During the month of March our discussion is orbiting The Paradox of Grace and Truth by Randy Alcorn in LifeWorks, Spring 2011, LifeWay, pp. 5-55. It is amazing that believers would treat grace and truth as if they are on opposing ends of the spectrum. This kind of thinking creates two factions that go far beyond the norm; both are highly opinionated and both positions lack a true biblical perspective of grace and truth. Randy Alcorn describes these two polarities as grace-haters and truth-haters. Both groups have a membership that are made up of believers and unbelievers! Obviously, both positions lack a biblical understanding of grace and truth. Unbelievers I get about grace and truth, but believers?? Yeah, I get that, too, unfortunately.
A paradox is a proposition that appear contradictory but in reality is complementary. The more I contemplate paradoxes of Scripture; I am not persuaded that the word paradox is the appropriate term to employ explaining the attributes of God whenever attributes seem contrary to one another like grace and truth or the classic love and holiness thing; how can a loving God send someone to hell criticism.
Even though religious teaching is often expressed in paradox, it seems to me to be inadequate when referring to God's nature. The reason I say this is because Jesus is not a walking contradiction because He is full of grace and truth, nor is Jesus a paradox because He is full of grace and truth. We are not talking about an abstract truth but an actual person who is literally full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). The shortfall of understanding is evident because as finite creatures we are dealing with the infinite nature of God.
We are compelled to reconcile things because concepts like grace and truth or love and holiness drive people crazy. Folks, we got limitations, and there is no way finite is going to corral the infinite. Maybe paradox is the best word going in the English language given our limitations and has been embraced as a matter of convenience. I don't want to come across as too contentious in this regard; there are bigger fish to fry.
Even though religious teaching is often expressed in paradox, it seems to me to be inadequate when referring to God's nature. The reason I say this is because Jesus is not a walking contradiction because He is full of grace and truth, nor is Jesus a paradox because He is full of grace and truth. We are not talking about an abstract truth but an actual person who is literally full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). The shortfall of understanding is evident because as finite creatures we are dealing with the infinite nature of God.
We are compelled to reconcile things because concepts like grace and truth or love and holiness drive people crazy. Folks, we got limitations, and there is no way finite is going to corral the infinite. Maybe paradox is the best word going in the English language given our limitations and has been embraced as a matter of convenience. I don't want to come across as too contentious in this regard; there are bigger fish to fry.
Last week we learned two important things about grace.
1. Jesus never compromised truth for grace. We could state it another way that Jesus showed grace according to the truth. It would be hazardous to flip this statement around by saying that Jesus dispensed truth according to grace without running aground theologically. Those consigned to hell at death, for instance, is obviously not an act of grace but an act of holiness according to truth. Those who die without Christ are separated from God’s presence forever in a place of unimaginable torment in perfect alignment with the teaching of Scripture or God’s very nature. It would be proper to say that Jesus never compromised grace (unmerited favor or kindness) by being untruthful. The fact that He revealed Himself through the written Word (absolute truth) in and of itself is an act of grace to all of mankind.
Everything Jesus did was in accordance to the truth or His nature (Jn 8:29). God’s actions will never conflict with the teaching of Scripture for the Bible is a Self-revelation of Himself.
Since God is everlasting and infinite in nature, then all of His attributes possess the same qualities of infinity and eternality. God’s attributes did not evolve for God is immutable. From infinity “past” to infinity "present" to infinity “future” God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. To speculate if God’s truth is based on his holiness or if God’s holiness is based on His truth is moot given the infinite, eternal, and immutable character of God.
Theologians divide the attributes of God into two categories: incommunicable (Those attributes God is unable to share with His creatures like omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, omnisapience, infinite, eternal, immutable.) and communicable (Those He is able to share, and we are able to emulate to a certain degree; the fruit of the Spirit falls in the realm of communicable). Now the Bible doesn’t classify God’s attributes like this, but that doesn’t make the theological distinction without merit.
Incommunicable cannot be taken to mean there are no traces of those attributes in man, and communicable cannot be understood that we possess the capacity to fully express those attributes as they are found in God.
Here is the crux of the matter. God revealed what He is like (His attributes) in His Self-revelation to man in the Scriptures. We are commanded to be like what He has revealed Himself to be, for example, "Be holy for I am holy." Such Self-revelation brings responsibility. Therefore, we are accountable to obey God’s written revelation of Himself in the Bible. We are to obey and do the things that are revealed to us. Moses said it best.
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut 29:29).
Perhaps from our point of view God’s attributes like grace and truth seem to be at odds when in fact they are in absolute and infinite unison and harmony. Finite logic, and God is certainly not bound by human logic, would argue an attribute that possesses an eternal quality cannot be based or dependent on anything. If something preceded it in order for it to exist, it would not be eternal. Yet we see God possessing many attributes all which are eternal because God is eternal. Since God is eternal and immutable and infinite, all of His attributes share the same qualities, eliminating any notion of a hierarchy of attributes.
There will always be a fundamental problem this side of eternity in our understanding of God. It is finite man's attempt to grasp the infinite (cf.1 Cor 13:12). Mathematics helps to some degree until the numbers lose a frame of reference like millions of light years. It is impossible to grasp the distance, but again we are not talking about numbers or distance, but a person who is infinite in nature. It is nothing short of a miracle that the Infinite has revealed to the finite about the Infinite in such a way that finite can know and emulate the Infinite! He has not only given knowledge to man of Himself through His Holy Scriptures, but He has also given man the capacity and ability to understand and become to a certain extent who He is through the empowering of His Holy Spirit.
2. When it comes to grace, we must never lose sight of God’s uncompromising holiness. God will punish the unrighteous. We saw this last week in Noah’s day. There were only eight survivors. The rest of mankind perished for their ungodliness. People today still believe that a God of love would never send someone to hell. To them this is unconscionable. However, as we seen from the Word, their assumption is wrong.
This week I want to take more of a devotional approach to grace. Again, we will revisit the Old Testament, and this time look at an example of someone having a 360-view of grace though the word grace is never mentioned in the text under consideration; this is the devotional path I want to take. It will illustrate how to have a 360-view and appreciation of grace. But before going there let's look quickly at a passage in the New Testament about walking wisely that shares a 360-view in Ephesians 5:15,
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.
Walk (peripateo, G4043) is made up of two Greek words: peri (G4012, meaning around, like our English word perimeter) and pateo (G3961, meaning to tread). The Latin circum means around or round about, like the circumference of a circle. To walk is figuratively referring to the way we live or our living. This walk or living or the path we tread is to be done circumspectly (akribos, G199, this adverb means exactly, accurately, circumspectly, carefully, diligently, perfectly, rightly). Circumspectly modifies the verb walk and not see (look) due to (1) its proximity and (2) the Greek imperative (blepete, you look or you see) is never modified by an adverb (BKC on Eph 5:15).
We are to walk responsibly (as wise or skillful) from a 360 degree perspective; every angle of our walk is to be purposeful and precise in wisdom as opposed to mindlessly drifting through life, by redeeming the time (Eph 5:16). Where we’ve been; where we are, and where we are heading must be in accordance to the principles of Scripture. When we look at our walk and how others see us must bring glory to God. If you have ever experienced a 360 degree feedback in management you realize the importance of this.
Finding out how people perceive you can be an eye opener. Those who recklessly say that “who cares what people think” are foolish, and this kind of attitude reveals a walk that is unwise. We cannot help what others think or say of us, but we have the power to keep those thoughts and words from being true before God.
The reason for this 360-walk is found in Eph 5:16, because the days are evil. Our 360-walk is our testimony of our past and present walk. And our future walk requires wisdom not only because many are living in sin, but the time is short and we must use our time wisely to help reach those in darkness. A 360-view of grace helps us
(1) To appreciate what God has done for us (it energizes us not to slump into self-pity),
(2) To remind us not to show grace at the expense of truth, and
(3) To give us a sense of urgency to reach the lost for it is the holiness of God that is the greatest threat to unregenerate man. Grace must never lose sight of the holiness of God. Unsaved sinners need to repent from their sins, or they will face the dreaded consequences of having to pay the penalty of their sin in the lake of fire eternally.
Grace goes beyond our personal comfort zone if we truly care about another believer who is living in sin. The proof of our caring is in addressing it not only in prayer but also going out of our comfort zone in an attempt to reel them back in for God (cf. Heb 13:13).
Failing to tell someone the truth for fear of offending them is as unloving as pounding the grace of God to smithereens on the anvil of truth. Wisdom embraces both and strikes a balance regardless of the outcome. Paul told the Corinthian believers, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved (2 Cor 12:15). Let’s take a look at an illustration of a 360-view of grace in the life of an Old Testament saint. Though the word grace is never mentioned, it's obviously present like God in the book of Esther, conspicuously present though the word God is nowhere to be found.
You have heard it said, “Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up.” Every time I hear this statement I immediately think of Lot’s wife who looked back and committed sodium chloride suicide, the children in the wilderness who were freaking out over their surroundings and wasted their lives in the wilderness, and Stephen looking up in faith forgiving as he was being stoned to death.
Without trying to be funny or sarcastic, what they all shared in common is that they all died! The dissimilarity was that Stephen didn’t die because of sinful behavior. But this statement that sorrow looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up is expressive of the difference between horizontal living and vertical living. It doesn’t mean we are not supposed to look back or look around or look forward or look down or look up! It’s hard to count your blessings otherwise. But this statement causes us to think on the reason for looking back or looking around. Sorrow, worry, and fear are not listed among the fruit of the Spirit in Gal 5:22-23!
There is an example in the Old Testament of someone who owed everything to the grace of God that looked back in grace, looked around in grace, and looked forward in grace. He looked at God’s grace in the past, God’ grace in the present, and God’s grace for the future. He didn’t call it grace, but what God did for this man was nothing short of grace from beginning to end. Now this is purposeful, productive, and profitable surveying of our surroundings.
So who was this OT character that took a 360 view of grace? No, it wasn’t John Newton with the hairy earmuffs on the left! Turn to the book of First Chronicles, chapter 17. Since we are on the subject of grace; it might be of interest to note that it is very possible that John Newton based his hymn, Amazing Grace, on 1 Chronicles 17:16-17. This very reference is cited along with the lyrics of Amazing Grace in the Olney Hymnal published by Newton and William Cowper (There is a Fountain). He also preached from this passage of Scripture on New Year’s Day in 1773. It is speculated he wrote this hymn for that sermon. See the John Newton Project at The sequence of this passage dovetails nicely with the past, present, and future of the lyrics of Amazing Grace. We won’t use Newton’s sermon notes this morning, but I took the liberty to modify his outline to illustrate King David’s 360-view of grace.
Looking Back at Grace, 1 Chron 17:16, Who am I, O LORD God?
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!
Looking Around at Grace, 1 Chron 17:16, And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Looking Forward at Grace, 1 Chron 17:17, You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.
Here is some hymnological trivia. The stanzas “When we’ve been there ten thousand years...” was not written by John Newton.
Ramping up to 1 Chronicles 17
When the Israelis were getting hammered by the Philistines, the Israelis thought that by bringing the Ark into the battle would snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They treated Yahweh as some kind of good luck charm, and suffered a terrible defeat by the hands of the Philistines that day, losing a national treasure in the process, the Ark of the Covenant (1 Sam 4:11). For dishonoring God Almighty thirty thousand foot soldiers died (1 Sam 4:10).
The Ark was a symbol of God's presence among His people (cf. 1 Sam 7:1-2), and they thought that if the Ark was brought from Shiloh to Aphek, about 25 miles west of Shiloh, God's presence would tip the scale of the battle in their favor with a resounding victory over the pagan Philistines (cf. Num 10:35; Jos 6:6). They had already lost 4,000 men (1 Sam 4:2) and quickly summoned for the Ark. Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas went along with this request for this would make them heroes among the people and only further their own selfish ambitions (cf. 1 Sam 2:12). There was one major weakness in this battle plan; God didn’t direct them to move the Ark.... This act of bringing the Ark into the battle was not of faith but born out of desperation.
The Ark was a symbol of God's presence among His people (cf. 1 Sam 7:1-2), and they thought that if the Ark was brought from Shiloh to Aphek, about 25 miles west of Shiloh, God's presence would tip the scale of the battle in their favor with a resounding victory over the pagan Philistines (cf. Num 10:35; Jos 6:6). They had already lost 4,000 men (1 Sam 4:2) and quickly summoned for the Ark. Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas went along with this request for this would make them heroes among the people and only further their own selfish ambitions (cf. 1 Sam 2:12). There was one major weakness in this battle plan; God didn’t direct them to move the Ark.... This act of bringing the Ark into the battle was not of faith but born out of desperation.
It is difficult to imagine that any Israelite actually believed that the Creator God could be contained within a chest made of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches tall, and overlaid inside and out with gold. The chest was mounted on four legs with two rings on the corners of each length side. Two poles of acacia wood overlaid in gold were to be inserted in the rings permanently for transport. Contained in the chest were two stone tablets inscribed with the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments, Ex 25:16, 21). According to Heb 9:4-5 the ark also contained two other articles: a jar of manna (Ex 16:33) and Aaron’s rod (Num 17:10). By the time of the dedication of Solomon’s temple, the only things remaining inside the ark were the two tablets of stone (1 Kgs 8:9). On the Ark of the Covenant, see Ex 25:10-22.
In the Holy of Holies at Shiloh is where the ark rested. The great high priest Eli would enter the Holy of Holies only one time a year on the Day of Atonement and sprinkled blood on the mercy seat (kapporeth, H3727, referring only to the lid used to cover the Ark) for the nation. Shiloh was destroyed at the battle of Aphek 1104 B.C. (cf. Jer 26:9). Now the Ark rested in a Philistine temple with their national god, Dagon (1Sam 5:2). The LORD ravaged the land of the Philistines with deadly destruction and plague; the death toll was mounting every day it remained in the land of the Philistines.
After seven months of mayhem, the Philistines returned the Ark to Israel riding on an unmanned cart pulled by two milk cows. The cows headed for Beth Shemesh (1 Sam 6:12). Then the LORD struck the men of Beth Shemesh for looking inside the Ark (1 Sam 6:19, there is debate among scholars on the number actually killed 70 or 50,070). The message was clear; God’s holiness is not to be taken lightly. So the family of Abinadab (1 Sam 7:1) of Kiriath Jearim (about 10 miles NW of Jerusalem) took custody for nearly 100 years until King David planned to move it to Jerusalem in the city of David circa 1003 B.C.
And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is proclaimed (1 Chr 13:6), then a problem happened.
The oxen pulling the cart stumbled and Uzza reached out to steady the Ark; he died instantly 1 Chr 13:10). David learned that God will not compromise His holiness for good intentions. The procession came to a screeching halt. The Ark remained for the next three months at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite (1 Chron 13:13-14). I like the last part of v14, And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had. You don’t think David noticed! So they went back to Jerusalem, read up on how to transport the Ark, and returned for it.
So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it (1 Chr 16:1).
A person of grace wants to be blessed of God. God blessed the house of Abinadab for nearly a hundred years (1 Sam 7:2, a long time, 1104 - 1103 B.C) and blessed the family of Obed-Edom for three months (1 Chr 13:14) for keeping the Ark.
A person of grace wants to be near the presence of God. You can’t blame David for wanting the Ark around him; he was, after all, a man after God’s own heart.
A person of grace wants to give back to God. 1Chr 17:1, Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under tent curtains."
A person of grace accepts the decisions of God with grace.
1Chr 17:4, "Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "You shall not build Me a house to dwell in.
1Ch 17:11 And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
1Ch 17:12 He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.
1Ch 17:12 He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.
So after Nathan the Prophet told David how the LORD would build David a dynasty (cf. Mt 1:1, the Son of David; Lk 1:32 the Lord God will give Him [Christ] the throne of His father David!), we see a person of grace worships and praises God for the surrounding grace of God in his life.
Chr 17:16 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he saidA person of grace has a 360-view of the grace of God day in day out. The rest of this will be "abbreviated" for the blog is getting lengthy.
Looking back at grace, 1 Chron 17:16,
Who am I, O LORD God? … O LORD, there is none like You (v20).
Who am I
A person of grace is one who has a proper understanding of his relationship with God. Twice God referred to David as a servant (vv4, 7) and 10 times David referred to himself as a servant in 1 Chr 17. (vv17, 18 [x2], 19, 23, 24, 25 (x2], 26, 27). The basic meaning of servant (ebed, H5650) is a slave. The slave’s will is to be lost in the will of the Master.
·
· A person of grace is a person of service.
· A person of grace is a person of humility.
· A person of grace sees himself as God see him. Though a son of the King of Kings, David saw himself exactly as God, a servant or literally, a slave. Sonship that loses sight of slaveship will not be a person of grace but a person expecting to be served by others. This is seen in people who attend church who are takers and not givers. They do not attend in order to serve but to be served. What have you done for me in the past is irrelevant! The mentality in a post modern world is what have you done for me lately? Our salvation alone is enough to propel us in obedience to Christ for the whole life.
Who am I, O LORD God? … O LORD, there is none like You (v20, the uniqueness of God)
Ex 9:13 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me,
Ex 9:14 for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.
Isa 45:18 For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
· A person of grace knows on what side his blessing is buttered on!
· A person of grace looks back at the grace of God in his life.
Looking around at grace, 1 Chron 17: 16, And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
Grace sees everything in its proper relationship – undeserved.
A person of grace looks around at the grace of God.
Looking forward at grace, 1 Chron 17:17, You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come
A person of grace looks and lives in light of the expectation of God’s blessings.
Luk 1:30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luk 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
Luk 1:32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
Luk 1:33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
A person of grace is holy in preparation of the return of Christ.
1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1Jn 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
A person of grace looks to the future for the grace of God with expectation and excitement.
Post Script
The point of looking back at grace, looking around at grace, and looking forward at grace is for us to start looking for God's grace in our lives. Those grace markers will declare to us that God has never left us or forsaken us. For some reason we have a tendency to view the grace of God only at the cross. Indeed, for by grace are we saved through faith (Eph 2:8), but God’s unmerited kindness is present everywhere in our lives; we just never take time out to count our blessings. I saw a bumper sticker on an automobile as I was pulling up to a red light that said, "Trouble sleeping? Try counting your blessings." I liked that; I needed a change up from sheep anyway.
A person claiming to be a person of grace but failing to recognize the grace of God in his or her past, present, and future will never bond the fleshly breach between grace and truth. He or she will usually gravitate to one of the extremes. Truth is up next Sunday, God willing! <><
A person claiming to be a person of grace but failing to recognize the grace of God in his or her past, present, and future will never bond the fleshly breach between grace and truth. He or she will usually gravitate to one of the extremes. Truth is up next Sunday, God willing! <><
