) teaching;
Having Charis-mas (Tokens of part of God
Himself) according to the Charis of God that has been given
to us as individuals. And we see here the mentioning that
prophecy, ministry, and teaching, are according to the portion
of faith – seems to be saying that the Charis we have is not
“carte blanche” as has been commonly preached in this day,
but rather the Charis is in proportion or measure to our relationship
with Christ and the Father.
Luke
6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed
down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal
it shall be measured to you again.
According to the current madness this
verse is the key to earthly and carnal riches. And these men
brazenly preaches God is one who’s head is turned by bribes,
and His graces can be bought by carnal means. This is an abomination
and all that teach His people to sin so shall burn in the
eternal fires of hell along with their father the devil whom
they serve. I would propose that for God the father to
be in their equation, that the giving that Jesus is speaking
of is first of not a giving of earthly and sensual things
to curry the favor of God, it is a giving of ourselves to
Christ and the Father. And as in the scripture above in the
measure that you mete it out who shall give it to you again?
God and what you receive if you are willing to pour out your
soul and life unto the Lord is the Charis of God.
“He that lendeth to the Lord
. . .”
The Father hears not only our words and
boasting professions, but He sees past our bluster into our
corrupt and conflicted hearts. He alone is the judge of all
things and He righteously grants His charis, only to those
who He deems as being pure of heart and those who truly love
him for Himself not
as part of some wealth building exercise. These and these
along are those who are deemed meritous of His charis.
Is it any wonder that Christ said : “Many
are called but few are chosen?”
1
Corinthians 15:10 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 (read
that as: “I had greater obedience”)
than they all: yet not I, but the (because
of a greater measure) grace of God which was with me.
This verse demonstrates again that the
proportion of charis that one receives is in accordance to
their relationship and obedience of God.
May the charis of God be upon you, and
may the charis of God be in all that you do.