About Grace and Hyper-Grace

Why Are We So Scared of "Hyper-Grace"?

Almost every epistle in the New Testament starts and ends with wishes of grace to believers in Christ Jesus. Is it not a habit among us Christians to gather around the table during every meal and say "Grace"? God bless it!—for that is exactly how it is translated. The food we eat becomes a blessing to us!

Yet, why does the modern church often frown upon this very word?

The Multipliers of Grace

When we look at scripture, grace is not just a singular event; it multiplies to meet the obstacle.

• Grace x2 (Overcoming Mountains): In Zechariah 4:6-7, the Lord says to Zerubbabel, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit... And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'" Shouts of double-grace bring down the mountain!

• Grace x3 (Fueling our Works): Look at Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 15:10: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." Grace appears three times in one verse!

If given grace made Paul hyper-active (working more than all the other apostles), should we or should we not call grace "hyper-grace"?

The "Quick Brown Fox" of Theology

I had thought for quite some time about writing on "hyper-grace." I initially believed the term was coined by a critic to crack the whip on those who preach grace. I later realized this term was popularized by a certain Dr. Brown (or is it the quick brown fox?) who seemed ready to jump over the lazy dog of anonymity to critique the grace movement.

But before I could even put pen to paper, the "brown fox" jumped over and cozied up to a prominent grace preacher from Singapore, admitting that they actually agreed on much more than they disagreed.

Aww! Welcome, brother! Grace be to you in the name of Jesus. (Thankfully, there are several others, like Dr. Paul Ellis and Jeremy White, who know grace surpasses any adjectives one may propose to use).

The Apostles' Vocabulary of Grace

The Apostles of Christ—Peter, John, and Paul—were unapologetically effusive when describing grace. Look at the words they chose:

• Manifold grace: "As good stewards of the manifold grace of God." (1 Peter 4:10)

• Exceeding grace: "Because of the exceeding grace of God in you." (2 Cor. 9:14)

• Exceeding riches of grace: "He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us." (Eph. 2:7)

• Abundant grace: "How much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace... reign in life!" (Rom. 5:17)

• Exceedingly abundant grace: "And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant..." (1 Tim. 1:14)

• Fullness of grace: "Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given." (John 1:16)

Notice a theme? Amazing grace. Grace that is greater than all my sin. How can we demean it? How can we neglect the greatest part of our salvation?

The "Gyper-Market" of God

I remember a time when I was in Moscow, and we were taken to a massive shopping center called Äashaan. In Russian, it was called a "gyper-market"—literally, a Hyper-market. It was way bigger than the Walmart super-store I had seen in Pittsburgh, US.

It made me think: if man can devise something "hyper" to describe an overwhelming abundance, why can't God? Think about it! :)

May the hyper-grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

The Unnamed Relative: Why the Law Can Never Redeem You

Here is the enhanced version of your post. I applied the formatting checklist: using blockquotes for the scriptures, breaking the text into readable sections with clear subheadings, and using bold text instead of all-caps to emphasize your powerful points about the Law and Grace.

"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." — Romans 3:19-20

Jesus in the Center

As we study the Old Testament and divide it into two main portions—the Law and the Prophets—we find three books sandwiched between them: Judges, Joshua, and Ruth.

Now, we know that Joshua in Hebrew means "God is Salvation"—the exact same meaning as Jesus in Greek. So we see Jesus perfectly in the center of even the Old Testament! Just as He is the center of all creation, and the center of time itself, dividing B.C. from A.D. (Anno Domini—Years of Grace... chapter over, close the book! 😊 But we will come back to that later).

On the side of the Law is the book of Judges. If you take Joshua to be the central book of the Old Testament, it shows us a profound truth: if we try to come to Jesus through the Law, we will enter into Judgement. As Paul wrote, by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight (Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:16).

The Foreigner and the Closer Relative

But thank God, you can approach the heavenly Joshua from the other side—through what the Prophets foretold, and through the beautiful book of Ruth.

Ruth was a Moabite—a foreigner, a Gentile. She was disqualified in every way according to the Law of Moses. But by coming back to the place of bread (Bethlehem literally means "house of bread") along with Naomi, Ruth finds the Kinsman-Redeemer who is willing to redeem and marry her!

But hark! There is a problem. There is a still closer relative who must be consulted first (Ruth 3:12) to see if he can perform the dutiful redemption. Will he be able to perform the duty of a close relative? Can he redeem her and take her?

Who does this unnamed close relative typify?

My friends, it is the Law.

"I Cannot Redeem"

The Law demands perfection. It calls for excellence in performance, tolerates no failures, and is quick to judge every error. The Law says, "Do this, don't do that!" And when it comes to true redemption, do you want to know what this close relative says?

"I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance." — Ruth 4:6

The Law takes off its sandals, saying, "I cannot walk that path of redemption for you." The Law boasts of not missing even the dots and crosses of the letter, yet it is utterly unable to justify even one person who tries to keep it. The Law shows how wrong you are, with all the right reasons, but it is entirely unable to make the wrong right!

It subjects everyone under it to a life of bondage—bringing up the Ishmael generation and the old covenant on Mount Sinai, while persecuting the children of promise (the Isaac generation) who hold the promises of the new and everlasting covenant on Mount Zion (Galatians 4:24-28).

Grace Finds Us

Thank God for grace. Grace that is greater than all my sin. Grace that pardons and cleanses within. Grace that pours until waters flow in deserts, and the scorching heat of summer turns to a springtime glow.

There is a true Kinsman-Redeemer: Jesus, God's own Son. The precious Lamb of God, the Messiah, slain for sinners. Just as Boaz redeemed Ruth and married her—turning a barren, foreign widow into the great-grandmother of Israel's sweet psalmist, King David—Jesus redeems us.

How do we find grace? Or does grace find us? It is a bit like asking, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Yes, grace found me. And yes, I found grace.

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free." — Galatians 4:31

Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! What a friend!

Stay blessed in Jesus. Amen.

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother - JESUS MESSIAH.

Grace and Love: 1905 Welsh Revival Song

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.