This was sent to me anonymously.  Found it interesting and true.

Three misused and abused words in today’s religious world are:

1. Saved   2. Grace    3. Christian     The meanings now rendered to these words have been *transvalued..

*evaluate something using new standard: to reevaluate something using a different standard, especially one that differs from conventional or accepted standards and results in a very different assessment of the worth of something. MSN ENCARTA dictionary.    Let us look at “grace”

We find the word “grace” one hundred, seventy times in the KJV version of the Bible.  The meaning of the New Testament word for grace is “the divine influence of God upon the heart of man.”  

         Let’s look at the first Old Testament reference to grace.

Gen 6:8 Noah found grace (?) in the eyes of the Lord. 

Bro. Noah probably said, “Gee thanks, Lord. Because I supposedly found what today’s religious world word calls unmerited (undeserved) favor (preferential treatment), I get to work really, really hard for a long, long time building this monster of a boat.  Now I have to convince my family (and, Lord, you know how Mrs. Noah is about these kind of things) to help me build it, and then I am going to have to persuade her to go inside with all those animals.  And to top that off, Lord, all I have is sons, no daughters.  And you know a son is a son til he marries a wife, but a daughter is a daughter for all of her life. And for goodness sake, Lord, my boys’ wives are going feel just about like Mrs. Noah does about this project!”  I found what?  Grace?

Well, ladies and gentlemen, what makes a whole lot more sense than the above paragraph is that God had a plan for mankind before the foundation of the world.  (Before there is a problem, God already has a remedy)  

Eph 1:3-4  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:  according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

            God’s plan for mankind was going to come to pass one way or another. Somebody was going to survive that flood. The grace that Noah found was God giving him the opportunity to hear God’s plan for surviving the flood, and the opportunity to obey it. If Noah had not built that ark according to God’s plan he wouldn’t have been saved.  

            Gen 6:22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. (Next verse starts a new chapter.) Gen 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Notice the Lord told Noah that He saw him righteous after Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.

That grace (divine influence on our heart) affords us the opportunity to be righteous. Because the term grace has been *transvalued, we are mistakenly using the term “grace” as a get-out-of-jail-free card instead of what God originally intended for it to mean. It is God’s grace (allowing us to know his plan) that is affording us an opportunity to know and obey his plan, and therefore be a part of his plan..

 Let us look at a New Testament reference of the word “grace.”

Jud 1:3-4 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning (transvaluing the original intent) the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

            Tit 2:11-13 For the grace (the divine influence of God on the heart of man) of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us (now just what does this grace, or this divine influence on our hearts teach us?)   that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;

Eph 2:8 For by grace (the divine of influence of God upon our heart allowing us to know and obey his plan) are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Question  what is the gift of God?  

Answer

Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Act 8:18-20 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,   Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.   But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

     God has always had a plan for the saving of mankind.  Grace brings the plan to us.  Now, what we do with that grace  is up to us. He has done his part.