#4 GRACE IS ACCEPTANCE

or, GRACE AND MOSES

In the first century, interested Gentile neighbors to the Jews would have visited their synagogues. For example, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews (Acts 17:1). As his custom was, Paul reasoned and testified with them from the (OT) Scriptures how Jesus is the Christ. Some were convinced and joined themselves to Paul and Silas, “including a great multitude of devout Greeks.” Not only were there Jews attending the synagogue in Thessalonica but there were “devout Greeks.” These were Gentiles in Thessalonica who had turned from idols to God (1 Thessalonians 1:9). At any synagogue “Gentiles” would have heard Moses preached and taught every sabbath (Acts 15:21). They would have heard Moses read in the Greek language.

HISTORY OF GREEK IN SYNAGOGUES. After the dispersion of the Jews by the Babylonians in the sixth century, BC, their descendants did not know their Hebrew language. In the fourth and third centuries, BC, some 70 Jewish scholars in Egypt compiled a Greek translation (labeled LXX) that not only helped the dispersed Jews but providentially their neighbors the Gentiles. These scholars selected the Greek word “charis” (KJV’s “grace”) to translate the Hebrew “chên.” An important point I wish to emphasize: to these scholars the Greek word charis meant what chên did in the ancient Hebrew.

WHY IS THIS information important to us? If Moses originally wrote in Hebrew, then he would have used the word “chên” (Strong’s #H2580) according to the Medieval Masoretic Hebrew manuscript. Knowing this word’s meaning contributes more clearly to the meanings and nuances of “grace” because Moses and the OT used the expression “grace” (chên) in so many instances. And the LXX felt that grace equalled chên! THIS Hebrew WORD “chên” is translated in the King James Old Testament 38 times as “grace”, 26 times as “favour”, 2 times as “gracious”, “pleasant” (1), “precious” (1), and “wellfavoured” (1).ⁱ

DICTIONARIES. Complementing the above information, Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary defines “chên” as “graciousness, that is, subjectively (kindness, favor) or objectively (beauty).” Both Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Dictionary and The NAS Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon define this word chên as 1) favor, grace, charm; 1a) favor, grace, elegance; 1b) favor, acceptance. [No “unmerited” meaning is indicated].

“GRACE” AND “CHEN.” Noah found grace “chên” in the eyes of God (Genesis 6:8). Abraham and Lot did also (Genesis 18:3; 19:19). Joseph found favor “chên” before Potiphar his master and later his chief jailer (Genesis 39:4, 21). No mention is made of “unmerited.” If anything, the opposite is implied. Nevertheless, it can be deduced that these persons were acceptable (from B-D-B Hebrew Dictionary above) and therefore were favored, i.e., graced.

ISRAEL AND EGYPTIANS. The people of Israel “despoiled the Egyptians” because the Lord gave them favor “chên” in their sight. God’s proof to the world of His favoring Israel was the public demonstration of His continuing with them by pardoning their iniquity and taking them for His inheritance. Later, Moses’ distress over his workload moved him to beg God’s favor “chên” by not leaving him forsaken. Gad and Reuben beg Moses and Eleazar for the “land beyond Jordan” if they had grace “chên” in their sight. References: Exodus 3:21; 11:3; 12:36; 33:16,17; 34:9; Numbers 11:15; 32:5. No mention of unmerited.

DIVORCE UNDER THE LAW. A man was authorized to divorce his wife IF she should not find grace “chên” before him because he found in her an “indecent thing” (Deuteronomy 24:1). If anything, this would be the opposite of “unmerited.” If her status had been “unmerited” where would the man have the wherewithal to prove any “indecent thing”? The wife was acceptable then if no indecent thing was found in her.

Nowhere in the Old or the New is the word grace ever translated into English as “unmerited”! “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it” (Deuteronomy 12:32). “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18). If we were to define grace as unmerited, would that not be adding to the Word of God and bring judgment upon us?

However, grace (its Greek charis) is translated as "ACCEPTABLE" by the KJV!     "For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable [Grk. charis] with God" (1 Peter 2:20). That is, "this is grace."

GRACE IS ACCEPTANCE. A meaning for grace is “acceptance and being pleased with” according to B-D-B Dictionary’'s definition given above in the paragraph labeled "Dictionaries".ⁱⁱ In the Hebrew chen's synonym is seh-ayth' H7613 which is translated by the KJV as “accepted” for contrasting Abel’s sacrifice versus Cain’s. Strong’s Dictionary defines H7613 as “exaltation in rank or character: - be accepted, dignity, excellency, highness, raise up self, rising.”

CAIN WAS NOT ACCEPTED. Using the synonym “acceptance” in Hebrew we can discover how one receives God’s grace. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel (Genesis 4). Each son offered a sacrifice to God. But Cain’s sacrifice was rejected by God. Consequently, Cain was angry. “And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted (seh-ayth' H7613)?” (Genesis 4:6, 7a). Cain was wroth because he had not been accepted by the Lord! That is, Cain had not received the Lord’s grace.

FAITH AND ACCEPTED. Abel’s sacrifice had been accepted. Why? The NT tells us that it was because Abel had offered by faith. “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 11:4). We can reason then that the difference is that Cain had not offered his sacrifice by faith.

HOW TO SERVE BY FAITH. In order for us to be accepted and to receive the Lord’s grace, could we not reason from Hebrews 11:4 that our service to the Lord also be by faith. How do we know faith? “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). We have this faith from God’s word (compare with Jude 1:3) which has been delivered to us. This is the grace source of our faith that makes us acceptable to God.

“For by favorG5484 you are being preserved through the belief” (Ephesians 2:8, ABP). Compare this version with our King James, “For by grace are ye saved through [“the” is omitted by translators] faith” (KJV).

-- Gaylon West

Recommended: my book Grace, A Free Ride to Heaven? Books by Gaylon West (biblestudylessons.net)