Genesis – the Beginnings of Grace

Introduction

It is intended to publish a series of articles about Grace, this most important and sometimes misunderstood Scriptural issue.

Acts 15:11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.”
Ephesians 2:8 “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”.

These scriptures, among others show that a Believer’s salvation depends on Grace. This is why it is so important to understand what Grace is and where it comes from.

What IS Grace?

The simple definition of Grace is that it is “the undeserved kindness of God”. What this means is that as sinful humans, we do not deserve anything from God. As it says in that very famous verse from Romans 6:23;

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So as sinners, all we have earned is death. We cannot earn Salvation; we can only receive it as a gift from God.

With this short introduction, we shall now go to Genesis, the first book of the Bible to see how God introduced Grace into the world.

Occurrences of Grace in Genesis.

Genesis 6:8-9 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”

This scripture would suggest that Noah was perfect, which would of course mean that he was without sin and therefore not requiring Grace. However, this view of Noah is qualified by the expression “in his generations”. This means that when compared to those around him, Noah was perfect. The truth is that the only perfect man to have ever existed was the Lord Jesus Christ. For everyone else, it is relative because

“all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

The next occurrence of the word “Grace” in Genesis is in connection with the story of Lot.

Genesis 19:19 “Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:”

Surely this IS undeserved kindness. Even after saving Lot and his family – despite his reluctance to leave everything behind, God's patience continues and He allows Lot to go to a city, rather than the mountain, where the angels instructed him to go.

The next mention of Grace is not that of God, which reminds us that humans can also show Grace.

Genesis 32:3-5 “And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.”

The next three mentions are also in the story of Jacob and his brother Esau. It is like the political manoeuvrings of two countries, which eventually they were to become.

Genesis 33:8-10 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. (KJV)
15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.

The meaning of Grace can therefore be expanded slightly to include the concept of making or finding Peace. This can apply to God's Grace – if we are in a state of Grace with God, then surely we are also at peace with Him. Genesis 34:11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.(KJV)

This is from the story of Shechem and how he defiled Dinah. He is looking for Grace from Jacob, but because of his actions, he did not receive it. This should indicate to us, the need to make our paths and our ways straight, if we desire to continue to receive Grace from God.

Genesis 39:4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

This occurrence come from Joseph's early career in Egypt, in the household of Potiphar. This prefigures Joseph's own eventual position in the household of Pharoah but also Christ's position in his Father's House and even our own hoped-for position in the Household of God.

Genesis 47:25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.

This reference sees Joseph not finding Grace but being asked for it by the people of Egypt, whom he had saved from death through his adept management of the grain supplies during the years of famine. Believers should ask the same of Jesus, that we may be God's servants.

Genesis 47:29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:

Here, the father, Jacob is asked for Grace from the son, Joseph, because of Joseph's higher standing in the country of Egypt. Yet, this must sure be either the uttering of a formal form of words or the concerns of an old and frail man, because surely, Jacob did not need the grace of Joseph.

Genesis 50:4-7 “And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt”.

The references to Grace continue right to the end of Genesis and here is another example of human Grace and Joseph asks for permission to bury his father.

The Beginnings of Grace

So we can see that there is ample evidence of Grace in the pages of Genesis, yet where did it truly begin?

Genesis 4:14-15 “Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.”

Even though Cain deserved to die, the LORD extended Grace to him and even protected him from his siblings who might want to gain revenge for the death of Abel. But this was not the beginning.

A little further on we read these words:

Genesis 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

It is certain that being able to enter into that state of Grace requires calling on the name of the LORD. So another important component has been put into place, yet this is still not the beginning.

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.(KJV)

We remember from this verse that Adam and Eve realised they were naked, which represented their sinful state. God, in His mercy provided a covering for their sin through the first sacrifice of the animals that provide the skins. This was certainly an undeserved kindness, and yet this is still not the beginning.

In order to find the beginning, we need to turn back a few more verses, to the fall of Mankind. We could call it the fall from Grace, but until that point, Grace, or the undeserved kindness of God had not been required.

It was following Adam and Eve's disobedience that not only they but all their descendants also were in dire need of God's unmerited favour. We know from many other studies that verse fifteen contains a clear reference to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and his eventual defeat of Sin, the seed of the serpent and also of death itself, the result of Sin.

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” [Gen3:15 KJV]

We know that it is the bruising of the head of the serpent's seed that represents Christ's victory over sin.

1 Corinthians 15:54-7 “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We could argue that even this was not the beginnings of Grace; that God, in His infinite mercy, knowing the end from the beginning, had created Grace when He first devised His plan for Mankind's redemption. But here in the pages of Genesis is where God's “Amazing Grace”, as one well-known song puts it, is where it is first revealed to mankind.

In future articles, we will look at how Grace continues to be extended to Mankind and how it must be combined with Faith and Works.

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