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God’s Amazing Grace
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.
Those are the words that were penned by a man named John Newton. They are words that we have all heard before, but do you know that Mr. Newton was a slave ship captain? Hugo McCord, in an article titled “The Amazing Grace of God,” wrote,
John Newton (1725-1807) of London was motherless at age seven and a sailor at eleven. Soon he was vulgar, blasphemous, and skeptical. However, on an African-England voyage, a mighty tempest left all sailors exhausted and despairing of life. As the ship pitched, he began to reflect on his sinful life as he waited to receive his doom. When the ship righted, John began to pray. He was a changed man.
Back in England he began studying the Bible. Then, becoming a slave ship captain, on one trip, as he was taking a cargo of black men from Africa to Charleston, SC, his nature shrank from such inhumanity. Resigning, he wrote a letter of condemnation. Back in England, he took a job in Liverpool as a clerk in an office, and started attending religious services. At the age of thirty-nine he was ordained a rector, and preached for forty-three years. (Do You Understand the Grace of God? Pulaski, TN: Sain Publications, 2004. 539)
I don’t have to know much about John Newton to see that he was a man deeply impressed by the grace of God, just read the words of “Amazing Grace.” What about us, though? What do we think about when we think about the grace of God?
What is so Amazing about God’s Grace?
Rather than asking what’s so amazing about God’s grace, we might ask, “what is there that is not amazing about God’s grace”? To which we would have to answer “nothing”.
God’s grace is the unmerited favor of God. It means that he is doing or giving something to us that we have not earned and that we do not deserve, and when we really stop and think it over, there is a great deal that God has both given and done for us that we just simply don’t deserve. Every day that we wake up and see another day of life, that is by the grace of God that we are alive, and nothing else. If not, what did we ever do to deserve it? How did we earn it? When I look around at some of the beauty that exists in this old world that we live on it reveals the grace of God in creation. He didn’t have to give us a beautiful place to live in, but He did. He didn’t have to provide food for us that is so varied and so good to eat that I have to be careful that I don’t eat too much because I like it so much, but He did. I did nothing to earn or deserve any of those things, but I’m so thankful that God was so loving and gracious toward us that He gave all of those things to us anyways. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning” (Jas. 1:17).
One sees the gracious, considerate, bending over disposition of the Father taking time to come to the earth to talk to a sinful, sulking, angry Cain. By all rights, the busy God of the universe could have ignored the disobedient Cain. But grace goes beyond all rights. It was grace that moved the Father to leave heaven to do personal work with one person. ‘Like as a father pitieth his children, so Jehovah pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust’ (Ps. 103:13-14)
Since God’s disposition is the same in both the Old and New Testaments (‘For I, Jehovah, change not,’ Mal. 3:6), one is not surprised in the New Testament to see him as a father ‘moved with compassion,’ running, bending, even falling on the neck of a dirty, shabby, shoeless, sinful son, and kissing him profusely (Lk. 15:20). Strict justice never bends, but grace does. (McCord 540-541)
The grace of God that is shown to man in spite of our sinfulness is, to me, nothing short of amazing!
Paul was certainly someone who was impressed with the amazing grace of God. He would begin his epistles in this fashion: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Ro. 1:7 cf. 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; Col. 1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1; 2 Thes. 1:2; 1 Ti. 1:2; 2 Ti. 1:2; Tit. 1:4; Phil. 1:3). In First Corinthians 15:9-10 he said,
For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
He credited who he was, and rightfully so, to the grace of God. He was on a path of destruction until the Lord came to him there on the Damascus road and said, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” He obeyed the gospel after hearing the word taught by Ananias in Damascus, but Christ appeared to him, Christ made him an apostle, and most importantly, he found salvation in Christ. He had not earned those things; very far from it, but by the grace of God, he was what he was.
It is also by God’s grace that we are given the great privilege of wearing the name of Christ today. What a great gift was given to man on that terrible day at Mount Calvary! “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Ro. 5:8).
The fleshly personification of grace is the one who ‘steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,’ who endured the cross, despising the shame, who pleaded for his murderers, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ (Lk. 23:34 [cf. 9:51]; Heb. 12:2) (McCord 541)
Amazing, isn’t it?
The last words of all the Bible are these: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with the saints. Amen” (Rev. 22:21).
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…” and oh, how true!
How Are We Saved By The Grace of God?
(The rest of this lesson was copied from: Black, V.P. Do You Understand The Grace of God? “How Are We Saved By The Grace of God?” Pulaski, TN: Sain Publications, 2004. 23-33)
There are two words that sum up salvation. These two words are “grace” and “faith.” Grace includes what God has done to make salvation possible. Faith includes what humanity does to receive God’s grace.
Grace is a broad and inclusive term. Grace means favor, kindness, mercy, unmerited favor. All that we have in this life is an expression of God’s grace. All material blessings: the rain, the sunshine, seasons of the year, shelter, and food. All of these things are manifestations of the grace of God.
All spiritual blessings are these: God’s planning humanity’s salvation after the fall of Adam and Eve; the coming of Jesus; the shedding of his blood, all these things are manifestations of God’s grace.
Faith, also, is a broad and inclusive word. There are two kinds of faith: living faith and dead faith. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (Jas. 2:26). All Bible quotations are taken from the KJV unless otherwise noted. The faith of which Paul speaks in Ephesians 2:8 is an active faith that leads one to obey God. Let us give some examples of men who had faith in God.
First, consider Noah. “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…” (Heb. 11:7). In Genesis 6 we read about the instructions that God gave Noah. The Bible says, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he” (Gen. 6:22).
Second, consider Abraham. “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac…” (Heb. 11:17). When we turn to Genesis 22, we learn that Abraham took his son, traveled three days to Mount Moriah, built and alter, laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. Abraham stretched forth his hand to slay his son, but an angel of God said, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad” (Gen. 22:12).
We see that Noah’s faith and Abraham’s faith led them to obey God. A faith that does not lead a person to obey God is a dead faith and cannot save.
An active faith is more than a mental accent to truth. An active faith is more than just some emotional feeling. An active faith takes God at his word and obeys him. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (Jas. 2:17).
Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue (Jn. 12:42).
Since we have seen that grace and faith are broad and inclusive words, let us put them together and see what we learn. We can learn the meaning of Ephesians 2:8 by observing what the brethren in Ephesus did to become children of God.
Let us keep in mind that Paul was talking to the brethren at Ephesus when he said, “For by grace are ye saved through faith.” The New King James Version says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.”
Let us go to the Bible and see what they did to be saved by grace through faith. If we can learn what they did to be saved by grace through faith, then we will know what we must do to be saved by grace through faith.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation…” (Eph. 1:13). We are told here that the Ephesians heard the word of truth, yet Paul said that they were saved by grace through faith. We must conclude, therefore, that in order to be saved by grace through faith, one must hear the truth.
We also read in Ephesians 1:13 these words, “…in whom also after that ye believed…” Let us keep in mind that Paul said they were saved by grace through faith, yet Paul said the Ephesians believed. We must conclude, therefore, that in order for one to be saved by grace through faith, one must believe.
Let us learn some more facts about the Ephesians. As Paul addressed the Ephesian elders concerning his work, he said, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God…” (Acts 20:21). Paul was talking about the Ephesians when he spoke these words. Let us keep in mind that Paul said the Ephesians were saved by grace through faith. We must intelligently conclude, therefore, that in order for one to be saved by grace through faith, one must repent.
Let us now turn to Acts 19:18. Paul is still talking about the Ephesians when Luke writes, “And many that believed came, and confessed…” We must conclude, therefore, that in order to be saved by grace through faith, one is to make this confession.
Now let us turn to Acts 19:5, which says, “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lor4d Jesus.” Keep in mind that Paul said the Ephesians were saved by grace through faith. We must conclude, therefore, that in order for one to be saved by grace through faith, one must be baptized.
I know that I understand Ephesians 2:8 because Paul tells me what it means. How can anyone claim to be saved by grace through faith without doing what the Ephesians did to be saved by grace through faith?
We also learn as we study this subject that what is ascribed to grace is often ascribed to the gospel. First, in Ephesians 2:5, Paul syas we are saved by grace. In First Corinthians 15:2, Paul says we are saved by the gospel. Second, in Romans 5:2, Paul says we stand in grace. In First Corinthians 15:1, Paul says we stand in the gospel. Third, Acts 20:32 refers to the word of grace. Acts 15:7 refers to the word of the gospel. Fourth, in Titus 2:1, grace has appeared unto all men. In Colossians 1:23, the gospel has been preached to all humanity. Fifth, in Galatians 1:6, Paul uses grace and gospel synonymously. Hear him, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.” Notice the contrast between the “grace of Christ” and “another gospel.” The grace of Christ and the gospel of Christ in this passage are synonymous. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us…” (Tit. 2:11-12). How does the “grace of God” teach us? Through the gospel of Christ!
While we emphasize obedience, we must not forget that one is not saved by one’s own righteousness. “Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:9). There is no work one can do to merit salvation. One does not earn his or her way to heaven. If one did, it would not be God’s grace. Isaiah said that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).
The Bible makes a distinction between a person’s righteousness and the righteousness of God. Paul, speaking of his Jewish brethren, said,
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. (Ro. 10:3).
To do what God commands us to do is not depending upon our own righteousness. In John 6:29, Jesus said for a person to believe is a work of God. In Psalm 119:172, we are told that all of God’s commandments are righteousness. Let us not confuse human works of self-righteousness with god’s commandments.
If a building were on fire, and a man climbs out of the burning building onto the ledge of the building five stories high, he cannot save himself, so another man extends to him a ladder. The man was saved by grace, but he had to climb down the ladder to safety. God has extended the ladder of salvation to humanity, but humanity must get on the ladder and climb upward.
What Does the Grace of God Do For Us?
First, the grace of God brings salvation to us. If it were not for the grace of God, there would be no salvation. We do not receive salvation because we deserve it, but by the grace of God we obtain it. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Tit. 2:11).
Second, the grace of God teaches us. It is because of the grace of God that we have been taught the truth about faith, repentance, confession, and baptism. The grace of God teaches us that we should deny “ungodliness and worldly lusts,” and that “we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Tit. 2:12). We did not, nor have we done, anything to merit these great blessings, Simply because of the unmerited favor of God, we have received this teaching.
Third, the grace of God covers our sins. “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Ro. 5:20). R.L. Whitside says the following about Romans 5:20,
Law was given to restrain people from wrong and guide them in the right way. There is this, however: the more things law prohibits and the more things it requires, the more points there are where we may violate law. In that way law may increase the number of sins. A man might observe the moral law oout of regard for himself and his fellow man, without any regard for God; but a positive law determines his attitude toward God. If a man has rebellion in his heart, positive law reveals it. Adam violated a positive law, not a moral law…Sin abounded in that it triumphed over the siner, made him feel his helplessness, and offered him no hope of deliverance. Where there was law, sin abounded. On the other hand, where sin abounded, much more did grace abound (126-127).
When Paul said that grace did much more abound, many misunderstood him and said Paul was teaching that if you want the grace of God manifested, then commit sin. The more sin one commits, they thought, the ore the grace of God will be manifested. Paul would say this is not true.
Listen to Paul in Romans 6:1-4,
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
When one obeys the gospel and tries hard to live right, one will still make mistakes and at times sin, but the grace of God will cover his sins if he is walking in the light (1 Jn. 1:7).
Fourth, the grace of God gives us what we need, not what we deserve. Many times when a person makes a mistake and is punished, someone will say that he or she deserved it. Well, my friend, if we get what we deserve, we are going to be lost.
Let us look at some Bible examples of God giving people what they needed, and not what they deserved. In Second Chronicles 17-18, we read about Jehoshaphat, who was a good man. He was king of Judah. He built fenced cities and set up garrisons in the land. He walked in the first ways of David and sought not unto Baalam. Jehoshaphat’s heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord. He sent out the princes, Levites, and priests to teach the people. All these admirable traits tell us he was a good man. However, we are told that he joined affinity with Ahab. He made a bad mistake by going to war with Ahab against the Syrians.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed aobut him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him (2 Chr. 18:31).
Jehoshaphat dserved to die because he joined hands with an enemy of God to go to war. God, however, extednded grace to him, and his life was spared.
In Leviticus 20:10, we are told,
And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
David committed adultery with Bathsheba. He broke the law and deserved to die. Later, David repented, and then God gave David what he needed, not what he deserved. This was the grace of God.
On one occasion, when Christ was teaching in the temple, the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery (Jn. 8:1-11). They said to Jesus that the Law of Moses commanded that such should be stoned. This was true. The Law of Moses stated that one taken in adultery should be stoned (Lev. 19:20). Jesus, however, did not give the poor woman what she deserved. He gave her what she needed and that was the grace of God (Jn. 8:10-11).
Jesus tells how this young man went to his father and asked for the portion of goods which he would receive at this father’s death. He went into a far country, and there he wasted his substance with riotous living. After he spent his money, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. He got a job feeding hogs. This brought him to his senses. He began to think how well he had it at home. So he said,
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants (Lk. 15:18-19).
He was right. He had conducted himself in such a way that he did not deserve to be called his father’s son. The father, however, gave him what he needed, not what he deserved.
Notice what the father said,
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kil it; and let us eat, and be merry (Lk. 15:22-23).
The father was giving to the son what he needed and that was grace.
Ezra expressed it well when he said,
And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this (Ezr. 9:13).
Fifth, the grace of God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. If we could work and merit salvation, then God would owe it to us as a debt, and it would not be grace.
Three little boys went into a florist shop and asked the proprietor if he had any yellow roses for thirty-six cents per dozen. The proprietor asked, “Why do you ask if I have any roses for thirty-six cents per dozen?” The boys told him that they were playing ball, and the ball went into the street, and their buddy ran into the street to get the ball and was hit by a car and killed. They said, “We have put our money together and we have thirty-six cents.” The proprietor said, “Let me check again. Oh, ye, we hae received some yellow roses, and they are thirty-six cents a dozen.”
The man was doing for the little boys what they could not do for themselves. God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
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