.
The New Testament Greek word for "grace" is charis (khar'-ece); which
means: graciousness. Webster's defines "graciousness" as: kind, courteous,
inclined to good will, generous, charitable, merciful, altruistic,
compassionate, thoughtful, cordial, affable, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm,
sensitive, considerate, and tactful.
Cordial stresses warmth and heartiness
Affable implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to
conversation or requests or proposals
Genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality
Sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others
Generous is characterized by a noble or forbearing spirit; viz:
magnanimous, kindly, and liberal in giving
Charitable means full of love for, and goodwill toward, others; viz:
benevolent, tolerant, and lenient.
Altruistic means unselfish regard for, or devotion to, the welfare of others;
viz: a desire to be of service to others for no other reason than it just feels
good to do so.
Tactful indicates a keen sense of what to do, or say, in order to maintain
good relations with others in order to resolve and/or avoid unnecessary
conflict.
When you put all those lovely attributes together, you get a pretty good
picture of the bright side of God's personality.
The Old Testament Hebrew word for "grace" is chen (khane) and means the
same as charis; for example: "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Gen
6:8)
In many Christian minds, it is truly believed that a sinner's salvation rests
upon the grace of God; but in most minds that is nothing in the world but a
mental spin to mask their true belief that it is by the grace of God that they
now have a chance to earn their salvation, where before, they had no
chance to earn it. So when you strip away the spin, you're right back to the
reality that the plans of salvation enjoying the widest acceptance are
essentially merit systems based upon personal performance rather than
upon the kindness and generosity of God's altruistic nature.
Some Xians construe Php 2:12 to insist that salvation is a merit award based
upon performance. However, for those of us who currently possess eternal
life; the New Testament actually reveals that rescue from the wrath of God is
a gratuity; which is a gift with no strings attached and nothing expected in
return.
†. Eph 2:8-10 …God spared us by His grace when we believed. And we can't
take credit for this; it's a gratuity from God. Salvation is not a reward for the
good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
†. Titus 3:5 …Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy He spared us
†. John 3:16-18 …For God so loved the world that he donated His one and
only child, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God didn't send His child into the world to condemn the world, but
rather, to spare the world through him.
The Bible portrays Jesus' Father as both gracious and vengeful.
The proof of his Father's willingness to be gracious is the donation of His
own beloved son's life in order to resolve the hostility between Himself and
the human race
The proof of his Father's willingness to be vengeful is the upcoming Great
White Throne event and the reservoir of liquefied flame depicted at Rev
20:10-15.
True evil is the lack of gratitude exemplified by the very people for whom
Jesus' Father donated the life of His own son. As far as I'm concerned; hell is
too good for people like that-- they're lower than undomesticated beasts:
just feral human wildlife; toxic churls to the bone.
Buen Camino
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