Article # 2 in series: "The Amazing Circle of Grace"

GRACE IN GENESIS

Composite of selections from wiki-media commons

The purpose of this series is to define what God’s “grace” in the Bible means. Primarily, the consensus among religionists is that “favor” is, at the minimum, a part of the definition. Beyond that, Christendom is divided on whether it is to be modified or adapted in meaning as an exclusive New Testament term.

Our challenge is to prove that the grace “that saves” in Ephesians 2:8 was NOT and is not “unmerited” favor. Does that mean that it is merited? A concerned student seriously asked me whether it then would have to mean “merited.” Such a question suggests that we are necessarily dealing with a dichotomous term. I propose that it is not. It is not "a contrast between 2-things entirely different." Therefore, it is my intention to show that there is no polarity inherent in this term.

ENGLISH WORD “GRACE.” “Grace” is thought to have come into our language during the 13^th century from Old French meaning “pardon, divine grace, mercy; favor, thanks, elegance, virtue.”[i] The 16^th century Protestant rebellion against the Roman Catholic indulgences revived and promoted the fifth century Augustine’s doctrine of “unmerited mercy” as a new meaning of grace. “Unmerited” means “not adequately earned or deserved.”[ii]

OLD TESTAMENT AND GRACE (CHEN)

First, God is the same God in the Old as in the New. We would therefore expect that God would have “grace” in the Old as well as the New. And indeed, this descriptive word is in the Old. According to the King James Concordance, the Hebrew word for “grace” is used 69 times and is applied to both God and man. The Hebrew word, numbered by Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary as H2580 חֵןchên (khane), is defined, “graciousness, that is, subjectively (kindness, favor) or objectively (beauty)” and is translated by the King James Version as “favour, grace (-ious), pleasant, precious, [well-] favoured” (King James Concordance).

But as one knows, the New Testament is not from Hebrew but is originally in Greek. So, does this not void our definition for use in the New Testament?? The answer is “no”. Actually, it helps underscore the meaning of BIBLE NT “grace” as “graciousness, kindness, favor, or beauty." After the dispersion of the Jews by the Babylonians in the sixth century, BC, the Jews did not know their Hebrew language. The Jewish scholars met in Egypt and compiled a Greek translation (LXX) that not only helped the Jews but their neighbors the Gentiles who did not know Hebrew. These wise men selected at the most part the Greek word “charis” to translate the Hebrew “chen.” To these scholars the word charis meant what chen did to the ancients. This is followed up by the NT prophets who used the grace word charis. Whatever the OT charis meant to the first century readers, the same understanding was applied to the epistles to the churches.[iii]

GOD’S GRACE AND NOAH. “But Noah found favor before the Lord God” (Genesis 6:8). The favor by God was not “unmerited.” The next verse, 7:1, “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” No wonder God “found” grace in Noah. Noah was “just” (righteous) and “perfect” and “walked with God”! He was a model example of God’s creation. Rather than “grace” meaning “unmerited”, it would be “merited” (i.e., deserving). However, THE WORD “grace” does not include “merited” any more than it does unmerited.

GOD’S GRACE AND ABRAHAM. The Lord visited Abraham in three persons. “And he said, O Lord, if surely I found favorG5484 before you, you should not go by your servant” (Genesis 18:3). The Lord demonstrated His favor for Abraham’s faith by granting his request and later calling him the father of those of faith (e.g., Romans 4:11,16). The apostle clarifies that Abraham’s faith in doing God’s wishes was paramount to any personal deeds. The favor by God was not “unmerited.”

GOD’S GRACE AND LOT. Lot is escaping from Sodom, and he requests a rescue from the destruction in a nearby safe place. In Genesis 19:19, Lot affirms his having “found grace in the Lord’s sight” and also the “magnifying of mercy” by God’s saving his life. In verse 21 the Lord says, “See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also.” In this case with Lot, mercy is a result of God finding favor in him. That is, mercy was not equivalent to grace. It was a result of it. On the other hand, a synonym for grace is suggested in the word “accepting him.” ACCEPTANCE.

JACOB’S GRACE AND LABAN. Genesis 30:27. Laban wanted Jacob to tarry with him if he had favor (grace) in his eyes. Grace is expected as a prerequisite to a desired action.

ESAU’S GRACE AND JACOB. Genesis 32:5; 33:8; 33:10; 33:15. Genesis 32:5, Jacob hopes for Esau’s favor. He sends forward a drove (camp) of gifts to seek Esau’s grace. “If now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me” (Genesis 33:10). A synonym for grace here is “pleased with me.” To seek one’s grace by offering gifts is to seek their approval, i.e., their being pleased with you. BEING PLEASED WITH.

FINDING GRACE IN THE EYES OF JACOB. To appease Jacob’s family after the violation of Dinah, Shechem offered gifts in the hope of finding grace in their eyes. Shechem had put himself in a bad situation. He was trying to buy Jacob’s grace. Of course, it did not work. Unfortunately for Shechem’s family, grace could not be bought. This was probably the point being made about the indulgences of the Middle Ages. The Protestants just threw out the baby with the wash.

JOSEPH IN EGYPT. “And Joseph found grace in his [Potiphar's] sight, and he served him: and he [Potiphar] made him overseer over his house” (Genesis 39:4). The Greek translation is “And Joseph found favor^G5484 before his master. And he was well-pleasing^G2100 to him.” Joseph's decorum introduces “well-pleasing” [per service] as a cause for the grace. Later, in prison, “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (in both Heb. & Grc.; Genesis 39:21). God’s mercy produced grace in the eyes of the keeper. On this occasion, mercy and grace are related but are two different things. [iv]

EGYPTIANS SELL THEMSELVES TO PHARAOH. The famine affected the whole world including Egyptians. When they could not pay for the stored grain, Pharaoh’s grace took their freedom and made them servants. “And they said, "You have saved our lives. Let us find grace in the sight of my lord [Pharaoh], and we will be Pharaoh's servants" (Genesis 47:25). Pharaoh (through Joseph) accepted the Egyptians into servitude to pay for the grain that sustained them through the famine. Grace obligates and is not unmerited.

SUMMARY. Noah found grace in the eyes of God because he was “just” (righteous) and “perfect” and “walked with God.” Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; James 2:23). Consequently, Abraham had God’s grace. He was doing what God wanted of him. Lot had God’s acceptance and it saved him from Sodom. Jacob’s grace for Laban delayed his departure from his father-in-law for his sake. Esau was pleased with Jacob despite his gifts. Shechem could not do anything to win Jacob and his family’s grace. They could not forgive him. God is not like that. God gave to Joseph Potiphar’s grace plus the prison keeper’s grace. This produced mercy for Joseph.

God’s grace was not considered unmerited in Noah’s case nor in Abraham’s. Grace cannot be bought. A synonym for grace is acceptance and being pleased with. Grace precedes mercy. Grace obligates the recipient to qualify. But it also initiates what I call "the circle of amazing grace" which we will explain later in this series.