God helps those that help themselves. True or False? Take a moment to respond at the LLM Question of the Day: http://ping.fm/YcTsl

And now the answer to the LLM Question of 3-27-2012

Question: In the Gospel of John the word Grace is found exactly 24 times. True or False?

Answer: FALSE! In the Gospel of John the word ‘Grace’ is found only four times. Now, out of the 793 responses we received to this question, ONLY 55.6% of you got it right! Next time crack open your Bibles and actually COUNT! Therefore, NOW, let us take a look at,

The Grace of God, part 6 of 9

WHAT ABOUT GRACE IN OTHER AGES AND DISPENSATIONS

In the 39 Books from Genesis to Malachi, God’s Grace for the human race is mentioned in about twelve chapters; in most of them once only.

God certainly manifested His Grace toward Abel and Enoch and Noah and Shem. In several chapters of Genesis, beginning with Genesis 12:1 we learn that God’s Grace did wonders for Abraham. God manifested His Grace to Israel under the law, in His provision for their blessings received at the blood­ sprinkled mercy seat.

In a very limited sense in the Old Testament God’s Grace was shown toward the Gentiles, who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. According to the Divine Record, a few Gentiles, a very few, received blessings from the LORD Jesus while He was on earth, sent only unto Israel. (Matthew 15:21-28). Certainly the LORD Jesus manifested His Grace to Israel, both before and after His death and resurrection, especially in Acts 3:12-21 and Luke 23:34 and Acts 3:26.

However it is of interest and significance to note that there are about 2900 verses in Matthew, Mark and Luke and the word ‘GRACE’ in the sinner’s salvation is not once mentioned.

GRACE CAME BY JESUS CHRIST

In the Gospel of John the word ‘Grace’ is found four times. But when we read in John 1:17, that Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, or in John 1:14, that Christ was full of Grace and truth, or in John 1:16, “of His fullness have all we received, and Grace upon Grace,” we are not to understand that “the Dispensation of the Grace of God for Gentiles,” mentioned in Ephesians 3:1-3, began with the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth in the land of the Jews. (Acts 2:22, Acts 10:36-39, Matthew 15:24).

The LORD Jesus on earth was God’s Minister of Israel. (Acts 13:23, Romans 15:8). He was made under the law. (Galatians 4:4). But though the Son of God was born and lived and ministered under the LAW COVENANT, He proclaimed much truth pertaining to the New Covenant, and He certainly manifested the abounding Grace of God in dealing with transgressors of the law.

As we have no one English word giving us the full meaning of the word ‘Grace’, we cannot explain in one short sentence, or even in two long sentences, the full meaning of ‘the Gospel of Grace’. Blessed indeed is the person who knows that the Gospel (good news) by which any kind of a believing sinner can be saved is the truth that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose the third day, and, knowing this wonderful truth, he has believed unto the saving of his soul. However, there is something more to ‘the Mystery of the Gospel’ of Ephesians 6:19-20 than the saving Gospel recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

THE ‘ALL’ GRACE MESSAGE IN PAUL’S LAST EPISTLES

If you will read and study the thirteen chapters of 2 Corinthians and note the word ‘GRACE’ thirteen times in that Epistle, you will say that the members of the assembly in Corinth certainly needed abounding Grace, and you will understand why the Apostle Paul exhorted them in 2 Cor. 6:1, “that ye receive not the Grace of God in vain.” In Ephesians, counting the verb form of the word ‘Grace’ in Ephesians 1:7, the word ‘Grace’ likewise is found thirteen times. Ephesians is very much a ‘GRACE’ Epistle. To be prepared for the ‘ALL’ ‘GRACE’ message in Ephesians and 2 Timothy, the saints of God should read the Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians several hundred times and then diligently study the Epistles under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, marking the word ‘Grace’ found 24 times in Romans; “this ‘Grace wherein we stand.’ (Romans 5:2). ‘Grace’ in Galatians seven times.

It is most interesting to note that in the Apostle Paul’s oral ministry recorded in the Book of Acts, and in His Epistles, we find the word ‘GRACE’ 105 times. Compare this with the ABSENSE of the word in the gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), and with ‘Grace’, in about only twelve chapters in all 39 Books from Genesis to Malachi. Most interesting is Moses’ conversation with the LORD concerning ‘GRACE’ in Exodus 33:12-23. Read this chapter.

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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.

In 2 Cor. 8:19 the Apostle Paul mentions those who were chosen to travel with us with this Grace. Have you ever traveled from Matthew 1:1 through the Four Gospels and from Pentecost to the Apostle Paul’s final statement concerning Grace in 2 Timothy 1:9? It is next to impossible to get religious church ­members to travel with Grace and to sail with Paul.

It is true that Abel and Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and the children of Israel found Grace in the sight of the LORD, before the law was given at Sinai, that Israel found great Grace during the reign of law, including the several years of the earthly ministry of the LORD Jesus. Surely that penitent thief on the cross found Grace in the sight of the LORD. At the time the Son of God, by the Grace of God, was tasting death for every man (Hebrews 2:9), He prayed for His murderers, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). That was Grace. “For ye know the Grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9).

When God was willing to forgive Israel’s great sin, the killing of the Prince of Life (Acts 3:12-17), that was indeed great Grace. The “why” is explained in Acts 3:18 and Acts 5:29-32.

WHAT ABOUT GRACE BEFORE AND AFTER ISRAEL’S FALL?

Note God’s work and Israel’s work in Acts 2:38, “repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ, ‘for the remission of sins’, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” As there was Grace for the fathers, and for Israel before and during the reign of law, there was Grace for Israel in the Gospel of the Kingdom proclaimed before the Apostle Paul was sent forth with the Gospel of Grace to Gentiles. But Grace for sinners under the law and during the years that Peter was using the keys of the kingdom was NOT “The Dispensation of the Grace of God for Gentiles.” (Ephesians 3:1-3).

THE (temporary) FALL OF ISRAEL and THE NEW DEAL

We should note with real interest and enthusiasm the statements in Romans 11:30, Romans 11:12 and Romans 11:15; the truth that the Gentiles obtained special Divine mercy because of Israel’s unbelief, the truth that, because of the diminishing and temporary fall of Israel, God’s special riches were presented to Gentiles. When and because Israel was cast away, God sent the ministry and message of reconciliation to the Gentiles.

After the Apostle Paul said, in Acts 13:46, “seeing that you (Israel) put the Word of God from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles,” after he said to Israel in Acts 18:5-6, “your blood be upon your own heads: I am clean: henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles,” after the terrible judgment of 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 pronounced upon Israel, God ushered in a new Dispensation, and gradually changed His spiritual program. This program is to be carried on until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in, until the realization of the blessed hope of Titus 2:13. With this change the Apostle Paul was directed to proclaim the truth of 2 Cor. 5:16-21, and then to make known the Divine truth concerning God’s eternal ‘GRACE’ purpose concerning the ‘JOINT‑BODY’ of Ephesians 3:6. Paul was then instructed to write God’s will concerning ‘the Dispensation of the Mystery’; “To make all see what is the Dispensation of the Mystery, which from the beginning of the world, hath been hid in God.” (Ephesians 3:9).

Every minister of Christ is expected to be, and should be, a faithful steward of the Mysteries of God. (1 Corinthians 4:1-4). Such a faithful steward should see at a glance the great difference between the Apostle Peter’s ‘Acts 10:34-38’ message to Gentiles, ‘BEFORE THE FALL OF ISRAEL’, and the Apostle Paul’s ‘Romans 4:4-5 message to Gentiles ‘AFTER THE FALL’.

Such a minister of Christ should know why the Apostle Paul never preached the Apostle Peter’s ‘Acts 2:38’ message to Gentiles in the LORD’s ‘Grace’ program. If you will compare Acts 2:38, preached to Israel on the day of Pentecost ‘BEFORE ISRAEL’S FALL’, with Titus 3:5-8, ‘AFTER THE FALL’, you should see that there is almost as much difference as there is between Law and Grace.

THE GRACE OF GOD ENABLES CHRISTIANS

Surely we have learned by now why it has been truly said that the full meaning of Divine Grace cannot be expressed in any one English word or in any number of sentences, and why we have no way of computing, measuring or estimating “the riches of God’s Grace.”

However it is extremely difficult to understand why unsaved and saved religious church-members are determined to ignore or to limit the Grace of God. In their religious lives many of them have adopted the slogan and program of “do it yourself.”, or “God helps those that help themselves”.

They care not to join with the ‘number‑one’ Christian of all times in his testimony, “by the Grace of God I am what I am.” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Then there are some splendid saved religious church‑members who seem to be actually afraid of the Grace of God. Moreover the deplorable fact is, that more than 95% of even the saints of God do not understand the meaning of “the Dispensation of the Grace of God.” (Ephesians 3:1-3). Take a moment and test yourself by writing your definition of “the Gospel of Grace.”

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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.