This Is The True Grace Of God
“By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.”
Every Christian understands the concept of grace. Indeed, not understanding it has a significant bearing on whether we really are believers in Christ or not. The New Testament speaks about the abuse of grace. This means that we think we can sin as we please and because we are under grace, we can simply claim the forgiveness of God without repenting.
Others pervert grace by changing its meaning or adding to it. The Galatians were being tempted to add to grace. There were false teachers who told them that they had to be circumcised in order to be saved (Gal. 2:3, 12, 16; 5:3-6, 11; 6:12-15). In other words, God’s grace alone was not enough, and some kind of work was also necessary. We are never justified by works (Rom. 3:20, 21, 26-31; 4:2-5; Gal. 3:2, 6-11).
The Apostle Paul calls these changes in grace a “different gospel” (Gal. 1:6). In fact, to change the meaning of grace or to add to grace is to nullify grace. Grace fails to be grace. This is significant because if we do anything to grace, what do we then have? We have changed grace and made it nothing, and if this is true, then what good is God’s grace to us? No, we must never tamper with grace. In English, the word “grace” carries the idea of personal virtue. Perhaps this is why some parents name a child “Grace.” But this is not the meaning of the words in Hebrew or Greek. The Hebrew (chen) and the Greek (charis)–both pronounced with a hard guttural “h,” mean something other than personal virtue.
They both indicate an objective relationship of underserved favor given from a superior to an inferior, (i.e., from God to man). This is also why we find mercy connected to grace. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we do not deserve.
Grace is not something that is passive. It is active. It brings changes. It affects us. Grace continually operates and works. Paul said he was called by God’s grace (Gal. 1:15). Grace is the machinery behind faith and repentance (Eph. 2:8-10; 2 Tim. 2:25). Most important of all, grace is bound to the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace comes to us in a person (John 1:15-18; Rom. 5:21; 1 Cor. 1:4; 2 Cor. 8:9).
Grace implies freedom. It delivers freedom. The promise of grace is the promise of deliverance. There is nothing anyone can ever do to earn or win grace. Working is not grace. Working for grace cannot be done. However, it is always grace that produces works. But grace only does this connected to faith. Grace standing apart from the gift of faith exists but has no meaning for us. When grace and faith co-exist (both being God’s gifts to us–see Eph. 2:8-10), the relationship between God and man is one of salvation.
There is a common grace from God. He sends the rain on the just and unjust (Matt. 5:45). So, the daily enjoyment of food is the result of common grace. The Christian acknowledges God as the Giver of these things, but the unbeliever does not. Grace can be said to prompt gratitude when biblically understood. This means that we recognize that all good gifts come down to us from God above (James 1:17). Common grace is enjoyed by all, but God is not thanked by all for it. Saving grace is special grace. It is related to salvation (Titus 3:3-7). We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8, 9). This is not our work, but God’s free gift to us.
Some gifts come with strings attached, but not grace. Some gifts are given and then taken back, proving they were never gifts in the first place. But never grace. Grace is always free. If we connect grace to anything or make it dependent or subservient to anything, then grace ceases to be grace. In Romans 11:6, Paul makes this very point: “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
The doctrine of God’s free grace has always been obscured by the human response. We always want to put faith before grace. Behind this is a desire to have some say in our salvation, and also, quite simply, it is a failure to understand faith, let alone grace. Augustine spoke of the priority of grace back in the fifth century as he tried to stem the tide of Pelagian thought (the power of human willing for good or bad untainted by original sin). Augustine’s point was that all men and women everywhere are enslaved by sin and salvation was grounded in God’s grace alone providing faith and repentance. This is called “prevenient grace.”
Prevenient grace means that divine grace always precedes human decision. It exists totally apart from man’s nature or ability (or non-ability). Grace is, therefore, solely rooted in God. However, prevenient grace does not mean that it can be resisted, according to Augustine. Arminian theology holds that prevenient grace can enable but not ensure the acceptance of salvation. This places salvation in human willing and not in divine sovereignty.
Augustine understood that regeneration (being born again) always preceded faith; in fact, regeneration begets faith, and thus Augustine labeled this irresistible grace. The main point though is that when we speak of grace, we never say “man’s grace,” but always “God’s grace.” When we speak of grace as we find in the Bible, it is always the grace of God. Grace comes from God alone. The Reformation brought about a return to the primacy of grace alone. This is known as “sola gratia.” The Reformation is known for the recovery of five solas. These are: Scripture alone (sola scriptura), Christ alone (sola Christus), faith alone (sola fide), grace alone (sola gratia), and glory to God alone (soli Deo gloria). The “alone” points out the primacy and relevancy of the article in question. The primacy is that it is from God (or divine in origin), and the relevancy is that it is not of us.
Without grace, there can be no peace with God. This is why Paul always combines grace with mercy and peace in his salutations. The abundance of grace is seen in that we have received it from our Lord Jesus Christ himself (Rom. 5:17; see also John 1:16–from his fullness… grace upon grace).
In 1 Peter 5, the Apostle Peter encourages us to face suffering, temptation, and persecution. In verse 10, he points out that it is the God of all grace who has called us to his eternal glory in Christ, who will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us. Notice that all these are from the God of all grace. Peter’s entire letter is about the true grace of God and how we should submit to it. He tells us to stand firm in it. He does not tell us to stand firm in faith. If you stand firm in grace you are strong in the faith. The idea behind standing and being firm is that we are to be prepared and ready for trials and difficulties and then to know that grace supplies all that we need. God’s grace is sufficient for us in our weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9). God’s grace abounds to us freely in Christ. It is constantly ours. How much grace do you need? Far more than you realize. All that we are, we are by God’s grace (1 Cor. 15:10). Our service in the local church is driven by the gifts of grace given to us. To use your gifts is to demonstrate God’s grace to you. It speaks of a thankful heart. Stand firm in the true grace of God. Don’t change it or corrupt it. And remember what Paul said: “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible” (Eph. 6:24).