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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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October 10, 2010
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Contents:
1) Grace (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
Grace
by Tom Edwards
As we have considered in the last several articles (of "Works," "Faith
-- as Seen in the Bible," and "Calling on the Lord: What It Really
Means"), every reader should be able to easily infer that salvation by
God's grace is not a passive thing. Rather, there are conditions
to be met by obeying certain commands in order to be recipients of that
grace.
If, however, salvation were by grace alone (which is on God's part),
then not only would obedience not be necessary, neither would faith be
-- and everyone would, therefore, be saved. For 2 Peter 3:9 shows
that "The Lord is...not wishing for any to perish...."
But there is more to it than grace and what God wants; for we
also have a responsibility in our salvation, as this verse goes on to
indicate: the individual must "come to repentance," which no one else
-- not even the Lord -- can do for you.
But not only will not everyone be saved, it is also true that not even
the majority will be, as Jesus shows in Matthew 7:13,14: "Enter by the
narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to
destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is
small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who
find it." So it appears that it will be just a minority -- in
relation to all who have ever lived -- who will be saved in the
Judgment Day. We need to really open our eyes to this and strive
to walk that narrow way.
The seriousness of this type of slim entrance can also be seen in the
days of Noah when he, along with his wife, their three sons, and
their sons' wives were the only ones -- out of the entire world's
population -- who were saved from the flood. The Bible declares,
"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8); and we would
think of that favor as being an extension of God's mercy and
grace. For though Noah was "a righteous man, blameless in his
time," and one who "walked with God," yet, it could not be said that
Noah never sinned (cf. Rom. 3:23); and, therefore, he -- as every other
accountable person -- had a vital need for the mercy and grace of
the Lord.
God's grace is used to stand for different things in the Scriptures. In
writing to the brethren scattered abroad, Peter states in 1 Peter
4:10,11, "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving
one another as good stewards of the MANIFOLD GRACE OF GOD.
Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of
God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength
which God supplies...." So God's grace is "MANIFOLD."
The New International Version renders this as "God's grace in its
VARIOUS FORMS."
To the apostle Paul, continuing in God's grace also meant that he would
continue to declare the gospel message; for that was a ministry
that Paul received of the Lord and speaks of as being "the grace that
was given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the
Gentiles..." (Rom. 15:15,16). Is it not also by God's grace
that Christians today can serve the Lord? For we have entered
into our service and worship to Him through His grace -- and which
without, we would not be able to acceptably do so.
Sometimes "grace" is used in the Scriptures with reference to God's
word. It is said that while Paul and Barnabas were in
Iconium, "...they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance
upon the Lord, who was bearing witness to THE WORD OF HIS GRACE,
granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands" (Acts 14:3,
emphasis mine).
This reminds us, too, of Paul's exhortation to the Ephesian elders in
his farewell address to them. In part of that, he states, "And
now I commend you to God and to the WORD OF HIS GRACE, which is able to
build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are
sanctified" (Acts 20:32).
Should not these last couple passages cause us to realize that we can't
separate God's grace from His word? In other words, if we want
God's grace in our lives, we must receive it through His word -- by our
faith and obedience to it.
Paul also brings this out in Titus 2:11-13, where he shows that God's
grace demands obedience: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly
desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior, Christ Jesus." In view of this passage, can
we be saved by God's grace if we refuse to submit to what that grace
demands?
Notice how grace is used in 2 Corinthians 12:9. Here, it appears
that grace is summing up whatever the Christian needs from God, to see
him through. For after Paul prayed three times that his thorn in
the flesh be removed from him, the Lord answered by saying, "My grace
is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." In
view of that, Paul could be glad and content even when experiencing
weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, and other difficulties
(v. 10).
Though some verses can sound conclusive in themselves, we always need
to examine the totality of God's word to see if any more is said on the
subject. For instance, when Peter says in Acts 15:11, "But we
believe that we are SAVED THROUGH the GRACE of the Lord Jesus, in the
same way as they also are," we need to read on to see more of how one
is saved by that grace. Paul, for instance, brings out more on
that in Ephesians 2:8,9, where he shows that there is more than the
condition of grace on God's part, but also the need for faith on
man's. The apostle writes, "For by GRACE you have been saved
THROUGH FAITH...." But we can't end there, for James also brings
out an important point: our faith must be an obedient faith! For
"FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD" (James 2:17-26). So all of this
must be put together -- rather than any one point being excluded from
the rest.
When we think of the Lord doing something for us by His grace, we are
made to realize -- or, at least, should -- that God is doing something
for us that we could never deserve or merit. Therefore, we think
of it as an "unmerited favor" that He would be showing. Notice
how we see this idea in Acts 18:27. Here, Apollos, after being
taught by Priscilla and Aquila, went to Achaia where he "greatly helped
those who had BELIEVED THROUGH GRACE." Yes, we think of the need
for the grace of God's word, the gospel, whereby faith comes (Rom.
10:17); but what about also the fact that even this ability the Lord
gives us to believe through His word is something we really don't
deserve? We need to, therefore, not take our faith for
granted! What a privilege it is to have this faith from
God. In writing to saints, Peter speaks of "the proof of your
faith," which is "more precious than gold which is perishable."
Without the death of Christ, grace would have not been made
available. This is seen in Romans 3:24, where Paul declares to
the Christians who were in Rome that they were "...justified as a gift
by His grace THROUGH THE REDEMPTION WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS."
From this, and other scriptures, we can infer the need to submit to the
gospel plan of salvation, by our faith and obedience, in order to
benefit from Christ's sacrifice and attain to this grace. For
though God would like all to have it, only the redeemed will receive
it.
Going along with this thought, Paul declares in Romans 5:1,2 to those
brethren in Rome that it is in Christ Jesus "through whom also we
have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we
stand...." Again we see of our responsibility toward acquiring
that grace, and isn't it interesting that Paul speaks of grace as being
that in which they stood? As we saw in Titus 2:11-13, grace
demands that we live a godly life; and by doing so, we will then be
standing in that grace.
Just as conditions need to be met to receive God's grace when becoming
a Christian, conditions need to also be continually met throughout the
life of the child of God so that grace won't be forfeited. Notice, for
example, what Paul writes in Romans 6:1,2: "What shall we say then? Are
we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never
be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Paul also
makes a similar point in verse 15: "What then? Shall we sin because we
are not under law but under grace? May it never be!"
The need to continue in God's grace can also be seen in Acts
13:43. Here, we see that Paul and Barnabas were speaking to
"many of the Jews and God-fearing proselytes" and "urging them to
continue in the grace of God." One does that by maintaining
obedience to the gospel.
Unfortunately, not all in the early church were continuing in God's
grace. For example, in writing to the Galatians, who had been
misled into thinking they had to keep the Law of Moses, along with the
gospel of Christ, in order to be saved, Paul clearly states, "You HAVE
BEEN SEVERED FROM CHRIST, you who are seeking to be justified by law;
you HAVE FALLEN FROM GRACE" (Gal. 5:4).
There are also other ways that one can fall from God's grace. The
Hebrew writer warns, "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification
without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one
COMES SHORT OF THE GRACE OF GOD; that no root of bitterness springing
up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral
or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single
meal" (Heb. 12:14-16). Actually, any sin that is not repented of
is a sin that would cause one to fall from God's grace. We,
therefore, need to strive to "walk in the light" in order that we will
then continually have the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from our
every sin (see 1 Jn. 1:6-10) -- and, thus, remain in God's grace.
Another thing necessary to be a recipient of God's grace is humility,
as set forth in 1 Peter 5:5, "You younger men, likewise, be subject to
your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE
HUMBLE."
In our humility, we also must be alert to that which would be an
endangerment to our faith. False teachers, for instance, can
pervert the grace of God. Jude warns of this in Jude 1:4, by
saying, "For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were
long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who
TURN THE GRACE OF GOD INTO LICENTIOUSNESS and deny our only Master and
Lord, Jesus Christ." The New International Version renders part
of this as "...who CHANGE THE GRACE OF OUR GOD INTO A LICENSE FOR
IMMORALITY and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and
Lord."
How could God's grace be changed into "licentiousness" or as "a license
for immorality"? By falsely teaching a Christian will no longer
be accountable for any sin he commits. It's the idea of "once
saved always saved," or "once in grace, always in grace"; that "grace
will cover every sin the Christian commits -- even without repenting of
it." Not only was this false doctrine being taught in Jude's day,
but it is also prevalent in our time as well.
As a safeguard against the fatal danger of false teaching, Peter gives
a remedy in 2 Peter 3:17,18. He declares: "You therefore,
beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not
carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own
steadfastness, but GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day
of eternity. Amen."
As we considered God's grace in this lesson, how important we see it to
be. Without it, we will be lost for all eternity.
Therefore, if you haven't already, won't you meet the Lord's conditions
so that you may have God's grace in your life? For what greater
blessing could we ever have here on earth than to simply be in God's
grace and have all the blessings that come with that -- such as the
forgiveness of sins, being a new creature in Christ Jesus, having a
relationship with God, having brothers and sisters in Christ, having
the hope of eternal life, and one day entering into that glorious place
called heaven, if we remain in God's grace by our faith and
obedience. Truly, having God's grace will not
only help us now, but it will also lead to great eternal blessings, as
well. So be sure you don't leave this world without it!
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News & Notes
Let those of us who are Christians be praying for Steve Lefort (Harris' brother) who
has been battling cancer for about the last 9 years. He is now
under hospice care.
Agnes Shuff is also still on
hospice care and can use our prayers.
I would also like to mention Julie
Adams (wife of Wilson Adams and daughter of the late Weldon
Warnock), whom I found out just recently, was diagnosed in April with
Macular Degeneration. When I asked for her permission to solicit
prayer for her, she not only said she would appreciate that, but also
requested prayer for all the others, too, who have this same condition.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel,
for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the
deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins
(Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ
(Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water
for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4;
Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith;
for,
if
not,
salvation
can
be
lost
(Heb.
10:36-39;
Rev.
2:10;
2
Pet.
2:20-22).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST
201 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn), Denham Springs, Louisiana
70726
Sunday services: 9:15 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 4 PM (worship)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
tedwards@onemain.com
tedwards1109@gmail.com
http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/audioser.html (audio sermons)
Directions:
Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off of I-12. At the end of
the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing
Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas
stations; with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road,
and go a little less than 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on
the
right. We assemble in its "Meeting Room," which is very close to
the reception counter. Just walk pass the check-in counter; turn
right at the hall. The first and second doors on the left lead to
where we meet.