ENDLESS GRACE UPON GRACE - PART 2

TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER 2024

Grace upon grace is the wonder through which God manifests His glory in our lives - in all His dealings with us. This grace is the all-encompassing commodity that has certainly been made known to us, and is more than enough to make us right with God. To that effect, Titus 2:11 reads, "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people." In other words, the Son of God moved into the earth, offering the purpose of God's love - to mankind. More below!

Reference: John 1:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace."

Here is the true meaning of receiving GRACE upon GRACE: It is all about developing a strong intimate relationship with Christ which is central to gaining adequate capacity for love, compassion, kindness, joy, goodness, faithfulness, forbearance, self-control, peace and prosperity, and every good thing available in Christ Jesus.

In a nutshell, what is the true meaning of His fullness? It is conforming to Christ's character which has become a front-and-center topic in a grace discourse analysis, a revelatory connotation which I promised to divulge in this article. How is GRACE about harmonizing or conforming with Christ's character? Firstly, Christ is full of grace and truth, and in getting to know the practical truth about Christ, we receive more of His grace, thereby attaining to demonstrate His character through authenticity, persistence, gratitude, faith, and so on - each of which exists in degrees. Then the Bible says that this will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:13 NLT). Got it?

So the revelatory insight embedded into the system of receiving GRACE upon GRACE is that through the knowledge of Christ, we will be maturing in faith and keep up the process, until we measure up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Are you with me? That "full and complete standard of Christ" is what our referenced Scripture (John 1:16) indicated as "His fullness."

So does Christ's character, however define grace? Absolutely yes! This is the reason receiving GRACE upon GRACE exists in degrees, expressing various levels of conformity with Christ's image. Ephesians 4:7 reads, "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." However, grace is not a one-off asset to have, just to remain at the same level of growth. You must grow in it, so that the character of Christ will be fully developed in you. To that effect, Petrine epistolary expression numbered as 2 Peter 3:18 reads, "but grow [spiritually mature] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (AMP).

Can grace be learned? Of course yes! The phraseology: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" says it all. Anything that has to do with knowledge can be learnt, but in this case, the learning is Spiritually-imparted and inspired. Got it? Relatedly, grace can be taught, and who might be the most effective teacher? This is stated in Pauline epistolary platitude numbered as Ephesians 4:12-13 which reads, "So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (NIV). The teachers of God's grace listed in this versified statement impart it continually. More so, we can only fulfil the high purpose of grace in the measure of our inextricable union with Christ. Are you with me?

By abiding in Christ, we manifest God's glory, and by imbibing the realities of His knowledge, we receive more of His grace. So long as we are joined to Him, we partake of His fullness, and our lives become the music of grace upon grace. Stay tuned for part 3. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Romans 3:23-24; John 1:14; Hebrews 4:16; 2 Peter 1:2.

Exuberant Declaration:

I acknowledge that I participate in the power of redemption and surplus grace in Christ. Hence, a high regard for God's grace is the main part of my heritage in the Lord. Praise God!