February 5th, 2022

This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. The Epistle Reading continues to move on with 1 Corinthians [14:12b-20], and we continue to see how Christianity is being spoken against [see Acts 28:22] in the book of Acts.

Last week we looked at Governor Felix’s reaction to Christianity, and it was an interesting one. He had heard about faith in Christ, about righteousness, about self-control, and about the coming judgment, and his response was one of fear. Yet it was not a significant amount of fear that would lead him to repentance and faith, since he not only gave the excuse that he was busy, but he still wanted to be paid off by Paul [Acts 24:24-26].

People like to make up their own rules, their own ideas of right and wrong. And it follows, after their own ideas of what is good and bad, that people like to make up their own version of law and gospel, of bad news and good news. In the end, people like to justify themselves, to make themselves look good.

Christianity ended up using some good words that were already being used in other ways. The word ‘grace’ is a good example. Given the importance of the word ‘grace’ in the New Testament, it is interesting to see how it started to be used within the New Testament. It can be understood in a different way, depending on its context. It is essentially connected to the word for ‘what delights [see Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 9; Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA: Eerdmans Publishing, page 373]’, and sometimes in a less-Christian context, it can mean ‘favor’ instead of ‘grace’. After all, the world is not used to a gift with no strings attached.

The last verse of the previous chapter relates that Felix want to show ‘favors’ to the Jews, and so he left Paul in prison [Acts 24:27]. Festus is now the new governor in Caesarea. And the high priest and the ‘first ones of the Jews’ made a statement against Paul. It is interesting that they also ask for a ‘favor’ against Paul, that he might be sent to Jerusalem, so that he could be killed along the way [Acts 25:3]. A similar idea is repeated just a little bit later in the chapter [Acts 25:9, in a somewhat-literal translation]: ‘But Festus, wishing to show the Jews a “favor”, answered Paul and said: “Do you wish, going up to Jerusalem, to be judged before me concerning these things?”’

Either translation of ‘favor’ or ‘grace’, at the root of it is a good thing. And the very best things that are good ultimately come from our gracious-giver God. And it may be helpful to see the use of this word elsewhere in the Acts of the Apostles. There are, by the way, no uses of this word in the Gospel according to Matthew or the Gospel according to Mark, and the word appears only three times in the Gospel according to John (in 1:14, 16, & 17). In what follows, only a minimal amount of the text is given, only enough to give you an idea of the word’s use. You may wish to look them up in another translation. And the translations here are somewhat literal. And hopefully they will direct you to something that is extremely good.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE:

1:30     And the angel said to her: ‘Fear not, Mary; for you have found favor with God.’

2:40     And the child grew and became strong, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

2:52     And Jesus progressed in wisdom and stature and favor before God and men.

4:22     And all bore witness to him and marveled at the words of grace proceeding out of his mouth….

6:32, 33, 34     …what favor is there to you?

17:9     Does he not have favor to the slave because he did the things commanded?

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES:

2:47     They were praising God and having favor with all the people.

4:33     And with great power the apostles gave the testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

6:8       And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

7:10     And [God] rescued him out of all his afflictions, and he gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh.

7:46     [David] found favor before God and asked to find a tent for the house of Jacob.

11:23   [Barnabas], arriving and seeing the grace of God, rejoiced….

13:43   And when the synagogue was broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

14:3     Therefore, [Paul and Barnabas] continued speaking boldly a considerable time regarding the Lord, witnessing to the word of his grace….

14:26   [Paul and Barnabas] were having been commended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.

15:11   But through the grace of the Lord Jesus, we believe that we will be saved in the same way as those also.

15:40   But Paul, having chosen Silas, went out, being commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers.

18:27   And he intended to go through into Achaia, being encouraged, the brothers wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and having arrived, he contributed much to the ones having believed through the grace.

20:24   But on the contrary, I make account of nothing, nor do I make my life precious to myself, so I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus is solemnly witnessed, the gospel of the grace of God.

20:32   And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, being able to build up and to give the inheritance among all the ones having been sanctified.
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24:27, 25:3, & 25:9 [SEE ABOVE]