Grace and Gifts (Protestant/Evangelical Devotional)

Email from "The Navigators" | 11/19/2020 | Jerry Bridges

[Gamecock]

Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:4

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.”

In his comments on 1 Corinthians 1:4, Dr. Gordon Fee has helpful insight on the connection of grace and gifts: "The specific basis of Paul’s thanksgiving in their case is God’s ‘grace given you in Christ Jesus.’ Commonly this is viewed as a thanksgiving for grace as such, i.e., the gracious outpouring of God’s mercy in Christ toward the undeserving. However, for Paul charis (?race’) very often is closely associated with charisma/ charismata (‘gift/ gifts’) and in such instances refers to concrete expressions of God’s gracious activity in his people. Indeed, the word ‘grace’ itself sometimes denoted these concrete manifestations, the ‘graces’ (gifts), of God’s grace."

Peter wrote, "as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace" (1 Peter 4:10). Peter and Paul are saying the same thing. Our spiritual gifts and the ministries we perform are gifts of God’s grace. None of us deserves the gifts he or she has been given by God’s undeserved favor to us through Christ.

This means that both the most "worthy" and the most "unworthy" of Christians receive their gifts and their ministries on the same basis. The "unworthy" person surely doesn’t deserve his gift, but neither does the most "worthy." They both receive them as unmerited favors from God.

In reality there is no such distinction in God’s sight between "worthy" and "unworthy." In his sight, we’re all totally and permanently bankrupt spiritually. Paul’s statement is just as true for believers as for unbelievers: "There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:22-23).

[Gamecock]

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