Grace

“Grace” (the Greek word “charis”) has various meanings: a gracious favor or benefit bestowed; or gratitude/thankfulness. The Gk. verb “charizomai” means “to show kindness or favor” – Dr. L. Richards’ Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, pp. 317-319.

This favor can take the form of: an undeserved/unearned/unmerited gift; a spiritual state of being a believer in Jesus Christ enters; or an enablement to do or be what God wants.

Lk. 2:40 Who was the grace (favor) of God upon?

Do you think the grace of God is upon you, and why?

Jn. 1:14-17 Who was full of (abounding in) grace (unmerited favor for the guilty) and truth (the final reality of what the Old Testament pictured with symbolism/types, e.g., Jn. 1:29; Heb. 8:4, 5; 11:19), vs. 14?

What have we believers in Jesus Christ received of His fullness, vs. 16?

As a believer, have you received one manifestation/act of unmerited favor of God in Christ after another?

If so, name some undeserved favors that God has given you.

Grace (undeserved favor in the form of forgiveness of all our sins) and truth were realized through Whom, vs. 17?

Have you personally realized/experienced this grace of Jesus Christ? If so, when, and how?

Acts 7:9, 10 What did God grant Joseph in the sight of Pharaoh?

Has God ever granted you favor and wisdom that was obvious to others?

If so, to whom and what was the situation/circumstance?

Acts 14:25, 26 To and for what had Paul and Barnabas been commended (entrusted)?

Have you ever been commended to the grace/favor of God to do the work of evangelism as you were being sent out as a missionary? If so, when, and by whom?

Acts 18:27 What had certain people in Achaia done through God’s grace (God’s favor, giving it to them even though they didn’t deserve it)?

Did you know that the very faith/belief you have in Jesus Christ as your Savior was given to you through grace (God’s favor to you that was undeserved, Eph. 2:8)? How do you feel about this, and why?

Acts 20:32 To whom and to what did Paul commend/entrust the elders (spiritual leaders) from the church in Ephesus (vs. 17)?

Has anyone ever commended/entrusted you to the word of God’s grace (i.e., the gospel/good news of the grace/favor of God, vs. 24, toward believing sinners by granting them salvation when they trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior) to share/spread it to others?

If so, when and by whom were you commended?

[The word of His grace would build them up numerically as people accepted/believed this gospel and build them up spiritually as they obeyed this commission (e.g., Matt. 28:19, 20), and would give new believers the inheritance among all those who are sanctified (i.e., set apart by and for God for salvation in heaven), as these Ephesian believers had.].

Rom. 1:7 To whom was this salutation of grace (the wish for the bestowal of favor) and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ given?

Have you ever told another Christian or group of Christians that you wished for the grace of God and Jesus to be upon him/her/them?

If so, when, to whom, and why?

Rom. 3:24 How is a sinner justified (declared right in the eyes of God)?

Have you been justified as a gift (given free) by God’s grace (favor that you didn’t deserve) through the redemption (purchase price of substitutionary shed blood) which is in Christ Jesus?

If so, when and how?

Rom. 5:15-17 What is the free gift that God gives to the many (i.e., believers in Jesus Christ as Savior) because of or by the grace (favor unearned/undeserved by believers) of the one Man, Jesus Christ, vs. 17?

Have you been given this gift? If so, why or how?

Rom. 4:4, 5, 13-16 Whose wage is not reckoned/considered a favor (grace) but as what is due him/her?

God’s blessing, being an heir of righteousness, came to those who had faith in God’s promise (for us today, it’s the promise of eternal life in heaven if we believe that Jesus Christ died to pay for all our sins so we’d be completely forgiven, 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Col. 2:13, 14; 1 Jn. 5:13), so that it might be in accordance with what, vs. 16?

Why is God’s blessing of forgiveness and being reckoned/considered righteous by God in accordance with grace (unearned favor), 3:24; 5:15, 17; 6:23; Eph. 2:8, 9?

Had you realized that justification (being declared righteous in the eyes of God), righteousness (being made right in the eyes of God), eternal life, and faith are all gifts of God and are expressions of God’s grace (favor unearned) to those He gives them to?

Rom. 5:1, 2 Through Whom have believers obtained their introduction into this grace (spiritual state of being right with and having peace with God)?

Have you entered this grace (positional, spiritual state of being right with God)? If so, how?

Rom. 5:20 – 6:2 Where sin increased (people’s recognition that they were violating God’s Law often), what abounded all the more?

As sin reigned by resulting in people’s physical and spiritual deaths, so grace (God’s favor to undeserving believers) would reign through God giving them His righteousness, which would result in what?

Are you one of these undeserving believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who will be getting (or actually already has) eternal life?

If so, how do you know?

Rom. 6:14, 15 Why should sin not be master over believers?

If you’re a Christian and, therefore, under grace (God’s favor that you didn’t earn or deserve in giving you eternal life, vss. 5, 8 and making you righteous in the eyes of God, 5:19) rather than under law (all the OT commandments), are you going to sin it up just because you know you’re guaranteed going to heaven, and why?

Rom. 11:5, 6 God chose a remnant (a small group of Jews/Israelites) to be saved spiritually (get eternal life in heaven) according to His gracious choice. So if they were chosen by His grace (favor that they neither earned nor deserved), on what basis were they not chosen, and why?

If you’re a believer/Christian, according to or by what were you saved and not saved (see Eph. 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5)?

Rom. 12:6 According to what, are Christians given their particular spiritual gifts?

Did you realize that God gave you your spiritual gift (e.g., teaching, service, exhortation, giving, leading, mercy, etc.) according to the grace (favor and enablement that we neither earned nor deserved) given to you by God?

How should that make you feel about your spiritual gifts, and why?

Rom. 15:15 Because of the grace (unmerited favor/gift/position as an apostle of Jesus Christ) given Paul from God, how did he write to these Christians at Rome?

If your spiritual gift is that of pastor-teacher, exhortation, or leadership, do you feel the freedom to boldly confront other Christians about issues they need to hear, and why?

Does boldness need to be limited to just these spiritual gifts, however, and why (2 Tim. 1:7)?

1 Cor. 1:4 What did Paul always thank God for?

Do you always thank God for the grace (undeserved favor) He’s given Christians you know, so they could be saved spiritually (get eternal life in heaven), and why?

1 Cor. 3:10 According to the grace of God (favor that’s undeserved) given to Paul, what did he do as a wise master builder?

Did you know that it’s an undeserved favor from God if He’s using you to evangelize, even if you never see any fruit/results in people converted directly by you?

1 Cor. 15:9, 10 By the grace of God (favor undeserved), what did Paul become, even though he had previously persecuted the church?

[No matter what sins or how many of them you’ve committed, you can be greatly used of God if His grace is upon you.].

Because of the grace of God upon Paul, what did he do?

Do you give God the credit for any and/or all of your accomplishments, and why?

Rom. 6:17, 18 For what did Paul give thanks (Gk. “charis”) to God?

Do you give thanks to God for the people you know who obey/accept/believe in the gospel, and why?

Col. 3:16 How are Christians to sing in their hearts to the Lord?

Do you sing with thankfulness (Gk. “charis”) or a grateful attitude to the Lord or just mouth words, and why?

2 Cor. 4:15 All things (i.e., Paul’s sufferings) were for the Church’s sake (i.e., Christ’s sake, vs. 11), that the grace (God’s favor/kindness/goodness that’s unearned and undeserved by those who hear and believe in the gospel) which is spreading to more and more people may cause what?

Are you helping to spread the grace of God by evangelizing?

2 Cor. 9:8 God is able to make all grace (favor in the form of earthly blessings or goods) abound to these Christians, so that they would have enough/sufficient material goods and/or finances so as to have plenty for every good deed. Is God doing this for you, and why (vss. 6, 7)?

2 Cor. 12:7-9 What did God tell Paul when he entreated the Lord three times to take away his thorn in the flesh (probably some physical affliction, as in Gal. 4:14, 15)?

Is God’s grace (i.e., enablement) sufficient for you to do God’s will God’s way no matter what your condition or circumstances are, and why?

Gal. 1:6, 15, 16 How were these Galatians as well as Paul called (summoned to salvation)?

Were you called/summoned to salvation by the grace (unearned, undeserved favor) of Christ or because you were a nice/good person, and why?

2 Tim. 1:8, 9 Paul and Timothy were saved and called (spoken/told to so as to separate them to the task) to full-time Christian work according to God’s own purpose and grace (enablement) which was granted them in Christ Jesus from all eternity. How weren’t they called? How have you been called (told by God to serve Him)?

Gal. 2:16, 21 Since justification (being declared right with God) and righteousness (being right with God) came through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and not by Law/commandment-keeping, what doesn’t Paul nullify (set aside, cancel out)?

Are you trying to nullify the grace (favor that’s undeserved) of God by trying to work or earn your way into heaven and make Christ’s death a needless event, and why?

Gal. 5:4 Who has fallen from grace (God’s undeserved favor with its spiritual benefits and enablements) and been severed from (cut from fellowship with) Christ?

What are you seeking to be justified (declared right with God) by, and why?

Eph. 1:5-7 Why did God predestine certain people to become sons of His, vs. 6?

If you’re a Christian, are you praising God for His glorious grace (favor undeserved by you) that He freely gave to you so you could become a child of His? If so, how and how often?

And what do believers have, according to the riches of His grace, vs. 7?

If you’re a believer, aren’t you glad that God was so generous with His grace toward you, and why?

Eph. 2:5, 8, 9; Acts 15:11 How is a person saved (from going to hell and getting eternal life in heaven)?

[Faith is not self-generated, but rather it is a gift from God. So the very faith a person has in Jesus as his/her Savior is given as a favor that that individual didn’t earn or deserve.].

Aren’t you glad that salvation is obtained by God’s/Jesus’ grace (favor unearned and undeserved by the individual) through faith in the fact that Jesus Christ died to pay for all the sins of the believer, and why?

Eph. 3:7, 8; Gal. 2:7-9 Paul’s being made a minister of the gospel and an apostle was according to what?

Again, we see that God’s grace (favor toward someone undeserving and who didn’t earn it) is a gift. If you have a ministry or position in Christianity, you only have it because of God’s grace.

Eph. 4:7, 8, 11 According to what, did God/Christ give each Christian His grace (enablement), vs. 7?

Christ gave gifted men/Christians to His Church. What kinds of grace gifted men did Jesus Christ give to His Church, vs. 11?

Are you a grace (enabled) gifted evangelist or pastor-teacher?

If so, what are you to do with your enabled abilities that Christ has given you, vss. 12, 13?

Eph. 4:29 What are we Christians to say, so that it gives grace (spiritual benefit) to those who hear?

Are you giving grace (spiritual benefit) according to the need of the people who hear you speak to them?

2 Tim. 2:1 What did Paul tell Timothy to be strong in?

Are you strong in the grace (enablement) that Christ gives to live the Christian life?

Titus 2:11, 12 What has the grace (favor to undeserving men in the form of the gospel) of God brought to all kinds of people?

Are you bringing the grace (gospel) of God to all kinds of people by evangelizing?

Heb. 2:9 Why did Jesus suffer death?

Are you glad that by the grace (favor unearned and undeserved toward believers) of God, Jesus tasted/experienced death for every one who believes in Him as Savior?

Heb. 4:15, 16 Why should believers draw near with confidence to the throne of grace (the God who gives favor/benefits to the undeserving), vs. 16?

Have you found grace (divine enablement/strength) to help you in your time of need when you drew near to Christ in prayer?

If so, give an example.

Heb. 12:15 It is the Christian group’s responsibility to see to it that no one associating with them (checking out these believers) comes short of the grace (true salvation; favor) of God; that no root of bitterness (unbelief by one of these associating non-Christians) springing up causes trouble (to other associating non-Christians in the Christian group/church), and by it affects many of them. Are you watching out for this in your Christian group, and if so, how?

Heb. 13:9 What shouldn’t these believers be carried away by because it is good for the heart (life) to be strengthened (brought to spiritual maturity) by grace (God’s favor upon the believer) and not by foods (following ceremonial distinctives about meats in an attempt to elevate Judaism at the expense of true Christianity)?

Are you trying to grow spiritually strong/mature by God’s grace/favor upon you and obeying His commands for Christians in the NT (Phil. 2:12, 13), or are you trying to be spiritually strong by listening to strange/unbiblical teachings for Christians regarding the keeping of ceremonial food rituals (e.g., Lev. 4:22-35; 6:25, 26 for Jews)?

Jas. 4:6 God gives greater grace (help/enablement) to Christians than there is wickedness in the world to tempt and defeat them. To whom does God give His grace/help?

Would you qualify as a recipient of God’s grace/help based on this, and why?

1 Pet. 1:10, 11 What did the prophets prophesy about regarding salvation, vs. 10?

Though not in the generation of people Peter was writing this epistle to, are you a recipient of the grace (unearned and undeserved favor from God) these prophets talked about? How do you know?

1 Pet. 1:13 What were these Christians to fix their hope completely on?

Are you fixing your hope/confidence on the grace (redemption of your body; glorification. 1 Thes. 4:15-17) to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ? Why?

1 Pet. 4:10 As good stewards of the manifold (many-faceted) grace (gifts) of God, what should we employ in serving one another?

Are you using the spiritual gift that God has given you (e.g., Rom. 12:6-8) in serving other Christians, and why?

1 Pet. 5:10-12 What were these believers told to stand firm in, vs. 12?

Are you standing firm in the true grace (unearned and undeserved favor of salvation, vs. 10; 1:1-3) of God and not renouncing your faith in Christ because of being persecuted? If so, how?

2 Pet. 3:18 What are these Christians told to grow in?

Are you growing in the grace (exercise of your enabling ability to live a Christ-like life, 1:3-7; Phil. 2:12, 13) of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

If so, how and in what way(s)?