MAN IS THE RECIPIENT AND BENEFICIARY OF GRACE BECAUSE OF CHRIST
Second only to the Doctrine of the Deity of Christ, the most important study we will ever undertake is the Doctrine of Grace – God’s graciousness. We cannot even begin to know our Great God and Savior until we metabolize His grace. The word grace in the Greek is “charis.” Charis means limitless and measureless. Grace is God’s pre-designed plan for believers before, during, and after salvation.
The grace of God is not withdrawn because of our sin-failures. Grace comes to mankind from God because of the cross-work of Christ. Human merit has no part in Salvation and it has no part in living the Christian life after salvation.
Grace cannot be changed, improved upon, or weakened in any way because Grace depends on who and what God is, not on who and what man is, or what man does or doesn’t do. Grace is provided by God because of sin, and regardless of sin. The cost of our sin was paid at the cross.
Sin is no longer the issue. Personal, that is individual forgiveness, is the issue for mankind. Grace does not mean that God overlooks our sin, it means He accepts the cross as payment in full for all sin, past present and future – once and for all, for all time (He is propitiated). Hello! Grace is the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, accepted by God, removing the ordinances against us (Colossians 2:14).
One of the reasons for denominationalism is failure to understand God’s grace. Another reason is interpretation. Denominationalism and incorrect interpretation are the result of ego, coupled with satanic influence (in-part or in full). Earning salvation by merit is a by-product of human nature (sponsored by satan). God has provided salvation – the cross. Man by his very nature struggles with faith minus works. God is perfect and he has a perfect plan called Grace.
Grace under the scrutiny of Scripture is found in Romans 11:6.
“And if by grace, then it (salvation) is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.” Grace and works are mutually exclusive. By God’s plan of grace, He receives the credit and the glory (not us) because sinners are saved by God’s plan through Christ.
Believers are transformed by God Himself, by the renewal of our minds through Bible doctrine. God’s administrative plan is carried out under the instruction of the Holy Spirit through the pastor-teacher. Grace is God’s free gift, which comes to saved-humanity through Christ, and that is why He died in our place – He had to if we were to be saved (2 Timothy 1:9), and He was the only one who could do so.
Grace glorifies God. When you try to pay back God for your salvation, or His plan of eternal blessing, you take away from God the glory that belongs to Him. We serve Him because we cannot repay Him. There are no strings attached to salvation or to God’s plan of grace; Grace flows from God toward man. It’s a one-way street. Man has no grace of his own and no way to pay the debt of the sinning nature. So, Christ paid it (Romans 4:4-8; Colossians 2:13-14). Let Him have His accomplishment on your behalf; let Him have the glory.
Serving God is the intake and application of God’s Word through the influence of the Holy Spirit. When we serve God, it is an expression of appreciation of what He has done for us through Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Salvation is by grace. Spirituality is by grace (Ephesians 2:7-9; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19). Salvation is a gift, not a reward. Spirituality (filling of the Spirit) is a gift, not a reward. The Christian life is a gift, not a reward (Acts 11:17, Romans 5:5 and 2 Corinthians 5:5).
If we are ever going to fully appreciate God’s plan, the cross of Christ, and the true function of the Holy Spirit, we must master the Doctrine of Grace.
Grace means kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and blessing. Grace is free, unmerited and undeserved. Grace is how great God is. Grace depends on the character of God, not on the character of man. Grace and religion are totally exclusive.
Religion is the antithesis of Grace. Religion is ritual without reality, without God, religion is all about man. Religion is satan’s counterfeit of God’s grace. Grace is this: God does all the work – He delivers the believer from the kingdom of darkness. He delivers us and literally deposits us into His eternal light – Christ is eternal light – He is the light of the world (Acts 26:18; John 3:19). He brings to light the hidden things by the light of His Gospel and His Word (1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 4:4,6). Grace is the pre-designed plan of God via the cross.
God is perfect righteousness. God is perfect justice. Grace did not judge our sins; God’s justice judged our sins on the cross. Christ satisfied the perfect righteousness of God by living and dying a perfect life. He knew no sin, but He was made sin for us (Colossians 2:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:24-26). The cross is the judicial action of God, on Christ, for mankind. Our forgiveness is made possible through the cross, which propitiated (satisfied) the righteousness of God (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10).
Therefore, forgiveness of sin is based on the righteousness of God, delivered by the justice of God through the Son of God.
Grace freely flows because of God’s Son. God found (always knew) a way to save us and keep us saved – God’s Son saved us by dying in our place. God’s Holy Spirit keeps us saved by sealing us the instant we believe in the cross-work of Christ – this is Grace (Matthew 27:27-51; Mark 15:16-41; Luke 23:26-49; John19:16-37; Hebrews 9:3-8; 10:19-20).
Grace comes to man through the cross. Man comes to God through the cross. It is at the cross where God and humanity are reconciled. God’s faithfulness to His own Son, as well as God’s own character, guards our salvation. God’s integrity is our assurance.
Mankind is the beneficiary of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. God designed salvation and the Christian life and the title of His plan is called Grace. Grace is the deliverance of man through the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary. Believe it or not.
The Holy Spirit sustains the believer throughout his life – this is God’s grace. To appreciate God’s grace, we must experience it. This is one of two reasons we are left here on earth after salvation, so that we can personally learn and experience God’s wonderful grace. The second reason is to be ambassadors to a condemned world that is lost and dying without Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are to watch the deliverance of the Lord as He executes His plan through the body of Christ (believers). Reference Psalm 79:9; Matthew 6:13; 2 Corinthians 1:10; Galatians 1:4; 1 Corinthians 15:24).
Grace is our freedom to approach the Throne of Grace in prayer. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore draw near (to God) with (humility) confidence to the Throne of Grace, (here is the reason) that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” We are to watch the deliverance of the Lord.
Grace is experienced in suffering (deserved or undeserved) – 2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He said to me ‘my Grace is sufficient for you, for power (God’s) is perfected (manifested or experienced) in weakness (our weakness).” We are to watch the deliverance of the Lord.
We are weak, but He is strong. We are perfected in suffering. We suffer because he first suffered. Grace sustained Christ on the cross and the same grace will sustain the believer in suffering. “Take up you cross daily and follow Christ” (Matthew 10:38; 16:24).
Grace is our stabilizer, as in 1 Peter 5:12, we are to “stand firm in grace.” We are to watch the deliverance of the Lord.
We are to “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (through Bible doctrine) as in 2 Peter 3:18.
Grace defines eternal security. God’s eternal plan, since the foundation of the world, is designed to save us and keep us saved. He saves us by the cross-work of Christ. He keeps us saved by the Sealing and Indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 1:22, God tells us that He has sealed us and has given us the Spirit in our heart as a pledge (covenant). We are “sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
“Grace to you.”
“Grace and Peace be with you all.”
These two statements were delivered by the greatest of believers – the Apostle Paul in most of the openings and closings of his letters. Make this a study for yourself – read every introduction and closing of Paul’s letters. God’s grace was everything to Paul. Grace is for our benefit and God’s credit (glory). Amen.
Happy Studying!
For more, please also see our study entitled: Grace Revisited.