Editor’s note: This is an old blog post written after hearing a sermon by Andrew Randall, now minister at Grace Church Larbert. I’ve rewritten a lot of it, but the core is still from Andrew’s excellent sermon.
An inspiring truth
“This one word ‘grace’ contains within itself the whole of New Testament theology.”
J. I. Packer
A lifetime’s study would not exhaust the doctrine of grace, so this blog post will only scratch the surface of what grace is, and then consider what grace means for salvation.
A definition of grace
One of the best definitions is that grace is an unmerited gift, from an unobligated giver. God gives us salvation, something we don’t deserve and which he has no requirement to give us. We don’t deserve it and we definitely don’t earn it.
“The whole point about the divine redemption of humanity was that humanity did not deserve it”
Edward Norman
That’s important to grasp, grace that you somehow ‘earn’ even just by ‘choosing to believe’ in Jesus is not grace. It is works. Works won’t save you and they never can.
This is what grace is: God gives. We don’t deserve it, but he gives anyway. We deserve death, damnation and despair. He gives life, salvation and hope. But what does grace mean, practically? What does it mean when it comes to salvation?
Grace means that salvation is absolutely free
Salvation is free. Like we said above, we can’t earn our salvation. Instead, God gives us it freely. Every other faith claims some form of works based salvation. Either you have to do certain things or not do certain things. The Bible says no, all your good works are useless.
“All of us have become like one who is unclean,
Isaiah 64:4-9 (NIV)
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
Isaiah there says that the best things he and the Israelite nation have done in an attempt to earn God’s favour are just filthy rags to God. All the performative righteousness they could muster, like bloody rags. They are worse than worthless – they disgust him.
That hits us where it hurts; the doctrine of grace leaves no room for our pride. There is no room left for pride when your salvation is completely from God. If you didn’t DO anything, there’s nothing to be proud of; and that hurts.
Grace is humbling, it is radical and it is free. It’s not just generosity, although that is part of it. Generosity is giving more than we deserve. Grace is giving us what we don’t deserve.
If you wash my car and I give you £5 that’s pretty fair. If you wash it and I give you £10,000 that’s generous – but it’s not grace because you did something to deserve part of it. If you steal my car, wrap it round a lamppost, and then I give you £10,000 then that’s grace.
Doesn’t that make you want to weep? We have stolen God’s car and we’ve wrapped it round every spiritual lamppost that we can find. In repayment, he sent his son to die. Jesus was crucified in agony for people who deserved to be in his place; for the people who didn’t want his gift; for the people who put him on that cross. That is grace.
Did that sink in? The spotless lamb of God was crucified in agony for the very people who caused him to be crucified. That is grace.
The spotless lamb of God was crucified in agony for the very people who caused him to be crucified. That is grace. Share on XSalvation is absolutely full
Grace means that salvation covers everything. Works-based righteousness means that there would always be little bits you didn’t quite manage. But grace is complete. This is an amazing thing, it means that there is nothing that cannot be forgiven, and there is no one that cannot receive forgiveness. Jesus said:
“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.”
Matthew 12:31
Every sin and blasphemy. Every single one. Every theft, lie, angry thought and rebellion against God will be forgiven through his grace. Except for one thing, rejection of the Holy Spirit’s saving work. The only thing that will not be forgiven is rejecting grace.
Salvation is absolutely finished
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30
What were Jesus’ last words as he hung there dying? ‘I hope they manage to do enough good works to make this worth something’? ‘I hope this is enough to save them’? No. His last words were a cry of victory: “It is finished!” It is done! Salvation is complete, it is finished – there’s nothing left to do. The battle is won, the journey is over. It is finished. We are assured our deliverance and welcomed into the presence of God. It is finished.
It is finished.
Salvation is absolutely firm
It is finished doesn’t just mean it is done. It means it’s certain. If it’s finished, if it’s full, if it’s free – what could go wrong? How could it possibly fail? God planned it, God executed it and God has finished it – how could anyone fear that they could be lost? Once you are saved then you are always saved. There is no room for doubting or fear in the kingdom of grace.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:28
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
Isaiah 43:2
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
Everyone knows that the doctrine of grace means you can’t add to your salvation – but so many forget that it also means you can’t take away from it. There is nothing that you or I can do that would make God forsake us when he has saved us.
The old hymn says it best:
The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
How Firm A Foundation
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavour to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
Some practicalities
Just to briefly outline four of the practical consequences of this beautiful doctrine of grace.
- There is hope for the worst of us – if grace is full then there is noone beyond forgiveness. Jesus says that if only we come to him, he will forgive.
- There is humility for the best of us – if grace is free and full then we did nothing to deserve our place with God. Paul says in Ephesians 2 verse 9 that we are saved not “as result of works, so that no one may boast”.
- There is one place for all of us – if grace is true at all then every Christian will stand before God equal in Christ, there is no favouritism, no ‘better’ Christians. When Christians meet together there are no ‘successful’ or ‘unsuccessful’ people among them. Just sinners saved by grace.
- There is glory for God – If God’s grace saves, God is glorified. We must learn humility and everyone must honour the glory and majesty of the one who saved them.
An alternative to grace
There is always another option. You can choose works over grace. You can stand before a perfect and holy God on the day of judgement and you can tell him of the door you opened for your mum, or the old lady you helped across the street. You can tell him of the meal you cooked when your friend was ill, you can tell him of the money you gave to Oxfam, or the sponsored walk you did to raise money for Christian Aid. You can tell God of the times you went to church, or the prayers you prayed, or the passages you read, or your devotion to religious rituals. You can tell God all that.
And God will answer. He will tell you of the times you messed up. He will tell you of your sinfulness, He will tell you of your rebellion against Him. God will tell you of a life lived, not for him, but for your own security. God will tell you of his love, and your coldness. He will tell you of your arrogance, that you dared to think his sacrifice insufficient, that you dared to think your works enough.
You can tell God of your good deeds.
I will tell him of my sin, I have nothing else.
I will tell him of the fact that I have failed, I have never succeeded.
You can tell him of a life lived not as badly as that guy over there.
I will tell him of a life lived worse, because that’s the life I lived.
But I will tell him of another life, a perfect life – I will tell him of Christ.
On judgement day you can talk about works but I will talk about grace, about God’s love covering my failure and wretchedness. But even that is not because I got it all figured out. Without grace I would still be relying on my works. Only God could change my heart, to swallow my pride, however hard I still find that, and rely on his grace. And such grace it is!
[Inlinetweet]Grace, so free that even I can take it, so full that it covers even my sin, so finished and so firm that there is nothing I could do to lose it. Thank God for that grace.[/inlinetweet]
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
My all my powers to Thee aspire,
And all my days be Thine.
Thanks be to God for his indescribable grace!