Morning Meditations: 1 Corinthians 1:3 - What is Grace?

On to verse 3:

1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is grace? In churches and among Christians there is a lot of confusion as to what it is, how it is obtained and what it means

Genesis 6:7-9 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

The first instance of the word grace is a reference to Noah. God had decided to destroy everything on the earth except Noah. So grace means that God has decided not to punish you.

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

We can obtain the grace of God by faith in Jesus Christ. It is a question of salvation.

What does grace not mean?

Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Grace does not give us permission to sin. We are commanded again and again to Sanctify ourselves.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Throughout the whole Bible there is only one person listed as being full of grace. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. Not Mary, his mother, or any other living or dead person. Anyone who tells you anything different is pushing false religion and should be avoided as such.

Heavenly Father, let us find grace in your eyes. Show us your will. Set us free from false religion and anyone who would have us live under the law. In Jesus name, amen.