12 B.B. Here we will very briefly examine one text which is quite representative of God’s grace as discussed above. Knowing God’s Grace Through the Scriptures. Our God is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6–7). The second area where it is important for the church to apply this theology of God’s grace is in our corporate worship. 1 thought on “ Goodness of God by Bathel ” Ardine Johnson December 6, 2020 at 11:09 pm. That God is good is a statement that should need no defence. Touched my heart when I needed to be lifted up.. Scriptures proclaim that ‘the heavens declare the glory of God’ (Ps 19.1)1 and that all of God’s creation was indeed ‘very good’ (Gen 1.31). Click here for more information and the link to our livestreamed services. Because of sin, however, man seeks to suppress the truth of what he sees of the Creator God in his own unrighteousness (Rom 1.18). The goodness of God as seen in common grace is first found in the way it exerts a restraining influence on the expression of human depravity or sin. Warfield evidently agrees with Harnack’s assessment: Augustine ‘entered both the Church and the world as a revolutionary force, and not merely created an epoch in the history of the Church, but … determined the course of its history in the West up to the present day’ (306). Cf. Understanding that grace is something we could never earn, or ever achieve, but which enables us to find true happiness, to walk in obedience to God in a way that pleases him, and preserves us until the day of our salvation should change the way we sing and praise him. Grace answers to the undeserving; mercy answers to the miserable’ (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World: An Exposition of Matthew 5-10 [Grand Rapids: Global Christian Publishers, 1999], 24-25). In verse 4, however, we are introduced to the wonderful grace of God, which comes about not because of anything good in us, but ‘because of the great love with which he loved us.’ As the text says, God works salvation in us even ‘when we were dead in our trespasses’, thus showing his tremendous grace (his unmerited kindness to those who do not deserve it). 4 Joel B. According to Augustine (and all the ‘catholic’ church after him) the will was free, but only insofar as it would choose what it desired.13 ‘Without exception,’ he writes, ‘we all long for happiness. Paul declares that humans are all ‘dead’ on account of transgressions and sins. As Lloyd-Jones notes, ‘there is not a stronger term than “death”.’21 Paul puts things in the strongest categories he can to drive home the point that those outside of God’s gospel grace are spiritually ‘dead’, and like the physical dead, are completely incapable of raising themselves to life. … You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. Once converted, Augustine could pray, ‘Give me the grace to do as you command, and command me to do what you will! Grace, which comes from the Greek New Testament word charis, is God's unmerited favor. JOIN US LIVE "Go ye therefore, and TEACH all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: TEACHING them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded. As followers, we are called to praise Him even when we don’t feel like praising Him, and sometimes it feels as though that is the hardest thing we are asked to do. Because of sin, however, man seeks to suppress the truth of what he sees of the Creator God in his own unrighteousness (Rom 1.18). Throughout the sections above the author has tried to interact with some biblical texts in order to show that the theology of God’s grace discussed is not merely linguistic or historic, but Scriptural as well. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.’ In other words, God has chosen to work in just this way—to save for himself a people who were absolutely powerless to save themselves—so that his awesome grace would be put on display (‘to the praise of his glorious grace’, Eph 1.6)! 2 Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 4th rev. God’s grace will be defined, examined briefly from church history, then from selected Scripture, and lastly, application of these truths to the church at large will be drawn. Augustine’s theology of God’s grace is the understanding that would persist through the era of the early church and which would rise triumphantly again through Luther and Calvin in the Reformation. and goodness, hoping for no happiness but from thee; Give me special grace to fit me for special services, and keep me calm and, resigned at all times, humble, solemn, mortified, and conformed to thy. In the words of the Apostle John, who would speak of Jesus, God’s ultimate revelation, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 Here Augustine cites Gal 5.17 (Confessions, 229). I have sung the above song countless times with arms lifted high, as I sobbed with a broken heart. All rights reserved. This is the way in which the Bible usually works. Words and Music by Bob Kauflin. Father, thank You for this day. As James 4:6 describes, God gives us more grace, … 11 This is true outside of the Pauline corpus as well, as Green ably points out (‘Grace’, 526). When God causes his goodness to pass before Moses in Exodus 34, he declares of himself: ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.’5, The Hebrew words here for merciful and gracious (raḥûm wəḥannûn) connote favour, usually by a superior to an inferior. 17 The phraseology is intentionally chosen to be reminiscent of Augustine’s own conversion experience: ‘During all those years [of rebellion], where was my free will? 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