- Feb 15, 2016
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“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The grace of God, the ‘loving-kindness’ of God, the ‘favor’ of God, is never to be understood as something that is manifest among men based on anything apart from the sheer ‘benevolence’ of the LORD. By grace are you saved, if you are saved at all. By grace are you saved through faith, or through believing God. Yet the ‘grace’ of God prevents our laying claim to any personal worthiness or our taking any credit, and the faith is a gift and not something that we possess apart from the giving of God (Romans 4:1-5, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Peter 1:1, Philippians 1:29).
God saves a soul by His own will and power alone and simply because He is pleased to do so. In demonstrating grace, the only thing that matters is that the purpose of God according to election (or divine selection) might stand. (Romans 9:11). God shows grace, that is, He extends saving mercy to those whom He wills to. Those whom He wills not to be merciful to He makes resistant (Romans 9:15-18). Therefore, God’s grace is 100% pure grace. It is so very pure that men, even redeemed men, cannot fully conceive of it, any more than they can conceive of perfection.
How can we demonstrate it adequately? As is the case with all attempts to explain heavenly things with earthly words, and examples such as this one, falls short. Nevertheless, we can grasp the general idea.
We might imagine a certain area, perhaps a room, that is utterly empty. It is a shell and there is nothing in it. Next we imagine another room that is filled to the ceiling with everything. The full room left represents God’s grace while the one that is utterly devoid of anything represents the fallen human being, utterly dead to God and completely devoid of anything of the Lord (Ephesians 2:1, Ephesians 4:18). He is so dead and so devoid that nothing of true righteousness exists in him and all is impossible to him. Now imagine that you desire that the first room be filled with the things from the second. What must you do? Since the Bible’s testimony about fallen man is true, you must take from the left side and import into the right. There is simply no other way.
This is what Gods’ grace is all about. “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). Salvation belongs to the Lord and it is a reality for men only as the result of His blessing upon His people (Psalms 3:8). Salvation is ‘from above’ (John 3:3). It is never the result of human will, free or otherwise, nor of the works of men (John 1:13, Romans 9:16, Ephesians 2:9, 2 Timothy 1:9). Those who ‘receive’ Christ do so only because they are given power by God to do so (John 1:12). What the believer has, of grace and faith, he has because he has received it from God and not for any other reason (1 Corinthians 4:8).
In considering the grace of God, we must always perceive of the unalloyed nature of God’s grace. If we say that we have done anything of ourselves, if we say that we are good and deserving people or that we can make a free-will decision to be so, we have contaminated the grace of God by making its introduction into our lives at least partially dependent upon something of and from ourselves. In contaminating it we do not merely add impurities to it we utterly sacrifice it.
Moreover, we begin to take credit for what we have no right to. God alone deserves all of the glory for salvation. He chooses us, we do not choose Him (John 15:16, Romans 9:11-16). Only when grace is 100% pure can we glorify God in an acceptable manner. God will share His glory with none (Isaiah 42:8, 1 Corinthians 1:29, 1 Corinthians 3:21). Men are not able or willing to come to God (John 5:40, John 6:44). Salvation is to the glory of God and His grace ALONE!
The grace of God, the ‘loving-kindness’ of God, the ‘favor’ of God, is never to be understood as something that is manifest among men based on anything apart from the sheer ‘benevolence’ of the LORD. By grace are you saved, if you are saved at all. By grace are you saved through faith, or through believing God. Yet the ‘grace’ of God prevents our laying claim to any personal worthiness or our taking any credit, and the faith is a gift and not something that we possess apart from the giving of God (Romans 4:1-5, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Peter 1:1, Philippians 1:29).
God saves a soul by His own will and power alone and simply because He is pleased to do so. In demonstrating grace, the only thing that matters is that the purpose of God according to election (or divine selection) might stand. (Romans 9:11). God shows grace, that is, He extends saving mercy to those whom He wills to. Those whom He wills not to be merciful to He makes resistant (Romans 9:15-18). Therefore, God’s grace is 100% pure grace. It is so very pure that men, even redeemed men, cannot fully conceive of it, any more than they can conceive of perfection.
How can we demonstrate it adequately? As is the case with all attempts to explain heavenly things with earthly words, and examples such as this one, falls short. Nevertheless, we can grasp the general idea.
We might imagine a certain area, perhaps a room, that is utterly empty. It is a shell and there is nothing in it. Next we imagine another room that is filled to the ceiling with everything. The full room left represents God’s grace while the one that is utterly devoid of anything represents the fallen human being, utterly dead to God and completely devoid of anything of the Lord (Ephesians 2:1, Ephesians 4:18). He is so dead and so devoid that nothing of true righteousness exists in him and all is impossible to him. Now imagine that you desire that the first room be filled with the things from the second. What must you do? Since the Bible’s testimony about fallen man is true, you must take from the left side and import into the right. There is simply no other way.
This is what Gods’ grace is all about. “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). Salvation belongs to the Lord and it is a reality for men only as the result of His blessing upon His people (Psalms 3:8). Salvation is ‘from above’ (John 3:3). It is never the result of human will, free or otherwise, nor of the works of men (John 1:13, Romans 9:16, Ephesians 2:9, 2 Timothy 1:9). Those who ‘receive’ Christ do so only because they are given power by God to do so (John 1:12). What the believer has, of grace and faith, he has because he has received it from God and not for any other reason (1 Corinthians 4:8).
In considering the grace of God, we must always perceive of the unalloyed nature of God’s grace. If we say that we have done anything of ourselves, if we say that we are good and deserving people or that we can make a free-will decision to be so, we have contaminated the grace of God by making its introduction into our lives at least partially dependent upon something of and from ourselves. In contaminating it we do not merely add impurities to it we utterly sacrifice it.
Moreover, we begin to take credit for what we have no right to. God alone deserves all of the glory for salvation. He chooses us, we do not choose Him (John 15:16, Romans 9:11-16). Only when grace is 100% pure can we glorify God in an acceptable manner. God will share His glory with none (Isaiah 42:8, 1 Corinthians 1:29, 1 Corinthians 3:21). Men are not able or willing to come to God (John 5:40, John 6:44). Salvation is to the glory of God and His grace ALONE!
