The Indescribable Grace of God
Two people owed taxes to the government, and missed the April 15 deadline. One of them was a college student, who ended up owing a hundred dollars, and the other was a successful businessman, who ended up owing one hundred thousand dollars. Both of them received a letter from the IRS on the same day, and both of them read the letter that had the exact same statement: 100% of Your Debt Has Been Forgiven. Which one of them--the college student or the businessman--do you think was more thankful when they read the IRS letter stating that someone else had already paid their taxes in full on their behalf?
You would think the answer is pretty obvious. But it isn’t. The truth is, they were both forgiven. But one of them may have understood forgiveness a little better than the other. One of them owed a great deal, and was now capable of understanding truly the idea of generosity and helping others. In a word--the businessman experienced grace.
Our culture today believes not in a God of forgiving grace, but in a concept of fortune or misfortune that will revisit a person who is either good to others or evil to others. It's called Karma. The world believes that karma will settle the score. Karma says, “do this, and it will be done back to you”.
But grace says, “Even though you did something, favor and mercy will be given to you.” The word ‘grace’ is the Greek word charis. It describes the complete and unmerited favor bestowed on someone irregardless of their worth or whether they deserved it or not.
Justice is when we get what we deserve. If you sped in the school zone, justice would be receiving a sizable speeding ticket.
Mercy is when we don't get what we do deserve. You sped, but the officer decided that because it was your first offense, you would be given simply a warning.
But grace is when we get what we don't deserve. So the officer would not only not ticket you, but he would give you a credit for any future traffic infractions in case you were ever having to pay for a ticket down the road.
God's grace is expressed to those who don't deserve it. By definition, grace is unearned, undeserved, and for those who truly deserve justice.
Grace was spoken about by the apostle Paul more than any other biblical writer--about 100x. We can’t essentially understand Christianity apart from a proper understanding of the grace of God. Apart from grace, you are either prone to legalism or antinomianism. You either believe you must keep the law to earn God’s favor, or that God’s law should be completely cast aside. So grace steps in and says, “No, I can’t earn or deserve justification because it is a GIFT." It is freely given, freely received, available to all, efficacious in its design, and reaches both the moral law-keeper and the aggressively sinful lawbreaker.
Ephesians chapter 2 explains our condition, and where faith comes in:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.So our resume has us dead, following the world and the devil. We were by our very nature called “children of wrath”, “sons of disobedience”, and those who reside in the passion of our flesh. Not looking very good! Then we get to verse 4:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Jonathan Edwards said, "The redeemed are dependent of God for all. All that we have--wisdom, the pardon of sin, deliverance, acceptance in God's favor, grace, holiness, true comfort and happiness, eternal life and glory--we have from God by a Mediator; and this Mediator is God. God not only gives us the Mediator, and accepts His mediation, and of His power and grace bestows the things purchased by the Mediator, but He is the Mediator. Our blessings are what we have by purchase; and the purchase is made of God; the blessings are purchased of Him; and not only so, but God is the purchaser. Yes, God is both the purchaser and the price; for Christ, who is God, purchased these blessings by offering Himself as the price of our salvation."
In church history a man arose on the scene by the name of Pelagius. Pelagius was a British monk who arrived in Rome and saw the city’s dim view of morality and began developing a reputation for being a spiritual advisor who urged people to reform their behavior and live upstanding lives as moral citizens.
Pelagius rejected the doctrines of original sin, substitutionary atonement, and justification by faith. Instead, he emphasized unconditional free will and the ability to better yourself spiritually apart from grace. The Pelagian heresy lives on within us and specific movements within Christianity today that really don’t grasp the concept of Sola Gratia (grace alone) and Sola Fide (faith alone)—two of the five solas of the Protestant Reformation.
Augustine—the 5th Century Bishop of Hippo in North Africa—had a contention with Pelagius’s arguments.
Pelagius said sin gradually corrupts. Augustine argued that mankind is born into Adam’s sin.
Pelagius said that humans have a clean slate. Augustine said that’s wrong—humans are dead to sin.
Pelagius argued that voluntary sin makes you wicked—whereas Augustine proved that man is born wicked.
When Pelagius stated that our good works merit heaven, Augustine correctly pointed out that Christ’s atonement alone merits heaven.
Pelagius developed the idea of the unconditional free will, and Augustine pointed people back to God’s sovereignty.
Thus, in Pelagius’ system, there is no need for grace. Augustine reminds us that there is a desperate need for grace in the heart of every human sinner.
Thus in 529 A.D. at the Council of Orange, Augustine argued for the doctrine of grace, and Sola Gratia was understood, even in the Catholic Church for centuries, and the Pelagian heresy was denounced. In our salvation—the Reformers argued—God is the initiator and we are the responders. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone. This is where Catholics disagreed. In fact, the National Catholic Register says this (Feb. 5, 2018):
Grace is primary in the whole process, so in that very real sense we can describe our system as “saved by grace alone” – whereas we can never say “saved by faith alone” (i.e., with works playing no part at all in salvation) or “saved by works alone.” The true Catholic position will always include the works alongside grace and faith. We teach neither sola Scriptura, nor sola ecclesia, nor sola traditio.
However, that’s not what the Bible teaches. Protestants tacitly disagree. In Holman’s Treasury of Words, this is how God’s grace is explained:
“God in His grace has saved us and given us grace and we are the ones who have received it. Grace is the gift of God. It is expressed in God’s actions of extending mercy, loving-kindness, and salvation to people. Divine grace is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14, 17). God’s grace manifested in Jesus Christ makes it possible for God to forgive sinners and to gather them in the church. During His ministry, Jesus repeatedly offered forgiveness to a great number of sinners and extended God’s succor for a variety of desperate human needs. Through teachings such as the father’s forgiveness of the prodigal son and the search for the lost sheep, Jesus made it clear that He had come to seek and save those who were lost. But ultimately, it was His redemptive death on the cross which opened wide the gate of salvation for repentant sinners so that they have access to God’s forgiving and restorative grace.”
As those who are in Christ, we can experience the grace of God in our salvation. We can also experience the grace of God for daily living. We can experience the grace of God in trials (1 Peter 5:10), when we are humbled (James 4:6), in need (Hebrews 4:16), in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and even in times of blessing and abundance (2 Corinthians 9:8). We can grow in the grace of God (Colossians 1:7, 2 Peter 3:18) grow strong in the grace of God (2 Timothy 2:1), and walk in sanctification as we learn to live grace-filled lives (Titus 2:11-12).
Martin Luther said, "Grace, therefore, costs us nothing, but is cost Another much to get it for us. Grace was purchased with an incalculable, infinite treasure, the Son of God Himself."
Praise God for His indescribable gift of grace!
