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WAT IS GOD SE GENADE?

WAT IS GOD SE GENADE?

Wat verstaan jy wat die genade van God is? ‘n Klassieke antwoord is “onverdiende guns”, en wat gewoonlik daarmee bedoel word, is iets wat ons nie verdien het nie.

En dit is beslis waar dat nie een van ons God se genade verdien het nie. Sy genade is nie ‘n salaris, ‘n medalje of ‘n beloning vir een of ander prestasie van ons kant nie. Maar om op hierdie manier oor genade te praat, fokus op die proses van genade ontvang – nie op wat genade is nie.

Die Verenigde State was histories ‘n samelewing gebaseer op meriete – ‘n meritokrasie. As jy hard werk, pluk jy die vrugte van jou werk. Dus, as jy deur jou werkgewer betaal word, het jy daardie betaling verdien. As jy sterker spiere kry deur gereeld te oefen, het jy die groei in jou spiere verdien. As jy ‘n beter musikant word omdat jy gereeld oefen, het jy daardie vaardigheid verdien.

Onverdiende guns is wanneer jy iets ontvang wat jy nie verdien het nie of nie waardig is om te verkry nie; met ander woorde, jy het nie die reg om dit te eis as iets wat aan jou verskuldig is nie. In daardie sin is God se genade nie ons s’n as ‘n reg om opgeëis te word nie. Maar om te verstaan dat God se genade nie iets is wat ons verdien nie, vertel ons steeds nie wat daardie genade is nie.

As iemand vir jou ‘n glas water gegee het terwyl jy amper van dors gesterf het, het jy dit nie gekoop, verdien of daarvoor gewerk nie – dit was ‘n geskenk. ‘n Mens kan sê die water was onverdiend; dit is vryelik aan jou gegee. Maar die water is water – die metode van hoe jy dit kry, hetsy gratis of teen ‘n koste vir jou, is apart van die inhoud van wat dit is.

Die gawe van God se genade aan ons is die openbaring van sy karakter van liefde; dit is genadigheid van God. Maar die feit dat God sy genade vryelik gee, sê nie vir ons wat daardie genade is nie. Beskou genade as ‘n selfstandige naamwoord; die aksie om dit te gee is ‘n werkwoord – ons ontvang God se genade sonder om dit te verdien, maar wat is sy genade?

 

VERDIEN TEENOOR OM VERSKULDIG TE WEES

Aangesien dit waar is dat God se genade ‘n gawe aan ons is – iets wat ons nie verdien het nie, iets wat nie aan ons verskuldig is nie, iets wat ons nie as ‘n reg ontvang nie – beteken dit ook dat ons nie God se genade verdien nie?

Dit hang af van hoe ‘n mens “verdien” verstaan of definieer. Verdien ‘n kind wat met ‘n terminale siekte gebore word, om met vriendelikheid, deernis behandel te word en ‘n middel aangebied te word as daar een bestaan om hulle tot welstand te herstel – al het hulle niks gedoen om sulke behandeling te verdien nie? Hoekom sou hulle dit verdien? Verdien ‘n kind, bloot deur ‘n mensekind te wees, die liefde van sy ouers – nie omdat die kind iets verdien het nie, maar as gevolg van wie die kind vir die ouers is? Het ons waarde en waarde vir God, nie as gevolg van ons prestasies of enige werk wat ons gedoen het nie, maar as gevolg van wie God ons geskep het om te wees, as gevolg van wat God vir ons ontwerp het en in ons belê het?

Toe die Bybel beskryf dat Jesus in wysheid en gestalte en guns (wat die Griekse woord vir genade is) by God en mense gegroei het (Lukas 2:52), het Jesus nie sy Vader se genade of guns verdien nie?

Was die genade wat Jesus van sy Vader ontvang het, as ons menslike plaasvervanger, vryelik deur sy Vader gegee of moes Jesus dit verdien? Nee, die Vader het sy genade aan Jesus gegee op dieselfde manier as wat Hy sy genade aan ons gee! Jesus het nie genade van sy Vader “verdien” deur een of ander stelsel van indiensneming of soektog vervulling nie. Jesus, as ‘n mens, het die vrye genade van sy Vader ontvang en is deur die Vader se genade bemagtig om hul gesamentlike doel te bereik om die mensdom van sonde te red.

 

DIE HEMEL SE BEMAGTIGING

So, wat is God se genade?

Die Griekse woord wat as genade vertaal word, is χάρις [charis /khar·ece/], en die Strong-leksikon sê dit is “welwillendheid, liefderyke goedhartigheid, guns … die barmhartige goedhartigheid waardeur God, wat sy heilige invloed op siele uitoefen, hulle tot Christus wend, bewaar, versterk, vermeerder in Christelike geloof, kennis, toegeneentheid, en hulle aanspoor tot die uitoefening van die Christelike deugde” (Strong, J. 1995. In Enhanced Strong se leksikon. Woodside Bybelgenootskap).

Dit is presies wat Paulus in Romeine 2:4 geskryf het: “God se goedhartigheid lei julle tot bekering” (NIV 84).

En die goedhartigheid van God word vryelik gegee as gevolg van wie God is. Ons sien God se genade in elke aksie, al sy aktiwiteite, wat die uitvloei van sy karakter van liefde is en wat altyd teen die bose veg, korrupsie teëstaan, teen sonde staan, genees, vernuwe, herskep, reinig en uiteindelik die dood vernietig en lewe en onsterflikheid aan die lig bring (2 Timoteus 1:10). God se genade is die verspreiding van sy energie, liefde, lewe en krag en word gesien in elkeen van sy dade, maar dit word ten volle gesien in reaksie op rebellie en sonde. Soos Paulus geskryf het, “Waar sonde oorvloedig was, was genade baie meer” (Romeine 5:20).

God was net so genadig voor sonde en sy genade was teenwoordig en aktief voor sonde, maar na sonde was sy genade aktief en geopenbaar op maniere wat nog nooit tevore in die heelal gesien is nie omdat dit nooit tevore nodig was nie – insluitend die genadige neerbuigendheid van Jesus om ons Verlosser te wees. Voor sonde was God net so genadig, maar sy genade was nie nodig om te funksioneer om sonde te oorwin totdat sonde plaasgevind het nie.

Ons sien God se genade in die roeping na Adam in die koelte van die dag voordat Adam gesondig het, maar sy genade word kragtiger geopenbaar toe God saggies geroep het, “Adam, waar is jy?” toe Adam in die bosse weggekruip het nadat hy gesondig het.

Ons sien God se genade in sy geduldige verdraagsaamheid teenoor verlore sondaars voor die Vloed, terwyl Hy wag om op te tree toe daar geen ander opsie was nie, toe net een regverdige man op die aarde oorgebly het; dus sien ons God se genade om die Vloed te bring as ‘n terapeutiese ingryping om die weg vir die Messias oop te hou om die menslike spesie van sonde en ewige dood te red.

Maar ons sien God se genade volkome geopenbaar deur Jesus te stuur om mens te word, gebroke en beskadig deur Adam se sonde, en te oorwin waar ons nooit kon nie.

“En die Woord het vlees geword en onder ons kom woon, en ons het sy heerlikheid aanskou, ‘n heerlikheid soos dié van die unieke Seun van die Vader – vol genade en waarheid (Johannes 1:14 AFR20).

 

“Uit die volheid van sy genade het ons almal die een seën na die ander ontvang. Want die wet is deur Moses gegee; genade en waarheid het deur Jesus Christus gekom” (Johannes 1:16, 17 NIV 84).

 

“Maar aan elkeen van ons is ‘n genadegawe geskenk, soos Christus dit uitgedeel het ” (Ef 4:7 AFR20).

 

“Want dit is uit genade dat julle gered is, deur geloof – en dit nie uit julleself nie, dit is die gawe van Godnie deur werke nie, sodat niemand kan roem nie. Want ons is God se werk, geskape in Christus Jesus om goeie werke te doen, wat God vooraf vir ons voorberei het om te doen” (Ef 2:8-10 NIV 84).

Die genade van God is inderdaad ‘n gawe – soos water vir ‘n persoon wat van dors sterf ‘n gawe is; die gawes is genadig, maar die genade is meer as die daad; dit is die wese van God se karakter – sy liefde, waarheid, metodes, krag, heerlikheid en geregtigheid – ten volle gemanifesteer in Jesus. Wanneer ons God se genade ontvang, ontvang ons die teenwoordigheid en krag van God deur Sy inwonende Gees, ons ontvang die gawe van Jesus en ons kan soos Paulus sê, “Dit is nie meer ek wat lewe nie, maar Christus woon in my” (Galasiërs 2:20). Wanneer ons God se genade ontvang, ontvang ons ‘n nuwe hart en regte gees; ons het sy wet op ons harte en gedagtes geskryf (Hebreërs 8:10).

Om die genade van God te ontvang, beteken dat wanneer ons Hom vertrou, wanneer ons ons geloof in Hom plaas, ons God ontvang, via sy Gees, in ons harte, en Jesus leef in ons – dit is die lewende genade van God wat ons genees en transformeer. Ek nooi jou uit, as jy dit nog nie gedoen het nie, om vandag sy genade in jou hart en verstand te vra en te ontvang.

 

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