Posted By: dennisthemennis
Posted On: 02:31:27 12th Jun 2008Recently I have had MANY conversations about being Graceful or showing GRACE. And actually I am wondering is it an excuse to just accept the easy option and try and mask over the REAL issue.

So what really is GRACE? When God was Graceful to us it was because he saved us through Christ crucified, which I know sounds a little heavy but thats what I believe.

Someone tells me there is not a single word in the Hebrew to say what Grace is but a reference to 'chesed' which Tyndale translated as 'loving kindness'. Other words which were linked like 'hen or hanam' meaning a spontaneous gift of kindness. Hey now I am understanding 'Grace' at least I think!

Ok so I have never thought that Hebrew would have any relevance in my life but today it is helping me understand what this 'Grace' is!

What it is doing though is flagging up all the reasons why I first thought that 'Grace' could be a smoke screen. So here is an example : I continue to see some deliberately damaging the Leader's, Men & Women of God including the whole Church and we are supposed to treat these people with 'Grace' so my dilemma with that is WHAT kind ? If it is a spontaneous gift of kindness then is it not kinder to discipline that person (showing Grace) or should we be all lovey dovey and kiss and make up?

Brings me back to WWJD? well he would obviously enter the synagogue and say Hey guys lets sit down and talk this through because I am a little annoyed! yeah whatever.If you'd like to have your say and post your own comments, please login using the menu on the left.

Interesting. You have gone a couple of steps further than a lot of believers do - which is to question an established term and investigate what that term could really mean. I find that encouraging and inspiring. You are right about Jesus, of course - he was a lot nicer than we are to the poor and the sick, but a lot tougher than we are on those who use their power to dehumanise others. I guess we should choose the moment when it really counts, to tell someone if they have really stepped over the line. And there's a right way and a wrong way to say those things. The trouble with our culture is that we either clam up and don't say anything, or we go in with both barrels loaded! Mostly, when Jesus caught people out, he was clever and creative in how he responded to them. If we ask for wisdom, we are told we will definitely receive it. Posted by:  Clive Price 02:31:40 16th Jun 2008