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What Is God's
Grace?
or
Why can't a work's gospel save anyone?
We wish to look at what God means when He talks about grace. If we have the
wrong idea of what God means regarding grace, then we may yet be lost in our
sins and under the wrath of God, a most serious situation to be in. We can be
sure that God's grace has nothing to do with the works of man, since God
contrasts His grace with man's works:
Romans 11:6 - "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
According to the Catholic church, there are several types of
grace, each associated with (obtain through) a Catholic sacrament. One is the
grace of baptism (Catechism of the Catholic church paragraph #265) that sort of
starts you off as a Catholic. This is a works based Catholic sacrament, like
Catholic communion and the others, where the participant DOES something to GET
something from God. The Catholic DOES the sacrament (gets baptized or eats a
wafer) to GET some grace. Then when you GET this grace, you are thereby enabled
to DO good works, the kind of works that the catholic church calls
"merits" (see Catechism of the Catholic church paragraphs #2009 &
#2011). These merits are like salvation "points" that count
towards your salvation, although the Catholic church never tells anyone how many
"merits" it takes to get to heaven. They do say that some people
actually earn more than they need and these extra merits get stored in a
treasury in heaven to be distributed somehow to people that don't earn enough of
them while here on earth (see Catechism of the Catholic church paragraphs #1476
- 1478).
We need to ask ourselves, is that really what the saving grace
of God is all about? According to God, according to the Bible, what
is grace? It is not some words you say before you eat dinner nor is it merely
something that "enables" you to live a life good enough or worthy
enough to qualify for heaven.
God's saving grace is His wonderful provision of a free and complete
pardon from sin to undeserving rebellious sinners. To put it
another way, God's grace, in particular, is His salvation plan
and that salvation plan is manifested in Christ, the
all-sufficient sin-bearer and substitute who suffered the wrath
of God for all the ungodly sinners that He came to save. Are you
one of those sinners? How do you know?
Here is a description from
the Bible of God's grace (keep in mind that these verses only
apply to those whom God saves):
"8 But God commendeth his love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much
more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through him. 10 For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of
his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved
by his life." [Romans 5:8-10]
Notice in verse 8 above, that Christ came to
save sinners and the label "sinner" applies to
everyone. God's grace involves His love for those who do not
deserve love: sinners - people who daily and continually ignore
and violate God's commandments, even when they think they are
being good (because then they are being self-righteous and
ignorant of sins that God sees but they don't see). God's love is
displayed by the fact that He came to earth as a man and suffered
and died to pay the price for sins that sinners could not pay.
In Romans 5:9 above, we see God's grace has to
do with saving a guilty hell-deserving sinner at the
expense of Christ, who suffered the punishment due to those
sinners He came to save. Christ's atoning death is sufficient to
justify (make perfectly and completely righteous) those sinners
whom Christ saves. We also learn from Romans 5:9 that we are
saved from the wrath of God which is eternity in hell
as made clear in Luke chapter 12: "And I say unto you my
friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that
have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye
shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to
cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." [Luke
12:4-5]
Cross references to Romans
5:9 -
Regarding Christ's saving
blood:
*this has to do with appeasing God, satisfying
His requirements for Divine justice
-
1 John 1:7 - "But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin."
Regarding God's wrath:
-
John 5:24 - "Verily, verily, I say
unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto
life."
-
1 Thessalonians 1:10 - "And to wait
for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to
come"
Regarding the eternal
nature of God's wrath:
-
Revelation 14:11 - "And the smoke
of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and
they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast
and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name."
-
Matthew 8:12 - "But the children of
the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
-
Matthew 13:42 - "And shall cast them
into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth."
-
Matthew 13:50 - "And shall cast them
into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth."
-
Matthew 22:13 - "Then said the king
to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him
away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth."
-
Matthew 24:51 - "And shall cut him
asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
-
Matthew 25:30 - "And cast ye the
unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth."
-
Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment:
but the righteous into life eternal.
-
Luke 13:28 There shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God,
and you yourselves thrust out.
Regarding what Christ's
saving blood accomplishes:
-
Romans 3:26 - "To declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
-
Romans 8:30 - "Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called,
them he also justified: and whom he justified,
them he also glorified."
In Romans 5:10 above we see that before God
saves a person they are His enemies. Those who are enemies
against Christ includes anyone who is not yet saved.
It is the grace of God that
saves them from the wrath of God even though they deserve God's
wrath for their sins:
"7 And the LORD said, I will
destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both
man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air;
for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace
in the eyes of the LORD." [Genesis 6:7-8]
"Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the
ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace
in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me,
seeing I am a stranger?" [Ruth 2:10]
"11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man
speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but
his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out
of the tabernacle. 12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou
sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me
know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee
by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13 Now
therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace
in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that
I may find grace in thy sight:
and consider that this nation is thy people. 14 And he said, My
presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 15 And he
said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up
hence. 16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy
people have found grace in thy
sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be
separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon
the face of the earth. 17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do
this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace
in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18 And he said, I
beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all
my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the
LORD before thee; and will be gracious
to whom I will be gracious,
and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said,
Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and
live. 21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou
shalt stand upon a rock: (see 1Cor 10:4) 22 And it
shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put
thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand
while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou
shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."
[Exodus 33:11-23]
"And he said, If now I have
found grace in thy sight, O
Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a
stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin,
and take us for thine inheritance." [Exodus
34:9]
God's grace provides an inheritance:
Matthew 19:29 - "And every one that hath forsaken houses,
or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an
hundredfold, and shall inherit
everlasting life."
Matthew 25:34 - "Then shall the King say unto them on his
right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"
1 Corinthians 6:9 - "Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit
the kingdom of God."
Galatians 5:21 - "Envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I
have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom of God."
NOTE: You don't earn an inheritance. You receive it as a gift (see
Scts 8:20, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8). Also, we do NOT
receive an inheritance because we
forsake things of this world. God causes
His children to forsake the things of this world when He saves
them and puts His Spirit in them becauses He makes a person a new
creature in Christ (see Ezekiel 36:25-27 & 2
Corinthians 5:17). Paul makes this point clear in
Galatians 6:14-15: "But God forbid that I should glory, save
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but
a new creature." Circumcision or any other work
of man is useless for purchasing a salvation that was already
completely paid for by Christ.
Those who forsake the things of the world in the
flesh, are doing it in their own self-righteousness
and will not receive everlasting life but rather everlasting
contempt.
What is the inheritance that the
unsaved will receive:
Daniel 12:2 - "And many of them that sleep in the dust of
the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to
shame and everlasting contempt."
2 Thess 1:7 - "And to you who are troubled rest with us,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;"
Matthew 7:13 - "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide
is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the
gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few
there be that find it."
It is the grace of God that
redeems sinners (purchases their salvation) through Christ Jesus:
"Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" [Romans
3:24]
It is the grace of God that
calls a person out of this lost world and into God's eternal
kingdom:
"But when it pleased God, who separated me
from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace"
[Gal 1:15]
It is the grace of God that
makes a sinner acceptable to Him on Judgment day:
"To the praise of the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."
[Ephesians 1:6]
It is the grace of God that
redeems a sinner through the blood sacrifice of Christ:
"In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of
his grace" [Ephesians 1:7]
God's grace is the undeserved
kindness that He shows a sinner by placing the sinner's sins on
Christ and placing the righteousness of Christ on the sinner:
"That in the ages to come he might shew
the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus." [Ephesians 2:7]
"But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes
we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all." [Isaiah 53:5-6]
Has God converted you from a
self-righteous sinner into a person who is now aware of the depth
and degree of their unrighteousness in the sight of an infinitely
righteous God?
"And be found in him, not having mine
own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God
by faith" [Philippians 3:9]
Do you understand the
holiness of God and who He is to whom you will have to give an
account to someday for every thought, word and deed?
"Thou art of purer eyes than to behold
evil, and canst not look on iniquity" [Habakkuk 1:13]
"Neither is there any creature that is not
manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto
the eyes of him with whom we have to do." [Hebrews 4:13]
God's grace involves showing
sinners how He sees them and how much trouble they are in with
God and how far they fall short of His glory:
"As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there
is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way,
they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth
good, no, not one." [Romans 3:10-12]
"For all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God" [Romans 3:23]
"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even
so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by
Jesus Christ our Lord." [Romans 5:21]
"And he said, If now I have found grace
in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us;
for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and
our sin, and take us for thine inheritance." [Exod.
5:21]
Do you realize the enormity
of the debt you owe to God and that you could never pay such a
debt and dare not even try, lest you insult Christ for the grand
and glorious work He did at the cross to save hell-deserving
sinners?
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so
great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the
Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him"
[Hebrews 2:3]
"... Woe is me! for I am undone; because I
am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of
unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of
hosts. " [Isaiah 6:5]
Do you realize that
religious rituals, religious traditions and any human effort are
useless coverings for the nakedness of your sins and that only
the righteousness of Christ can cover your sins?
"... Thus have ye made the commandment of
God of none effect by your tradition." [Matthew 15:6]
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest
not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked" [Revelation 3:17]
"There is a generation that are pure in
their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness."
[Proverbs 30:12]
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in
the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood
of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." [1
John 1:7]
Do you realize how much God
hates sin?
"The LORD trieth the righteous: but the
wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an
horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup."
[Psalm 11:5-6]
"The foolish shall not stand in thy sight:
thou hatest all workers of
iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the
LORD will abhor the bloody and
deceitful man." [Psalm 5:5]
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God." [Hebrews 10:31]
Do you realize how much you
need God to be graceful and merciful towards you?
"Two men went up into the temple to pray;
the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood
and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this
publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up
so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast,
saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this
man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for
every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that
humbleth himself shall be exalted." [Luke 18:10-14]
Do YOU have God's
grace?
Do YOU possess God's
salvation?
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