Calling himself a “wretch” who was lost and blind, John Newton recalled leaving school at the age of 11 to begin life as a rough, debauched seaman. He was a heavy drinker and eventually engaged in the practice of capturing natives of West Africa to be sold as slaves to markets around the world. But one day in a terrible storm, in fear for his life, Newton began to read THE IMITATION OF CHRIST by Thomas a Kempis. God used the book to lead him into a dramatic change in his life through a relationship with Jesus as Lord of his life. Feeling a call on his life for ministry, he began to study and prepare for it. He was greatly influenced by John and Charles Wesley and George Whitfield. He later became an ordained minister in the Church of England.
During his life, he wrote many hymns. Perhaps the one he is most noted for is AMAZING GRACE. It is a story about God’s grace that was revealed in his life.
“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.
“Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved, how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
“Thru many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come, ’tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
“The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures, He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.
“When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.”
Each one of us is here on earth because of the grace of God. The fact that we exist is because of His wondrous grace. It says a lot about God’s character and very little if anything about us.
WHAT IS GRACE?
There are two ways the grace of God is seen toward man. The first is through what Jesus did for us on the Cross. The second is His divine ability in us continually that allows us to be and do what He wants.
Grace as Unmerited Favor
Grace is most often thought of as the unmerited favor and mercy of God revealed to mankind through what Jesus did for us on the Cross. The forgiveness of sin, regeneration, and the work of God in the heart and life of the sinner is a good example of God’s grace. Without this manifestation of grace, all of life would be futile and hopeless. But God in eternity past knew that man would reject Him so He provided a way to forgiveness and restoration.
The first mention of grace is found in Genesis 6:8 which says, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Noah found mercy, compassion, and unmerited favor. Not because of any character on his part, but because of God’s great love, compassion, and plan that He had for the human race.
In my Bible, I find that the word “grace” is used 191 times with most of them being in the New Testament.
We find that the Bible is very explicit that no one can receive forgiveness, justification, or any other thing from God except through His grace. Notice the following passages:
Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:15 “But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”
Romans 5:17 “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:20-21 “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so, grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
So, what are these verses saying? They are revealing that even though sin abounds, the grace of God revealed in Jesus provides a way of forgiveness and restoration back to God to everyone who will accept it and make Jesus the Lord of their life.
Grace As Divine Ability
But there is another manifestation of God’s grace that we need to see. This area of grace is often overlooked by many evangelicals. This area is what Paul mentioned in Romans 5:17 when he said, “For if by one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.” Paul shows us that it is the will of God that believers in Jesus Christ should reign in life. This reigning is possible because of God’s grace – His divine ability that He has put in us. Too many Christian seem to think that after they got saved God leaves them to live their life on their own. While they may not say this outright, but by the way they live it seems apparent that down in their spirit this is what they believe.
But God has not left us alone. He gives us His grace so that we can accomplish what He has planned for us to do. He promised us in Matthew 28:20 “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Notice the following:
Romans 1:5 ” Through Him, we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name.”
Ephesians 3:7 “Of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.”
Ephesians 4:7 “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
In these verses, Paul is showing us that he was an apostle by the mercy and favor of God and because of God’s ability in him to be one. He further states that each of us has the grace to be whatever the gift of God in us requires. Now think about that last statement. If you are called to be an apostle like Paul, then God’s grace will give you the strength, power, and faith to do it successfully. Whatever your station in life, God’s grace is sufficient for you in that position.
The Apostle Paul knew what he was talking about. There was a time in his life when everything seemed to be again him. He went to God about it and God said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” God was telling Paul that His grace – ability – was sufficient to take him through the difficulties victoriously. He was not telling him to grin and bear it but to depend upon God’s ability in him to do what was necessary to come through it. When we are weak God’s strength is more easily seen. When we depend on Him then He gets the glory when we are victorious.
The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” We have a job to do and as we are doing it we find that the grace of God is present to enable us to do so!
Examples of God’s Grace
In addition to Noah and Paul, the Scripture mentions Moses as a recipient of God’s grace. Moses was called by God to be the leader of the nation of Israel. He knew he faced a formidable task (Exodus 33). He asked God to reveal Himself to him. God replied that He would go with Moses and that He knew his name. God told him that His grace would be with him. And God further revealed Himself to Moses in a way that no one since has known. In his forty years of leading Israel, God did many fantastic things with and through Moses.
There are many others who lived a life of faith and dependence on God in whom the grace of God was revealed. Hebrews 11:32-40 says, “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still, others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented – of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” These individuals could do what they did because of the ability of God that was in them. There are many other passages that tell us more about God’s grace.
Modern Examples
Horatio Spafford was a successful attorney in Chicago. He was the father of four daughters, an active member of the Presbyterian Church, and a loyal friend and supporter of D. L. Moody. Through a series of calamities, including the fire of 1871, much of his extensive real estate holdings were wiped out. He decided to take his family to Great Britain for a time of refreshing while he helped with the Moody-Sankey meetings there. His family went on ahead by boat. Their ship was hit by an English vessel and sank in twelve minutes. All four daughters died but his wife was one of the very few who escaped. Later when Spafford came to the approximate spot where his four daughters died, he received great comfort from God that enabled him to write the hymn It Is Well With My Soul. Great grace enables one to deal with great problems successfully!
Fanny Crosby, blinded by a medical accident at six weeks of age, overcame her handicap and wrote over 8000 hymns during her ninety-five years. She was known as the “queen of gospel music.” Among her best-known hymns is Blessed Assurance. She was determined to obey what she believed to be God’s direction in her life writing hymns out of the overflow of His grace.
You have probably known individuals who accomplished great things in spite of handicaps or hardships. Or perhaps looking back on your own life you can see where the hand of God has been upon you and enabled you to do what otherwise would have been impossible. The grace of God is not only unmerited favor, it is also the ability of God to be the person we should be, and to do what we should be doing. The fact that God’s grace has been given to us does not mean that we automatically see its potential manifested.
There are some things we need to do to cooperate with God as He brings His will to pass. John 1:16 says, “And of His fullness, we have all received, and grace for grace.” God’s fullness which is manifested in Jesus Christ has been given to each of us. As a result of that, it is expected that we will reign in this life. Everyone, saved or lost, is a recipient of God’s grace. But only those who have made Jesus their Lord and Savior will know the fullest expression of that grace. That grace is experienced as we walk with God in obedience.
Abusing God’s Grace
In studying the Scripture, I found six things that show how we often fall short in cooperating with God’s grace. In doing so, we are abusing God’s grace. We are not letting it become productive as He means for it to be. We are resisting the grace of God when we do these things.
Receiving His Grace in Vain. 2 Corinthians 6:1, “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” We receive God’s grace in vain when we let it sit idle and do not use it for its intended purpose. If God gives you the grace to do a particular job and you do not do it, you have received the grace of God in vain. The Corinthians believers were very gifted with a lot of opportunities to serve God in their city. But they were falling far short of what God expected from them. They had received the grace of God in vain and His grace was not as productive as it could have been. All who receive God’s grace in vain will give an account of that when they stand before God.
Set Aside the Grace of God. Galatians 2:21 says, “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” In the region of Galatia there were many who were genuine Christians but later wanted to go back into Judaism. By doing so they were setting aside the grace that God had given them. They were taking advantage of His ability to continue living the Christian life and chose to go back under the requirements of the Mosaic law. This is done today when believers try to live under the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament that have been fulfilled in Christ.
Fallen From Grace. Galatians 5:4 says, “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” The traditional belief about this verse is that because they wanted to go back under the Mosiac law that meant they lost their salvation. But if we understand that grace, as it is used here, refers to their moving out of God’s ability to them to continue living the Christian life and to choose an easier way to live back under the law, it makes it easier to understand. Many Christians do the same thing when they choose to quit living the Christian lifestyle because of peer pressure. They move out of grace and try living on their own in the flesh.
Insult Grace. Hebrews 10:19 says, “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace.” To insult or offend the Spirit is to cut oneself off from the avenue of approaching God. One cannot come to God unless the Spirit draws him (John 12:32). The writer of Hebrews is trying to encourage the believers to continue living their life under the terms of the New Covenant and not go back to Judaism. They had endured a lot of persecution already. God had been faithful to them and brought them through it. Now was not the time to give up and quit. To do so would offend the Spirit of God.
Fall Short of the Grace of God. Hebrews 12:15 says, “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” We fall short of the grace of God when we try handling life situations in the flesh instead of the Spirit. The example given in the following verse is Esau whom the Bible calls a profane person. He tried handling a difficult situation by the flesh and did not depend on the grace of God. When people or life, in general, mistreats us we much forgive. To do otherwise is to fall short of the grace of God. If we do not forgive, the root of bitterness is sure to grow in our life. God gives us His grace to handle all situations that we will face. His grace is sufficient for us as it was for Paul (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Turn Grace into Lewdness. Jude 4 says, “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” The grace of God is free. It is freely given to all without charge. It is totally unmerited by anyone. But it is not cheap. It cost God His only begotten Son to die for us on the Cross (John 3:16). But because it is free some have abused it by thinking that they could do as they pleased. They misused their freedom in Christ for an occasion for the flesh (Galatian 5:13).
The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Four things stand out to me from this verse. They are: (1) grace makes us what we are (2) His grace is not in vain (3) we continue to do what we should (4) the face of God in us is what actually does the work. If we do these things we will not abuse the grace of God. But grace will have its complete work in us. What God has called us to be and do will be accomplished. And God will be honored in our life.
Cooperating with God’s Grace
The fact that God’s grace has been given to us does not mean that we automatically see its potential manifested. There are some things we need to do to cooperate with God as He brings His will to pass.
John 1:16 says, “And of His fullness, we have all received, and grace for grace.” God’s fullness which is manifested in Jesus Christ has been given to each of us. As a result of that, it is expected that we will reign in this life. Romans 5:17 says, “…much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.” Everyone, saved or lost, is a recipient of God’s grace. But only those who have made Jesus their Savior and Lord will know the fullest expression of that grace. That grace is experienced as we walk with God in obedience. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance of grace for every good work.” There is an abundance of grace for every believer to do what God wants him to do!
To see the grace of God flourish in our life requires us to be humble. Proverbs 3:34 says, “Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.” God resists the proud but gives a greater measure of His grace to those who humble themselves before Him. We humble ourselves by recognizing Him as Lord. We choose to do His will instead of our own. We see ourselves as He sees us. To declare something about yourself that God has not said is arrogance and pride. But to say about yourself what He says is an act of humility.
2 Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” What does that mean? I see this to mean that while the grace of God has been poured out on us abundantly, it is necessary for us to yield to that grace in everyday life situations. The more yielding to God we do, the more His grace becomes evident and the more successful we are in life. Growth in grace is seen as we look back in our life. Things that at one time were difficult for us now may be easier. We may see that things we use to do in the flesh we are not doing in the Spirit. We may find that we are now relying more on God and less on ourselves. If that is true, then we have in fact grown in grace!