tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8219046446730475602012-02-16T20:19:06.038-08:00...so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. <br>2 Corinthians 4:15.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958186887868302230noreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821904644673047560.post-48013078493053326392009-06-05T15:35:00.000-07:002009-06-05T15:37:29.785-07:00Often times grace is misconstrued by the notion that God acts for us due to some intrinsic quality of ours, which commends us to him and makes us worth his action. It may still be admitted by those who hold such a view that he is gracious to us, <span style="font-style:italic;">in the sense</span> that we don’t deserve all that he does for us; but they retain a lingering perception that there is something in us of some value to him, which in some way, initiates that grace to us.<br /><br />Rather, there is nothing that commends us to God! God is gracious to us entirely because of his nature and despite ours. He is gracious to us <span style="font-style:italic;">in the sense</span> that one of the ways he has chosen to spread his glory is, in Christ, to enable and allow us to enjoy him, instead of giving us the punishment due our sin. This is what it means for God to be gracious: God gives us himself to enjoy because of his nature, despite the punishment we deserve due to ours; and all this is done for his glory.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/821904644673047560-4801307849305332639?l=bhgfhg.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958186887868302230noreply@blogger.com1