God's Grace
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 10:11PM Like God’s mercy and love, his grace has it’s source in the goodness of God. Specifically, grace refers to God’s kindness toward the undeserving. God’s mercy focuses on our helplessness or suffering, but God’s grace on our unworthiness.
Grace, as scripturally defined, is set in opposition to works or merit. Many statements in scripture put receiving something because of God’s grace in contrast to receiving something because of works. Perhaps the clearest is Romans 11:4, where Paul, speaking of God’s choice of a remnant out of the nation Israel, says that if this choice “is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace (ESV).” Something that comes to us from God’s grace cannot come as a result of our works or merit, for if it did, it would go against the very definition of grace used by Paul. Grace would no longer be true grace if it was meted out based on our good actions. To the extent that something is of works it cannot be of grace, and if our salvation is all of grace, then it is none of works.
Our God is the “God of all grace.” He is characteristically giving toward those who do not merit his favour, and every favour that we receive has its source in the God of all grace. His grace is eternal, for before time began, it was given to those who are being saved (2 Timothy 1:9 ESV). From this same verse in 2 Timothy, we learn, too, that grace is sovereignly and freely exercised by God, given “not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace.” We don’t call it out from him, but he extends it as it suits his purpose and because he is gracious. God is gracious “to whom [he] will be gracious” (Exodus 33:19).
God’s grace is abundant; it never runs out. The amount of God’s grace is always greater than the depth of our sin, for Paul tells us that grace multiplied where sin increased (Romans 5:20). We can be confident that the grace of God will always sufficient to save us.
God’s grace extends generally to all humankind—sustaining life, withholding judgment, and restraining sin. But there is special grace given those who are being saved, for they have been given redemption through Christ—the crowning work of God’s grace. It is out of God’s grace that he calls, regenerates, justifies, sanctifies and glorifies his own. Those who are God’s children can know that all of God’s actions toward them are gracious actions, because even the difficult things God allows them to endure come to them with a gracious purpose: to produce the fruit of righteousness within them (Hebrews 12:10-11). Those who are being saved are God’s workmanship—his recreated people—and that all of what they become is a result of God’s work rather than their own demonstrates the surpassing wealth of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:7-10).
It is in this work of salvation that we see God’s grace in all of its glory: we are saved “to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son” (Ephesians 1:6). God highly values his attribute of grace, for glorifying his grace—showing how abundantly rich it is—is an overarching purpose of the whole of redemptive history. God saves in order to reveal the greatness of His characteristic grace.
The more we understand God’s grace to us, the more thankful we will be and the less pride we will have in our own accomplishments. We are being spared what we justly deserved and are receiving something of which we are entirely unworthy simply because our God is a gracious God and he has graciously purposed to save us. And any good we do is the result of God’s gracious creative work within us. There is no room for boasting from those who have seen God’s grace.
How can we not be thankful? How can we not graciously forgive the wrongs done to us and the debts owed to us, since we have been graciously forgiven by God (Ephesians 4:32)? Those of us who have experienced God’s grace are called are to do good and lend to others even when we know we will never receive anything in return for our generousity.
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people. (Luke 6:35 NET)
We, of all people, should be free with our giving. We should be like the one who freely graced us, giving to those who mistreat us or who use us for their own gain.
Not that it’s easy! Our natural instinct is to protect ourselves from being used and abused. When we have some inkling, however, of what we have been given, how can we be stingy in the grace and forgiveness we extend to others?
Grace, ’tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to mine ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
Grace first contrived the way
To save rebellious man;
And all the steps that grace display
Which drew the wondrous plan.
Grace first inscribed my name
In God’s eternal book;
’Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took.
Grace led my roving feet
To tread the heavenly road;
And new supplies each hour I meet,
While pressing on to God.
Grace taught my soul to pray
And made mine eyes o’erflow;
’Twas grace which kept me to this day,
And will not let me go.
Grace all the work shall crown,
Through everlasting days;
It lays in heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.
O let Thy grace inspire
My soul with strength divine
May all my powers to Thee aspire,
And all my days be Thine.—Philip Doddridge and Augustus Toplady
Reader Comments (2)
I was hoping you'd follow mercy with grace! Wonderfully written, Rebecca.
Magnificent post, It has me on my knees in thanksgiving and worship.