Grace - Lesson 3 - The Nature of God's Grace

The Church of Divine Guidance (CDG) Sunday morning adult bible study group is in a study on grace. These posts are my notes for each session. Please study with us. You can participate by asking your questions or making comments in the comments below. We welcome your thoughts

and prayers.

Foundation scripture Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

Before we start today I want to read one of the devotions that I had this past week from Charles Spurgeon's  Morning and Evening Devotions

Isaiah 49:8

I will give thee for a covenant of the people.

Jesus Christ is Himself the sum and substance of the covenant, and as one of its gifts. He is the property of every believer. Believer, canst thou estimate what thou hast gotten in Christ? "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Consider that word "God" and its infinity, and then meditate upon "perfect man" and all his beauty; for all that Christ, as God and man, ever had, or can have, is thine-out of pure free favour, passed over to thee to be thine entailed property forever. Our blessed Jesus, as God, is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Will it not console you to know that all these great and glorious attributes are altogether yours? Has he power? That power is yours to support and strengthen you, to overcome your enemies, and to preserve you even to the end. Has He love? Well, there is not a drop of love in His heart which is not yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of His love, and you may say of it all, "It is mine." Hath He justice? It may seem a stern attribute, but even that is yours, for He will by His justice see to it that all which is promised to you in the covenant of grace shall be most certainly secured to you. And all that He has as perfect man is yours. As a perfect man the Father's delight was upon Him. He stood accepted by the Most High. O believer, God's acceptance of Christ is thine acceptance; for knowest thou not that the love which the Father set on a perfect Christ, He sets on thee now? For all that Christ did is thine. That perfect righteousness which Jesus wrought out, when through His stainless life He kept the law and made it honourable, is thine, and is imputed to thee. Christ is in the covenant.

My God, I am thine-what a comfort divine!
What a blessing to know that the Saviour is mine!
In the heavenly Lamb thrice happy I am,
And my heart it doth dance at the sound of His name."

Last week we talked about the Forms of God’s Grace

They were:

Common grace - The kindness or favor God give to all mankind believer or not.

Saving grace - The provision of salvation on the cross of

Securing grace - The favor of God by which Christians are kept secure in spite of sin.

Sanctifying grace - Sanctifying grace works within the true believer causing them to grow and mature and progress becoming more Christ-like.

Serving grace -  Spiritual Gifts that believers have been given by the Holy Spirit.

Sustaining grace - Grace given at special times of need, especially during adversity or suffering.

This week's lesson is the Nature of God’s Grace

First a quick summary then we will get into specifics.

1. Grace is God acting freely with no obligations to fulfill
2. Grace wholly in the giver, God.
3. Grace is sovereign. It can can be given to whomever and however it pleases. 
4. Grace cannot act when it is deserved.   o

It is undeserved

Romans 3:23 (NKJV)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 (NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If it could be earned, it would not be grace

Ephesians 2:7-9 (NKJV)7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Titus 3:4-7 (NKJV)4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

God's saving grace can be received only through Jesus

Ephesians 1:6-7 (NKJV)6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Grace has appeared to all men

Titus 2:11 (NKJV) For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men

It is no secret and it’s available to all men, but only through Jesus.

Grace is pure

Grace is never a mixture of divine benevolence and human effort:

Romans 4:4-5 (NKJV)4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Romans 11:6 (NKJV) And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Grace is entirely the work of God, unprompted by man, undeserved by man, and without regard to anything that man can accomplish later.

J. I. Packer describes grace this way:

In the New Testament grace means God’s love in action towards men who merited the opposite of love. Grace means God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves. Grace means God sent His only Son to the cross so that we guilty ones might be reconciled to God and received into heaven. To make even the slightest contribution to our salvation is to rule out the possibility of grace. For one thing, any contribution on our part would be exaggerated in our own minds.

Grace is sovereign

Since we have no claim on God’s grace and cannot contribute anything to it, then grace must be sovereignly bestowed.

Romans 9:15-16  (NKJV) For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.  "

Some people have a problem with that but again it’s God’s favor and He gives it to whomever He will based on the requirements that He set and they are His requirements not ours.

Grace is not looking for good men but for condemned, guilty, and helpless men whom it will save, sanctify and glorify.

Grace is the source of righteousness

While the Law defines righteousness, only grace delivers it. The Law was never intended to be a means of obtaining grace; it was given to demonstrate to men that grace was desperately needed:

Romans 3:19-21 (NKJV)19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Here is something that I read written by Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh who has contributed Bible studies to a website that I use from time to time,  Bible.org

No matter how pious legalism appears on the outside, it dishonors God by revealing a deep-seated distrust of God. Stop and think about it for a minute. Why do men insist upon putting agreements in writing? Why are legal contracts necessary? For only one reason—men are fallible. At best, we tend to forget the things we have committed to do. At worst, we never intended to do them in the first place. A legal contract gives one man a basis for forcing another to do what he has promised.

Do you really believe God is so unreliable that we must create a contract which binds Him? All of the biblical covenants are those which were initiated by God, not man. And most of these covenants are unconditional; that is, they are not conditioned by any action on man’s part, but only on the faithfulness of God Himself. Legalism by its very nature implies that God is so untrustworthy that we must be sure to get it down in contractual form. Far better it is to leave blessings in the hand of the One who is gracious.

Grace is given only to the humble

When our Lord came to the earth, He came to minister to the poor, the suffering, the needy. To the “poor in spirit” Jesus offered the riches of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus had come to this earth in order to minister to those who were in need and knew it. When Jesus chose to associate with the needy rather than with the elite of His day, it greatly offended the Jewish religious leaders:

Mark 2:16-17 (NKJV)16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Here is what Jesus said about another proud person.

Luke 18:11-14 (NKJV)11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

James 4:6 (NKJV) But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

1 Peter 5:5 (NKJV) Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

Grace is never to be an occasion for sin

Romans 5:20 (NKJV) Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,

That doesn’t mean that we should sin more so that God will show more grace. That’s a crazy thought.
Romans 6:1-2 (NKJV)1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

We who have died to sin cannot casually and carelessly persist in sin, for it is inconsistent with our new life in Christ.

Grace must never be used as an excuse for sin:

1 Peter 2:16 (HCSB) As God’s slaves, ⌊live⌋ as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil.

Grace is always in harmony with God’s other attributes

It is possible at this point to misunderstand the grace of God by supposing that grace somehow is granted at the expense of God’s holiness or His justice. Grace does not set aside the requirements of justice; it satisfies them. The Christian is no longer guilty before God and need not stand under the condemnation of God for sin. But someone does have to pay the penalty for sin. For the Christian that person is our Lord Jesus Christ:

Romans 3:24-26 (NKJV)24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.


Grace, then, meets the demands of justice and holiness rather than to set them aside. Grace is never granted at the expense of any of God’s attributes.

I don’t remember where I found this, I forgot to copy the website,  but I want to share it with you:

The Place of Man under Grace 

• He has been accepted in Christ, who is his standing!
• He is not “on probation.”
• As to his life past, it does not exist before God: he died at the Cross, and Christ is his life.
• Grace, once bestowed, is not withdrawn: for God knew all human exigencies beforehand: His action was independent of them, not dependant upon them

The Proper Attitude of Man under Grace

• To believe, and consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret.
• To refuse to make “resolutions” and “vows”; for that is to trust in the flesh.
• To expect to be blessed, though realising more and more lack of worth.
• To testify of God’s goodness, at all times.
• To be certain of God’s future favour: yet to be ever more tender in conscience toward Him.
• To rely on God’s chastening hand as a mark of His kindness.

What We discover When We Really Understand Grace

• To “hope to be better” is to fail to see yourself in Christ only.
• To be disappointed with yourself is to have believed in yourself.
• To be discouraged is unbelief – as to God’s purpose and plan of blessing for you.
• To be proud is to be blind! For we have no standing before God in ourselves.
• The lack of Divine blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief, and not from failure of devotion.

Real devotion to God arises, not from man’s will to show it but from the discovery that blessing has been received from God while we were yet unworthy and undevoted.

To preach devotion first and blessing second, is to reverse God’s order, and preach law, not grace. The Law made man’s blessing dependant on devotion; Grace confers undeserved, unconditional blessing: our devotion may follow, but does not always do so , in proper measure.

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Grace Lesson 2 - Forms of Grace

The Church of Divine Guidance (CDG) Sunday morning adult bible study group is in a study on grace. These posts are my notes for each session. Please study with us. You can participate by asking your questions or making comments in the comments below. We welcome your thoughts

and prayers.

Foundation scripture

Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

Last week we defined grace as:

• unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification
• a virtue coming from God
• disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency

Why did we say that the word grace appears many more times in the New Testament over the Old?

The Old Testament or old covenant was a covenant of law whereby in order to be justified by God you had to obey the law to the letter in other words you had to work got gain favor or grace. That was done away with when Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for mankind and his blood sealed a new covenant or New Testament. That covenant came into effect after Jesus was sacrificed and He presented His blood in heaven to atone for the sins of those who accept that sacrifice as being made for them.

Hebrews 9:11-14 (HCSB)11 But the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation),12 He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,14 how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?

We compared Adam and Jesus who both represented mankind.

Adam introduced sin and with sin death and they were passed on to his descendants. In the sight of God Adam represented mankind and when he sinned it was as all of mankind sinned because we are his posterity.

But Jesus came as a second Adam and he also represents mankind, and with Him came the grace of God and with grace righteousness. . Through His sacrifice God gives His grace to all who believe.

Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV)9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Introduction

God’s grace may be most difficult thing for our natural minds to really understand. We all understand the law. It’s pretty simple really it says “do this” and “don’t do that”. You don’t even need to be a Christian to understand that and many ‘good, law abiding, unsaved people’ will tell you that. In fact they will often point to things that Christians do which are against the Mosaic law and say I’m better than that. Everybody understands the law but we can’t keep it. So when we say that we are saved God’s grace through faith it takes more than the natural mind to understand it. We can’t understand, with our natural minds, why a righteous would allow His Son, who was able to keep the entire law, be punished in the place of those who could not keep it.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I know that last week I said that this week we would talk about the nature of God’s grace but in my I study found that His grace takes several forms so that’s what I want us to talk about this week, the forms of God’s grace.

Grace takes many forms in the Bible

Common grace

The kindness or favor God give to all mankind believer or not.

Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJV)44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Acts 14:16-17 (NKJV)16 who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.17 Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."

He grants grace also in delaying judgement on mankind giving them a chance to accept His gift of eternal life.

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Saving grace

The provision of salvation through  Jesus

Romans 1:5 (HCSB)  We have received grace and apostleship through Him to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations, on behalf of His name,

Romans 3:24 (HCSB) They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:2 (HCSB) We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:15-17 (HCSB)15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Securing grace

The favor of God by which the Christian's salvation is kept secure in spite of sin.

John 10:27-29 (NKJV)27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.

John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

I could go on and on but as you have often heard me say, you didn’t have anything to do with your salvation.   You are saved by the grace of God by and through faith, so there is nothing you can do to “un-save” yourself.  Salvation is obtained and maintained by grace alone.

Sanctifying grace

Sanctifying grace works within the true believer causing them to grow and mature and progress becoming more Christ-like. If you remember from our Winning the War Against Worry study God is working, through His grace to conform us the the image of His Son Jesus.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Serving grace

Are the Spiritual Gifts that believers have been given by the Holy Spirit. Remember I said, last week that the Greek word translated grace charis (pronounced cars) is the root of the word charisma which is the word Paul used for spiritual gifts.

Serving grace enables us to minister in a way that we manifest the life of Jesus as members of His body, the church.

Ephesians 4:7 (NKJV) But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV) As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Sustaining grace

Grace given at special times of need, especially during adversity or suffering.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV) And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

James 4:6 (NKJV) But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

In Conclusion 

God’s grace is manifested in a variety of ways. Grace seeks us and saves us; grace keeps us secure; grace enables us to serve and to endure the tests and trials of life. Grace will bring about our sanctification in this life and will ultimately bring us to glory. From beginning to end we are the object of divine grace.

Next week I promise we are going to look at the nature of God’s grace. 

 

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Grace - Lesson 1

The Church of Divine Guidance (CDG) Sunday morning adult bible study group is in a study on grace. These posts are my notes for each session. Please study with us. You can participate by asking your questions or making comments in the comments below. We welcome your thoughts

and prayers.

God's grace.  What is it? Why is it so important? How do you get the grace of God?

These questions are key for understanding Christianity.  Christianity and the grace of God go hand in hand. No one can call themselves a Christian without accepting the grace of God, a free gift from God to all mankind

Foundation scripture 

Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

Introduction

Dictionary definition from dictionary.com 

(in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. (dictionary.com)

Merriam-Webster Dictionary 

a : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification
b : a virtue coming from God

The word grace is used in the Old Testament, depending on which translation or version you read, between 4, in the New Revised Standard Version, and 39 times in the King James Version. I don’t know yet why such a wide range. I didn't have time to do the research before this lesson but I will keep looking and find out. The other translations are very close in the number of times ranging from 4 in the Revised Standard Version to 9 in the American Standard Version. In the translation that I like the Holman Christian Standard Version the number of times in the Old Testament is 13 times. 

There must be some word the the King James Version uses for the Hebrew word ḥēn (pronounced khane). My guess is that where the King James uses grace the others use favor but that’s just a guess.

Grace is in the English translations in the New Testament between 118 times in the Revised Standard Version to 131 times in the King James. Much closer.

The Greek word that’s used most in the New Testament and translated grace is charis (pronounced cars) a) objective - that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard; it is applied to beauty, or gracefulness or person, or speech.

The root word for charis is word Paul uses to express God’s grace in salvation. He uses throughout Romans. Romans is the book that really describes God's plan and purpose for saving us.  Here is a sample of where Paul mentions God's grace:

Romans 1:5 (HCSB) 5 We have received grace and apostleship through Him to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations, on behalf of His name,

Romans 3:24 (HCSB)24 They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:2 (HCSB)2 We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Romans 12:6 (HCSB)6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith;

The word grace appears many more times in the New Testament over the Old. Why do you think that’s the case?

The Old Testament or "Old Covenant" was based on rules and regulations or the "Law".  In order to be justified by God you had to obey the law to the letter in other words you had to work got gain favor or grace. That Old Covenant was done away with when Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for mankind and his blood sealed a "New Covenant" or "New Testamen"t. That covenant came into effect after Jesus was sacrificed and He presented His blood in heaven to atone for the sins of those who accept that sacrifice as being made for them.

Hebrews 9:11-14 (HCSB)11 But the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation),12 He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,14 how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God? 

Grace and Our Salvation or Justification

Romans 5:12-21 (HCSB)12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.13 In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law.14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One.15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone.19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.20 The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Explore It

1.What did Adam introduce into the world and pass on to his descendants? (5:12)

He introduced sin and with sin death they were both on to his descendants.

What Paul is saying here is that all men sinned when Adam sinned.

How is that possible?

Think of it this way.  Let's use an example from the bible to show how that works.  The example is about a man named Achan and what he did after the Hebrews destroyed Jericho.  This is in the seventh chapter of Joshua

If you remember the Hebrews were not to take certain for themselves from Jericho.

Joshua 6:18-19 (HCSB)18 But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it.19 For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the LORD and must go into the LORD’s treasury.”

But here's what happened during the battle.

Joshua 7:1 (HCSB)1 The Israelites, however, were unfaithful regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the LORD’s anger burned against the Israelites.

Because of Achan’s disobedience the Hebrews lost the next battle to a rag tag group from the town Ai and they were disheartened.

After the Lord pointed out Achan as the reason that they were defeated when the punishment was made, not only Achan but also all his property, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his asses, his sheep, his tent were destroyed. Everything connected with Achan was blotted out of Israel. Although the disobedience was all Achan and he admitted it.

Joshua 7:21 (HCSB)21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon, 200 silver shekels, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them. You can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the money under the cloak.”

Another example, this one doesn’t have anybody dying and nothing destroyed but still an example of how Paul could say when Adam sinned all men sinned.

Go to

Genesis 14:18-19 (HCSB)18 Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High.19 He blessed him and said: Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,

Now to

Hebrews 7:9-10 (HCSB)9 And in a sense Levi himself, who receives tenths, has paid tenths through Abraham,10 for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

So you see , as in the case of Achan, his family was considered guilt and thus punished because of Achan, and in the case of Abraham,  how Levi, one of his grandsons, was considered as paying tithes. Just like Achan represented his family and Abraham represented his family so Adam represents his posterity, which is mankind.  Mankind then is looked on as having acted in disobedience with him. 

 I had always struggled with explaining this but because of this study I now understand and can explain it to others.


2. What is the root cause of death?  (5:12)

Sin.

Romans 6:23 (HCSB)23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This verse can be interpreted to mean both spiritual and physical death. When Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, they eventually died physically. Sin, which is breaking the law of God (1 John 3:4  Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law.), brings both physical (Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.) and spiritual death (Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide ⌊His⌋ face from you so that He does not listen. ). So, Romans 6:23 can legitimately be interpreted to include both spiritual and physical death when it speaks of "the wages of sin." - Matt Slick, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.

3. How did the coming of God’s law affect the presence of sin in the world? (5:13)

Law

Adam's sin was charged to his account and to that of his posterity because he broke an explicitly stated command of God. Men from Adam to Moses without such explicit laws could not have sin charged to their account in the same way as Adam had. They did not have definite, specific statutes, such as those later given in the Mosaic code. After the law then every person could be charged themselves with breaking specific commands or laws. Before the law man couldn't be charged with a specific instance of breaking the law although they were still considered to have disobeyed because Adam did. 

Now they can have something charges to their account because of the law.

4. How did the coming of God’s law affect our understanding of what sin is? (5-13)

It is spelled out in specific things and if we don't abide by them we are guilt you breaking the law which is sin.  In other words if you do or don't do specific things then you have broken the law.

Paul is not saying that there were no God-given commands known to men between Adam and the Law, in fact when God reaffirmed the covenant that the made with Abraham to Isaac he said;

Genesis 26:4-5 (HCSB)4 I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring,5 because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My mandate, My commands, My statutes, and My instructions.” .

But an absence of a code of law—of a divinely given norm—affects the way sin is reckoned against men.  Before the law man was included under the penalty of death because of Adam they were not charged with any specific things because there was no knowledge of specific things.  After the law each individual could be charged with specific things themselves so they had personal ownership of their own disobedience.

That was the law now comes grace

5. What came into the world through Jesus Christ? (5:15)

GRACE!! and the gift which is righteousness or right standing with God.

Grace

"The many", in verse 15 is the same group who were affected by Adam's transgression and therefore died. God's grace and the gift in the sphere of Christ's grace abound to all men. Adam's act brought death. Divine grace abounds to those affected by Adam's act. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary

6. What is God’s solution to the inevitable problem of sin and death? (5:16-17)

The sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, through which God gave His grace to those who believe.

Many transgressions brought God's gracious gift into operation, and its outcome or goal is acquittal. The reign of death, because of the trespass of the one, is contrasted with the reign in life—on the part of those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. The abundance of grace has to do with all that God has accomplished and promised to do in Christ. Those who are receiving God's abounding favor toward them in Christ and the righteousness which he provides will reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Because of what the one man, Jesus Christ, accomplished, death no longer reigns, but men reign in life. Why are there not as many who reign in life as there were under the reign of death? Because the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness were rejected by many rather than received. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
7. In what ways are the acts of Jesus and Adam similar? (5:18-19)

Their acts affected all mankind. Adam’s act brought sin and death, Jesus’ act brought God’s grace and the gift of righteousness leading to eternal life.

Through one transgression the verdict or sentence of judgment came to all men. So through one righteous deed the gracious gift of redemption (see Arndt, charisma, 1, p. 887) caome unto all men for the purpose of acquittal that brings life. Paul asserts clearly that the effect of Christ's righteous deed extends just as far as the effect of Adam's transgression. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
8. What is the relationship between the amount of sin and grace in the world? Which is the more powerful—sin or grace?) ( (5:20)


Although righteousness by faith is central in human history, the Law has an important place. The Law came in order that the transgression might abound (increase in number, multiply).

Grace did much more abound. Or, was present in greater abundance. Grace is much more powerful than sin.

9. What effect did God’s righteous law have on rebellious people? (5:20)

It increased their transgressions by establishing a written code pointing out their disobedience and rebelliousness.

10. What does sin in this world produce? (5:21)

Sin is connected with death in this verse just as it was in 5:12 (Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.)

11. What does grace given by God to this world produce? (5:21)
Grace produces righteousness. The fact that the righteousness of Christ is bestowed upon those who believe means not only that they are declared righteous but also that they belong to the reign and the triumph of grace. Grace reigns with a goal in view-eternal life. Eternal life is a quality of life; it is living by God's life and for God. Believers have this life now. But eternal life means not only living by God, and for him, but in an environment that he has made perfect—free from all sin. Hence eternal life is the believer's destiny as well as immediate reality. How will this life be achieved? It will be achieved through a person—through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We can’t measure God’s grace because our sinfulness has limits but God’s grace has no limits. 

 Let’s end by reading this;

Romans 5:15-17 (HCSB)15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Got It

12. What effect did God’s grace through Christ’s death on the cross have on your life?

13. How can knowing you are forgiven and righteous before God through Jesus Christ affect your attitudes and actions?

14. How can knowing you are forgiven and righteous before God through Jesus Christ affect your attitudes and actions?

Apply It

15. In what ways can you thank God today for the grace He has bestowed on you?

16. What can you do this week for unsaved friends still suffering from the consequences of sin?

Next week we are going to talk about the nature of God’s grace.

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