Rare indeed is the Christian who does not consciously, or unconsciously, harbor the feeling that in some measure he is earning his own salvation and therefore deserves to be saved.
Innate human pride is such that we love to think of ourselves as good, so that every act of worship, kindness, or favor to others is apt to give us an inner satisfaction and a sense of self-righteousness which, we should know, God utterly detests.
One of the signs of true spiritual maturity is a growing realization of the grace of God. More than four centuries ago, on seeing criminals being led out to execution, John Bradford exclaimed: โBut for the grace of God there goes John Bradford.โ Today, when we see the wages of sin on every hand we should remember that but for Godโs grace we too would face death and judgment.
Salvation through grace is the very heart of the Gospel message. The fact that eternal life cannot be merited should cause us to ponder the mystery of our own redemptionโan act of Godโs sovereign mercy whereby the redemptive act of his Son becomes operative in our lives through faith, and faith alone.
The Apostle Paul, speaking of the sovereignty of Godโs acts of mercy and election, says: โO the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!โ (Rom. 11:33).
Nothing is more calculated to bring us to our knees in worship and thanksgiving than a realization that all which we have is undeserved. Speaking of Abrahamโs faith Paul also says: โThat is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendantsโnot only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us allโ (Rom. 4:16, RSV).
But grace is not to be trifled with. To presume on the love and grace of God is to trifle with that which may turn and rend us. The Apostle Paul poses this question, and Phillips in his translation of Paulโs words says: โNow what is our response to be? Shall we sin to our heartโs content and see how far we can exploit the grace of God? What a ghastly thought!โ (Rom. 6:1, 2a). And yet we have known people who, taking the premise that we are โnot under the law but under grace,โ have seemed to feel they were therefore free to sin. โGhastlyโ? Yes, and utterly perverse.
Grace has been spoken of as the free and eternal love and favor of God, which is the spring and source of all the benefits which we receive from him. As a young man we remember hearing an old minister praying, โAll that we have except sin comes as a blessing from Thee.โ How well this fits in with the gracious affirmation of Romans 8:28, โAnd we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.โ
Accustomed as we are to the idea of merit and payments, therefore, it always comes as an overwhelming shock when we first realize that forgiveness of sin and eternal life are gifts of Godโs grace and never earned or merited. Those who have tasted deeply of this truth can never be the same. โJust as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me,โ takes on an eternal significance, and pride is humbled in the face of Godโs redeeming love. Nowhere more than here do we see the sovereignty of God. Why has he been so kind to me? Why has he made it possible for me to stand in his holy presence without a sense of guilt? The answer is, of course, in the atoning work of his Son, through whom his grace becomes operative and magnified.
This combination of loveโthe gift of his Son and grace which is that love in actionโreflects for all to see that the divine calling demands humble acceptance on our part. That pride so often suggests another way shows the blindness and perverseness of the unregenerate heart.
But grace is more than saving in its nature; it is also sustaining.
All of us live confronted with a multiplicity of problems and difficulties, physical, material, and emotional. How often do we experience, or see others experiencing, the deep and trying vicissitudes of life. The Apostle Paul plumbed the depths of such experiences only to have God tell him, โMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weaknessโ (2 Cor. 12:9b, RSV). Here we have demonstrated once for all that Godโs grace not only saves us but continues as the controlling and sustaining force in our lives as Christians.
Grace also has its fruits. From it proceed those evidences of the indwelling Christ which commend to others the faith we profess. Nowhere more than in the interpersonal relationships should grace be shown. People irritate usโGodโs grace in our hearts will enable us to react in love and not in anger. Problems arise for which we have no immediate solutionโthe grace of God enables us to look beyond to the One who has the solution. Sorrows comeโthe grace of God enables us to look through our tears to the One who will some day wipe away every tear. The daily routine gets us down and we groan under its monotony and its burdenโbut Godโs grace enables us to rise above this and to sense his presence and love.
Grace is spoken of as a fair ornament in Proverbs 4:9โโShe [wisdom] shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.โ How often we have seen this demonstrated in the lives of others, and how pleasant to see! โGraciousnessโ is one of the loveliest words in all of the English language, and one of the nicest attributes by which one may be described. Where affected it is hypocrisy, but where genuine it is a reflection of Godโs glory in a work of his new creation.
The grace of God is shown in the perfection of his creation, marred only by the sinfulness of man. โWhere every prospect pleases, and only man is vile,โ is far more than the poetic expression of a hymn. All around us we see evidences of the loving provision of Godโs grace. Little wonder that the Bible concludes its revelation to man with the crowning act of all the ages: โThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amenโ (Rev. 22:21, AV).
Living in the dispensation of grace, surrounded by its evidence on every hand, offered its perfection in the person and work of the Son of God, we, individual Christians and the Church in her corporate witness, should at all times proclaim that the grace of God is Godโs offer of forgiveness and freedom from the penalty of sin to all who will accept it. The Gospel is as complicated and as simple as Paulโs words to Titus: โFor the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all menโ (2:11).