The following is a manuscript of a radio broadcast of Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, director of Ariel Ministries. The text is copyrighted material being reproduced with the permission of the Board of Directors of Ariel Ministries. This material may be distributed free of charge, but it is asked that the text not be modified in any way. Your cooperation in this matter is much appreciated. Ariel Ministries is an independent faith mission dedicated to the work of evangelism and discipleship of Jewish people. Unlike many other missionary societies, we do not obligate our staff to raise their own support. Our missionary staff is financed through contributions from believers throughout the country. If this manuscript has blessed you in some way and/or has added to your knowledge of the word of God, then we encourage you to pray concerning contributing to Ariel Ministries in accordance with Galatians 6:6 and Romans 15:25-27. All those contributing will be sent a tax-deductible receipt. Send your gifts to Ariel Ministries, P.O. Box 3723, Tustin, CA 92681. All scripture quotes are from the American Standard Version. THE GRACE OF GOD This study on what the Bible teaches concerning the grace of God, will deal with the subject in eleven categories. I. The Hebrew and Greek Words for Grace The first category is to deal with the original Hebrew and Greek words from which the doctrinal content on grace is derived. There are two Hebrew words and one Greek that need to be investigated. A. Chen The first Hebrew word is chen. In the Old Testament it is used a total of 225 times. From these 225 times that this word is used, it is obvious that a number of different facets are involved in the content of the grace of God. A few examples of its various usages are as follows: 1. This Hebrew word means pure, unmerited favor from a superior to an inferior. This usage is found in Exodus 33:19 and 34:6-8 where God the superior is extending His unmerited favor to humans who are inferior; 2. It means divine favor (Jeremiah 31:2.); 3. The source of this unmerited divine grace is God Himself (Zechariah 12:10); 4. It is used in the sense of grace to the poor and this grace to the poor contains within it a sense of mercy (Exodus 22:27); 5. It is a grace that perseveres (Psalms 116:5); 6. It is a grace that provides (Psalms 111:4-5); 7. It is a grace that is merciful, although it might be provoked (Exodus 34:7); 8. It is a grace that hears a repentant sinner (II Chronicles 30:9, Joel 2:13); 9. It is a grace that is connected with spiritual redemption. (Job 33:24, Psalms 26:11); and, 10. It is a grace that is connected with physical redemption from enemies, from wars, and from sins (Psalms 4:1; 9:13; 25:16; 30:10; 31:9; 56:1; 57:1; 86:1-3; 119:132,134; 123:3). So in summary, this first Hebrew word chen, is the unmerited favor of a superior to an inferior which in the case of God as superior is expressed to man usually in temporal or occasionally in spiritual blessings and in redemption and deliverance in both the physical and spiritual sense. And this is the best way of summarizing the use of chem in the Old Testament. B. Chesed The second Hebrew word from which the concept of the grace of God comes, is the Hebrew word chesed. It is used a total of 250 times in the Old Testament. The basic meaning of the word chesed is that of loyal love. It carries the idea of intensity in kindness and love. It has the idea of a relationship of those involved in acts of kindness. This word also has a number of different facets in the Hebrew Old Testament, and altogether there are nine different ways that the word chesed is used, all of them somehow related to the grace of God: 1. It means communion with God (Psalms 5:6-7); 2. It is this word for grace that emphasizes God's covenantal relationship (Deuteronomy 7:12); 3. It emphasizes grace in deliverance (Psalms 6:4); 4. It means the grace of enablement (Psalms 85:6-7); 5. It carries the concept of grace in enlightenment (Psalms 119:64,124); 6. It is a grace that extends forgiveness (Psalms 51:1); 7. It is a grace that shows itself in hope or produces hope (Psalms 130:7); 8. It is a grace that produces praise (Psalms 13:5); and, 9. It is a grace that promises preservation (Psalms 2:9,17; 23:6). To summarize, the word chesed is that firm, loving kindness expressed by God toward people, particularly in the covenants with which God has entered into with his people and which His promise firmly guarantees. The basic meaning is loyal love and it is especially expressed in the covenants. This word for grace is connected with the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 20:6; 34:6-7, Deuteronomy 5:10) and with the Davidic Covenant (II Samuel 7:15, I Chronicles 17:13, II Chronicles 1:8; 6:14,42, Psalms 61:6-7; 89:33,34,49). C. Charis The third word which is a Greek word is charis. That is the main Greek term for the concept of the grace of God and it too is used in several different ways. First, it sometimes means that which provides joy, pleasure, delight, charm, loveliness. That is its meaning in classical Greek where it was not particularly related to God. To have this grace meant to have this joy, pleasure, delight, charm and loveliness. In its classical meaning, it is found in Luke 4:22 and Ephesians 4:29. Secondly, it means good will, loving kindness, favor and grace (Luke 1:30; 2:52, Romans 11:6, II Corinthians 4:15; 6:1; 9:14). Thirdly, this grace is also an expression of thanks (I Corinthians 10:30, I Timothy 1:2, II Timothy 1:3). Fourthly, this particular word for grace will sometimes emphasize the benefits of grace such as the benefit of the entire spiritual condition (Romans 5:2, I Peter 5:12), the benefits of grace giving (I Corinthians 16:3, II Corinthians 8:6-7), the benefit of earthly blessings (II Corinthians 9:8) or the benefits of saving grace (John 1:17, I Corinthians 15:8-10, II Corinthians 8:9, I Peter 1:10,13). A fifth usage is a slightly different form of the same root which means to bestow grace upon. Believers are able to bestow grace upon someone else (Luke 1:28, Ephesians 1:6). The sixth way that it is used is in emphasizing a grace gift. There are two types of grace gifts. The first type is the gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). The second way is in the usage of spiritual gifts because another form of the same Greek word for this word for grace emphasizes the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:3-8, I Corinthians 7:7; 12:1-31, Ephesians 4:8-11, I Peter 4:10). So these are three original words, two Hebrew and one Greek word that one needs to be aware of and its various usages to come to an knowledge of all that the grace of God means. II. Grace in the Old Testament The second category of this study is to survey grace in the Old Testament. This survey can be subdivided into three units. A. Grace in the Patriarchal Period During the patriarchal period the grace of God was extended to at least persons: Noah (Genesis 6:8), Abraham (Genesis 18:3; 24:27), Lot (Genesis 19:19), Jacob (Genesis 32:10, 33:5) and Joseph (Genesis 39:21, 43:29). And so the grace of God was available in the Patriarchal period. B. Grace in the Dispensation of Law Secondly, although theologians often distinguish between the Dispensation of Law and the Dispensation of Grace, even under the Dispensation of Law the grace of God was extended. For example, Moses was a recipient of the grace of God (Exodus 33:12-17) and so was the nation of Israel (Exodus 15:13). C. The Covenants Thirdly, the covenants of the Old Testament were also received because of the grace of God. In fact, the second Hebrew word chesed particularly emphasizes God's loyal love, loyalty to His covenants. So, the Abrahamic Covenant was a product of the grace of God (Micah 7:20) and so is the Mosaic covenant (Exodus 34:6-7), and the Davidic Covenant (II Samuel 7:14-15, Psalm 89:33-35, Isaiah 55:3, Jeremiah 31:3). III. Grace in the New Testament The third category of this study of the grace of God is to survey grace in the New Testament. In the New Testament there is the greatest display of the grace of God and this part of the study will be divided into six units. A. The Gospels In the gospels the word grace is found a total of eleven times and most of these are in the Gospel of Luke ( 1:30; 2:40,52; 4:22; 6:32,33,34; 17:9). Outside of Luke it is found only in the Gospel of John (1:14, 16, 17). From these eleven usages in the gospels one can make three observations. First, the word was never used by Christ with the exception of Luke 6:32,33,34 and 17:9 and in those cases where Jesus did use the word it carried the meaning of "thanks". A second observation comes from the fact that it is only used eleven times and primarily by Luke: it is not a word that is used generally in the synoptic gospels except for Luke. Matthew and Mark do not use the word at all but Luke is the one that uses the word the most probably because of Luke's close association with the apostle Paul who was the great proponent and teacher of what the grace of God was. The third observation is that the only other gospel besides Luke that uses the word is the John and even then only in chapter one. According to John it is recognized that Christ was the full revelation of the grace of God. In the gospels the word grace carries five different meanings. First, it carries the meaning of thanks (Luke 6:32,33,34, 17:9). Secondly, it carries the meaning "to grant a favor" (Luke 1:28, 7:21,42,43). Thirdly, the word carries the meaning of "winsomeness," someone who is winsome (Luke 2:40,52). Fourthly it has the meaning of gracious words about grace (Luke 4:22). Fifthly, it carries the full Christian theological meaning of grace and then only in John 1:14,16,17. B. The Book of Acts In the book of Acts grace is used six different ways. First, it has the meaning of favor (2:47). Secondly, it is used to describe God's works in the Old Testament (7:10,46). Thirdly, it has the meaning of non-religious favor; favor with no religious content (24:27, 25:3). Fourthly, it is sometimes a synonym for the gospel itself and its results. (13:43; 14:3, 20:24,32). Fifthly, it is the means by which the gospel is brought to men. (15:11, 18:27). Sixthly the word grace emphasizes God's gifts to believers after their salvation (6:8; 11:23; 14:26; 15:40). C. The Pauline Epistles Paul was the greatest and most extensive teacher on the grace of God. In fact in every one of Paul's epistles he used the word "grace" both in the opening and in the closing of every epistle. Since Romans is his major book on theology, it is not unusual that he used the word grace a great number of times in the book of Romans (1:5,7; 3:24; 4:4,16; 5:2,15,17,21; 6:1,14,15; 7:7; 11:5,6; 12:3,6). By looking up these references in Romans it is obvious that Paul used the word grace in at least five different ways: the grace of apostleship; the grace of justification; the grace of sanctification; the grace of election; and, the grace of spiritual gifts. In I Corinthians the word is used in the introduction (1:3) and then used in five different ways: Paul used the word to describe what God did for him on the Damascus road (15:10); grace as enablement for acceptable Christian service (3:10); grace in the sense of thanksgiving (10:30); he used the word grace to emphasize the gift of the Holy Spirit (1:4) meaning the gift of salvation; and, finally of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (12:4,9,28,30,31) In II Corinthians he used it in the introduction (1:2) and used the word grace in five different ways in that book: saving grace (6:1); enabling grace (4:15; 12:9); as a thanks (1:11); as a sphere of life, in that a believer operates in a sphere of grace (1:12); and, even the giving of money is considered the grace of God (8:1,4,6,7,19; 9:8,14). In the book of Galatians the word grace is found in 1:3,6,15; 2:9,21; 3:18; 5:4 and Paul's emphasis in this book is to show that God had revealed to him the uniqueness of the doctrine of grace. In Ephesians it is used as the opening in 1:2 and then it is used in three different ways in the book: it emphasizes the grace of salvation (1:7, 2:5,8); the grace of service (3:2,7,8, 4:7); and, the grace of speech (4:29). In the book of Philippians he used the word grace in his opening in 1:2,7. In the book of Colossians it is used as the opening in 1:2 and then used in two other ways: the grace of the gospel itself (1:5,6); and the grace of speech (3:16, 4:6). In I Thessalonians it is used in 1:1 as part of the opening of the letter. In II Thessalonians it is used in 1:2 also as part of the opening of the letter and then mentioned again as the evidence of faith (1:12). In the pastoral epistles of I Timothy, II Timothy and Titus Paul always used grace in the sense of saving grace except in II Timothy 2:1 where he speaks of grace as a positional position. In the pastoral epistles the word is found in I Timothy 1:2,14; II Timothy 1:2,9; Titus 1:4; 2:11; and 3:7. Now having surveyed the use of the word grace in Paul's epistles, his usage of the word can be summarized in three main points. First, the origin of Paul's concept of the grace of God is his experience on the Damascus road. He often and frequently harked back to that Damascus road experience in discussing where his ideas, concepts, and knowledge of the grace of God came. The second thing about Paul's usage of the word grace is that it is always used in reference to God's grace to man. Paul never used the word grace in reference to a man's favor to another man. That is the way it is used elsewhere, but not in Paul's letters. Thirdly, Paul's concept of grace was multifaceted and had at least six different facets: 1. The grace of God was the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in His sacrifice (II Corinthians 8:9, Galatians 2:20); 2. According to Paul, grace was absolutely free and man does not have to pay anything for it but of course it did cost God the life of His Son (Romans 3:24; 5:15; Ephesians 2:8); 3. Grace was the sin-conquering power in salvation and sanctification (Romans 5:12-21; 6:1-23); 4. Paul taught that grace is freely offered to all men and it is made available to all (Ephesians 2:8-9); 5. Grace is the sum total of the believer's blessing (Ephesians 1:7; 3:8); and, 6. The Dispensation of Grace (Romans 6:14). D. The Book of Hebrews In this book the word grace is used a total of seven times to emphasize four things: the death of Christ (2:9); the believer's position in the grace of God (4:16 - in this verse the word grace is used twice); the spirit of grace (10:29); and, grace as the Christian life (12:15,28; 13:9). E. The General Epistles The general epistles are James, I & II Peter, I, II, & III John and Jude. In James it is found twice and both times in 4:6. In I Peter, it is used to teach four concepts: the prophetic content in the Old Testament was part of God's grace (1:10); the eschatological hope of grace (1:13); grace as the concept of Christian living (3:7; 5:5,10,12); and, like Paul, Peter used the word grace to emphasize spiritual gifts (4:10). In II Peter it is found twice: 1:2 and 2:18. In I John, it is not used at all. In II John, it is found once in verse three. In III John it is not used at all. In the book of Jude it is used only once in verse four. The Book of Revelation In the book of Revelation, the word is not found a single time. IV. The Meaning of the Grace of God Having dealt with the original Greek and Hebrew words, and having a surveyed the grace in the Old and the New Testaments, the fourth category of this study is to derive a meaning of definition of the grace of God; what is meant by "the grace of God?" A very simple definition is that the grace of God is favor that is unmerited. Favor that is unmerited, that is totally unrelated to every or any question of human merit. That is a simple definition of the grace of God. But this simple definition carries seven specific ramifications that should be noted: 1. Grace is not withheld because of sin otherwise it would not be true grace. 2. Grace is not lessened because of sin. 3. Grace cannot incur a debt. Good works may follow the experience of God's grace, but not for the purpose of compensation. Grace is grace, unmerited. It is pure love given to man with its various benefits. This is the point of Ephesians 2:10, Titus 2:14; & 3:8. 4. Grace is not exercised as a just payment of a debt either according to Romans 4:4. 5. Grace is never the overpayment of a debt. Grace does not increase or decrease. 6. Grace does not appear in the immediate divine dealings with the sins of the unsaved. What that means is that God deals with any sin only on the basis of mercy, not leniency. Sin is not forgiven because God is big-hearted enough to remit the penalty or to waive his righteous judgments. Forgiveness is not an immediate act of grace but rather it is a judicial pardon in view of the fact that the debt had already been paid by another and that was Christ and so grace is mediated through the cross. 7. Grace does not appear in the immediate divine dealings with the sins of the saved because forgiveness is on the basis of the cross of Christ and the means of receiving forgiveness for a believer who has sinned in the saved state is by means of confession (I John 1:9). So even for the saved, grace is not immediate but mediate on the basis of the cross of Christ and by means of confession. V. Common Grace The fifth category of the study of the grace of God is the topic of common grace which will be divided into five units. A. Definition The first unit concerns a definition: how does one define what common grace is? Someone has written up a nice lengthy definition of common grace: "Common grace are those general operations of the Holy Spirit whereby He, without renewing the heart, exercises such a moral influence on men through his general or special revelation that sin is restrained, order is maintained in social life, and civil righteousness is promoted and those general blessings, such as rain and sunshine, food and drink, clothing and shelter which God imparts to all men indiscriminately where and in what measure it seems good to him." That is a lengthy definition of common grace. Perhaps a more simple definition of common grace is as follows: Common grace is the unmerited favor of God toward all men displayed in his general care for them. Common grace is God's grace or favor extended to all men in general without distinguishing between believers and unbelievers (Psalm 81:12; Acts 17:30; Romans 1:24,26,28). B. How Common Grace is Displayed The second thing about common grace is that common grace is the displayed in three areas, in three circles of activity: first, in God's general providence over His world; secondly, displayed in the restraintment of sin, in that man is never allowed to get as bad as the sin nature would permit him to get; and, thirdly common grace is displayed in the general convicting work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11) C. The Means of Common Grace The third unit concerning common grace is the means of common grace. What are the various means by which common grace is extended? Four things can be mentioned. 1. The first is general revelation. General revelation is God's revelation in general through nature, through providence, and through creation as over against special revelation in the written Word of God. While one needs the Spirit of God to understand special revelation, all men can derive certain correct conclusions about God from general revelation, and so general revelation is one means of common grace. 2. A second means of common grace is human government. God uses human government to restrain wickedness, to restrain the lawlessness of sin. Where there is a strong government that applies punishment to the evil-doer, that too is a product of common grace. 3. The third means of common grace is public opinion. Sometimes God will use public opinion in order to make sure things are done the way He so wills it. So there are concepts like majority opinion, moral majority, or other forms of public opinion that God will sometimes use to achieve order in human society and that too is a means of common grace. 4. The fourth means is more direct and that is by divine punishment and reward. Divine punishment as in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, and divine reward as in the case of areas of the world which are productive and supplying the physical need of man. D. The Content and Effects of Common Grace Concerning the content and effect of common grace, seven things should be noted. 1. Good gifts are a product of God's common grace (Romans 2:4). Among these good gifts include the goodness of God (Psalm 145:9,15,16); sunshine and rain (Matthew 5:44-45); the kindness of God (Luke 6:35-36); food from the earth (Acts 14:16-17); and, provisions (I Timothy 4:10). 2. God's restraint of the evilness and lawlessness of sin is a product of common grace (Genesis 6:3; 20:6; 31:7; Job 1:12; 2:6; Isaiah 63:10-11; II Thessalonians 2:6-7). 3. The natural man is able to perform some good and the fact that the natural or unsaved man is able to good things is also a product of the grace of God (II Kings 10:29-30; 12:2; 14:3; Luke 6:33; Romans 2:14). 4. The delay in the execution of God's sentence against sin is a product of common grace. God does not immediately judge every sin and the reason He does not do so is a product of common grace. The fact that evil men, unsaved men, do not receive the judgement of God immediately, but the execution of the sentence is delayed, is a product of common grace. God is giving man a time chance to repent (Romans 2:4; II Peter 3:9). 5. Common grace gives man some sense of the truth, the good, the moral, and the beautiful. Even the unsaved man is able to appreciate the beautiful things of this world, the truth and the good because of common grace (Acts 17:22; Romans 2:14-15). 6. Civil righteousness, meaning civil government exercising righteous rule is a result of common grace (Romans 13:1-4). 7. Common grace is also a proof of the gospel. In other words, people who see the evidences of common grace which in turn may lead them to the truth of the gospel, that too is a product of common grace (John 16:8-11). E. The Limitations of Common Grace There are three specific limitations of common grace. 1. It works in a rational and moral way, but not in a spiritual way. Only special grace works in a spiritual way. 2. Common grace will not effect a spiritual change. It may lead one to begin searching for spiritual truth but common grace itself will not effect a spiritual change. That too, belongs to another facet of the grace of God. 3. It is resistible and it can be resisted. People resist common grace when they deny the truth of God manifested in creation and nature. VI. Effectual or Special Grace This category of the grace of God can be divided into two units. A. Definition What is effectual or special grace? Effectual or special grace is the work of the Holy Spirit which effectively moves men to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. B. Ramifications This definition of effectual or special grace has six ramifications. 1. It if effective. It will always accomplish its goal. 2. It cannot be resisted, though it does not exclude the human act of believing. 3. It is an act of the Holy Spirit which moves men to believe so that no man is ever saved against his will. Special grace is what causes salvation to come to a man, but the work of the Holy Spirit in special grace is to work on his will to make him willing to believe, so no one is saved against his will. 4. It works apart from the human will, but it generates that will effectively so that it moves it without forcing it and that is the balance, between sovereignty and human will. 5. Effectual or special grace is an act. It is not a process, but an instantaneous act. 6. It is preceded by common grace. Man first experiences common grace, before he experiences effectual or special grace. VII. Sovereign Grace The seventh category is sovereign grace which can be divided into three units. A. The Meaning of Sovereign Grace The meaning of the word "sovereignty" has the meaning of primary or highest ruler. The word itself does not have an unlimited concept because God's sovereignty is limited by Himself, and God's exercise of His grace is limited by his own attributes. And so the word "sovereignty" is not an unlimited concept. The concept of sovereignty, the sovereignty of God, must be correlated with the plan of God and that's the point of Ephesians 1:11. Now the grace of God, especially sovereign grace is revealed through God's chosen plan. This plan that God has chosen is all inclusive, but that does not mean, of course, that God sustains the same relationship to every part of that plan, because there is within the plan, creature responsibility. Furthermore, God uses a variety of means to carry out his purpose, both direct and indirect. The concept of sovereignty must be correlated with the plan of God. Another thing about the sovereignty of God is that sovereignty is a purposeful concept. It is not arbitrary, meaning fatalism, nor is it whimsical, meaning chance. To receive the grace of God one must believe. To enjoy the grace of God, one must be obedient. The purpose of the grace of God in relationship to man is to produce good works (Ephesians 2:10). The purpose of the grace of God in relationship to God is that of His glorification (Ephesians 1:5,6,12,14). Sovereignty is a purposeful concept. Another thing about the meaning of sovereign grace is that grace is the supreme and governing principle in God's ordering of the universe. B. Election and the Divine Motives of Grace The concept of election is a major concept within sovereign grace, and six things may be pointed out. 1. The relationship of sovereignty to election is specifically in the realm of salvation. So the Bible teaches that election is unto salvation (Ephesians 1:5) and salvation is by grace Ephesians 2:8). 2. God's elective work is for the purpose of conforming the believer to the image of Christ; believers have been predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:28-30). 3. If God did not exercise his sovereignty in election, no one would have been saved. Man is not capable of saving himself. 4. The question is not "why are some lost?" All are lost because of sin. The question is why are any saved and the reason some are saved are by grace to God's glory. 5. God does everything after the counsel of His own will and everything is based upon His own will (Ephesians 1:11). 6. Because God is a sovereign ruler, he can safely allow man the liberty necessary for responsibility. Because God is a sovereign ruler, because nothing escapes His observation, nothing is outside His control, He can safely allow man the liberty necessary for responsibility (II Thessalonians 2:13). So grace concerns origins, and responsibility concerns reactions. And concerning responsibility in relationship to reactions, note three things: a. Believers are not to frustrate the grace of God by substituting works (Galatians 2:4); b. Believers are not to spite the spirit of grace by rejecting grace's way of salvation (Hebrews 10:29); and, c. Believers should make their calling and election sure, and the way of making it sure is to see if God's grace is resulting in good works (II Peter 1:10). C. The Motives of Sovereign Grace There are three motives for sovereign grace. 1. The first one is the love of God, and the reason God's sovereign grace is bestowed is because of his love (I John 2:5). 2. The second motive of grace is the demonstration of His grace (Ephesians 2:7). He extends sovereign grace so He can demonstrate His graciousness. 3. The third motive is so that the redeemed may produce good works. Those who have received God's sovereign grace and have been saved can and should produce good works (Ephesians 2:10). VIII. Salvation by Grace This eighth category will be subdivided into three units. A. Scripture Does the Bible teach that salvation is by grace through faith plus nothing? Indeed it does: Acts 15:11 and Romans 11:6. B. The Divine Motives of Salvation Grace There was a divine motive in saving grace according to Ephesians 2:7 and that was good works. Concerning motivation, three points can be made. 1. Men are said to be saved so that good works may result (Ephesians 2:8-10). That is a major distinction between the Dispensation of the Law and the Dispensation of Grace. Under the Law, works were required, and the works required under the Law of Moses were set forth as meritorious (but not in the salvation sense) and blessings came as a result (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:26-28). Believers are under grace and because of diving blessings good works should result. Under the Law, the issue was: do good works so you can receive God's favor, under Grace the issue is: because you have received God's favor therefore do good works. 2. Works is a proper test of saving faith (James 2:14-26). One shows his favor by his works. 3. Works are indicative of the attitude of the heart towards this grace of God. The believer's works indicate the attitude towards God's grace. C. Principles that Cannot Co-exist With Grace There is no co-existence possible between certain principles and the grace of God. There are three such principles. 1. Any sense of human obligation to attain God's grace cannot co-exist with grace, because God must be free to exercise grace without the slightest limitations because of human sin. Grace would not be grace if the benefits were withheld because of sin. 2. There cannot be any sense of human repayment because grace cannot remain grace if by its benefits there is created or imposed an obligation for repayment. Grace is a gift according to Romans 6:23. 3. There cannot be any recognition of human merit according to Ephesians 2:10. Grace is not grace if it is earned. These are principles that cannot co-exist with grace. IX. The Believer's Standing in Grace There are two main passages that emphasize that those who are now believers are standing in a new position, they are standing in grace. The first passage is Romans 5:2: through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Here Paul writes that believers are standing in this grace, and they attained that standing by faith. Their standing in this grace provides us the hope of the glory of God that someday the believer shall be glorified even as they have been justified and are now being sanctified. The second main passage that speaks about this standing in grace is I Peter 5:12: By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I account him, I have written unto you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God: stand ye fast therein. As Peter concludes his first epistle, he points out he wrote this epistle to testify concerning the truth of the grace of God in which these believers stand, and so they are standing in grace. They are in the grace of God as believers today. Now that implies two things. 1. The keeping power of God through grace is included in every consideration of the principles of grace. And if the keeping power of God through grace is included in every consideration of the principles of grace, this requires a disposal of three things. a. There must be a disposal of every condemnation which divine righteousness could impose because of sin, and indeed there has been such a disposal according to John 3:18; 5:24; and Romans 8:1. The point of these passages is that believers are no longer standing in condemnation, but we are standing in grace. It is the unbeliever that has the wrath of God abiding on him. b. There must be a disposal of every human obligation. The giving of this grace, the standing in grace, does not obligate anyone to repay God for this grace. There are obligations, of course, but these obligations are not for the purpose of repayment because this grace is an absolutely free gift. An absolutely free gift requires no repayment. c. There must be disposal of every human merit because human merit cannot achieve this grace of God. 2. The keeping power of God through grace is implied in every revelation wherein is presented the truth that grace reaches into the coming ages for its consummation. The grace we have right now reaches into the coming ages for its total enjoyment (John 6:37; Philippians 1:6). X. Life Under Grace Believers are now standing in this grace, they are now in the Dispensation of Grace and are under grace, so what is life under grace all about? The category of life under grace can be discussed in seven units. A. The Basis of Life Under Grace Concerning the basis of life under grace, two things may be mentioned: 1. Believers must clearly recognize that they are under grace and not under the Law (Romans 6:14). Believers must always remember that the life that they now lead is not on the basis of the Law of Moses, but on the basis of the grace of God only. The difference is this. Under the Law it was taught, "Do it, because you have to," and "Do it in order to be blessed," but under grace, it is the opposite: "Do it because you want to," and, "do it because you have been blessed." That is the contrast. 2. Believers are free from the Law but are not free from law. Believers are free from THE law, that is, the Law of Moses, but they are not free from law because they now must operate under a different law, and that is the Law of Christ (I Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2). So the basis of life under grace is the clear-cut recognition that the believers are under grace and not under the Law and that they are free of the Law of Moses, but are under the Law of Christ. B. The Provisions of Life Under Grace Just as the Mosaic Law provided a particular rule of life, even so under grace, the Law of Christ also provides a particular rule of life. That is the point, for example, of Titus 2:11: For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men and this that has brought salvation carries within it a particular rule of life. That particular rule of life is the Law of Christ. Just as the Law of Moses contained a rule of life, the Law of Christ contains a system of rules and principles for the conduct of the believer. The believer's daily life is to be directed by the teachings of grace because the Law of Moses is excluded as a rule of life. Too many believers are confused in this particular area. Frequently believers go back to certain points of the Mosaic Law in order to find in it a rule of life for themselves, but that is not the proper place to go. Believers are no longer under the Law, but are under the grace and therefore the law they should go back to to provide a rule of life is the Law of Christ. That is the present system of rules and principles for conduct. Again, the believer's daily life today is to be directed by the Law of Christ, the Law of Christ which is the product of grace and the Law of Moses is excluded as a rule of life. Along with the provision of the Law of Christ, which gives both positive and negative commandments for the believer to keep today, comes divine enablement, and divine enablement is provided so that the believer can keep God's divine standards. So on the one hand God has given the Law of Christ, providing us the rules and regulations to obey, providing a rule of life for this age. On the other hand, however, comes divine enablements so that they can keep the righteous standards of God (John 7:37-39; Romans 5:5; 8:9; I Corinthians 2:12; 6:19; Galatians 3:2; I Thessalonians 4:8, I John 3:24; 4:13). So, to summarize the provisions of life under grace: 1. God provided the Law of Christ which spells out what believers should and should not do by way of positive and negative commandments but also gives principles to follow. 2. He has provided divine enablement so that believers can effectively fulfill the demands of that Law of Christ. C. The Precepts of Life Under Grace What are the precepts of life under grace? The precepts are based upon what was already spoke about and that is the Law of Christ. The Law of Christ spells out the conduct of life believers ought to lead. Just as the Law of Moses had many individual commandments, even so the Law Christ has many individual commandments. These precepts can be categorized in four different ways. 1. There are positive commandments. In other words, the Law of Christ contains commandments on the positive side, commandments that should be kept, things which believers ought to actively seek to fulfill. These positive commandments of the Law of Christ are found throughout the New Testament and the following is one example from every book outside the Gospels and Acts: Romans 13:1; I Corinthians 11:28; II Corinthians 6:17; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 5:22; Philippians 4:9; Colossians 4:6; I Thessalonians 5:16-18; II Thessalonians 3:12; I Timothy 2:8; II Timothy 4:2; Titus 2:7; Hebrews 10:24; James 1:5; I Peter 2:21; II Peter 3:18; I John 2:6; II John 5; III John 11; Jude 22; and Revelation 2:5. There are actually many more commandments in each of these epistles. 2. There are also negative commandments. Whereas positive commandments are things believers should be doing, negative commandments are things believers should refrain from doing; things they should not do. And there are many negative commandments as well and the following are one example from each of the New Testament books beginning with Romans: Romans 12:2; I Corinthians 6:7; II Corinthians 6:14; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:30; Philippians 2:4; Colossians 3:21; I Thessalonians 5:19; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; I Timothy 4:7; II Timothy 1:8; Titus 2:10; Hebrews 10;25; James 4:11; I Peter 3:9; II Peter 3:8; I John 4:1; II John 10; and III John 11. 3. But besides positive commandments and negative commandments, there is a third category of precepts and that is principles. Principles that should be followed, and there are both negative principles and positive principles and also principles that deal with a real biblical situation ethics. For example, take the case of doing something that would offend a brother. The example that Paul gave was the eating of meat. If the eating of meat will offend a brother, that means one must refrain from eating meat in his presence. Of course that is neither a positive or negative commandment. The Bible does not say one has to eat meat, nor does it say one cannot eat meat. Meat itself is a neutral element, so, normally, all are free to partake, but if it will cause offense, the rule is that for that situation one is to refrain from eating meat. This is a situation ethic, and this is a principle to be followed. So besides positive commandments and negative commandments, there are also principles in which one must use wisdom to determine how he should act in a given situation. 4. There is one more category concerning precepts and that is rules given by rulers. The Bible does teach that believers are to be in subjection to those who are in positions of authority, especially those who are in authority over a local church (Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 3:5; Hebrews 13:7,17). D. Questions To Ask in Living Life Under Grace In dealing with precepts which are principles, how does one determine which way to go? To come to an answer, it may be wise to ask these five questions before participating. 1. Is it a weight, or is it something that would hinder the Christian life? This is not a case of dealing with something that is a known sin, sin always hinders the Christian life (Hebrews 12:1). This is the case of something that is itself neutral, but doing it hinders one's personal Christian life. One specific activity may hinder the spiritual life of one believer but not another. 2. Is it a habit? Since habits enslave, is it a habit (I Corinthians 6:12)? For example, the Bible never speaks about smoking. The Bible does deal with the use of tobacco, but can someone smoke regularly and not become addicted to it? As any smoker can tell you, that is no! What a terrible time those who already are addicted to it have in trying to quit. The question is then, is it a habit, and does it enslave? 3. Is it a stumbling block? This is especially in relationship to other saved people. Will it cause a fellow believer to stumble in his faith? (I Corinthians 8:1-13). This is not a case where someone might just feel offended by it, because it's almost impossible to do anything these days without someone being offended by it. The question is will it cause him to stumble in his faith, not whether he will simply be offended by it. 4. Is it winsome? This is the question to ask in relationship to the unsaved. Will it hinder an unbeliever from coming to Christ, or will it draw him to believe on Christ? (I Corinthians 9:19-21; 10:32; Colossians 4:5). 5. Does it display God effectively? Or, does it glorify God? Will it bring Him glory? (I Corinthians 10:31). These are questions to ask when believers are confronted with an issue that is itself neutral and here the divine wisdom provided by grace must be applied. F. The Power Behind Life Under Grace Grace provides power (John 14:17). The power to live life under grace comes from the Holy Spirit and there are two points to note here. 1. The Spirit indwells all believers (Romans 8:9, I Corinthians 6:19). 2. The Spirit indwells all believers permanently (John 14:17). By virtue of the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, believers have the power to live the life under grace and to keep the precepts of it. G. The Purpose of Life Under Grace What is the purpose of life under grace? Simply put, the purpose is sanctification and sanctification is to conform the believer more and more to the image of the Son of God. So if one understands the basis of life under grace, that it is based upon grace and not law, if he understands the provision, and that is the Law of Christ and the divine enablement to keep it, if he clearly understands the precepts, the negative precepts, the positive precepts, and the principles, if he knows the questions to ask, if he understands the power by which it works, then he will fulfill its purpose: sanctification. XI. Conclusion In drawing the conclusions concerning the grace of God, five points can be made. 1. Grace is God's unmerited favor to sinners who deserve the opposite. The very nature of grace is unmerited favor. As soon one feels he can earn it, as soon as he feels that God is obligated to give it to him, it ceases to be grace. The very nature of grace is that it is God's unmerited favor and it is give to sinners who deserve the exact opposite. 2. God's grace offers salvation as a free gift to all who put their faith in His Son, Jesus the Messiah. The grace of God is always being offered to all men, but it is limited to those who will actually put their faith in His Son. The offer is made available to all. God's grace is a free gift, but like any gift, it must be received. Just as when people purchase a gift and decide to give this gift freely to somebody, yet that somebody, in order to enjoy this gift, must receive it for he is also free to reject it. So God's grace is offered unlimited to all men. However, the reception of it is limited to those who receive it by faith. So God's grace offers salvation as a free gift to all who put their faith in His Son Jesus the Messiah. 3. God is able to show grace to sinners in this way, because the Lord Jesus died as a substitute for them on the cross of Calvary. God's grace must not be wrestled away from his other attributes, there is the attribute of righteousness and the attribute of justice and God's attributes of justice and righteousness requires that He punish sin and where He must punish sin, grace cannot be extended. But God is able to offer and to show grace to sinners in this way because the Lord Jesus died as a substitute for the sinner on the cross of Calvary. God did ???? sin on the cross. And so, because of this One's death on Calvary as a substitute, and since the death of Jesus did satisfy the justice and righteousness of God, God can therefore extend his grace to the sinner. 4. Grace cannot be earned, deserved, or bought in whole or in part. That is the very nature of grace. First of all it cannot be earned because where grace is earned grace becomes one's salary, one's repayment. Secondly, it cannot be deserved, because as soon as grace is deserved, God's grace is no longer truly grace, it is something God has been obligated to give. But thirdly, it cannot be bought because if it is something that has been bought, it is no longer what the Bible teaches it to be: God's free gift. So grace cannot be earned, or deserved, or bought. Nor can grace be divided in such a way that certain aspects of grace can be earned, deserved, or bought and other aspects of grace cannot be earned, deserved, or bought. So grace cannot be earned, or deserved, or bought either in whole or in part. 5. The grace of God is limitless. The unlimited grace of God is brought out in the Scriptures in six different ways. a. God has manifested grace, God has done a work by which grace has been manifested. This is taught by Romans 5:15: But not as the trespass, so also is the free gift. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto the many. In Romans 5:17: "For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ." God has manifested His grace according to II Corinthians 8:9: "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might become rich." And also Titus 2:11: "For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men," The point of these passages is that God has manifested grace. b. The second way of showing that the grace of God is limitless is that the grace manifested is manifested in salvation. The grace of God which has been manifested is manifested in salvation according to Romans 3:24: "being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" The same point is made in Romans 5:20: "And the law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly:" And also Ephesians 2:5-8; "even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus: for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;" The grace that has been manifested to all men has been manifested in salvation. c. The third way to show the grace of God as limitless is that the believer's standing today is under grace. This is brought out by Romans 5:2, which emphasizes the fact that believers are no longer under the Law, but under grace. "through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." He made the same point in Romans 6:14; "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace." d. The fourth way which shows that grace is unlimited or limitless is that God's operative principle for believers today is the principle of grace. That is the sphere in which believers are to operate. They are not to operate in the sphere of the Law, in the sphere of grace. This is brought out in Galatians 5:4; "Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace." The point of Galatians 5:4 is not that one can lose his salvation, rather that the believer has the choice to operate either within the sphere of law or the sphere of grace. The point of Galatians is that God's operative principle for believers for today is for them to operate in the sphere of grace. e. Evidence of the fact that the grace of God is limitless is that God provides for daily needs by virtue of his grace according to Hebrews 4:16: "Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need." By approaching the throne of grace on a daily basis one can appropriate grace to meet his daily needs. f. And the sixth way that shows that the grace of God is limitless is that grace cannot be compromised according to Romans 4:13-16: "For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they that are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of none effect: for the law worketh wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there transgression. For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace; to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all" As for Abraham, so for all. They obtain the enjoyment of God's grace by faith because grace cannot be compromised to be achieved by works.