Sunday, September 9, 2018 - Ephesians 6:23

Faith, Peace, and MVA Love in Our Life are from the Grace of God, Pt. 1 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4GBbeRGa-I

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

https://www.facebook.com/gracedoctrine/

5. The Encouragement, vs. 21-24.  

Eph 6:23, “Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Next, we have, “… from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” APO THEOS PATER KAI KURIOS IESUS CHRISTOS.

This is similar to Paul’s wording in, Eph 1:2-3, 17; 5:20, and his opening salutations in 2 Cor 1:2; Rom 1:7.

Rom 1:7, “To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

But in our passage, the key word is “from,” APO, ἀπό the Genitive of Source Preposition that means, “from or out of.” In other words, God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are the source of all of our blessings, including faith that leads to having the blessings of peace and MVA love in our lives. Faith, peace, and love all flow from the source of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The ultimate source of these three essential features of the Christian way of life is God himself.

In fact, God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as “the source of,” speaks to the “grace” of God in our lives, as vs. 24 also tells us. Having faith, peace, and love from God the Father and Jesus Christ is specifically speaking of their grace plan for the believer post-salvation / conversion. Therefore, faith, peace, and love are given to us by the grace gift of God, and the Preposition APO in this passage, emphasizes the grace of God in our lives.

The name of Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of God, is associated with that of God the Father in perfect equality and unity in this and other passages. That is because faith, peace, and love are grace gifts of God bestowed upon us through Jesus Christ. That they come equally from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ shows us the equality of the Father and the Son inside the Trinity, as all grace comes from the source of God.

Grace comes from the source of God the Father, as the fountain of all our mercies, and grace comes from the source of the Lord Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice and mediation. The Father and the Son are regarded as equally authoring faith, peace, and love along with the Holy Spirit. Cf. 2 Cor 13:14, a Trinitarian verse.

2 Cor 13:14, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

Therefore, the Preposition APO acts as an introduction to the first word in vs. 24, “grace,” the Greek noun CHARIS, which we are going to note here. And, given the context of vs. 23-24, we are going to focus on the “grace of God” towards the believer post-salvation / conversion. But keep in mind that the grace of God is extended to the unbeliever prior to their salvation, as well as at the moment of faith in Jesus Christ.

“Grace,” CHARIS, χάρις means, “grace, graciousness, kindness, goodwill; a gift, a favor, etc.” Grace is all that God is free to do for mankind without compromising His Divine essence. Grace means favor, kindness, and mercy. Grace is undeserved blessing and suffering from God to mankind. Grace is free and unmerited love and favor toward us. Grace is unmerited Divine provision for mankind before, during, and after salvation. Therefore, grace depends on who and what God is.

Because God has personal love for the believer, He imputed His perfect righteousness to the believer at the moment of the believer’s conversion. Thereafter, (i.e., post-salvation), the grace of God can bless the righteousness of God inside the believer.

Post-salvation grace is found in 1 Peter 5:12, “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.” Unfortunately, sometimes there are distortions of God’s grace.

Grace is the free, unmerited favor and love from God alone, not from our works or because we are attractive to God. Grace means that all things from God are received from Him as a free gift totally apart from any form of human merit or any system of human works. They are never merited or earned by mankind. No one has ever been blessed by God because they are a “good person” or live morally. The Christian way of life, which is based on receiving God’s grace, is infinitely greater than humanistic morality. Humanistic morality with the exclusion of the Filling of the Holy Spirit is a function of the energy of the flesh; it is for the human race. Humanistic morality is the result of self-determination; grace is the result of God’s determination. As such, grace blessings never compromise His Divine essence or Divine effort in bestowing blessing on mankind, cf. John 1:12-13.

John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Grace is the helplessness of man and the helpfulness of God. In grace, God sows and we reap blessing.

Grace is the manifestation of God’s holiness, power, virtue, efficacy, mercy, love, compassion, indulgence, forbearance, pardon; unmerited favor based on the exclusive work of God. Grace is benefit from God totally a part of the work of God and totally apart from the works of mankind. Therefore, no matter what our circumstances may be, in Jesus Christ we are “blessed with all spiritual blessings” by God, Eph 1:3.

Post-salvation grace includes total Divine provision from God for the fulfillment of His plan, His will, and His purpose for our lives, James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5-6; Prov 3:34.

It is described in James 4:6, “But He keeps on giving greater grace. Therefore, it says, ‘God is opposed to, (makes war against), the proud, (arrogant believer), but gives grace to the humble believer’.”

1 Peter 5:5-6, “...clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God makes war against the arrogant believer, but gives grace to the humble believer. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt, promote, you at the proper time.”

Greater grace means greater than pre-salvation grace, greater than salvation grace. It is the greatest grace of all.  Post-salvation grace includes more grace than anything else in life, John 1:16-17. 

John 1:16-17, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. ¹⁷For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

“Grace upon grace,” means that we had grace at salvation grace and we continue to have it post-salvation. If we are saved by grace, then we should live by grace. 

The phrase “Grace to you (for your benefit) and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ,” occurs many times in Scripture: 1 Cor 15:10; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1 Thes 1:2; 2 Thes 1:2.

1 Cor 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

“Not proving vain,” means you did not waste the grace of God in your life by giving over to sin and the world. Instead, you received His grace in your life by learning and applying His Word to advance and excel in your walk with Christ, along with having tremendous faith leading to peace and MVA love in your service towards God and man, i.e., Divine good production. Like Paul we are exhorted to not treat the Grace of God in our lives vainly, 2 Cor 6:1; Gal 2:21.

2 Cor 6:1, “We also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”

Gal 2:21, “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law (and it does not), then Christ died in vain.”

Grace is the means of conveying the power of God to the life of the ordinary believer, 2 Tim 2:1; 2 Thes 1:12; 2:16-17.

2 Tim 2:1, “You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

2 Thes 1:12, “In order that the person of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified by you and you by Him, on the basis of the grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Thes 2:16-17, “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given to us eternal comfort and good of intrinsic value hope by confidence in the sphere of grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts right lobes in every good work and word, all Divine good production and Bible doctrine.”

God’s grace always operates within some sphere. In the plan of God for the Church Age believer, the sphere in which grace operates is our union with Jesus Christ, 2 Peter 3:18.

2 Peter 3:18, “But keep on growing in the sphere of grace and in the sphere of knowledge about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory to Him both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

We proceed in grace as we began in grace.