GOD’S GRACE IN THE BIBLE

                             

Grace of God as taught in the Bible is very unique. God being absolutely holy, sinful man is out of favor with Him. Man can not earn His favor by any means. What allows man to receive benefits from God, such as rain and sunshine, is His common grace. But, His special grace, made available through Jesus Christ is the basis for all spiritual blessings.  

God’s grace, as manifested in the Bible is of great value to man. In the New Testament, we see it in all its beauty and fullness. Speaking about the birth of Jesus, John (1:14, 16) says, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace upon grace.” Grace is expressed through Christ.

MEANING OF GRACE:

Grace is understood as unmerited favor. A helpful acronym of ‘GRACE’ is, ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense’. But, the meaning of grace becomes clearer, when it is considered along side of justice and mercy.

Justice – God handing out to a sinner what he deserves – divine wrath.

Mercy - God withholding from a sinner what he deserves – withholding punishment.

Grace   - God bestowing on a sinner the opposite of what he deserves – divine favor.

Grace is spiritual favor, shown by a loving God to sinners, who are under His wrath. It is only at God’s initiative, freely through Jesus Christ. Grace is manifested in all areas, such as, salvation from sin, sanctification (spiritual growth), service to God and glorification.

GRACE IN SALVATION:

Hebrew 2:9 says that Christ experienced death by the grace of God, to save sinners.  Romans 4:25 says that it is because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; God graciously justifies those who believe in Him. Romans 3:24 says that sinners are justified as a gift, by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. (Justification means – an act of God whereby, He declares the believing sinners to be as perfect as Jesus Christ. It is a judicial or legal act.) Justification is a grace gift and it can only be received by faith. Ephesians 2:8, 9 says, “By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.”

GRACE IN SANCTIFICATION:

Sanctification is a progressive work of grace, in those who have been justified by grace through faith. This is positive growth in practical righteousness and Christ-likeness. It is a work of the Holy Spirit, using God’s Word and in co-operation with the believers.

John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

Acts 20:32, “I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified.”

The transformation of believers from glory to glory is by the Spirit. II Corinthians 3:18. And, Christ-like virtues are produced in believers by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22, 23. 

GRACE IN SERVICE:

Paul states that he was called by God’s grace to serve Him. Ephesians 3:7, 8

God gives the gifts of the Spirit to all believers to serve and glorify Him. I Peter 4:11

Paul testifies that by God’s grace, he labored more than the others. I Corinthians 15:10

GRACE IN GLORIFICATION:

The Second Coming of Christ is the greatest hope of all believers, when they shall be transformed into His glorious likeness. Peter calls it, grace brought to the believers.

I Peter 1:13 says, “…..fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

I John 3:2, “…..We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

GRACE ABUSED OR UNAVAILED:

I Corinthians 15:10 says, that in Paul’s life God’s grace was not in vain as in some others.

 Jude 4 shows, how the ungodly persons turned the grace of God into licentiousness.

 James 4:6 and I Peter 5:5,  that the proud can not avail of God’s grace.

GOD PURPOSES GLORY OF HIS GRACE:

God by His own grace initiative has planned and provided for all spiritual blessings, for His chosen ones, in Christ Jesus. His purpose in all this is, “To the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed upon us in the Beloved.”  Ephesians 1:6, 8, 12

APPLICATION:

Have an attitude of humility before God – remembering He opposes the proud.

Live a life of dependence on the grace of God, in all areas of life.

Be a trophy of God’s grace for His glory.

SINFULNESS OF MAN

            

The good news of the Bible is redemption, offered by God through Jesus Christ. This is   necessitated by man’s sinfulness and is available for those who admit their helplessness. Christ Himself says in Luke 5:31, 32, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”    

SINNERS BY NATURE:

Man (including woman in generic sense) was created sinless. Through disobedience man became a sinner – guilty before God. The first man being the federal head, all his descendants inherit his sin nature and are sinners before God. Romans 5:12 says, “….just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all, because all sinned.” The consequence of sin is spiritual death - separation from God, though God had created man in His likeness for intimate fellowship with Him.    

SINNERS BY CHOICE:

Man is not a sinner because he sins, but he sins because he is a sinner. Man sins by choice. God says in Jeremiah 17:9, 10, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” In Roman 3:9-18, Paul highlights how man sins in every aspect and concludes, “....all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Vs 23

SINFULNESS OF ‘GOOD PEOPLE’:

Some wonder about the goodness in people and those considered good by human standards. But God sees differently. Isaiah 64:6 says, “For all of us have become like who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind, take us away.”    

SINFULNESS OF RELIGIOUS PEOPLE:

Religions have rituals, rules and regulations to be observed. They offer no help to free sinners from guilt and bondage to sin. Religions advocate a life of legalism, lived by human strength, to please God. Even the Jews who had God given Law could not obey them. Religious efforts result in frustration or self-righteousness, leaving people in their sinful state before God.    

 

SINNERS WITHOUT EXCEPTION:

Unbelief in the God of revelation is sin. Rejecting Jesus, the God sent Savior is sin. Disregard for God’s righteous standards in social, moral and spiritual life is sin. Sins are manifested in ways such as actions, reactions, attitudes, motives, emotions, thoughts, words, ingratitude and negligence of responsibilities. God says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James 2:10

SINNERS’ DEPRAVITY:

God sees man’s spiritual condition as one of helplessness. “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among them we too formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” Ephesians 2:1-3. God sees sinners as dead people, unable to do anything to merit or earn His favor. This is called ‘human depravity’. It does not mean that each person is as bad as he could be. But, it does mean that man, because of his sinful state, is incapable of pleasing God.  

SINS CONSEQUENCES:   

The Bible says, “The soul that sins it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4. Again it says, “The wages of sin is death….”  Romans 6:23. These verses talk about the second death or eternal separation from God. Sinners are separated from God now and shall be separated through eternity. Sin thwarts God’s purpose of intimate relationship with people.       

SINNERS CAN BE SAVED:

The Lord Jesus illustrates in Luke 18:9-14, how, only those who admit their sinfulness will be saved. A Pharisee was praying to himself, “God I thank you that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers. Or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.” He was relying on his own righteousness and so was not justified by God. But a tax collector, stood some distance away, unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven was beating his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner.” He was justified, because he acknowledged his sinfulness and relied on God’s mercy alone. The sinner needs a Redeemer and Jesus Christ is the sufficient Savior. 

APPLICATION:

Honestly acknowledge sinfulness and helplessness to God.

Believe and receive as Savior, Jesus Christ the incarnate One, who died and rose again from the dead to save sinners.  

GOD IS SOVEREIGN

                                                 

The sovereignty of God is a crowning theme in the Bible. God has ultimate power and authority. He owns and rules all that He has created. He is accountable to none and shuts people’s mouths saying, “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.” Job 40:2  

The Bible begins with, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…..” He created everything from nothing, which is the meaning of ‘create’ in Hebrew. He created man and woman with freewill, yet accountable to Him. They disobeyed God by choosing to believe Satan, who appeared as a serpent. Fall of man has had serious consequences. All this happened with God’s permission and knowledge, for His own purposes. He does not explain why.

But God had planned for redemption before the foundation of the world. The Bible records how God implemented His salvation plan in history. He chose Abraham and made him a great nation. Through that nation, God sent Jesus Christ as the promised Savior of the world, in His appointed time. Believers in Christ are commissioned and enabled by Him to preach the gospel to the whole world. God is preparing a people for Jesus’ return. In all this, He is exercising His sovereign will in principle and practice.

Jonah gives insight into the extent of God’s control over - wind, sea, fish, plant, worm, and Johan. The Bible teaches how even rulers and nations are raised or abased by God for His purposes.       

GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER CREATION:

The following Bible verses show how God the Creator is in control of all creation.

Proverbs 16:4, “The Lord has made everything for (its) His own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.”

Ephesians 1:11, “…..who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

Isaiah 46:11, “Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.”

King Nebuchadnezzar says in Daniel 4:35, “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. But He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can ward off His hand.”

Romans 13:1, “…..For there is no authority except from God; and those who exist are established by God.”

Psalm103:19, “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.”

I Timothy 6:15, “…..He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.”

Dr. R. C. Sproul says, “If there is any element of the universe that is outside of His authority, then He no longer is God over all. In other words sovereignty belongs to deity. Sovereignty is a natural attribute of the Creator. God owns what He makes, He rules what He owns.”

GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN REDEMPTION:

The following verses highlight God’s sovereignty, in choosing people as He wills, and in initiating and perfecting His saving work in them.

In that great chapter of Romans 9 on God’s sovereignty, Paul says in verse 16, “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”

Paul says in Philippians 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

John speaking about those who become God’s children says, in John 1:13, “Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

James says in James 1:18, “In the exercise of His will, He brought us forth by the word of truth….”

Acts 11:18, “….glorified God, saying, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” (Repentance granted as a gift)

Acts 13:48, “….and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”

Acts 16:14, “….and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.”

APPLICATION:

Recognizing God the Creator as sovereign Lord and King should cause us to worship Him in true reverence.

Acknowledging Him as Lord of our life should encourage us to serve Him with total allegiance.

Accepting God’s double claim over us as Creator and Redeemer ought to motivate us to be faithful stewards of all that we are and have. God has made us, He has bought us.  

Knowing that God Himself has begun His saving work in us and will perfect it, must promote in us heartfelt gratitude. This attitude should energize us to live for Him with a holy abandon. Having gained all things freely by grace, we have nothing to lose.