By Brother Michel Lankford

What Most Christians THINK that Grace Means

If you ask almost any Christian today what they think Grace means, and there is likely a 90% chance that you will hear things like this:

• Grace means that we are free from obeying God’s Law, because of what Jesus did through His death, to make atonement for sin.
• Grace means that we can ignore and disregard God’s Laws, Commandments and Instructions, since we are saved through Christ, and obeying God does not cause our salvation anyway.
• Being under Grace through Christ mans that we are now free to BREAK God’s Laws, Commandments and Instructions, because Messiah fulfilled it for us. So under Grace, we are now free to do the OPPOSITE of what God’s Laws, Commandments and Instructions tells us to do.
• Trying to obey God, and trying to do what God says is a sign that you do not have enough Grace. Trying to obey ANY biblical commandment is a lack of Grace because it means that you are still trying to gain or earn righteousness by works of obeying what God says.
• DISOBEYING What God and Jesus said to do is now proof that you are walking in Grace, because it shows that you are putting faith in what Christ did, and you are not trusting in your own works of obeying God to save you.
• Some theologians will even go so far as to suggest that if we try to follow Christ’s example (1 John 2:6), and we try to obey God’s Standards, Laws, and Commandments just as Jesus Christ did, then some theologians will openly state that to do this is the equivalent of denying Jesus Christ, because they say that when you try to obey God’s laws as Jesus did, then this is the same as claiming that what Jesus accomplished on our behalf was not sufficient.

Paul Gave a Working Description of Grace in the New Testament

As It Is Written: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you. (Titus 2:11–15 NKJV)

The Rundown of Paul’s Description of Grace

Here is the definition of Grace that Paul gave in the New Testament, (Titus 2:11-15).

• Grace Came to make the Way of Salvation visible and evident to all people.
• Grace Came to teach us to REJECT ungodliness and to REJECT worldly sinful Passions.
• Grace Came to teach us to live soberly, Righteously and Godly in the present age, as we await the Messiah’s return.
• Through Grace, Messiah Gave Himself for us, to redeem us FROM every Lawless deed.
• Grace came to Purify us as a special people belonging to YHWH Almighty God and Messiah.
• The True Grace of God will make us zealous FOR DOING good deeds.
• According to Paul himself, THIS is the definition, and the description that we are to use whenever we talk about Grace. Whenever we talk about Grace using this description, we must not allow any person to disregard us, (Titus 2:15).

Does Your Definition of Grace Truly Match the One that Paul Used?

• Yes, Paul did describe that we are saved by Grace through faith in Jesus the Messiah, of course. At the same time, there are more characteristics in Paul’s definition of Grace which people neglect and ignore all the time, (Titus 2:11-15).
• If the Grace you profess and teach does not train people to reject ungodliness, then you are NOT teaching the Grace that Paul preached and commanded us to teach.
• If the Grace you profess and teach does not train people to reject worldly sinful passions and desires, then you are NOT teaching the Grace that Paul preached and commanded us to teach.
• If the Grace you profess and teach does not train people to live soberly while we await the return of Messiah, then you are NOT teaching the Grace that Paul preached and commanded us to teach.
• If the Grace you profess and teach does not train people to live Righteously, [as God defines that term], while we await the return of Messiah, then you are NOT teaching the Grace that Paul preached and commanded us to teach.
• If the Grace you profess and teach does not train people to live Godly, [which is to imitate God and His Character], while we await the return of Messiah, then you are NOT teaching the Grace that Paul preached and commanded us to teach.
• If the Grace you profess and teach does not train people to SEPARATE FROM and to OVERCOME Lawlessness [and NOT to PROMOTE doing MORE Lawllessness- Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 13:41-42; Matthew 24:12-13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1], then you are NOT teaching the Grace that Paul preached and commanded us to teach.
• If the Grace you profess and teach does not train people to live Holy and Set Apart as God and Messiah’s Special people [2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Hebrews 12:14], while we await the return of Messiah, then you are NOT teaching the Grace that Paul preached and commanded us to teach.
• If the Grace you profess and teach does not encourage and train people to become zealous FOR DOING Good deeds while we await the return of Messiah, [instead of discouraging people from doing good, as if good deeds are unneccessary under Grace], then you are NOT teaching the Grace that Paul preached and commanded us to teach. True Grace does not prohibit good deeds. True Grace does not belittle good deeds. True Grace does not treat good deeds as unnecessary. True grace will make us ZEALOUS FOR DOING good deeds, in agreement with Scripture.
• When ever Paul talked about Grace, THIS is the definition and description to which Paul was referring. Whenever we talk about Grace, THIS is the description that Paul clearly instructed us to use.
• As It Is Written: “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you. (Titus 2:15 NKJV)
• I find it interesting that Paul specifically says, “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you, or despise you.” The Holy Spirit clearly knew that we would be tempted to use a different definition of Grace different then the one that Paul told us to use. That’s why Titus 2:15 is there; because people would be tempted to disregard or to despise us when we use the True Biblical definition of Grace. Isn’t that interesting.
• So how about you? When you think about Grace do all of the characteristics in Paul’s definition come to your mind? When you teach and practice Grace, do you truly apply all of the characteristics and definitions that Paul used to describe Grace? Or, does the definition and description of Grace that you use often run CONTRARY or OPPOSITE of the definition and description that Paul told us to use? If your definition, description, and application of Grace agrees with what Paul said we should use and Titus 2:11-15, then you are truly preaching the grace that Paul preached. If your definition of Grace does not agree with Titus 2:11-15, then you are NOT practicing or preaching the Grace that Paul preached and told us to preach. It’s that simple. When I talk about Grace, THIS is the definition and the description that I have in mind. Please think about it. Shalom.