The way I see it is that God is extends grace to man but it always rests with God. It cannot exist independent of Him. The moment I look at myself and say "Let me store up the grace that is given to me it and take it for granted, it is not longer grace but presumption.This was Hamon's error. He presumed on the favor of king Xerxes because of his past credentials and was terribly mistaken.
Jude also spoke of those who presumed on God's grace in error and turned to antinomism.
The best thing to do when you receive grace is to extend it to others before it rots.
Here is a positive example:
Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
Grace was poured out into the church and resulted in joyful giving - which resulted in even more grace!
I hope I have answered your question.
Thank you Narrowpath for the clarification.
I was a bit confused by your post in light of this thread. There can be no debate or argument from any of us to think that grace can be produced or attained by ourselves. It's all too clear through out Scripture that grace comes only from above.
I am however, confused by "grace only be received by not kept". If that's the case, we all tread on water, if not egg shells. Grace is not grace if it's dispensed in bits and pieces. The doctrine of grace is laid out throughout the new testament, especially the Pauline epistles, that all of our(the redeemed) all, from salvation till we meet with our Lord, is sustained and maintained by that grace,ordaining the Father's mercy, power of freedom from sin(s), the forgiveness via Christ's advocacy, even to the delivery of God's chastisement via the Holy Spirit..every bit of God's Providence that entails a true believer's life, in my mind, is lived within this permanent grace, based on the finished work of Christ, our Saviour.
How is it presumption to think that this grace is being stored up? If we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and if we are told that we live in Christ and that He lives in us by faith. We live in God's grace permanently. Grace is not being stored up, but we are kept/"stored" by this grace.
If this grace in Christ escapes us and evaporates (as you indicated in your first post)back to heaven, say when we sin, what else can carry our confession and prayers back to heaven for God to re-dispense grace to us? It has to be the grace in Christ, the same grace given through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, that enables our Father to hear our confessions, intercessions or prayers. In Romans, grace is explained very clearly throughout, as an assurance or enablement for the Christian's walk. the indwelling Spirit in a believer Itself, is a proof of that grace, unless one thinks that the Holy Spirit in us also evaporates back to heaven every time we sin. Without this grace, there can be no perpetual forgiveness, 1 John 1:9, won't be effective without the permanent state of grace in the believer's life!?
Romans 5:20
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
One should change this perhaps to, where sin abounds, pray for grace to come back?
A Christian rises in the morning and lays in bed at night, walks and breathes in God's grace. I for one can not live one moment in this life without the grace. Or knowing that I have to maintain this God-given grace, to even think of that is frightful. I'd have to be the single most miserable "Christian" to have to play catch with some evaporating grace every time I sin or fail.
In your example of Haman, he was dealt with man's "grace". Naturally, man does behave as "indian-giver" a lot of times, pardon this expression. Man's grace does evaporate quickly, every time.
Antinomianism? How can someone who has truly tasted the grace of Christ be an antinomian. Would the Holy Spirit allow those who He indwells live on abusing God's grace in their entire lifetime? Impossible!! I do, however, realize that many of the hyper-calvinists for years have brought about such an impression. Those will be no different than any other false believers or hypocrites. But that still doesn't mean that grace upon those professing believers comes and goes out of them. I'd see them as those who have never truly come to faith at all, though thinking to themselves that they are of Christ's.
Surely, our Lord's grace must not be willfully abused,when we sin and continue to abuse that grace, we quench the Holy Spirit, we grieve God. But grace does not evaporate back to heaven, this grace by the Holy Spirit may wait upon or bring about our repentance some time, this same grace may chastise us, and it may even withdraw blessings for a long period of time, etc.etc....but leaving us? I have trouble agreeing to that.
Without God's grace in Christ, how can we repent when we sin, assuming we lose it every time we sin? What carries our repentance to His throne?
By grace are we saved through faith. And I believe, it's by the same grace do we live and breathe through faith in Christ Jesus,day by day by day..in the presence of this permanent grace shed by our Lord's Blood.
It's alright if you can't agree, remember that I know little, but this I know well, I, can not live one moment without knowing Romans 5:2
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we [i]stand[/i], and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Yes, I do believe, if we live in Christ and He lives in us, we live in His permanent grace. For Christ is that grace.
(edited a lot of typos)
Just some thoughts, sorry so long
In Christ,
Margaret
