Brent J. During New Testament times, grace Greek charis was considered a reciprocal gift, one that not only strengthened ties of friendship and obligation but also established a covenantal bond between people. Photo by natashsergeeva, rf. Abstract: In New Testament times, the concept of grace Greek charis was operative in relationships in which a person giving something of value to another could expect the recipient to provide service, thanks, or something else of much lesser value in return.
During the Great Apostasy, intellectuals distorted the concept of grace, characterizing it as a mystical feeling that guaranteed salvation with no strings attached.
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Restoration scripture and modern prophets have restored the active covenantal nuances of grace. With that background, we will explore how theologians during the Great Apostasy twisted the principle of relational grace into an emotional, mystical, and passive feeling of immediate salvationβand also how the Prophet Joseph Smith restored this original concept of grace.
Gift giving universally invited a significant response from the recipient. Not reciprocating after receiving a gift commonly produced guilt and shame in the withholder. When used in the sense of gift giving, charis referred to a favor or grace extended by the recipient to the giver. In the New Testament world, the Roman or Greek patron who showered his clients with gifts bound them to him. The patron then expected something in return.
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Reciprocated gifts included any kind of favors, gifts, service, gratitude, honor, and obedience that usually were of far lesser value than the original gift.
