Grace

When we think of the word "grace", we think of a spiritual condition of favor, mercy, and forgiveness from God. It is a lovely, loving gift from God's salvation. However, I would like to explore "grace" as a spiritual power and authority. In fact, the power of "grace" is one of the twelve governmental names of God (Ex. 34:6-8). In order to see the awesome, superior, spiritual power and authority of grace, we should first look at the spiritual power and authority of sin. Sin is not just something wrong that we do. It is a being of power. God first discusses sin as a being in scripture with a warning to Cain, who would become the first murderer:
"...And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  Gen. 4:7
Sin from the scripture above, is defined as "an offence (stumbling, injury, ruin, overthrow, cast down, decayed) that requires a sacrifice". Blood is required by this power of ruin and decay. As Christians, we understand that Jesus gave His blood in our place, for our sin. This power of ruin and decay lies at the door. This is not referring to the door of Cain's house, but to the wide opening or entrance of the grave. It "lies" there, meaning that it rests, or reposes there. It crouches, broods and lurks there, as an animal might do. Man was not purposed to be ruled by sin, but to rule over it (see Gen. 4:7).
The Hebrew letters of the word for sin, chatta'ah, חַטָּאָת , give us an incredible picture of the being, power, and authority of sin:
Cheth - tent wall or fence that separates
Teth- A snake, to surround, to twist. to coil
Aleph - Strong power, leader, authority
Tav - ownership, seal, mark, cross, covenant
Sin, the snake of power and authority, surrounds us and separates us from God, and seals us, marks us, and takes ownership of us. It does this legally through the covenant by which we join ourselves together with it.
We can see similarities in Paul's teaching about the beings of spiritual hierarchy and evil in Eph. 6:12. He uses terms that refer to leaders, potentates of precedence (principalities), authority, jurisdiction, physical and mental power (powers), lords and princes of this world and age, masters that take hold of, and lay siege to the earth, and its inhabitants (rulers), evil and wicked ones of depravity and malice that force labor, toil, hardship, perils, disease, great trouble and intense desire (spiritual wickedness).
The minister Jonathan Edwards, who led the move of spiritual revival called The Great Awakening, spoke of this spiritual authority and power of sin that has the right of ownership to cast an unrepentant soul into hell. There is no power that can stop or delay it except the will of God that determines the moment when He will no longer hold on to, or hold back that unrepentant soul. The second God lets go of it, that soul falls into the pit by the legal authority and power of sin in him. Edwards preached about the power of sin that causes the human soul to combust into spiritual fire so intense that it will set on fire everything nearby. Sin is a being of power and authority.
If sin is a being of spiritual power and authority, grace is even more so (Rom. 5:20). Grace is first mentioned in Gen. 6. The earth was full of wickedness, violence and evil continually, and the LORD was sorry that He ever created man. He was deeply grieved in His heart (v.5-6).
"But Noah found grace in the eyes (ayin- fountain, face, presence, experience, knowledge) of the LORD."  Gen 6:8
The word "found" above means to meet, to encounter. Noah encountered Grace. Who is this person, Grace, that Noah met? John 1 tells us who Grace is:
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."    Jn. 1:14, 16-17
In v. 18, continuing from above, John reveals that Jesus, the Son, is in the bosom of the Father. So Noah, who sought knowledge of, and found the presence (eyes) of God, would also encounter His Son, Grace, who is within the Father.
The Hebrew letters of the word grace, chen, חֵן ,also give us a powerful picture:
Cheth - Tent wall, fence, that separates
Nun - Heir to the throne, son
So, instead of being separated by and to the snake authority of sin (see "sin" above), Grace, separates us by and to, and of the Son, the Heir to the Throne of God. The root meaning of the Hebrew word for grace is "to pitch a tent, to encamp, to dwell, to abide". Grace doesn't leave, and it doesn't retreat. Grace is by far the superior power and authority to sin, and we can certainly understand this because it is the Person of the Son. Grace is not just a condition or gift of mercy and forgiveness. It is the spiritual authority and power of the Son of God. Sin reigns in death, but Grace reigns in eternal life through Jesus (Rom. 5:21).
Let us look at some scriptures that show us the spiritual power and authority of Grace:
In speaking about "The King", Psalm 45 says,
"You are fairer that the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever. Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and Your majesty."   (v. 2-3)
Above, Grace is associated with Kingly spiritual authority (lips) and power (sword).
In Prov. 4:9, Wisdom (whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor; whoever sins against me wrongs his own soul and loves death -Prov. 8:35-36), will place an ornament (wreath) of grace, and crown of glory on your head (ruling, kingly authority and power).
By shouting "Grace, Grace" to it, Zerubbabel is instructed to destroy an obstructing spiritual power, so large and high, it is described as a mountain. The power and authority of that Grace is far superior to the obstructing "mountain", or any natural power of man (Zech. 4:6-7).
Paul explains that he ministers, speaks and writes through the power and authority of Grace (Acts 4:33, Rom 1:4-5, Rom. 11:5, Rom 15:15). He describes himself as a "master builder" through the power and authority of Grace (1 Cor. 3:10).
The spiritual gifts (gifts denoting extraordinary powers; root-person under the divine authority of grace) and purposes of believers in the Body of Christ are given by Grace (Rom. 12:6, 2 Cor. 9:14-15).
A true spiritual remnant of believers is chosen by the election authority of Grace (Rom. 11:5)..
Believers stand, even through tribulation, by the spiritual power of Grace (Rom. 5:2).
When Paul was being beaten and buffeted by a demonic power, the Lord told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  (2 Cor. 12:9). Jesus instructs Paul that His grace, which He equates with His strength, is "sufficient". The English word sufficient doesn't really describe the fullness of meaning here. It is the Greek word arkeo, which means "to be possessed of unfailing strength, to ward off, to defend". Its root meaning is "to take by force, to raise up". The Grace referred to here is the unlimited authority, strength and power of God and Christ.

Grace is indeed lovely, but make no mistake, it also has the power and authority to knock the devil's block off.

The Father, and the Son are full of Grace and Truth.

"Grace to Overcome"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkQ5ZfVIXw8

Grace

 

The Apostle Paul told of a situation that had come upon him in 2 Cor. 12:7-9, that he was suffering mightily from a physical, or spiritual attack. The attack was severe enough that he called it a "thorn", a pointed stake, something used in impaling, in his flesh. He said it was a messenger of Satan sent to "buffet", or beat him. He did not say specifically what this attack was, but Apostle Paul said he begged the Lord three times to relieve him of this suffering. In answer to Paul's prayer and beseeching, the Lord gave Paul a revelation. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking of this answer from the Lord somewhat religiously, as some sort of weak comfort. This is the answer the Lord gave to Paul:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Paul concluded "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Not only did he say he would rejoice in those infirmities, but that he would MOST gladly do so, so great was the revelation of grace that he received.
What was the meaning of grace that was revealed to Paul, that he found so powerful?
The first mention of "grace" in scripture is found in Gen. 6:8. The inhabitants of the earth had grown so evil and perverse, that the LORD regretted that He had made man. He had resolved to destroy man and all living creatures from the earth in order to stop the evil that man had become. But something caused the LORD to refrain from this judgment of utter destruction:
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."
Grace, in many scriptures from the Torah, is mentioned in connection with the LORD's eyes, or sight. When the LORD looked upon Noah, He saw something. What the LORD saw, reflected something of Himself that was still left in this sole man. The word "grace" in Hebrew means "favor, charm, elegance, acceptance, pleasant, precious, good will." The root word that it comes from means "to decline, to incline, encamp, bend down, pitch a tent, dwell, defend, inhabit, rested." Noah's name means "rest" as well. The word "grace" also refers to wherever the Tabernacle of God was pitched. "Grace" is the dwelling place, the tabernacle of God. When God looked to and fro among men, He saw His tabernacle or dwelling place when He looked at Noah. Grace is God's dwelling place.
Grace is also the fullness of Christ:
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And of His fullness, we have all received, and grace for grace."                                                           John 1:14, 16
The Word dwelt among us. God dwelling among us in His tabernacle. One of the meanings of the word "grace" is "to dwell".  Verse 16 tells us that the fullness of Christ IS grace, for the Father dwells fully in Him. And we, also have received this fullness according to verse 16.
If we look back again at 2 Cor. 12:9, the Lord tells Apostle Paul that His grace is sufficient for him. In English, the word "sufficient" means "meeting the need of, as much as is needed, enough to meet the needs of a situation, and from the Latin root:" legally satisfying".
So why is Paul, instead of being mournful over the circumstance that has tortured him, now thankful? It is the very need itself that has caused His Father to answer with His grace. If the need were not present, the grace would not have to answer.  It is the same situation as the scripture in Rom. 5:20-21: 
"...where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The need created by sin, caused God to answer, or cover the need, with grace, embodied in His Son. As it turns out, the remedy, grace, exceeds in every way, the need that it was created to answer. In Greek, the word "sufficient" used to describe grace in 2 Cor. 12:9 is defined as "to be possessed of unfailing strength, to be satisfied, to be contented, to raise up, to elevate, to lift up, to remove, to carry off, to cause to cease". The sufficiency of grace fills with "unfailing strength". The only unfailing strength that exists is the very strength of God, Himself. All other natural strength can reach a point of failure, but not this kind of divine, supernatural strength.
A wonderful example of the answering power of grace is found in Zech. 4:6-7:
"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit", says the LORD of hosts. "Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone (headstone) with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"
The mountain of obstacle that stood before Zerubbabel to defeat him, even though it is described as being great, would be torn down, and the headstone that comes from it would be like the setting stone, or central building stone at the top of an arch, the stone that holds the arch together. By the overcoming power, sufficiency and unfailing strength of "Grace", that which was obstructing has become the supporting strength upon which to build.
No wonder Paul's grief and burden was transformed in his spirit into joy and thanksgiving by the blessing of  the revelation of "grace".

Our Father is Grace.

"Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbe7OruLk8I