Grace: Spiritual Enablement?

[Kim G]

A friend on Facebook said that she was grateful for God's grace. Then she defined grace as "the supernatural ability to do God's will through the Holy Spirit's enablement."



Can you help me understand what this idea of "grace" is and perhaps give a better definition? 'Cause I know this ain't it.

 

[KMK]

JM posted this definition by AW Pink in this thread: http://www.puritanboard.com/f15/definition-grace-43337/

An esteemed friend who kindly read through this book in its manuscript form, and to whom we are indebted for a number of excellent suggestions, has pointed out that, grace is something more than “unmerited favor.” To feed a tramp who calls on me is “unmerited favor,” but it is scarcely grace. But suppose that after rob*bing me I should feed this starving tramp—that would be “grace.” Grace, then, is favor shown where there is positive de-merit in the one receiving it.

It might be a good starting point.

 

[Augusta]

[emphasis mine]

Romans 6
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

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.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 8
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

 

[moral necessity]

A friend on Facebook said that she was grateful for God's grace. Then she defined grace as "the supernatural ability to do God's will through the Holy Spirit's enablement."



Can you help me understand what this idea of "grace" is and perhaps give a better definition? 'Cause I know this ain't it.

It sounds to me like she is emphasizing the sanctification aspect of God's working within us, and using the word "grace" to describe it. It may be that she is getting this idea from the Philippians verse that says, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you (her definition of grace), to will and to do according to his good pleasure." But, I wonder what she thinks that this doing of "God's will" involves. We are certainly not enabled to be perfect, by any stretch of the imagination.

I hesitate to probe, but, I wonder if she has been influenced by some form of the "higher life" movement. I've heard these quotes before in similar circles.

Blessings!

 

[A.J.]

On a sermon on Gen. 17 entitled The Abrahamic Covenant - Covenant Signs and Implications, J. Ligon Duncan says,

Now that is a wonderful paradigm to remember because it will help you keep from misunderstanding Paul. You see, there are scads of people who think that if they embrace Paul’s doctrine of grace, that it means that there are really no obligations in the Christian life. It goes something like this. “God saves you by grace and so you don’t have to obey Him, it is just that you want to obey Him.” You will hear that distinction. You don’t have to obey God, but you will want to obey God. That is not the Pauline ethic. The Pauline ethic does not say you have no obligation to obey Him, you just do it because you want to. You just do it because you love Him, etc. No. There is still obligation in the Pauline ethic. Because the Pauline ethic is the Old Testament ethic. The Pauline ethic is the Abrahamic ethic. Grace and obligation are not opposites. That is what I am pressing at here. Grace and obligation are not opposites. In fact, Paul makes it very clear in Romans chapter 5 that one of the most important functions of Spiritual grace, capital “S” Spiritual grace, grace that is worked in us by the Holy Spirit, that one of the most important functions of Spiritual grace in us is to do what? To enable us to perform our obligations. And that is why he says that grace reigns through righteousness. That is, by the way, his response to the Judaizers’ attack against him that says, “Paul, your doctrine of justification by faith leads to disobedience. It leads to passivity on the part of people who believe it, because then they say, ‘Well, if I am justified by faith, it doesn’t matter what I do. It doesn’t matter how I live.’” And the apostle Paul doesn’t argue, “No you have misunderstood my doctrine of justification.” He pulls back and he basically says, “No, your misunderstanding at that point is at a deeper level than my doctrine of justification. You don’t understand what grace is for.” (my emphasis)

 

[discipulo]

Very good quote, thank you.

I was remembering one of the passages that is so clear that Justification is by Faith alone in Christ alone

Yet the Lord doesn’t leave room for any antinomianism in it at all.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20

 

[Jimmy the Greek]

The concept of sanctifying grace or "God's grace in our sanctification" is biblical, e.g. God is at work in us both to will and to do, (Phil 2:12-13).

However, her understanding of this grace may go beyond biblical bounds, as it has in various denominations.