# H. Hanko: Is God gracious to Himself ???



## Mayflower (Mar 5, 2008)

I was today reading in Ronald Hanko book: Doctrine according to Godliness (pag.48 - Gods grace), and i was wondering what do you think: 
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" ......We often define grace as "undeserved favor".Althought that is not incorrect, it is not a complete defination of grace. That defination describes only what Gods grace is to us and emphasizes the fact that His saving grace is Soverereign and free, that He owes it to no one. It does not tell us what grace is as an attribute of God. As the usual defination of grace suggest, it is God's favor; therefore, when we say that grace is a atributte of God, we mean that God is favorable to Himself. That is, ofcourse, simply to say that God loves himself first and desires His own glory above all things, something Scripture plainly teaches....."

"....When we say that God is gracious, we mean that in all glory, He is beautiful and lovely beyond else, and that the beauty of His own inner purity and glory shines out in all his actions and speech. Thus He find favor in His own eyes...."
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I understand that God loves Himself and that He favor himself, but is this a defination of grace ? Can we say that God is gracious to Himself ?


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## Gesetveemet (Mar 7, 2008)

I was hoping that someone would reply to your question. I have the book and wondered the same.

Thank you,


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## CalvinisticCumberland (Mar 7, 2008)

Does Perfection require grace?

Or is it even possible for Perfection to accept grace?

Or, even further, why would Grace Himself need grace?


Just a few questions that entered my thoughts when I saw this thread.








Mayflower said:


> I was today reading in Ronald Hanko book: Doctrine according to Godliness (pag.48 - Gods grace), and i was wondering what do you think:
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> " ......We often define grace as "undeserved favor".Althought that is not incorrect, it is not a complete defination of grace. That defination describes only what Gods grace is to us and emphasizes the fact that His saving grace is Soverereign and free, that He owes it to no one. It does not tell us what grace is as an attribute of God. As the usual defination of grace suggest, it is God's favor; therefore, when we say that grace is a atributte of God, we mean that God is favorable to Himself. That is, ofcourse, simply to say that God loves himself first and desires His own glory above all things, something Scripture plainly teaches....."
> 
> ...


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## Gesetveemet (Mar 8, 2008)

Ronald Hanko is referring to God being gracious to Himself (covenant of grace) within the trinity. So maybe you can make it work out.

. . . we mean that God is favorable to Himself.

Thus He finds favor in His own eyes.... 


Grace is an attribute of God "which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began," that he has been pleased to reveal outside of Himself in Christ to His elect.

*GILLS COMMENTARY Romans 15:5* . . . the righteousness of Christ is conveyed in a way of grace,
to his spiritual seed: hence it is called, not only the “free gift”, but *“the grace of God, and the gift by grace"*, 
which is “by one man, Jesus Christ”; *because of the grace of the Father*, in fixing and settling the method of justification, 
by the righteousness of his Son; in sending him to work out one, that would be satisfying to law and justice; 
and *in his gracious acceptation of it*, on the behalf of his people, and the imputation of it to them; 
and because of the grace of the Son in becoming man, in being made under the law, yea, made sin and a curse, 
in order to bring in an everlasting righteousness; . . .


But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 2 Timothy 1:9


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