Syllabus for Partaking of the Divine Nature                                                        PDN-1

Partaking of the Divine Nature

 Lesson 1

Grace and Peace  

Theme:  To show the importance and nature of grace for mankind.  

INTRODUCTION:

A.     Grace – “khar-ece” and peace – “I-ray-nay go hand in hand.

B.     As one matures in Christ, grace and peace multiplies  

I Peter 2:2 – “As ________ ______, desire the _______ _____ of the word,

That ye may _____ thereby.”  

II Peter 3:18 – “But _______ in _________, and in the ____________ of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”  

As the child of God we are to hunger and thirst for righteousness.   

Matthew 5:6 -“Blessed are they wich do _________ and ________ after ______________: for they shall be filled.”  

Without a hunger for His Word and His commands we will not be able to follow Him.  As His children our goal in life should be to learn all we can about Him and His righteousness and to study His divine Word and learn how we can best serve Him and obey His every command.  

II Timothy 4:18 tells us:  

“And the Lord shall deliver me from every _______ ________, and will _________ me unto his heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

 If we don’t know what His Word teaches we cannot expect to be delivered from every evil work.  Knowing His Word and patterning our life by it gives us the tools we need to grow in grace and peace.  

C.     Many false things being said about grace  

In the world we live in just as in Bible times there are many false teachers who will say only what people want to hear.  They don’t care what the Bible says just so long as they have followers who will listen and obey their teaching.  Giving in to the false things being said about grace today is one that rages rampant.  Grace is used and abused in every way, shape and form trying to get people to say that they have to do nothing because God’s grace will cover them.  If we have studied the Scriptures we know that God’s grace is gladly given but only if we obey His commands and walk with Him. 

    D.  The nature and importance of God’s grace

 In a study of grace we must learn of its nature and its importance to us so let us begin to do that now.  

   I.  What does grace do? 

Grace provides justification from sin:

 Romans 3:23 -24 -  23)“For____ ______ _______ , and come short of the glory of God.  24)Being justified freely ___ _____ _______ through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Titus 3:7 -   “That being justified ____ ____ _______, we should be made _______ according to the ______ of ________ ______.”

 Grace provides salvation from condemnation:

 Ephesians 2:5-8 -  5)”Even when we were______ ____ ______, hath quickened us together with Christ, by ________ ye are _______.  6) And hath raise us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  7)That in the ages to come he might shew the __________ riches of his ______ in his __________ toward us through ________ _______.  8)For by ______ are ye saved through _______; and that ______ of ____________: it is the _______ of God.”

 Acts 15:11 -  “But we believe that ________ the ______ of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be _________, even as they.”

 Even though grace provides gifts from God we still must take steps to get to that grace.  Nothing we can say or do can make us worthy of that wonderful grace of God but because of His love for us he offers it as long as we obey His commands.

 Grace produces forgiveness: 

 Ephesians 1:7 -  “In whom we have ____________ through his ________, the _____________ of _______, according to the riches of his ________.”

 We see here that we get grace through contact with His blood.  Without obedience to His Word we cannot receive grace.

 We access grace by faith:

 Romans 5:2 -  “”By whom also we have _______ by _____ into this ______ wherein we stand, and rejoice in _______ of the glory of God.”

 Grace can build us up:

 Acts 20:32 -  “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his ________, which is able to _______ ______ ____, and to give you an ____________ among all them which are ____________.”

 II.  What is the origin of grace?

 Given in Christ:   

I Corinthians 1:4 – “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the ______ of God which is _______ you by _____ ______.”  

Ephesians 4:7 – “But unto every one of us is given ______ ____________ to the measure of the gift of Christ.”

 Manifested in Christ:

 Titus 2:11 – “For the ______ of God that _________ salvation hath appeared to all ______.”

 II Timothy 1:9 -  “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not ___________ to our _______, but ____________ to his own _________ and ______, which was _______ us in ________ _______ before the world began.”

 Came by Christ:  

John 1:17 – “For the law was given by Moses, but ______ and ______ came by Christ Jesus.”

 Romans 1:5 – “By whom we have received ______ and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name.”

 Given by God:  

Romans 15:15 – “Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the _____ that is given to me of ____.”  

Ephesians 2:8 – “For by ______ are ye ______ through _____; and that not of yourselves; it is the ______ of God.”

   In studying all these verses we learn that grace is “unmerited or unearned favor”, “a graciously bestowed  divine endowment or influence”.   

 Now let us look into the

  III.               Description of Grace:  

Great – Acts 4:33 – “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and _______ ______ was upon all of them.”

 Glorious – Ephesians 1:6 – “To the praise of the glory of his ______, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

 Abundant – Romans 5:15 -20 – 15)”But not as the offence, so also is the _____ ______.  For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the ______ of ____, and the _____ by ______, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.  16)And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the _____; for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the _____ ______ is of many offences unto justification.  17)For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of _____ and of the _____ of _________________ shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ.   18)Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the ______________ of _____ the _______ ______ came upon ______ ______ unto justification of life.  19)For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of ____ shall ______ be made ___________.   20)Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound.  But where sin abounded, ______ did ______ more ________.”  

Gift of God – Ephesians 2:8 – “For by ______ are ye _______ through ______; and that not of yourselves: ____ ____ the ______ of _____.”   

  IV.               Grace and Salvation

 Christians are saved by grace [but not grace alone]:

 Ephesians 2:5 – “Even when we were _____ in ______, hath quickeded us together with Christ, (by ______ ye are ______;)”

 Christians are justified by grace:

 Romans 3:23 , 24 – 23)”For ____ have _______, and come ______ of the glory of God;   24)Being ___________ freely by his _______ through the ___________ that is in Christ Jesus.”

 Titus 3:7 – “That being ________ by his _______, we should be made ______ according to the _______ of _________ _______.”

 Christians should grow in grace:

 II Peter 3:18 – “But grown in ______, and in the _________ of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”

 II Corinthians 8:7 – “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in ______, and ________, and ________, and in all _________ and in your ______ to us, _____

_______ ye _________ in this _______ also.”

 Christians should stand in grace:

 Romans 5:2 – “By whom also we have access by faith into this ______ wherein we ______, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

 On the other said of the coin we must know that one can fall from grace as well as stand in it, grown in it, be justified and saved by it.

 Galatians 5:4 – “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are ________ from ______.”

 Hebrews 12:15 – “Looking diligently lest any man ______ of the ______ of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”

 V.                 Grace and the Modern Man

 Grace is sufficient – II Corinthians 12:9 – “And he said unto me, My ______ is __________ for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

 By grace we can serve God acceptably – Hebrews 12:28 – “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have ______, where by we may ______ _____ __________ with _________ and ________ ______.”

 Grace given to the humble – I Peter 5:5 – “. . .for God resisteth the proud, and giveth _______ to the ________.”

 Let me conclude this lesson with this statement, one cannot separate ‘grace’ from Christ or the Word.

 Titus 2:11-15  - 11)”For the ______ of God, that bringeth _________ hath appeared to all men,  12)Teaching us that, __________ ____________ and _________ lusts, we should live ________, __________, and _______, in this present world;  13)Looking for that blessed _____, and the glorious appearing of the _______ God and our __________ Jesus Christ;  14)Who _____ himself for us, that he might _______ us from all _________ and _______ unto himself a __________ people, _______ of good works.  15) These things ______, and _______, and _______ with all ________.  Let no man ________ thee.”  

In other words,

Grace is God reaching down to us with instructions for salvation and how to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world.

Faith is our reaching up to God by responding to His instructions to obey the gospel and live according to His word. 

We "do despite to" or insult the spirit of grace when we wilfully sin by refusing to respond to those instructions given by His grace (Heb. 10: 23-30).

 Beverly Rainwater

RainwaterB3@aol.com

Cell phone – (314) 954-8353

Feel free to call me if you have a question and can’t catch me online or through email because of time constraints.