The Bibilical Message of Grace

Words of Grace from the Bible

Flickering candle

The Bible clearly shows God's grace and lovingkindness toward us in Christ. May these passages shine a bright light to clear away the distorted image of God as a harsh, demanding, disapproving taskmaster over his people. The fearful exhortations and warnings of the Bible are directed toward professing believers who are not trusting in Christ alone for salvation. The promises on this page are sure and true for every Christian.

Various Bible versions are used here, along with notes from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and W. E. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, to avoid the triggers of a familiar translation.

Psalm 119:130 Psalm 119:105	Break open Your words, let the light shine out, let ordinary people see the meaning. By Your words I can see where I am going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
I John 3:1,16	How great is the deep and constant love the Father has lavished on us.... This is how we know what deep and constant love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. (Back to top)
John 17:26 John 15:9	"You sent Me, and have loved them even as You have loved Me-- with the same deep and constant love." "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love."
Romans 8:15-17 This is the answer to the inheritance question.	You have been adopted into the very family circle of God and you can say with a full heart, "Daddy, my Father". The Spirit himself endorses our inward conviction that we really are the children of God. Think what that means. If we are His children then we are God's heirs, and all that Christ inherits will belong to all of us as well! (Back to top)
Zephaniah 3:17 This is an image of a parent soothing a beloved child by singing to it. This is how our God loves us.	The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
Deuteronomy 33:12 "This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death" (v. 1). In Christ, we are the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16). This promise is for us. Being settled down between His shoulders is an image of the deepest hug you could ever imagine. That loving security is also evoked by the description of Jesus being in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18). This is where Jesus declared the invisible God to us, and this is where we *are* with Him, even though we often are not aware of it (John 17:23).	The beloved of the Lord shall settle down securely by Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders. (Back to top)
Isaiah 54:10	"With everlasting courteous loving-kindness I will have great, cherishing, tender love for you... Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken --stands unmovable. Nor shall my covenant of peace and well-being and favor be removed," says the Lord, who has great, cherishing, tender love for you.
Jeremiah 31:3-4	"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with courteous loving-kindness. I will build you up again..."
Isaiah 30:18	The Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you great, cherishing, tender love. (Back to top)
Psalm 125:2 Psalm 32: 10 Psalm 32:7 *closely encompass on every side, enclose	The Lord surrounds* His people The Lord's unfailing love surrounds* the man who trusts in Him. You are my hiding place, You will protect me from trouble and surround* me with songs of deliverance.
Numbers 6:22-27 God is here *commanding* His blessing upon His people (Psalm 133:3). As children of God who have believed the promise of salvation made to Abraham (Rom. 9:8), this blessing is upon us. See yourself as one of the little children Jesus took up in His arms and blessed.	Now the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons that they are to give this special blessing to the people of Israel: The Lord bless and protect you; the Lord's face radiate with joy because of you; the Lord be gracious to you, show you His favor, and give you His peace and well-being. This is how Aaron and his sons shall call down my blessings upon the people of Israel; and I Myself will personally bless them." (Back to top)
Ephesians 3:12-20	In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence... I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may...grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-- so that you may be filled up to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory...
Ephesians 1:17-19 The heart of Paul's prayer is that we may know the Father better. To this end he prays that our mind's eye, so to speak, will be enlightened to see Him differently. In the Assembly, the picture of God was confused with George Geftakys. May the scriptures presented in this section bring the true picture of God back into focus in the eyes of our hearts.	I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. (Back to top)
Psalm 90:14	Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Psalm 23 The Assembly was a valley of the shadow of death for many. God did not forsake you there, and now he is the healer at work restoring you.* He rescues, retrieves, brings and carries back home again, converts, recovers, relieves, refreshes* the heart, the mind, the very self*.	Because the Lord is my shepherd I will not lack anything! He lets me rest in the meadow grass and leads me besides the quiet streams. He restores* my person. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies, You have welcomed me as Your guest. Blessings overflow! Your goodness and unfailing, courteous, loving-kindness chase after me every day of my life. And afterwards I will live with You forever in Your home. (Back to top)
Lamentations 3, selections	This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His tender, cherishing, loving-kindnesses never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.... Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing, tender love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.... You came near when I called You, and You said, "Do not fear." O Lord, You took up my case; You redeemed my life." (Back to top)
Jeremiah 33:6, 9, 11	"I will bring health and healing... I will heal my people and will give them abundant well-being and security... They will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide...." The Lord is good; His courteous loving-kindness endures forever.
Hebrews 13:5-6	He Himself has said, "I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I will not...I will not...I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake nor let you down nor relax My hold on you-- assuredly not!" So we take comfort and are encouraged, and confidently and boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be seized with alarm." (Back to top)
Matthew 11:28-30 Photo courtesy of Njei	Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me (learn by asking or watching--a relational imparting), for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
Exodus 33:14 Isaiah 28:12	"My Presence will go with you, and I will cause you to be settled down and comforted." "This is the resting place, let the weary rest... This is the place of repose." (Back to top)
Romans 8:28-39 Here is the foundation for coming to terms with our years in the Assembly, and all the other evils and suffering that may lie in our path. Do you feel at a distance from God? It's not true.	We know that to those who love God, who are called according to His plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good... If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not grudge His own Son but gave Him up for us all-- can we not trust such a God to give us, with Him, everything else that we can need?... Christ died for us, Christ also rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us! Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, pain or persecution?... I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life, neither messenger of Heaven nor monarch of earth, neither power from on high nor power from below, nor anything else in God's whole world has any power to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Back to top)
John 5:24	I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and *will not be condemned*; he has crossed over from death to life.
Romans 8:1-2	Therefore, *there is now no condemnation* for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death [past tense, accomplished fact].
II Thessalonians 2:16-17	Now may the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts... (Back to top)
Isaiah 12:3	Drink deeply from the fountain of Salvation.
This passage, especially in this rendering, makes clear the kind of relationships God wants among his people, including church leaders - in sharp contrast to what many experienced in the Geftakys Assemblies and other spiritually abusive groups. I Corinthians 13: A Version, by Carl W. Conrad, Ph.D., retired Associate Professor of Classics, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Conrad states, "This is not a 'literal' version, and definitely involves a distinctive interpretation of the Pauline text in the context of an interpretation of 1 Corinthians as a whole." Used by permission.	I Corinthians 13: A Version 1. Unless I make my voice show loving-kindness, the eloquence of orators and even lyric ecstasy of angels is meaningless babel. 2. Whatever powers I may have— to proclaim God’s will on the issues of the day, to probe secrets of the cosmos and wisdom of sages, to overcome any obstacle with boundless trust in God— they are utterly worthless unless they serve loving-kindness. 3. I might be a peerless philanthropist or ready to die for the right cause, but doing good —without loving-kindness— is labor spent in vain. 4. Loving-kindness waits out storms; it is good-hearted and not jealous; it isn't egotistical, and doesn't put on airs. 5. It doesn't become ugly, doesn't try to get its own way, doesn't lose its temper, and doesn't hold a grudge. 6. Love isn’t pleased when someone gets hurt; what really thrills it is integrity winning out. 7. Loving-kindness rises to meet each occasion; it is absolutely trusting, full of hope, withstands every challenge. 8. Loving-kindness will always have a role to play. But someday great issues will no longer matter; someday eloquence will have nothing to say; someday throbbing angelic ecstasy will be hushed; and someday profound insights will be irrelevant. 9. Our deepest insights, after all, are always biased; even our visions of the issues are colored by our time and place. 10. But when the fullness of time comes, our biased insights and matters that seem to us important will lose their importance. 11. A child has its own way of talking, its own way of seeing right and wrong, its own way of thinking. An adult must think and act in grown-up ways. 12. We are like children now: our images of each other are at best distorted; when we grow up, we will look each other in the face. My clearest visions now are skewed; when we are fully grown, we shall see and understand each other with the wholeness of authentic selves. 13. So there are these three things that outlive life itself: trusting loyalty, sure expectation, and loving-kindness; and of them all, the one that counts for most is loving-kindness. —CWC; August 6, 1988, revised

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