of the Egyptians” so that they would not leave Egypt empty handed. (Exodus
3:21) This promise was fulfilled at the end of the 10 plagues:
And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they
granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. (Exodus
12:36)
In the Psalms we read of how it is part of the Lord’s nature to give grace
and He does so freely:
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no
good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11)
In the New Testament, the concept of grace is a bit different from that of
the Hebrew. While the words have a similar meaning, the root of the Hebrew
word – the stooping down of God to people – is less present in the Greek. The
actual word for grace in Greek, charis, is only used in the Gospels of Luke and
John, and later in Revelation.
It is used sparingly in these Gospels, but extensively in the Epistles, which
perhaps explains why the term is seldom used in the New Church, where only
the four Gospels are regarded as canonical, but extensively in the Christian
Church which draws the bulk of its teaching from the Epistles. Indeed the
concept of God’s grace plays a central role in Christian theology. (More on
this later.)
The Greek word, charis, is less about the Lord stooping to bestow kindness,
and more about the activity of the Lord in people. Strong’s Dictionary defines
charis as “especially the Divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in
the life; including gratitude.” (Strong’s
#5485) In this definition, grace
becomes the activity of the Lord in a
person’s life, although the requisites of
the Old Testament remain: this is given
to “those who walk uprightly.”
We see this blessing well presented
in the Christmas story. When the
angel, Gabriel, appears to Mary, he
says: “Rejoice, highly favored one,
the Lord is with you; blessed are you
among women!” And later, “Do not be
afraid, Mary, for you have found favor
with God.” (Luke 1:28 and 30)
As in the Old Testament, the word
“favor” here is a translation of the word
for grace. (In the Catholic “Hail Mary”
(Grace) is used
sparingly in the Gospels,
but extensively in the
Epistles, which perhaps
explains why the term
is seldom used in the
New Church. . . . Indeed
the concept of God’s
grace plays a central role
in Christian theology.
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