Bible – Bible Society of Zimbabwe

Do you know God’s grace? Here are 7 Bible verses to inspire you to understand this grace.

Romans 3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

To understand God’s grace, we have to acknowledge that we have done what is wrong in God’s eyes. We have sinned. We are in need of forgiveness and redemption.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

God’s grace is a free gift that doesn’t depend on any good deeds you have done. God’s grace is for all who believe in Jesus Christ.

James 4:6-7 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

In humility we turn to God and confess that we have done wrong. In humility we receive God’s grace and he will lift us up.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God isn’t a distant God. He came to us and lived among us as one of us. Jesus is full of grace and truth.

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

You can come to Jesus, just as you are. He knows our weaknesses. Because of the grace of God, we are forgiven our sins.

Titus 3:4-7 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We don’t earn or deserve God’s grace by our good deeds, but it’s given according to God’s own mercy. By grace we are saved through our faith and even become heirs to the kingdom of God.

Revelation 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

This is the very last verse of the Bible and it reminds and expresses the wish for God’s grace be with you. “Amen” means “surely”, “truly” or “so be it.” We live by the hope and trust in God’s grace every day.

Friendship with the World

1 Where do all the fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your desires for pleasure, which are constantly fighting within you. 2 You want things, but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill; you strongly desire things, but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it. 3 And when you ask, you do not receive it, because your motives are bad; you ask for things to use for your own pleasures. 4 Unfaithful people! Don't you know that to be the world's friend means to be God's enemy? If you want to be the world's friend, you make yourself God's enemy. 5 Don't think that there is no truth in the scripture that says, “The spirit that God placed in us is filled with fierce desires.” 6 But the grace that God gives is even stronger. As the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites! 9 Be sorrowful, cry, and weep; change your laughter into crying, your joy into gloom! 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Warning against Judging One Another

11 Do not criticize one another, my friends. If you criticize or judge another Christian, you criticize and judge the Law. If you judge the Law, then you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it. 12 God is the only lawgiver and judge. He alone can save and destroy. Who do you think you are, to judge someone else?

Warning against Boasting

13 Now listen to me, you that say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to a certain city, where we will stay a year and go into business and make a lot of money.” 14 You don't even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears. 15 What you should say is this: “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But now you are proud, and you boast; all such boasting is wrong.

17 So then, if we do not do the good we know we should do, we are guilty of sin.

1 From whence are warres and contentions among you? are they not hence, euen of your pleasures, that fight in your members? 2 Ye lust, and haue not: ye enuie, and desire immoderately, and cannot obtaine: ye fight and warre, and get nothing, because ye aske not. 3 Ye aske, and receiue not, because ye aske amisse, that ye might lay the same out on your pleasures. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, knowe ye not that the amitie of the world is the enimitie of God? Whosoeuer therefore will be a friend of the world, maketh himselfe the enemie of God. 5 Doe ye thinke that the Scripture sayeth in vaine, The spirit that dwelleth in vs, lusteth after enuie? 6 But the Scripture offereth more grace, and therefore sayth, God resisteth the proude, and giueth grace to the humble. 7 Submit your selues to God: resist the deuill, and he will flee from you. 8 Drawe neere to God, and he will drawe neere to you. Clense your handes, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Suffer afflictions, and sorrowe ye, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your ioy into heauinesse. 10 Cast downe your selues before the Lord, and he will lift you vp. 11 Speake not euill one of another, brethren. He that speaketh euill of his brother, or he that condemneth his brother, speaketh euill of ye Law, and condemneth the Lawe: and if thou condemnest the Lawe, thou art not an obseruer of the Lawe, but a iudge. 12 There is one Lawgiuer, which is able to saue, and to destroy. Who art thou that iudgest another man? 13 Goe to now ye that say, To day or to morowe we will goe into such a citie, and continue there a yeere, and bye and sell, and get gaine, 14 (And yet ye cannot tell what shalbe to morowe. For what is your life? It is euen a vapour that appeareth for a litle time, and afterward vanisheth away) 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and, if we liue, we will doe this or that. 16 But now ye reioyce in your boastings: all such reioycing is euill. 17 Therefore, to him that knoweth how to doe well, and doeth it not, to him it is sinne.

James 4