In the Old Testament ‘ chen,’ is translated by the KJV about 40 times as ‘favour’ and about 40 times as ‘grace.’ In the Septuagint charis was used to translate the Hebrew word ‘ chen.’ At the heart of the word ‘ chen’ is the sense of a caring attitude, or delight, or approval. The Greek word for ‘grace’ is ‘ charis.’ In Classical Greek the word charis had a wide application it was associated with people, activities, good fortune, and power granted by the gods. We tend to think they all mean the same basic thing but love leads to our acceptance by God, mercy leads to our forgiveness by God, and grace, I believe, leads to a life-changing experience through God. We are confused about the meanings of the words love, mercy and grace in relation to the gospel. I believe that Newton understood something about the grace of God that we today largely fail to grasp. Grace had made a dynamic impact on his life. But one night he discovered the reality of God, experienced his grace and was transformed from a cruel slave-ship captain into a preacher of the good news about Jesus Christ. As a young man he was the ruthless and brutal captain of a slave ship. ‘ Twas grace that taught my heart to fear What else did Newton say about grace in that hymn? He wrote, These are familiar and well-loved words from the hymn written by John Newton. (August 29, 2017) Dr Jim McClure noted theologian, continues his series on selected Greek words…
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