1. What is Grace?
Grace simply means the favor of God.
2. What is the biggest misconception concerning Grace?
To most people, Grace has been defined as the unmerited favor of God. Simply put, there is nothing that you have to do in order to receive it. This is only one way that grace is defined, so rather you are a saint or a sinner, EVERYONE receives this form of Grace from the Father.
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
3. How else is Grace used?
The second way that grace is defined may come as a shock to most. Once you have received what we call “the first form of grace”, you must move into faith and then works. James said “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Once you possess the faith through Christ, combining it with works, then you move into the “Second form of Grace”.
And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.
4. Aren’t we saved by Grace and not by works?
Yes, we are saved by Grace, but by
the second form of grace which comes by hearing, believing, doing and continuing in God’s word (Matthew 13:23;John 8:31). Does it make sense for one person to keep all the laws, statutes and commandments of God, but another person live their life recklessly, abandoning God’s word and yet they both receive eternal life?
And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the GRACE of God FOR THE WORK which they fulfilled.
5. Does Grace exclude the law?
Grace has never excluded the Law. There are a number of Bible verses that are similar to Galatians 5:4
“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace
At first glance, it appears as if these Bible verses are excluding the Law in favor of grace. However, these sort of Bible verses were in reference to those that kept the Law and excluded faith (which was Christ).
“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed
Galatians 3:23 was referring to Christ, because he had to come. Once he came, it was important to not just keep the Law, but to accept him and his teaching as well. If you failed to do both, your faith was vain (James 2:24) and the keeping of the Law was in vain (Galatians 3:11)