Graceful Synonyms

Psalm 28:8 (KJV) The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

(Proverbs 28 also read)

The dispensation of the law was saturated with grace.  It just appeared in different sounds.  Was David here talking about the law saving him?  Not on your life.  And not on his life either.  Here “strength” would be God’s love in action.  It would be the unmerited favor.  It would be mercy or any other word you want to substitute.

Salvation comes through God’s strength.  Pick your favorite NT verse and tell me how it is basically different.

So?  Salvation has always been a gift of God.  

Prevenient Grace

Psalm 25:8 (BES) (24:8) Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he instruct sinners in the way.

(Proverbs 25 also read)

There is a theological concept called prevenient grace.  It tends to be believed in and taught more in non-Calvinist circles.  The idea is that God extends His grace towards you while you’re yet a sinner and allows you to move toward Him.  This overcomes the concept that we are helpless and unable to respond to God without His specific input.  It means that even though we are not in any contact with spiritual sources of this world, the Holy Spirit is still preparing us and moving us.

Notice what this says.  It says that God is going to be working with sinners.  They may not be aware of it.  They may refuse to respond.  God is still working.

So?  God works in our lives.  We understand that.  We need to also understand that the person we are sitting across from in the cafeteria has God working in his life.  That brings it down to how each individual responds to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  You may claim that people haven’t had a chance to respond.  God knows otherwise.  

Keep the Balance

Psalm 26:11 (KJV) But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.

(Proverbs 18 also read)

This entire Psalm is a statement by David of his faithfulness and walk of integrity.  I wonder if Paul ever read this verse and what kind of spiritual gymnastics he needed to get through it.  The focus is not on the law but on a life of obedience.

Don’t fall into the trap of ignoring the place of faith and grace.  Those words do not appear but the need for them is found in this plea to be redeemed.  It is clear that David is not saying, “You need me on your team.”  He is saying, “It is still all up to you, Lord.”  And that is the truth.  It is the right balance.

So?  Righteous living is not a choice, it is a demand.  God’s grace is not plan B.  It is the only plan.  Spread your arms wide and embrace them both.  

Hidden Truth

Psalm 16:2 (KJV) [O my soul], thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;

Psalm 16:2 (NASB95) I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.”

(Proverbs 19 also read)

If you just read this in the King James, you would find it a bit confusing.  It gives you some idea that all the goodness you’ve been building up is given to God and that He’s supposed to treasure it.  He doesn’t.  That is basically true, but it misses the point.

The point is a basic doctrine of Christianity.  If you are Calvinist, you would find it in the concept of total depravity.  For the rest of us were content with such phrases as original sin.  The general idea, though is that we are incapable of reaching righteousness through our own efforts.  Yes, we can rescue kittens from trees.  We can help the old ladies across the street.  We can be honest in our income tax.  All of that is nice but not enough to get us into heaven.  It’s not enough to make it possible for us to stand before the judgment seat of God and expect to be not guilty.

So?  The great truths of Christianity are rooted in the Bible, in the Old Testament.  They’re not new ideas.  We may not understand them because the words of some of our translations are confusing, but they’re still there.  

Memories

Jeremiah 31:20 (NASB95) “Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him,” declares the LORD.

(Proverbs 8 also read)

I started in the eighth chapter of Proverbs, and I got down to a verse where it talked about how God delighted in things, especially delighting in wisdom.  As I look through the different verses where this word “delight” was used, I came across this reference in Jeremiah. I printed out the translation from the NASB because I really didn’t want to use the KGV word “bowels”.

What struck me with this is how God is sometimes like a grandfather or a parent whose children have grown up.  In this verse, it seems like He is remembering the good times.  He’s remembering all those warm fuzzy times where things were going well.  Because of that He is willing to go the extra mile.  Because of that there are times when we can just expect Him to be merciful for our weaknesses.

So?  Just rejoice in the fact that God remembers, not just your sin, but also the joy of your love and your adoration.  I trust that today you are still living in that, if not, I would urge you to turn back to Him.  

The Need for Braces

2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

(Proverbs 4 also read)

Every time I come across this word “perfect” I think about how modern Christians seem to get offended by it, or repelled might be a better word.  We shouldn’t be.  It’s a wonderful insight in how God works with his people.

Notice that the “weakness” is in us.  We can’t avoid it.  It is reality.  We are inadequate for what we face in life.  If you think you’re adequate then you’re probably missing what the real challenge is.  But the promise is that God will make us adequate, that His strength is made perfect as He acts as a brace for our withered limbs.  Or you might even think of it as a prosthetic device.

We have a lady at church who walks funny.  I thought she was having hip problems or something along those lines, but it turns out that she had a leg amputated and she’s walking on a prosthetic.  She’s able to get around quite well as long as she keeps in mind that she has this perfection making her weakness adequate.

So?  What are our weaknesses?  I tend to find that I forget I’m getting old.  Sometimes I move too fast.  So far the Lord has kept me from major catastrophe, but in life, we need to be aware of our limitations and learn how to lean so that God can compensate.  

Grace Applied

Psalm 103:10 (KJV) He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

(Proverbs 28 also read)

Just in case you’re one of those people that gets hung up on the difference between the law and grace, you need to take another look at this verse.  I don’t think the law was mentioned at all in this chapter.  But I do see grace at work here.  I see God extending His patience, forgiveness, and yes, grace towards us as He watches us and follows our activities.

What better way to express the idea of salvation than to admit that God does not deal with us as we deserve.  He is ready, willing and able to forgive our sins.  He sent His son to die on the cross so that the justice that is in His heart could be fulfilled.  What a balance of love and justice.

So?  Don’t relax in your sin, relax in your forgiveness.  Enjoy the knowledge that God will not deal with us as we deserve.  

Again, Salvation

Psalms 6:4 (NKJV) Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!

(Proverbs 2 also read)

I did not do a word search to find references to salvation.  I did not do a word search to find references to the mercy of God.  It just seems to come up in Psalm after Psalm.  Here we see it again.  What strikes me about this is that there is no mention of the law in the sixth Psalm.  There is mention of salvation, and there is mention of mercy.

Need I point out that this word in the KJV of “mercy” is the “loving kindness” of the NASB, and is the Hebrew word chesed?  Whether I need to point it out or not, I’m doing so because I think we forget that.  Salvation is linked to God’s mercy not to the law, even in the OT.

Does this mean the law is unimportant?  It is important to David.  You read this again and again, how he loves the law and how wonderful the law is.  But the purpose of the law is to give an outline of how to live, and please God in your lifestyle.  Ultimately, it is a promise to the nation to bless them in the land, in this world, among hostile neighbors.  It is not so much focused on the individual’s salvation.  That is what this Psalm is looking at.

So?  God is giving you plenty of indications on how you should be structuring your life.  Keep in mind those are all wonderful ideas and are very important, but your salvation comes from the mercy of God as you call up on Him, one on one.  

Source of Hope

Psalms 5:7 (KJV) But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

(Proverbs 30 also read)

The idea being expressed at least through the second half of this chapter is the way in which God reaches out to those who are called righteous.  What is it that makes them righteous?  A couple of things in this verse.  They come into His temple.  They set their face and direct their feet with a specific desire to be in the presence of God.

Second, they can count on what the KJV calls the multitude of his mercy.  “Mercy” again is that word “loving kindness”, chesed.  That part should be obvious.  What I would like to point out for those of you who are locked into the Old Testament being a pool of law and legalism, the law is not mentioned at all in this chapter.  Loving kindness is mentioned, as is translated mercy.  Righteousness is mentioned . And the source of that is found in the love of God.

So?  Recognize grace when you see it.  God does not have to love us.  In spite of what He doesn’t have to do He still does.  Here rooted in the Old Testament is a reminder that we approach Him, and He responds to us, not because of the law, but because of His character. 

More Two Edges

Proverbs 24:12 (KJV) If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

Do you have any idea how much people hate that last phrase used here by David in the book of Proverbs, which is in the Bible.  That little phrase of “according to this works”, appears repeatedly, and you may not have noticed it, but the last words of Jesus are very similar.

Revelation 22:12 (KJV) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

But notice how Proverbs balances this. The key here is not that He watches what we do because it’s not the actual tasks themselves which are judged, but it is what is going on in your heart. This is where grace and mercy and the work of the Holy Spirit come in.

So?  Yes, we are expected to live a certain way, but keep in mind that just living that certain way, although required, is not what saves us.  It is the blood of Jesus and the work of God in our hearts.  

Legal Revival

Psalms 119:159 (KJV) Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness.

(Proverbs 28 also read)

This whole section of Psalm 119 reflects the relationship between loving the law and God reaching out and restoring us.  It’s a constant conflict, especially for those of us who have been raised in the reformation ideas of grace and faith.  But notice here what happens in this verse.

First of all, the Psalmist writes about how he loves God’s law.  Here the synonym is “precepts”.  From there he asked God to “quicken” him.  I think a good way to think of this is that phrase that we often use “the quick and the dead”.  It means those who are alive and so here the Psalmist is calling upon God to make him alive.

The second point here is that he doesn’t say quicken me according to the law but according to God’s loving kindness.  This is that awesome Hebrew word chesed.  It speaks of mercy forgiveness and, yes, Grace.

So?  In the Old Testament you see the balance between the word of God and His standards and the love of God and His willingness to forgive.  I find that a great balance from my own life.  

Hidden Grace

Proverbs 22:1 (KJV) A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

When I first started looking at this verse, and noticed the word “favor” as used in the KJV, I thought I was going to find the Hebrew chesed which means “loving kindness”.  That is one of my favorite concepts in the Old Testament.  At first, I was disappointed because it was a different Hebrew word.  But then I recognized that Hebrew word as the Old Testament equivalent of “grace”.

It’s an interesting way of expressing the idea of grace.  The Hebrew word here is translating as “favor” and it’s most common translation in the KJV is “grace”.  But when you put it together, I’ve never seen these two ideas in the same verse, or at least noticed them.

So?  Grace is present through the entire Bible.  God’s love is moving and active and touching upon every aspect of our lives.  What a reason to rejoice. 

Defining Grace

Psalms 40:11 (KJV) Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

(Proverbs 27 also read)

One of the ongoing interests I have is trying to define grace.  We talk about it in different ways.  The common, popular definition is “undeserved merit”.  I prefer to define it as “God’s love in action.”

We also precede it with different adjectives.  We talk about saving grace.  We talk about sustaining grace.  You get the idea.  Here we have insights into how God moves in our lives and keeps our heads above water.  There are two words here that are very important.  The first is “loving kindness“.  I think this is chesed.  Then, of course you have that concept of truth, which we assume is universal, objective, and unchanging.

So?  Make sure you look for your definitions of biblical terms in the Bible.  Theology can help sometimes but keep in mind, that theologians, and blog writers, have their own opinions. 

Favor

(Pro 22:1 KJV)  A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

I don’t know if I have covered this before.  Even if I have, I’m going to look at it again.  I am referring of course to that word “favor.”  This is the word which the King James Bible usually translates “grace.”  It is the Hebrew word which is looked at as the Old Testament equivalent of the New Testament concept of grace.  It is the word that is used of Noah finding grace.

It jumps out at me because I have been discussing the place of Israel in the salvation message.  The person I was talking to was insisting that all Israel will be saved as it tells us in Romans 11.  I was telling him that for such an understanding as he had of that verse it had to involve what Calvin called “irresistible grace”.  Since he claims to not be a Calvinist, he didn’t like that.

Either way, grace is very evident in the Old Testament.  It talks about having God’s favor, and God, moving in benevolent and beneficial ways in the lives of those He extends His grace to.

So? That means that God has extended his grace even to you. I trust you have accepted the offer. 

OT Grace

Psalms 85:7 (KJV) Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.

(Proverbs 16 also read)

These words are so full of the character of God that they could have come from the mouth of Jesus.  We see my favorite word in the Old Testament chesed, translated as either “loving kindness”, or “mercy”.  This is God extending towards us His undeserved love and yes, grace.  This is God giving us what some call undeserved mercy but really it’s just an example of God‘s love in action.

Thus the result of this is the desired goal:  salvation.  Noticed that it is going to be granted and not earned.  Notice there is no mention of the sacrificial system or offerings.  There is no mention of anything other than God’s mercy extended toward us.

So?  Everywhere you look the Bible exudes the love of God towards His people. Yes, that includes us.  Rejoice.

Character of Hope

(Psa 30:5 KJV)  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

(Proverbs 30 also read)

If you compare translations here, you see a different thought.  The NASB, and most modern translations, use the word “lifetime” (2425b) .  The KJV uses “life”.  The Hebrew is the same as far as I can tell, but the interpretation seems to be different.

The more modern translations seem to be looking at a period of time in which God is going to be faithful.  That comes out as a lifetime.  The King James seems to be focusing more on the idea of salvation, or redemption of some kind.

This may be another one of those cases where you want to look at both is being possible, and not being forced to pick one or the other.  God’s favor indeed, is greater than His anger.  In theological terms, you might say His grace is greater than His wrath, or His loving kindness is greater than His anger.

So?  God does get angry.  His wrath does get expressed.  There’s no denying that.  But remember Jesus did not come to the manger and go through the agony of crucifixion just so He could figure out how to send more people to hell.  God wants us to endure, and He will endure us and with us.

So That

Psalms 119:146 (KJV) I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.

(Proverbs 4 also read)

For those of you who live in the world that divides the Old Testament from the New, take a look at the order here of grace and works.  Even in the days of David, you see a call first to be saved, and then the keeping of the law.  This comes through more clearly in the KJV.  Both are required.  Neither is optional.  But we first must be touched by the grace and power of God.  Only then, our actions is counted as righteousness.

There is no division in God’s eyes.  Like someone said:  Without Him we cannot, and without us, He will not.

So?  Live under grace and live in obedience. 

Defining Grace

Luke 2:40 (KJV) And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

One of the great concepts of the Bible is grace.  We tend to toss it around without thinking.  We talk about being saved by grace.  Theologically we hear “grace alone”.  I have often heard it defined as “undeserved favor”.  I do not like that definition because it is more of a theological definition than a Biblical statement.  Consider this verse.  This does not fit the definition of grace being undeserved favor.  

I prefer a definition that says grace is “God’s love in action”.  That goes well with this verse.  Keep in mind that you don’t need to accept my definition or anyone else's.  Read your Bible and let God give you a better definition to share with us.

So?  I always loved the Biblical greeting that included grace and peace.

Old Grace

Psalms 40:6 (KJV) Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

The Bible is a whole.  It has consistent root ideas that might be filled out by the revelation of time, but the basics are the same.  Here we see the roots of grace.  God is speaking.  Notice what he confesses God does not “desire” (2654a).  God’s goal is not the rituals of the law.  They had a place but they were a means to an end.  If you read enough of Psalms you will come across the trust and obedience that are part and parcel of God’s people.

So?  Follow the rules.  They are there for a purpose, but the rules are not what saves you.

Get Working

(Pro 24:12 KJV)  If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

Recently our pastor’s wife was accused of being a heretic because she believed in a religion of salvation by works.  This is a common put-down by people who are immersed in the Calvinistic view of theology.  The whole idea of “works” (6467) is condemned wholesale.  These people love to quote Ephesians 2:8-9 which points out the place of grace and faith and ignore verse 10 which uses the Greek version of this word “works” in a positive way.

To me the Bible is very clear about two things.  First, we cannot save ourselves.  We cannot earn enough merit to pay for our sin.  Salvation only comes because God has graciously sent Jesus as the Perfect Lamb of God to be the sacrifice or propitiation.  Second, God expects us to live holy lives in response to that gift.  Grace does not rule out works.  Grace does not negate works.  Even Paul, the Apostle of grace, refers to this.

(2Co 5:10 KJV)  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

So?  Rejoice that God has provided a way to salvation that is not dependent on our hard work and perfection.  Be alert to the fact that He expects you to live the life He has made possible.  It is not a salvation by works; it is a salvation leading to works.