31 - Grace

Grace
Basic Christian Doctrines 31.

1. No One Deserves Grace.

“Grace” is one of the most beautiful words in the Bible. It is that part of God’s love that deals with our guilt. In Hebrew, it is HESED; in Greek, CHARIS. It is free and undeserved. Nobody has or can merit this grace. Grace is the undeserved love of God for sinners. Unfallen angels (like Adam before the Fall) know love, but not grace. Fallen sinners can never earn God’s grace. By its very definition it is unearned, not by our works (Romans 11:6). We earn death by our sin, but grace is a free gift (Romans 6:23).

2. We Are Saved by Grace Alone.

Salvation is completely “sola gratia” (by grace alone). It is not partly by God’s grace and partly by our efforts. "By grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:5, Ephesians 2:8-9). It is solely by God’s free, unmerited mercy to us (Titus 3:5). There is no exception; anyone ever saved has been saved by free grace. And grace comes from God, not from Man. Grace being free does not make it cheap or worthless. Quite the opposite. It is beyond cost. We could never earn it in a million years. This is why it is so amazing, matchless, and wonderful. In fact, the original meaning of CHARIS was “that which produces joy”, something delightful and beautiful.

3. God Gives Grace to Whomever He Wills.

Since it is undeserved and free, God is not obliged to give it to anyone. Indeed, He could have justly withheld it from everyone. But He chose to bestow it on some. It is sovereign grace, or sovereignly bestowed on whomever God is pleased to give it . God said, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy” (Exodus 33:19;Romans 9:15. Cf. Romans 9:18). The word “will” here means “choose”. God chooses to give His grace away, and chooses the ones to whom He will give it. Is it not His sovereign prerogative to give it to whomever He chooses? (Matthew 20:15). Therefore, God is magnanimous when He gives it to some, and cannot be blamed if He decides to withhold it from others. Neither deserved it anyway.

4. God Has a Special Love for Some Men.

God chose to set this special love on some sinners, and not on others. He decided to give His free grace to some, but not all. We have already seen in these studies that God has a general love for all men as His creatures (Matthew 5:44-45;Psalms 33:5;Psalms 145:9). That is Common Grace, the love which God has for all men in common. It is His universal benevolency. But then there is also Special Grace, also known as Particular Grace. It is a greater and different kind of love. It is extraordinary, not common. Just as a man loves all people, but especially his wife, so Christ loves all people but especially those He has chosen to be His wife (Ephesians 1:4;Ephesians 5:25). God loves all men with some love, but He loves some men with all love. It is a distinguishing and directed love.

5. God Chose Some Sinners to Be Saved.

Out of this special grace, God chose some sinners to be rescued from their sins. This is the doctrine of election. It happened in eternity past (Ephesians 1:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Timothy 1:9). God sovereignly chose some sinners to be saved from their sins and not to be punished for them (1 Thessalonians 5:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:13). They were chosen to receive grace, not wrath. They were chosen individually by name, and their names were written in the Book of Life (Revelation 13:8;Revelation 17:8;Luke 10:20). God chose us; we did not choose Him (John 15:11). He chose us solely by consulting with His own counsel, not by foreseeing our choice (Ephesians 1:11).

6. God Made a Covenant to Save the Elect.

Back in eternity, God made a covenant within Himself. The Father chose some sinners to be saved, and gave them to the Son, who agreed to die for them (John 17:2, John 17:6, John 17:9, John 17:24). We call this the Covenant of Redemption. We did not even exist at the time, nor was that necessary. It was only necessary that we would exist in time. God sealed this covenant with an oath, thus guaranteeing that we would most definitely be saved at the right time. And in time, God worked out this Covenant through Christ, which we call the Covenant of Grace. Special grace was thus given to us in eternity “in Christ” (2 Timothy 1:9). We were chosen in Christ, by Christ and for Christ. It is definite and sure, not merely possible.

7. God Calls the Elect in a Special Way.

Just as God loved all men but especially the elect, so He calls all men to be saved, but especially the elect. God invites all men; we call this the General Call or the Free Offer. It is what we do in evangelism. But God also gives a Special Call, which is given only to the elect. The parable of Luke 14:16-24 illustrates this. First God invites everyone, then He sends and compels some of them to come in. The General Call is given by men; the Special Call is by God alone. The first is audible, the second is inaudible to the natural ear. It is the Good Shepherd calling His sheep; the others do not hear His voice (John 10:3, John 10:16, John 10:26-27). It is given through the General Call, not in some mystical inner voice. “Many are called [general], but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).

8. Saving Grace is Irresistible. This Special Call is by grace. The General Call is resistible - indeed, sinners always successfully resist it. But the Special Call cannot be successfully resisted, for God overcomes all resistance. He exerts His omnipotence and overwhelms the sinner’s will. He makes us willing in the day of His power (Psalms 110:3). He “compels” us to come in (Luke 14:23). He “drags” us in (John 6:44). But it is not raw force, but a holy violence and a sweet wooing. He draws us with the irresistible song of grace (Jeremiah 31:3;Song of Solomon 1:4; Hosea 11:4). It is heavenly romance, for Christ irresistibly wins the hand of His bride. God thus changes our wills, and we come willingly (Psalms 65:4). This is Irresistible Grace.

9. God Left the Rest of Sinners in Their Sins.

Back in eternity, God sovereignly chose some sinners by His free love. But He did not chose to bestow this grace on all men. He withheld it from some. He owed them nothing but wrath, and left them under that wrath. Therefore nobody can argue that it was not fair. This is the doctrine of Reprobation. In eternity, God divided the lump of sinful mankind into two parts, like a potter with clay (Romans 9:1-33). He left some in their sins. He did not write their names in the Book of Life (Revelation 13:8;Revelation 17:8.). He never knew them in special love (Matthew 7:23). He thus predestined them to be punished for their sins (1 Thessalonians 5:9;Proverbs 16:4).

10. God Hardens the Reprobate’s Hearts.

God softens the hearts of the elect by His grace, but He hardens the hearts of those He has not chosen. He hides the light of the Gospel from them (Matthew 11:25) and blinds them (Romans 9:18;Romans 11:7;John 12:39-40). He fattens them up for the slaughter they deserve. They do not resist, but willingly comply, for they love their sins even unto death and Hell. Election and reprobation are two parallel lines running from eternity past to eternity future, ending in Heaven for some and Hell for others. One glorifies God’s grace, the other His wrath.