BEN F. VICK, JR.
“Grace” is defined as unmerited favor. God’s grace is his unmerited favor shown toward man. Man’s grace has been extended to many of us at various times. Maybe we were driving too fast and deserved a ticket, but the police officer was merciful and just gave us a warning. Maybe we were late with a payment, but the creditor extended a period of grace to us. Maybe we had a paper due for college, and the professor was gracious enough to extend the deadline.
God has been gracious to man, and shall continue to be, from the blooming Garden of Eden to old smoking, shaking Sinai, from smoking, shaking Sinai to the blood-stained cross of Calvary, and from the blood-stained cross of Calvary to the present hour until the death knell sounds or until the last trumpet is blown.
God’s grace, or favor, is seen in the beginning in the creation of man and placing him in the Garden of Eden. God gave man life (Gen. 2:7; Acts 17:28). He showed grace to man by providing a pleasurable environment in which to live and beautiful trees to enjoy. Moses records:
“And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.” (Gen. 2:9-10.)
God showed his grace to man by making woman and bringing her unto the man. She was his wife. She was more than “his significant other” or “companion.” She was his “helpmeet,” which means “a help corresponding to him i.e. equal and adequate to himself.” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon.)
When the world was destroyed by water, God’s grace is seen by his having saved Noah and his family. The world was wicked, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8.)
Noah demonstrated his faith by obedience (Heb.11:7) and was spared the destruction which the delusion brought. His having been spared destruction caused him to build an altar and worship God after he came out of the ark (Gen. 8:20-21).
God’s grace was demonstrated in the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, through whom the promised Seed would come. God’s promises were fulfilled in his having provided, protected and preserved their descendants, even when they ended up in a foreign land and became slaves.
Over and over again God’s grace, his unmerited favor, is evidenced by his having guided and guarded Israel out of that iron furnace of Egypt to the land that flowed with milk and honey. A cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night directed their path. Water from the Rock in a dry and thirsty land slaked their thirst. The daily and divine provision of manna for Israel reminds us again of God’s gracious love for his people. At least on one occasion, God fed them with quail in that wilderness wasteland.
Throughout Israel’s history God over and over again showed his love, mercy and longsuffering for Israel. They turned away; he punished them. They cried; he took them back. They turned away; he punished them. They cried; he took them back. This refrain is seen in the Old Testament. The Psalmist wrote:
He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; not rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:7-12.)
We see God’s greater grace manifested toward man in sending his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. John wrote, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world thought him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17.) The apostle Paul wrote:
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgement was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences to justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Rom. 5:15-19.)
Grace is a gift—a free gift. No one should deny this. However, in order for something to be a gift, there must be a giver and a receiver. If a person does not accept the gift, it is no gift. The acceptance of God’s gift of grace entails our obedience to his will (Heb. 5:8-9). Grace is offered to all men (Titus 2:11; Heb. 2:9), but not all men are willing to comply with God’s commands. The offer is free. We did nothing and can do nothing to deserve, or merit, the offer; however, to enjoy the wonderful benefits of God’s grace, one must obey the gospel.
What does it mean to obey the gospel? One must hear the word of the gospel (Rom. 10:17). One must believe the gospel of God’s grace. We must believe that Jesus died for our sins, according to the Scripture, and that he was buried and raised again, according to the Scripture (I Cor. 15:1-4). We must repent of our sins (Acts 2:38; 3:19). We must confess, or acknowledge, Christ before men (Rom. 10:9-10). We must be baptized, immersed in water, for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Obedience to the gospel requires that we remain faithful unto death (I Cor. 4:2; Rev. 2:10).
These few scriptures and sentiments help us to understand why Paul by inspiration wrote, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:8-10.)
“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,……” (Psa. 107:2.)
—The Informer, Jan. 25, 2009
Vol. 62, No. 16.