Portrait of Grace

If anyone is familiar with John MacArthur they may immediately recognize the title of this entry. I may disagree with Mr. MacArthur on certain issues such as his view on Lordship Salvation, yet he is perhaps one of the most current outspoken men proclaiming the glory of God in today’s world. He has the privilege of appearing on Larry King Live quite often, using the opportunity to present a clear gospel. He also is very clear and easy to understand in his teachings on the doctrines of Grace.

But MacArthur is not the point of this article today. I have mentioned him because listening to the radio a little while ago he came on with his radio show titled “Portraits of Grace”. It’s something you may hear a lot and never really think about, but that day it hit me and has stuck with me, how that indeed we truly are portraits of Grace, and yet we often forget it.

When we look at ourselves in mirrors etc, we often are concentrated on what we look like, do we ever stop, look at ourselves and see a portrait of Grace? A picture of something that reveals the grace of God? For that is exactly what, we as Christians are. This seems so basic and nice, it’s almost hard to explain it.

PORTRAIT OF GRACE

Just to clarify, my point. Grace basically means undeserved Kindness (for a bigger description read my article “Grace in Romans”). Where a portrait is something that portrays someone. If you have a picture of you on the wall, it is portraying to onlookers what you look like. So when people look at us they should see a picture of grace. But in what way?

GRACE GIVEN

Let’s think about the picture of you hanging on a wall again. It’s a picture from when you were in school, and just the day before the picture was taken, you got in a fight on the playground and received a black and blue eye. So as people walk by your picture on the wall they stop and stare closely at it, and perhaps ask “Is that a black eye?”. A portrait of you can also display from the portrait something that was given to you from someone else.

This is the main point of us as Portraits of Grace. We are presenters of grace, because of the great amount of Grace that has been given to us. There was an old story one time of a prominent Atheist who used to enjoy visiting small communities and would proceed to attempt to destroy the faith of Christians. One day as he was doing his speech, he wanted someone to challenge him. No one in the crowd at that time would, but all one man could do was ask “How Do you explain me?”. The man had for all his life, been a drunkard, was very violent, the community was afraid of him, and he used to abuse his family and harm his wife. Then one day he realized his condition and trusted Christ as his Saviour. The atheist at that time couldn’t explain to the man what had happened, but to the community they knew something had happened, and it all happened when the man trusted Christ.

The grace God gave us though, may not always just be evident to people that know us. But our grace is displayed to the Angelic realm as well as Peter could explain.

1Pe 1:12  It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

 

Let us not forget the grace that was given to us from God. People who had no love for Him, yet He so willing died for us. A death we never deserved.

 

Rom 3:24  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Eph 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

GRACE TO GIVE

Think about the school picture of you again. In the picture if you have a frown on your face and glaring at the camera person, people would think you were a grumpy child. Now if you were giving a big toothless smile, people may get another thought. This is very similar to our manner of actions in the world today.

I have often heard the end part of Matthew 10:8 quoted “you received without paying; give without pay. Or as the KJV puts it “Freely ye have received, freely give.”

I usually see it used in relation to Christian sites that are offering things for free. But it can so apply to the grace as well that we have received from God. 1 Peter if you read the book, over and over again wants us to act as Christ. Paul throughout His writings mentions it too. So are we?

2Co 8:3  For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,
2Co 8:4  begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints–
2Co 8:5  and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
2Co 8:6  Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace.
2Co 8:7  But as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you–see that you excel in this act of grace also.
2Co 8:8  I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.
2Co 8:9  For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

 

I hope you took the time to read all the verses posted above. If someone asked me to quote one passage of scripture to tell a Christian who was trying to live more for God. This is one passage that would closely be tied with Galatians 5 and the fruits of the Spirit. The teaching in this passage is very powerful. Take note that you have one group of Christians in this passage doing everything they can for another group, and in verse 6 what does Paul call it? An act of Grace. In verse 7 Paul tells us to excel in this grace, but he is not telling us to, why? Because it should simply be a result of our genuine love…. if grace is not being shown to others is our love genuine? Are we like the Casting Crowns song who calls such people who evidently are not showing grace just  “shiny plastic people”? Are we masquerading around in, “oooh I have great love for Christians, but when it’s put to the ultimate test we fail miserably?

Can we think of an example of people we have not shown our grace too, because we felt that a sin in their past was simply too much, and we couldn’t trust them? Have we looked at someone struggling financially and go “Serve them right, get a new job, save better etc”? Have we looked at someone going through a trail and think “They gave me a hard time so let them deal with it?” I’m sure we have been guilty of one of those thoughts if not all of them. Think if Christ was like that. He’d look at us and go “They have did awful things against me, they have in the past, as soon as they were born they were lieing, so forget them.” Or what if He looked on someone he redeemed and thought “Money problems? If they were using all their money for the glorification of God, then perhaps I would help them, but they have abused some of their money, to enhance a lust of theirs or feed a small form of idolatry, so they can deal with it.” Or what if he said “They are having problems? Well yesterday they forgot to thank me for some food they ate, yesterday they allowed unrighteousness to go on in their presence, I think I’ll not bother with uplifting them today.”

You probably got tired of reading the examples, but oh can’t you see the ridiculousness of what I’m saying? Christ tells us in Hebrews 13 and 5 that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and we return the favour by not showing grace to others?

If we have caught ourselves doing such a thing let us be sure to fix it. Approach someone and apologize. We have developed a self-righteous attitude towards others we feel have done a worse sin then us, yet all of us deserve hell. Who are we to pick and choose who we show grace to?

END THOUGHT

So as we go about our daily walk, whether it be a non-Christian or a Christian let us ensure that Grace is being given in all things. When we catch something being done that is not loving or helping another, let us stop. If you can think of something that has harmed the feelings of a person ensure forgiveness is sought. If the writer has done so, make sure and let me know so I can apologize.

But let us make sure on a daily basis as we interact with people and face big decisions in the world, family, friends and our local Christian gatherings that we are being Portraits of Grace.

1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.