SALVATION BY GRACE
Within the biblical arrangement of times, the time we now live in is described by the term "grace of God", we live in "the age of grace". Salvation and wholeness rest upon the grace of God, and in our walk as children of God we live equally in and by the grace of God. "Grace" may be described as "free giving, when the recipient is given something which he did not earn or deserve, for which he did not work". God gives because of His love and His benevolence. He gives freely a gift without the recipient of the gift having done anything in order to deserve this gift of grace.
Also, in our prayer and in the fellowship we today can enjoy as children of God with our heavenly Father, God, grace is an important aspect. God's dealing is out of grace. We cannot come to Him and dare dictate to or demand of Him anything. No, He acts and deals with us because of His great grace, His mercy and His love.
Salvation of grace
The first great thing we receive because of God's great grace is our salvation, our reconciliation with God. We have eternal life as a gift of God's grace, we are now God's children because of God's grace. This we are told in the book of Romans - the great foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ for this age of grace.
Romans 3:22–24:
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
We are justified, made righteous, completely without any own merit, but solely by God's grace. We did not need to do any work because there is another who did all the necessary work – Jesus Christ. He accomplished the work that was needed and for which God had sent him. He earned it on our behalf and for us. We now receive this redemption, the wholeness and salvation, the righteousness of God solely by grace through the redemption which has been achieved in Christ.
In Romans 4 we can once again read of the righteousness of God. We are now, by the redemption which is in Christ Jesus and which we have received by grace, righteous before God.
Romans 4:16:
Therefore it 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 father of us all,
What is demanded of us are not works, what is demanded of us is faith, believing. Faith however is not a work in the sense that it would still accomplish or add anything which is lacking. No, all that is necessary in terms of works so that the righteousness of God could be given, all that work was accomplished already by Jesus Christ. We now receive this righteousness by God's grace when we believe in Christ. Our believing, or faith, does not accomplish any further work, but rather we simply appropriate to ourselves by faith that which was already completely worked by Christ. Righteousness to us is solely "of faith (by believing), that it might be by grace"!
Romans 5 contains a longer section which shows the superiority of grace over sin. We have read before that we all were sinners and in sin. There was no difference in that regard between Israel and the Gentiles. Both were unrighteous before God and in need of a salvation by grace for they both could not achieve anything of their own working and power which would have made them righteous before God.
Romans 5:15–17:
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one [Adam] many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one [Adam] to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
For if by one man's [Adam'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.)
In this section Adam and Jesus Christ are compared with each other. All the evil which was done with Adam's sin and his transgression, is surpassed "much more" by all the grace which has been given us through Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:20 and 21:
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
In Ephesians we will read another section of Scripture which speaks of God's great grace. It becomes evident again that God was the one Who acted, He made available to us a salvation through Christ.
Ephesians 2:4 and 5:
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
What a great truth about our salvation! The same is repeated in verse 8.
Ephesians 2:8 and 9:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
No one can boast about what wonderful works he has done and accomplished and then go to God and demand that God would have to save him because of those works. This is impossible, it is excluded. Jesus Christ was the only one who ever met all the necessary requirements to qualify as redeemer, and he accomplished all that was necessary. We now believe in him, and as we do all of what he accomplished we are given as a gift of God. There is absolutely nothing that we could do or how we could work for it. Salvation is a gift of God. We are saved when we believe in Christ and acknowledge that he has accomplished the work. God gives us eternal salvation, and this is expressed here in the words "by grace ye are saved".
Walking in grace
Grace not only determines our salvation. Our lives and our walk as children of God is based on grace and connected with God's grace.
Ephesians 1:4–6:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
We have been saved by grace for a specific purpose which is here stated as, "to the praise of the glory of his grace". Our lives now, which we live as children of God, as saved people, are to be to the praise of God's glorious grace! We are now to be something to the praise of God's great grace wherein he hath made us accepted.
Romans 12:3–6:
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us …;
The first thing we read here is that Paul speaks "through the grace given unto me". Then several things are mentioned which members in the body each have as "gifts … according to the grace that is given to us". We now can contribute different services to the life of the church of the one body because of the grace which is given to us. There is not only grace extended to us concerning our salvation, and then everything else is not touched by it and has nothing to do with grace anymore – no! We each have different gifts according to the grace which God has given us, and we are to utilize these gifts now in an awareness of grace.
Romans 12:6–8:
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.
We read of several things which are said to be different gifts and which are to be utilized by the individual members of the Body according to the grace which has been given them for the benefit of the church.
Not every believer will at all times exercise mercy — but some will do that in certain situations. Not every believer will at all times admonish or exhort — but someone will do this at some time. We have been given these "gifts" as they are called here, "according to the grace". We do not deserve these gifts, but these functions or services in the church have been entrusted and given to us according to God's gracious working.
In 2 Corinthians we can see a very remarkable verse about our walk in the grace of God.
2 Corinthians 1:12:
For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
Paul speaks of himself as an example, that he lived his life (had his conversation ) in the world by the grace of God! Isn't this truly remarkable? We are not just saved out from among the world by the grace of God, we are also to conduct our lives in the world now by the grace of God.
2 Corinthians 6:1 and 2:
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
The church has been given the exhortation to not receive the grace of God in vain. And following on this the record speaks of the truth that "the time accepted (the time of grace)" is not at some undetermined point in the future but rather already right now. Biblically speaking, NOW is the day of salvation, NOW is the time of grace. Our lives as children of God must be showing forth God's great grace.
In 2 Corinthians 12 we find another remarkable statement in Scripture which also may help us in certain situations in life. In Chapter 11 Paul records many of his persecutions and trials and tribulations which he endured for Christ and in service to the church. Then in
2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul again picks up the topic of the persecutions which he experienced.
2 Corinthians 12:7–9:
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, 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.
Usually one has the impression that strength is only seen or made perfect in strong and powerful people. Who would think that anything could be made perfect or strong in those being weak? But in weakness, in that which is weak — and perhaps especially in the one who recognizes that he of himself is weak — is the place where God's grace is even more at work, that's where God's grace is mighty.
"My grace is sufficient for thee", is what we read here. We too, like Paul, must turn our eyes always on that which God gives to us, those things which God grants us. That is fully sufficient for all of our lives' situations. We can indeed be sufficient in that. Still there are times where we appear weak, where others in a certain way seem to have the upper hand. But we can let God's grace be our sufficiency, and especially when we are aware of and when we acknowledge God's grace will His might and strength come to bear in our lives.
In 2 Corinthians 3 this truth is expressed in the words that we are not "sufficient of ourselves but our sufficiency is of God". He has made us sufficient by means of the spirit which he has given us. There as well we can see the connection to the great grace which God has given to us.
A prayer of thanksgiving for the church, which is recorded in Colossians 1, sheds further light on God's grace.
Colossians 1:3–6:
We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
A fruitful and fruit bearing walk of life for the believers in the church of grace begins with the knowledge of the grace of God in truth. The word of the truth of the gospel, which had come unto them grew from the day that they had heard it and had come to know the grace of God. We can know many other truths from God's Word because God's manifold workings in other ways are recorded as well, for example we can learn of the wrath of God. For us in the church of God a knowledge of the great grace of God is of great importance since we are living in the age of grace.
Titus 2:11:
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
The grace of God brings something to us and our life. For one, it is the grace "that bringeth salvation", it brings salvation, wholeness, not wounds, not disaster. It is the saving grace which has appeared to all men. It is available to all men and encompasses all – if they simply accept it by faith in Christ.
Titus 2:12–14:
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Furthermore, good works, living soberly, righteously and godly in this present world as we are looking forward to that blessed hope, even the appearing of the glory of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, that also emanates from God's wondrous grace. It is our response to God's gracious dealing with us. He has given us freely so much in order that we know may be something to the praise of His glorious grace. If we really want to be that way, it is necessary for us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts; these must be put away. Instead, we are to live and we can live soberly and righteously and godly in our day and time, as we focus our eyes on the coming glory when our Lord Jesus Christ will come. This is our answer to God's gracious dealing with us.
Such a walk of life is possible because of grace which is "teaching us". When we are conscious of and recognize the grace of God, it teaches us, it leads and guides us in a walk which is compatible, appropriate to this great grace. Then we can be motivated to pur off such worldly lusts and be free from ungodliness.
Titus 2:14:
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Here we read that we are to be zealous for good works. Whether we are zealous or not depends totally on us. We can now do those good works, we can now walk in them. These are not good works bringing us unto salvation, for we are already saved because of God's grace with no works on our part needed. We now do these works in order to be to the praise of His glorious grace.
In 1 Corinthians 15, we will read a verse in closing our study, which in very few words describes very nicely what it is about when we speak of living by the grace of God.
1 Corinthians 15:10:
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Is this not tremendous? What a marvellous testimony Paul could give of himself! As was his walk, so can our walk be by God's grace – our labor, our work, our service to the Lord. All of those things which a believer as a member of the church, that one body of Christ, can contribute are really by the grace of God. We too are what we are by the grace of God! We have not saved us by our own works, we were not able to make us of ourselves to now be children of God. But, we now can become zealous for good works and work and labor effectively in service to Him. All comes back to the grace of God which worketh in us and with us. When His grace is at work with us, a successful service will be possible. Then we can have blessing in abundance in our individual lives as well as in the church where we serve.
We do not have much to offer of ourselves, but we are the more because of God's grace because He has made us able and He has equipped us when we were saved, because He already prepared good works in which we now can and are to walk.
Question: "What is the favor of God, and how can I get it?"
