A Perfect Grace

Grace is the total of all God does in every act:  It is the perfect gift and the perfect vehicle or means by which He bestows them.

Grace ministered to us and by us!

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Luke 6:27, 32 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, … For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world….

Matthew 6:12, 15 “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

2 Corinthian To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

John 20:23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers [mimic] of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

As such it is always:

  • Free: As regards His Grace, Unmerited and Undeserved: free. Not given because of who we are but because of Who He is.
    • Ephesians 2:8-9 “There is none righteous. … Grace … not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
      Forgiveness is by its very nature given to persons who offended or hurt us and do not deserve our friendship on that basis. If they deserve our friendship they likely do not need our forgiveness.

      • Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
      • Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
    • Love is not proud and is not selfish [1 Corinthians 13:4-5] has no reason to limit itself to love one and not another.
      • A fervent love with a sincere faith [1 Peter 1:22] is from a pure heart [1 Timothy 1:5] and genuine [2 Corinthians 6:6].
      • Matthew 5:44 Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
      • Deuteronomy 7:7-9 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
  • Never given to get: Latin: Do et Des As regards God’s Blessings: There are no strings attached to God’s gifts. He asks for nothing in return.
    • Romans 8:32 “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
    • Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end [a living hope].
    • Forgiveness must be unconditional else it is not undeserved and free.
      • Matthew 18:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
    • Love God’s love is self-motivated, spontaneous and wholehearted.
      • John 3:16 For [such was God’s love] God so loved that He gave.
      • Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.
  • Always Good: As regards God’s Acts: merciful, inseparable and united. “every perfect gift is from above” [James 1:17].
    • Psalm 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
    • Forgiveness – There is nothing bad or evil in forgiveness. God put it into our hearts at our salvation!
      • Psalm 25:18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
    • Love – Is God good?
      • 1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth
      • Galatians 5:22 the Fruit of the Spirit is love ….
  • Powerful/Impactful: As regard His Promises always part of His greater plan for our eternal salvation.
    • Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
    • Forgiveness is the central theme of the Cross: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” Luke 23:34
      • Luke 6:37-38 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
      • 2 Corinthians 2:7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
    • Love A forgiving spirit is a loving spirit and a loving spirit edifies another who receives it.
      • 1 Peter 4:8 Love covers a multitude of sins.
      • Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
  • Given without being asked: As regards His Will self-determined. self-motivated.
    • Romans 5:10 When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.
    • Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for mine own sake.
    • Forgiveness must be available based on need not want.
      • 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
    • Love A person cannot give to others what they do not have themselves; so, love is never based on the desire of another to be loved but on our desire and ability to love them first.
      • Romans 5:8 But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
  • Of an Infinite Supply: As regards His Love unlimited and infinite in both quantity and quality
    • Ephesians 2:7; 3:20 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus … exceedingly abundant above what we ask for or think of.”
    • Forgiveness which is limited is a forgiveness held back and not given!
      • Luke 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
    • Love God is Love and God is Eternal
      • 1 John 4:8 He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.
      • 1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails.
      • Romans 8:35-36 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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