Grace

A Workbook

Dr. Mary Franzen Clark

• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781646707102
• eBook ISBN: 9781646707119
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Grace. We use the word often. We "say grace" before meals. "There but for the Grace of God go I." But do we know what it is? Do we fully understand the many dimensions of how Grace works? For many, the answer is "not really." Hence, Grace: A Workbook. Dr. Clark brilliantly incorporates the theology of Grace with the psychology of every day experiences, always focusing on the core of the Gospel. Grace: A Workbook is an invaluable tool to help us become the dynamic people that God has planned for us to be. It is a one-of-a-kind workbook written with a deep passion for the excitement of God's love and Grace. At the end, readers will come out with a fresh sense of Grace, as well as a fresh look at themselves and what we can become through the power of Grace.The goals of Grace: A Workbook, - To gain an in-depth understanding of Grace in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand interactive format; This Workbook came about as a result of teaching for a year on Grace in her adult Sunday school class. In preparation, she read many excellent books about Grace. However, she realized that many people, because of their life experiences, may have confusion and/or uncertainty about how to incorporate Grace into their daily lives. Thus, these "lessons" were conceived. Each week in her class, as the lessons challenged the students to comprehend the power of God's love and Grace, they left feeling uplifted and excited to live their lives with a deeper faith and purpose in their Christian walk.Grace: A Workbook is interactive. It can have great benefit for someone to use individually, or, even more so, in a group setting. "Dr. Mary Clark knows from her personal journey, as well as from her vast clinical experience, how damaging it is to live under a veil of shame, law, and fear of punishment. Unfortunately, all too often, that is the crippling message conveyed by the church. Grace-A Workbook is a fragrant and thoroughly practical breath of fresh theological air, reconnecting us to the true heart of our gracious Father and his radically loving Son! Dr. Clark brings us not only the "grace insights" of a veteran Bible student but also compellingly addresses how grace can heal our brokenness, past and present. Thank you, Mary, for lifting up God's spectacular, unbelievable, life-giving unmerited favor!" -J. Kevin Butcher, Pastor, Author, Choose and Choose Again: the Brave Act of Returning to God's Love (Navpress, 2016)

Grace—Lesson 2

The Connection Between God and People
Old Testament and New Testament

Grace: the unmerited, undeserved, unconditional, love and favor of God

There is nothing you can do to make God love you more.

There is nothing you can do to make God love you less. (Philip Yancey)

The story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is all about the connection, the disconnection, and the reconnection between God and humankind.

Side Bar

Question: What are the seven dispensations? What do the seven dispensations have to do with Grace? What do they have to do with the relationship between God and people? Hang in with me during this lesson as it sets the stage for understanding what Grace means today.

Answer: Dispensationalism (isn’t that a great theological word?) is a method of interpreting Bible time periods according to God’s work and purposes. Each period has a different “theme.” We will look at these periods and focus on God’s relationship to people and where and if Grace is involved.

1. Dispensation of Innocence (Genesis 1:28–30 and 2:15–17)
   The period of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. God and humans were in perfect relationship.
   God was physically/mentally/emotionally connected to Adam and Eve. They talked every evening. They were given just one “rule”—abstain from eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When they disobeyed and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they broke the connection with God and were sent out of the garden. Humans and God are now separated (more about this in another lesson). This relational separation will last until the time of Jesus.
   In the garden: God and humans—connected
   After disobedience, out of the Garden: God and humans—disconnected
2. Dispensation of Conscience (Genesis 3:8–8:22)
   This lasted about 1,656 years from the time of Adam and Eve’s eviction from the garden until the flood. This dispensation demonstrates what mankind will do if left to its own will.
   God and humans—disconnected
3. Dispensation of Human Government (began in Genesis 8)
   God destroyed life on earth with a flood, saving just one family to restart the human race. About 325 years after the flood, the earth’s inhabitants built a tower, a monument to t...

Table of contents

• Jesus—The Embodiment of God’s Grace
• The Connection Between God and PeopleOld Testament and New Testament
• Jesus’ Teachings from Law to Grace
• Prevenient Grace
• Prevenient GraceNewton and Paul
• Justifying Grace
• Jesus’ Teachings about Justifying Grace
• Benefits of Justifying Grace
• Sustaining Grace—Introduction
• Jesus’ Teachings about Sustaining Grace
• Sustaining Grace in Daily Life
• Grace Versus Works
• Let’s Talk about Sin
• Grace—A Gift
• Grace and the Church
• Salutations and Benedictions