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Why Is Grace Important in a Covenantal Community? #691 · Scripture Central

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  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
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  Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of His will,
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  to the praise and glory of His grace, wherein he hath made us
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  accepted in the beloved. Hey Listeners, this is Nick from
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  Scripture Central, and today's podcast addresses the question,
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  Why is grace important? In a covenantal community,
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  people may usually think of God's grace as a personal gift.
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  But as Paul and the other New Testament apostles wrote to
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  their various churches that they had helped establish on their
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  missionary journeys, they would often describe obtaining the
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  grace of Jesus Christ as a goal not only for individuals but
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  also for the entire continental community to obtain and reach
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  together. Unlike most modern conceptions
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  of grace, Paul and his brethren understood grace as establishing
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  reciprocal relationships between givers and receivers of great
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  blessings and sacrifices. This ancient perspective on
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  grace is consistent with Latter day St. beliefs today.
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  Grace was therefore a critical need for the early Christian
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  Church, as Jesus offered through his grace a chance for both
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  individuals and communities to be saved from physical and
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  spiritual death. While grace charis in Greek
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  could be experienced on a personal level as individuals
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  converted and then made and kept covenants with the Lord, it was
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  also to be experienced as an entire covenantal community.
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  Paul referenced this aspect of grace multiple times throughout
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  his letters. The obliging force of receiving
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  God's charis created for members of the covenant community
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  obligations not only to God but also to the covenantal community
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  as well. Brent J Schmidt has observed how
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  in Paul's letters, grace could be received in a three-way
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  covenant between the individual God and the Church.
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  This covenant ultimately allows us to be adopted as children of
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  Jesus Christ, strictly made possible through the good
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  pleasure of His will to the praise of the glory of His
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  grace. And as we are all children of
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  this covenant, we are in obligated relationships with
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  Christ. According to ancient convent
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  associated with charis. These obligated relationships
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  require that we live as he lived and help other members of this
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  covenantal family. Some of the obligations that
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  members are expected to show the community include one
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  faithfulness or loyalty towards one another, as well as two
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  showing gratitude. And as noted by Schmidt,
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  gratitude and love for God, which is asked of all faithful
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  believers, also requires loving one's neighbor.
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  This doctrine is expressed throughout the New Testament,
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  perhaps most notably in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus
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  commanded us to love everyone, even our enemies.
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  Love your enemies, bless them that curse you and do good to
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  them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you
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  and persecute you. Another aspect of the community
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  obligations arising out of charis involved serving one
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  another. Throughout his epistles, Paul
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  frequently encouraged the Saints to donate goods and money to the
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  Jerusalem Saints who are experiencing a great famine.
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  The reciprocal nature of this is expressed in Second Corinthians
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  chapter 8, verse 14. But by an equality, that now at
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  this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that
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  their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there
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  may be equality. By aiding the Jerusalem Saints
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  in this hard time, the Corinthian Saints could be
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  assured that should they ever be in need, they too would be taken
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  care of by the Saints in Jerusalem and other cities.
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  Furthermore, in connection with this collection effort, Paul
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  taught, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also
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  sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also
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  bountifully. That is, those who give to
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  others only sparingly in their times of need can expect to
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  receive little in return. And just as God gives grace,
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  Schmidt observes, his disciples receive and are expected to do
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  good works themselves, and build communities by aiding the
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  Jerusalem Saints in their time of need and distress.
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  The Corinthian Saints would be blessed temporally and
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  spiritually by God and by others, for God loveth A
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  cheerful giver. Indeed, the Corinthians
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  charitable acts towards those in Jerusalem, are manifestations of
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  their charis to God. Furthermore, Paul personally
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  requested aid from the Saints throughout his letters when he
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  would visit cities, often unable to work for a living.
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  While on his missions, Paul would rely on the goodness of
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  the Saints to take care of him according to his temporal needs,
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  as he asked the Corinthians, If we have sown unto you spiritual
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  things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal
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  things? Being recipients of such sacred
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  knowledge that brought them to know God, Paul asks the Saints
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  to take care of the travelling missionaries in return, himself
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  included. Such a request is easily
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  understood when placed in its proper context of reciprocal
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  covenants of grace. An understanding of reciprocal
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  and communal nature of grace helps to explain why the New
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  Testament is filled with admonitions, exhorting church
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  members to foster loving relationships and unity within
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  each congregation of Saints. This aspect of belonging to
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  Christ's fold is also present in the Book of Mormon in Mosiah
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  chapter 18, when Alma was preaching at the waters of
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  Mormon taught the principles of grace in relation to the
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  communitarian aspect of the baptismal covenant.
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  Behold, here are the waters of Mormon.
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  For thus they were called. And now as ye are desirous to
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  come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are
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  willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light.
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  Yeah, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn, yeah, and
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  comfort those that stand in need of comfort.
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  And to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things
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  and in all places, that ye may be in even unto death, that ye
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  may be redeemed of God and be numbered with those of the first
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  resurrection, that ye may have eternal life.
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  Several verses later we learned that this fledgling covenant
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  community was filled with the grace of God in connection with
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  their honoring of these covenants.
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  To fully accept the grace of God in their lives, they needed to
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  demonstrate through their actions to God and to each
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  other, that they were willing to share that grace with others.
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  The grace of Jesus Christ, well, certainly important on an
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  individual level, is also experienced collectively as
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  God's children come together, make binding covenants, and take
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  care of one another and serve one another.
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  Such has been the emphasis of Jesus Christ and his prophets
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  throughout each dispensation. As we accept the grace of God
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  into our lives, it will help us become better and live more holy
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  lives, individually and collectively.
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  This is especially manifest as we spread that gift of grace to
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  others as Jesus Christ himself taught.
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  Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my
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  brethren, ye have done it unto me.