A Grace that is not Grace

The Grace that Christianity teaches today, is not Grace at all. But, it is a perversion, that is the result of the unholy marriage of Grace and Works. This Grace that the world teaches, is far more palatable to the world then what the True Grace of God is. Therefore, in order to please the world; and in order to gain a following; and in order to be considered successful in their ministries; Christianity, for the most part, espouses a Grace that is not Grace.

Today, I want us to think about some ways in which the Grace that Christianity teaches, is not Grace at all. I want us to think about these three aspects of this so-called grace, that are clearly not taught in Scripture, nor evident in human history: first, the Universal Application of Grace; second, the Universal Effectiveness of Grace; third, the mixture of Grace and Works.

Universal Application of Grace

So much of the world believes in a Grace that comes from God, that is Universal in its scope. This is not the Grace that the Bible teaches us. Perhaps we can say that many are confusing God’s Natural Mercy with His Grace. I know that sometimes we have difficulty, ourselves, in making the distinction between the Natural Mercy of God and the Grace of God. Look at it this way: If any man who is not saved has the Breath of Life in him, than it can only be because of the Mercy of God, and because that God is Merciful unto Him. But, we can see from Scripture that though God is Merciful and Kind to many, naturally speaking, in that men live and move and have health and prosperity; still we see from Scripture that God does not deal in a Saving way with men, after the same manner. All who are living have some benefit from God. But not so with the Salvation that comes from God. Some are saved, but not all. This is evident by simply noticing our surroundings, and examining human history. Therefore, at least as far as the Grace of God in Salvation goes, we cannot, and we must not, contend that the Grace of God is Universally available, or that it is demonstrated on a Universal and Indiscriminate level.

Let’s read some verses that relate to us the Natural Grace and Goodness of God that men, everywhere, benefit from to some degree. Paul the Apostle told the Athenians about God, “²⁶ And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; ²⁷ That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: ²⁸ For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. ²⁹ Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.” (Acts 17:26-29.) It is in (or by) God’s Mercy and protection that all men live and move and have our being. I think that it is extremely interesting that the Apostle Paul even quotes some poet of the Athenians. The quotation and poet that he refers to, proves that even the Athenians believed that they were the offspring of a god or gods. And, in truth, we are all of us the offspring of God. Paul confirms this when he says, “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God…” As His offspring we do, indeed, owe our existence to Him and to His Mercy and Goodness.

And we read in the Psalms of David, “⁸ They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. ⁹ For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.” (Ps. 36:8-9.) The Goodness of the Lord is felt by all who have life. None of mankind would have life at all, if it did not originate with God – in the fountain of life. Elihu told Job, “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” (Job. 33:4.) Again, in the next chapter, Elihu told Job concerning God, “¹⁴ If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; ¹⁵ All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.” (Job 34:14-15.) These verses in Job make it clear that the Breath and the Life of every man depends upon the Goodness and Mercy of our God. And finally, read in Is. 42:5, “Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:” Surely, no man who would claim to believe the Bible, could doubt that God is responsible, and God is to be thanked, and God is to be praised, for the life and breath and spirit of any and every man, woman, boy, or girl, that has ever lived on this earth.

I have said all of these things, to make us think about how that our Sovereign God is in control of all things natural, even life itself. This is true whether men acknowledge Him or not. Isn’t it amazing that so many educated (yet foolish) men and women, are aware of the many blessings that they have, but, instead of giving God the Praise as they should, they would rather ignore Him and give credit or praise to themselves or some god of their own? I mean, God has poured out unthinkable and unimaginable and miraculous blessings and goodness upon all men and women – and yet they refuse to acknowledge Him as God, and repent of their sins, and believe in His Son. O, how guilty, worthless, and depraved, every man is!

Now, what men do today, is they preach and teach that the Grace and Mercy of God in Salvation, is as readily available to all men, as what the Natural Goodness and Mercy of God is. In other words, Christianity presents a Grace of God that is indistinguishable from His Natural Bounty and Goodness that He bestows on all men. This is not the case. If it were the case, then we would not have verses such as Deut. 7:6-8, “⁶ For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. ⁷ The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: ⁸ But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Now, before I say anything else about this verse, can’t you see yourself and your salvation that God has bestowed upon you in this verse? Isn’t it true, that you and I were not any persons of note or goodness, and yet God chose us and redeemed us out of the house of bondmen? I believe that if God was a choosing and a loving and a discriminating God in the OT, when it comes to Salvation; then I believe that He is still the same today. Remember, God does not change. He told the Israelites, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Mal. 3:6.) The Israelites could take great comfort from these Words of God, and could therefore trust that the Lord would not cease to love them as the sons of Jacob.

We can learn from these verses also. We can learn that God does not change. Therefore, if He exhibited a certain Grace and Love in the OT, we can be sure that He has not changed, nor has He changed His Attributes of Love and Grace and Mercy. He still gives life and breath and blessings (naturally speaking) to millions and billions of people. And He still Loves a Peculiar and Separate People. We can see this demonstrated in 1Pet 2:9. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” In this verse, Peter takes the OT teachings of Deut. 7:6-8, and he applies them to the NT saints. There can be no doubt that our God does not change, and His Grace that was demonstrated in the OT, is certainly consistent with the Grace of God in the NT.

We can see this also demonstrated in Rom. 9:11-13. “¹¹ (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) ¹² It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. ¹³ As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” And then we read in v. 15 of this same chapter, “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” These verses, and the Doctrine of the Sovereign Grace of God, do not teach us that certain men and women are more worthy than others. Indeed, Jesus Christ said, “¹² …They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. ¹³ But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mt. 9:12-13.) Those that are saved, are those that are saved by the mercy and Grace of God, and not those that seek to be saved by some sacrifice that they might perform, or some Righteousness that they think that they might have.

So, what I have tried to make clear, is that the Grace of God in Salvation is not something that is Universally Applied. Though some of His Benefits are felt Universally, it is clear and it is obvious that the Grace and Mercy that is found in Salvation is bestowed upon only certain, undeserving Individuals – and is not reserved for all.

Universal Effectiveness of Grace

In this second point, we are covering nearly the same ground as what we covered in the first point. What I want to make clear now, however, is that if the Grace of God is Universally Applied, then, in order to be Scriptural concerning the Sovereignty of God, men must go on to believe that the Grace of God is Universally Effective. Why else would He Universally Distribute Grace, if it were not also Universally Effective?

So, let us ponder for a moment – “What would be the result of the Grace of God, if it were Universally Applied as so many seem to believe today.” Men and women in Christianity today, must apparently believe in a Grace that is Universal in Scope, and Universal in Effectiveness. In other words, they believe and teach that the Grace of God is Everywhere, and of course it is Effective, but only if men will partake of it.

My point is simply this: If the Grace of God is Universally Available; and if the Grace of God is Universally Effective; and if God is Sovereign; then why aren’t all men everywhere saved? Perhaps some who believe in the Universal Effectiveness of the Grace of God do also believe that all men everywhere are eventually saved. Perhaps some do believe in the Salvation of all men – either in this life, or the life to come. To me, this would actually make more sense than to believe that God’s Grace is Universally Applied and Universally Effective, but yet all men are not saved. At least in the former premise, God in some measure retains His Sovereignty. In the latter premise, God is obviously not Sovereign because His desires and intentions have not come to fruition.

I am sure that folks that preach and teach a Universally Applied, and a Universally Effective Grace of God, turn to such Scriptures as 1Tim. 2:4. “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” If you lift this verse out of context; and if you ignore many other plain passages of Scripture; I suppose that you could mistakenly understand this verse to be speaking of God’s intention or desire to save every member of Adam’s race. But, when we compare Scripture with Scripture – such as many of those that we have already read – we gain the understanding that God does not intend to save every human being. His Saving Grace is present only in the lives of those that are the Elect. Therefore, in 1Tim. 2:4, when Paul mentions all men, he must, necessarily, be referring to all men that are ordained unto Salvation. We read in Acts 13:48, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” God has ordained some, in every place and time, to be saved by the Grace of God. This Grace is Effective only as the Lord Provides it.

In reality, this Grace of God in Salvation that Christianity presents today, is not really Grace at All. They present a Grace that is Universally Applied, but it is Effective only if the Consent and Cooperation and Good Intentions of man is coupled with it. To me, this is a non-Grace, or a Merited Favor, rather than an Unmerited Favor.

Grace and Works

Finally, if a person believes in either of the two Graces that I have mentioned above, then he must necessarily believe also in this concept of Grace and Works, and some sort of cooperation or unity between the two. How else can he explain the fact that not all men are saved? If God’s Grace were distributed to every individual, then how come every individual is not saved? If God’s Grace is Universally Effective, then how come every individual is not saved? Well, the answer or problem (or solution) must lie with the individual. Any time that a Doctrine concerning the Sovereignty of God comes down to the individual – at least it comes down to the individual to make it Effective – then we know that the Doctrine has been compromised, and can no longer be called a Doctrine of God, but instead becomes – at least in part – a Doctrine of men. If the Grace of God depends upon the individual in order for it to be Effective, than it is not Grace at all.

Listen to what Paul told Timothy: “⁸ Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; ⁹ Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, ¹⁰ But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: ¹¹ Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” (2Tim. 1:8-11.) In this brief passage, Paul makes some very plain observations concerning Salvation. In v. 8, Paul tells Timothy that the Gospel and the Power of God are inseparable. Then, in v. 9, Paul is even more plain when he says that God “…hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” Obviously, then, Paul felt that his Salvation (and Timothy’s) depended upon the holy calling of God, and did not depend upon our works. Further, this Salvation was strictly according to God’s own purpose and grace. And, even further, this Purpose and Grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Then, in v. 10, Paul reminds Timothy that this Amazing Grace of God became evident (made manifest) through and by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the One Who has abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. This Gospel, then, must be all about Jesus Christ and the Grace of God which is manifest through Him. And, in v. 11, Paul affirms that this is the Gospel and Grace that he would be forever Preaching and Teaching.

Men in most of Christianity teach that God is Gracious, and it is up to men to decide to partake of that Graciousness. This is definitely not the Sovereign Grace of God that we believe in, and, I think that we will find that it is not Grace at all. We read in Rom. 11:5-8, “⁵ Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. ⁶ And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. ⁷ What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded ⁸ (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” True Grace cannot be mixed with Works. Paul tells the Romans that if the Remnant exists at all, it is according to the election of grace. But, if Salvation is According to Grace, then it cannot be of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. However, if you (or any man) will insist that Salvation is of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. Israel, in large part, trusted in Works and Self-Worth. Therefore, they could not obtain Salvation, because Salvation is of Grace.

Quite simply, Paul lets the Romans (and us) know that, if your Salvation depends on Works, why do you need Grace? If you can save yourself, then do it. However, if you understand that Works cannot save you, then trust in the Grace of God. Salvation cannot be a compromise between the two. When you trust in the Grace of God, do not attempt to incorporate your Works into that Salvation – or else the Grace of God is no more Grace.

Conclusion

The Grace of God is very evident in the Scriptures. The Grace of God is very evident in this Creation. The Grace of God is very evident in Humanity. The Grace of God is all around us, even today. And yet, man, in his natural condition, hates to acknowledge the Purity and the Glory of the Grace of God. As human beings, we insist on incorporating our own Works, Desires, and twisted Logic into our understanding of the Grace of God. When we do this, we make this Grace to be no more Grace. God give us Grace in Salvation – and then, God give us Grace to understand more and more of Him. I pray that God would even give us Grace to properly contend for the Grace of God in Salvation.