Studies in
Grace
Before we start this study, I
feel that I should tell you that I consider myself to be a
“quasi-Calvinist.” I am not a full-blown
“tulip” Calvinist, as many Christians are, or a hyper-Calvinist. I am a “TUUIP”
Calvinist, believing in Unlimited Atonement.
I do not believe, as
many of my strict Arminianist brothers-in-Christ do that we can go from lost to saved, lost, saved,
and lost again on an hourly basis.
Grace is an interesting and
somewhat controversial subject. There
are only very few Pastors and Bible Teachers who are Teachers of biblical
grace. Most Churches are unwilling to accept the teaching of biblical
grace. Grace is not a license to sin.
Those who present grace in that light are not led by the Holy Spirit to do so,
and are therefore not Christians although they may be pretenders.
Paul was the Apostle to the
Gentiles. As such, his focus was on grace.
He told us that where sin merely abounds, grace superabounds (Rom
5:20/Greek text).
When we acknowledge Christ
Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are given a promise that He will never leave us
nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). That promise
is not accepted by our Arminian brothers.
However, I must also admit
that it is biblically true we can frustrate God’s grace (Gal. 2:21). And, we
can fall from His grace (Gal. 5:4).
Some things about grace are
quite evident and accepted by all Christians. Other things are not as clear.
Eph 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Think about this, Grace is
defined as “unmerited favor.” So, what can we do to merit unmerited favor? And
why do we struggle so much to show ourselves worthy of unmerited favor?
There is another fact that we
must consider. That fact concerns the
sin nature that may raise its head within each “born again” man and woman.
Rom 7:9 For
I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, {the} sin (Gr.
hee hamartia-h amartia) [the sin nature] revived, and I died.
The Greek text, in Romans 7:9
speaks of sin as a noun. That is not
indicating the action of sinning, but “the sin” as a thing.
Paul dealt with his sin
nature long after his conversion to Christ.
As Romans 7:9 relates, when the commandment “came,” or was added to the
Christian life through observance of the law or any other source, the sin
nature, which had been dormant, when his (the Christian’s) only dependence and
focus was on Christ, revived and once again became active.
While Paul was the Apostle to
the Gentiles, and consequently taught grace apart from the Law, Peter was one
of the Apostles to the Jews and those Jews focused on the law.
Christ came to bring us
grace! Law only brings negative judgment. It cannot cure sin. It only reveals
sin.
1 Cor 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength (Gr. dunamis-δύναμις) of sin is the law.
Sin has no strength/power
outside of law. But grace supersedes the law, and overcomes its strength/power.
Grace is administered through
mercy! And, mercy supersedes Law!
James 2:13b
Mercy triumphs over judgment. (NKJV)
Grace and mercy are far more powerful than
Law!
Romans 5:20
Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded,
grace abounded much more, (NKJV)
“[A]bounded much more” (Gr. hyperperisseuō-ὑπερπερισσεύω) comes from a single Greek word that means super-
abounds.
Acts 21:18-20
18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto
James; and all the elders were present.
19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had
wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which
believe; and they are all zealous of
the law:
Have you ever read the Ten
Commandments? In which of them did you
find the word “salvation?”
That is a trick
question. The word, salvation, does not
appear within the Ten!
Paul’s writings are unique!
Using the KJV as the standard, the word grace is explicitly used more often in
Paul’s writings than in all other writings in the Bible---combined.
Let me be blunt. Salvation is
a grace-based process from start to finish!
Paul is the Apostle appointed
by God to bring the message of grace to the Gentiles, and in essence to the
entire world.
The doctrine of grace is so
important that Paul opened and closed each of his letters with a proclamation
of grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
By contrast, neither the
English word “grace” nor the Greek word, from which it is translated, is to be
found in the gospels of Matthew or Mark. However, without grace, you will never
have peace with God!
Paul’s letters were written
to believers, Christians. Both Jew and
Gentile come to Christ based on God’s grace.
Whenever we find the phrase,
“grace be to you.”
A better translation would be, “Grace is yours!”
That is a statement of fact!
As Christians, grace has been
already given to us. It is not something
we will get someday in the “never-never.”
Grace is ours here and now!
Rom 3:24
Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 4:4 Now
to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Because of grace, we do not
work for redemption/salvation. Due to
God’s grace, salvation/redemption is ours as a gift.
Salvation is not a reward for
accomplishing this or that. It is a gift
of God given to us because of what Christ Jesus did on the cross!
Rom 4:16
Therefore it (salvation) is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed;
not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of
Abraham; who is the {humanly spiritual} father of us all,
Through faith, grace is a
sure promise!
Abraham is our father by
faith. He was the first man to truly
look to God in complete and utter faith.
We now follow his lead and
look to God by means of faith. We
respect the Law, but we know that it was not given to save us.
The Law was given as a
schoolmaster (Galatians 3:24) to point us to Christ and His salvation by
grace. The Law was given to show our
need.
Rom 5:2 By
whom [Christ Jesus] also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.
We have access to God our
Father only by means of our relationship with Christ. That is why Christianity is not a
religion. Instead, it is a relationship.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through Me.
We have a relationship with
Christ by means of the grace “wherein we stand” (Romans 5:2).
Rom 5:15 But
not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one
many be dead, much more the grace
of God, and the gift by grace,
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto {the} many (Gr. tous pollous- touV pollouV).
Due to the sacrificial death
of our Lord Jesus Christ, grace has abounded to us.
Adam, through his offence
brought us death. Christ Jesus, through His sacrificial death brought us
life.
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more
they which receive abundance of grace
and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
Again, it is because of the
abundance of grace that life, true life is available to us.
Rom 5:20
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin
abounded, grace did much more
abound:
The purpose of God’s Law is
to point out sin. It does not provide a
remedy for sin or a means of salvation. Faith in Christ is the remedy and that
means.
The Good News of Jesus Christ
is that where sin abounds, grace much more abounds (superabounds).
Rom 5:21
That as {the} sin (nature) hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:1 What
shall we say then? Shall we continue in {the} sin (nature), (so) that grace may abound?
We need not sin to prove His
grace overcomes our sin nature. Soon, that overcoming shall be obvious to all.
Rom 6:14 For
sin (a noun indicating the sin nature) shall not have dominion over you: for ye
are not under the law, but under grace.
We are not “under” (subject
to) the Law. Those of us who live by
faith are “under” (subject to) grace.
Rom 6:15
What then? shall we sin (a verb indicating the act of
sin), because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Rom 11:5
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the
election of grace.
Grace comes to us in its
redemptive fullness only when we react in a positive way to the calling of the
Holy Spirit to follow Christ! The ones
who answer that call are now a small minority, hence the reference to the
remnant.
1 Cor 12:3b
no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
The grace by which we are
saved is not dependant on anything you or I do except to believe in Him Who
gives us His grace. It is based entirely
on what Christ has done!
Works do not affect grace in
any way!
Rom 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.
If you are in any way
attempting to work your way into grace-based salvation, you are working in
vain.
Salvation cannot be earned! It is not given by means of works!
Eph 2:9
[Grace is] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Rom 15:15
Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort,
as putting you in mind, because of the grace
that is given to me of God,
Grace was given as a gift to
Paul, and it is given to us in like manner.
2 Cor 12:9
And he (Christ Jesus) said unto me (Paul), “My grace is sufficient for thee”: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
The grace of Christ Jesus is
sufficient to meet and exceed all of life’s needs. We are to live in a humble,
reliant relationship with Christ.
Looking to Him in all circumstances for the proper guidance to deal
effectively with all the things we face daily.
It is in His strength, and not ours that we find victory. As Paul
wrote (2 Cor 12:9), it is within our weakness that Christ’s strength is
perfected.
Gal 1:6 I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another
gospel:
Sadly, some who are counted
among the faithful have diverted their faith from the crucified and risen
Christ to another gospel. And that
so-called gospel is not the true gospel.
Gal 1:7
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
gospel of Christ.
The gospel of profit and
personal effort never will meet our needs.
They are perversions of the truth!
Gal 2:21 I
do not frustrate the grace of
God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
The law requires our personal
effort, while righteousness never comes by means of our personal effort.
Rom 4:3 For
what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and
it was counted unto him for righteousness.
God did for Abraham that
which Abraham could not do for himself, and He does for us what we cannot do by
means of our personal effort.
Rom 4:5 But
to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness.
Faith, belief is infinitely
more important that works. The simple
act of faith is not simple at all.
Gal 5:4
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the
law; ye are fallen from grace.
Do you seek justification by
means of law (rules), through personal effort?
Or, do you rely on faith and grace?
Eph 1:7 In
whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of his grace;
It is by His grace, through
faith in the risen Christ that we have forgiveness of sins, which is redemption
(i.e. salvation)!
Eph 2:8 For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God:
Eph 3:2 If ye
have heard of the dispensation
of the grace of God which is
given me to you-ward:
Those who deny the
dispensation of grace also deny the Holy Scriptures! Paul’s writings are the showcase of grace.
Eph 3:8 Unto
me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ;
Paul wrote much of the
Bible. His message was simple, and very
clear. The last words he wrote reflect
on his mission of telling the story of grace in Christ Jesus.
2 Tim 4:22
The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace
be with you. Amen.
May I put them into modern
English, hoping not to offend anyone?
The Lord Jesus Christ is with
your spirit! “Grace is with you! Amen!”
It is through grace that all
may find reconciliation and by it to be redeemed!
John 1:9
That [Christ Jesus] was the true Light, which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world.
Christ Jesus is the True
Light! His assignment was to bring
Light, His Light, to the world.
John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through him might be saved.
He does that by extending
grace to all.
Acknowledge His grace
today! Receive His salvation! Have faith in Christ Jesus!
There are other points that
we must study.
When was your name written in
the Lamb’s Book of Life?
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose
names are not written in the
book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world.
All who will worship the
antichrist are those whose names were not
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundation of the world! So, if you
worship Christ it is because your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life and it has
been there from the foundation of the world!
If that is true, why are so
many not now saved?
The reason is that they have
not yet been “called” (Gr. klētos-κλητός)!
You may think that by your freewill you may come whenever you decide without
the call of God! That is not true!
When did the Apostle Paul use
his freewill to come to Christ? Try, “Never!” Christ Jesus knocked him to his
knees at a moment when he was in the process of abusing the Church! It was a
total surprise to Paul and all with him.
We cannot be saved until God, through the
Holy Spirit calls us individually! We may have an abundance of grace, and a
measure of faith, but without the call, we will not come and worship Christ in
Spirit and in Truth!
Have you heard the call? Not
to worry, you shall in duie time!
My special thanks to Michael
Burke for his assistance in the writing of “Grace.”