“The Grace of God”

The Definition of Grace

What is Grace? Grace in its purest form is the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners, the sanctification of saints, and the day-to-day blessings of ordinary life. In short, as C.H. Spurgeon wrote,  it is all of grace! In Scripture, while grace has a singular definition (unmerited favor) there are multiple forms of grace of which I will discuss: Common Grace, Saving Grace, and Sanctifying Grace. Grace is both doctrinal and practical and will not only affect the Christian mind it will transform the regenerate soul.

Common Grace

Common Grace is the universal blessings of God to all people who otherwise deserve condemnation. In Matthew 5:45 Jesus states that God, “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Additionally Psalm 145:9 tell us that “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” Finally in Luke 6:35 Jesus commands us to love our enemies just as the “Most High…is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” A biblical definition of grace would easily conclude that everything good is by grace, and thus from God (James 1:17). This would, if taken to its fullest extent, include any “good” action done by a non-Christian, such as loving a neighbor or buying a hungry person a taco. (Sidebar: for Christians, their good deeds are superseded by what is called sanctifying grace of which I will explain later.) Finally, whether it is good moral actions (from a sinner), pleasant weather, a just ruler, or anything good in nature, it is to be attributed as the common grace of God.

Practical Implications:

Because God loves all people, via common grace, Christians should love all people as well, even their enemies.

I should praise and thank God for every blessing of common grace because I am an undeserving sinner.

Saving Grace

Saving Grace is the regeneration, redemption, and justification of a sinner, entirely by the sovereign act of God, and not of any human will or exertion. Hardly is there a more clear statement concerning the nature of saving grace than Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works…” Furthermore, Peter, in response to a debate concerning the Law, concluded, “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” (Acts 15:11). Lastly, Paul exclaims in Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…”

It is essential to clarify that grace, including saving grace, by very definition, cannot be earned by obeying the Law (Romans 11:6), and if, as Roman Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness, and all other religions that believe a person is saved by any addition of good works to the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, according to Galatians 5:4, has ”fallen away from grace”, and is an non-saved, unregenerate, non-Christian. First, in all honesty, what mortal man is righteous enough to justify himself before a holy God, whom, if we recall (Habakkuk 1:13), by nature cannot even tolerate a micro-particle of sin? For we cannot deny, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20), and in Romans 3:10,20, “None is righteous, no, not one…For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Second, the unmerited quality of grace in salvation is duly emphasized in Scripture: “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16).

Wait. Are good works entirely excluded from true saving grace, then? Do not fall into that trap: The saving grace of God is not a ‘get out of jail free card’ (that’s Cheap Grace), and although saving grace is never earned, it is in itself, the power to live free from sin, and, if real, results in an affluence of good works and a transformed life of godliness (more on that later). It is important to clarify this often misunderstood truth: Good works then, are not the means by which someone will be saved, but the ends by which that salvation, if it is genuine, will produce. Paul concludes Ephesians 2:10 with the affirmation that while no one will be saved by good works, “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” In short, “Grace is given not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them” (St. Augustine). And James 2:17 affirms that, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” The 16^th century reformer Martin Luther cleverly put it, “We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone…” Lastly 1 John 2:3-4 proclaims clearer than any other passage: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Consider these three helpful equations concerning salvation in Getting It Right by Dr. Mike Fabarez:

1st wrong arrangement:

The Gospel + Repentance/Faith + Good Works = Salvation

2nd wrong arrangement:

The Gospel + Repentance/Faith = Salvation

The Biblical arrangement:

The Gospel + Repentance/Faith = Salvation + Good Works

Sanctifying Grace

Sanctifying grace is the new-found Christian ability to stop sinning and pursue righteousness. In other words, grace is not an excuse to sin, but the power not to. In Titus 2:11-12, sanctifying grace is explained like this, “For the grace of God has appeared…training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul claims, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” Paul was no ‘super-apostle’ of his own accord, but it was the sanctifying grace of God that gave him such ambitious faith! Therefore our spiritual gifts, our demeanor, our actions, and our good works are all by grace! A great example was the Macedonian church in 2 Corinthians 8:1-3, in which Paul says of them, “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia…” and then he goes off on how generous they have been because of this “grace of God”, that has enabled them to be so generous. Even our good works, while externally performed, are really internally driven by the Spirit of God and the grace of God. Thus it is only the grace of God that moves the Christian along in their gradual sanctification.

The Gospel of God’s Grace:

This is the Gospel of God’s Grace: Jesus died and resurrected three days later (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). How is that grace? By faith (virtually doing nothing but trusting Jesus) I am trusting in two specific graces that I do not deserve: 1.) The price for my sin was paid in full upon the cross, and 2.) The righteousness required to gain access to Heaven is in Jesus’ life. That’s good news! Praise God for His wonderful Gospel!

How Grace Works in My Life:

The real test is this: how will grace affect my life? John Piper wrote an exceptional book called Faith in Future Grace, which left a more than profound impact on my life. His thesis was: Christians are purified when they remember the “bygone” grace of God and use that as kindling to fuel their faith in the promises of God’s “future grace”!

While all this is helpful information, it is worthless unless I translate it into action.

First I plan on praying! Earnest prayer is a genuine banking reliance on the future promises of God, sincerely asking of Him that which he has already promised (i.e. sanctification). Since grace is entirely of God, I plan on “praying for grace” in my daily prayers.

Second I plan on banking much more on the promises of God’s future grace.

Here’s an illustration. God owns a bank, and he has a lot of “bank” if you know what I mean. Yet on this earth I make investments daily. When I play a sport that’s an investment, or when I take a class that’s an investment. Yet heavenly investments are when I invest in God’s bank. Essentially I cash coins in at God’s bank, in hopes that I will one day withdraw a huge return. This is what it means to set my treasures in Heaven, to cash in all my “money” in hopes that in Heaven I will reap the surplus of heavenly wealth. This is the great grace investment: that I give to God what He has given to me, in order that I may receive from God what I gave to Him and more! The exchange is cashing in all my “wealth” as an investment in the Heavenly kingdom! It is observing the promises of God and then believing them to be true! In practice, it’s not worrying about tomorrow because God promised he’s in control, etc.

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