Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Greetings, dear ones.
It’s quite a nice morning here. The sun is now being filtered through some light cloud cover. Both dogs are a little bummed that we’re not doing a walk/jog again. But I took a little time to throw balls for them.
There are several tasks I have listed on my yellow pad—it looks like 17 of them so far. Oh oh—I just wrote down another that came to mind—lawnmower repair. Our grass is growing like crazy. I can watch it grow from here.
Love. Dad/Ray.
Let’s consider some definitions of “grace” as supplied by my Webster’s New World Dictionary. “1. Beauty or charm of form, composition, movement, or expression 2. an attractive quality, feature, manner, etc. 3. a) a sense of what is right and proper; decency b) thoughtfulness toward others 4. good will; favor.”
Rather than quote the whole entry, I’ll jump to definition number 10: “Theol. 1) the unmerited love and favor of God toward man b) divine influence acting in man to make him pure and morally strong c) the condition of a person thus influenced d) a special virtue given to a person by God.”
With these definitions in mind, let’s consider verse 23 again: “When he (Barnabas) arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” There were attractive qualities of love, holiness, and changed lives emanating from these new Gentile believers that could not be missed. Not only was this obvious to Barnabas, but it seems that the whole community was taking notice. For it says that “the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (11:26).
Would to God we could see more CHRISTIANS like them in our own community—people who demonstrate more than a bunch of truth claims, but give clear “evidence of the grace of God.” Too often the title CHRISTIAN is represented by someone who is about as goofed up in their personal lives as any other typical worldling.
Can we bring it close to home—like real close? How about you? How about me? To what degree is my life giving “evidence of the grace of God?” I guess the answer is best given by observers rather than me. And perhaps one of the most reliable standards for proper judgment is Galatians 5. I just know I don’t wish to confuse anyone concerning my faith and worldview orientation. I’ve heard the question put this way: “If you were put on trial and accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to prove you guilty?”