Are we sons of the true grace of God?
Luke 2:52
And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor [“charis”] with God and men.
Luke 2:40
The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace [“charis”] of God was upon Him.
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace [“charis”] and truth.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace [“charis”] you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Romans 6:14-15
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace [“charis”]. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace [“charis”]? May it never be!
Titus 2:11-13
For the grace [“charis”] of God has appeared [or shown forth], bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
The predominant English translation of the Greek word “charis” is “grace”, which many define as “unmerited or unconditional favour”. Some define “grace” as the diametrical opposite of “Law”, which is then extrapolated to mean “freedom from works or human effort”. Some even make “grace” an entity by saying that “Jesus is grace”. Yet, if Jesus grew or kept increasing in “charis” with God and with men, then Jesus is not “charis”; that is, Jesus is not “grace” even though He is the gift of God’s “grace”.
Today, “grace” has taken a larger-than-life persona, where its seemingly disproportionate importance has projected the Father and Son to revolve around it, and faith and faithfulness to be diminished by it. In a sense, the word “grace” has become a “golden calf” in form and centrality in many believers’ lives.
Thus, this begs the question, “What is the true meaning of ‘charis’ or its translation ‘grace’?”
“Charis” means “favor, disposed to, inclined, favorable toward, leaning toward to share benefit” [HELPS Lexicon]; or “graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude)” [Strong’s Definitions].
Therefore, “charis” speaks of “divine favour and empowerment born out of God’s lovingkindness and pleasure”, or “divine favour that empowers men to receive from God out of His lovingkindness and pleasure”. Divine favour is a directed response of the soul of God proceeding from His good pleasure and lovingkindness; thus it is not an attribute of God or a foundation of God’s being (like His holiness and truth). Divine empowerment speaks of God’s influence upon the human soul and His enablement of the entire human being to reflect that influence in life. Since divine favour will always encompass divine empowerment for men to share in gifts of divine favour, from the standpoint of specificity and clarity of definition, “charis” is better served translated as “divine favour” rather than “grace”.
If we replace the word “grace” with the phrase “divine favour” when we read the scriptures above, we will understand the true meaning and nature of “charis” according to scriptures.
So, while the divine favour that empowers sinners to be redeemed from their past sins is a gift proceeding out of a divine favour that is unmerited by men, growing in divine favour with God and with men is never without human endeavour or responsibility to please God; for Jesus grew in “charis” with God and men on the back of His life of obedience and sanctification empowered by the Spirit of God in the days of His flesh (Hebrews 5:8-9; John 17-17-19). Through His continuous growth in “charis” without sin that would break this continuity, He became the Son in whom the Father was well pleased, and onto resurrection from the dead.
As Jesus had shown and we are called to walk in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21-22), “charis” is not diametrically opposed to our explicit obedience towards the requirements of the laws of the Spirit of truth that leads to sanctification. In other words, “grace” does not contradict works under the Spirit of the Law, although it does invalidate the works under the letter of the Law. In fact, “the grace of God” instructs us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age”. Thus, there is no “divine favour” without obedience and sanctification; there is no increasing “charis” without increasing obedience and sanctification; for without pursuing sanctification, no one will have the “grace” to see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
Romans 6:15-19
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace [“charis”]? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
While the gift of God’s “charis” may have set us free from depravity that enslaves us to sin, thus resulting in death, this same “divine favour” requires us to be slaves of righteousness who present ourselves as slaves to the works of righteousness, resulting in obedience and sanctification. Thus, “grace” requires obedient works or acts that result in continuous righteousness and sanctification in truth, so that we do not obey sin that results in death.
Therefore, “charis” may be unmerited by men from human perspective, it is never unconditional in the eyes of a holy God from divine perspective, for “divine favour” requires our obedience and sanctification according to the righteous truth and good pleasure of God. This is where faith in God and faithfulness towards God, not “grace” as we know it, come in as the centrality and sole determinant of our salvation and divine favour in God through Christ; for the gift of salvation can only be appropriated and attained through “faith and faithfulness” [Greek “pistis”], and without “faith and faithfulness”, it is impossible to please God and be rewarded by His divine favour (Hebrews 11:6).
1 Samuel 2:26
Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the LORD and with men.
The faith and faithfulness of boy Samuel were what set him apart from many priests, even the sons of Eli. It was faith and faithfulness towards God that caused boy Samuel, like Jesus, to grow in stature, and be in favour (or grace) with God and men. Thus, grace proceeds from faith and faithfulness that please God, and if there is no faith and faithfulness that please God, there is no grace from God.
In conclusion, “charis” or “grace”, being a divine favour and empowerment, is a response of God that proceeds out of His lovingkindness and good pleasure towards men. The more we allow God to work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13), the more divine favour we will receive out of God’s lovingkindness and good pleasure unto eternal salvation. Thus, while salvation may be offered to us as a gift of divine favour, it must be lived and attained by faith and faithfulness that continuously sustain that divine favour, until we attain to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Luke 2:52; Ephesians 4:11-13). Here is the perseverance or steadfastness of the saints who faithfully keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus (Revelation 14:12).
Much more can be said about “charis”, the root word translated as “grace”. Unless we understand what “charis” means and how it empowers our salvation and perfection through the Author and Perfecter of our faith, we will misinterpret Spirit-inspired scriptures, misrepresent God, and miss out on the salvific work of His Son. Even terms like “saving grace” and “saving faith” will be misappropriated.
Do not make “grace” what it is not. Once we understand the meaning of “charis”, we will understand what Apostle Paul meant by “grace” in His letters.
Are we sons of the true grace of God?
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