Justified Freely by God’s Grace
Grace, how sweet the sound to our sinful hearts!
The Bible teaches that we are saved by the free sovereign grace of
God in Jesus Christ. Neither will the grace of God ever be withheld, nor will it be
lessened because of anything we have done, or will do.
The sweetest word in the English vocabulary is
grace. It is a beautiful word containing the heart and soul of
Christianity. It means the unmerited favor or kindness shown to people
who are utterly undeserving. It is a free gift to all who deserve the
exact opposite. To the hopeless and helpless God comes in grace to meet
our need.
Grace is never set in the context of any supposed merit of our own,
but always on the basis of Romans 1:18-3:20 which describes our utter ruin in sin. Grace
must always be approached with the reality of personal sin in mind. Without the deep
conviction of the Holy Spirit we do not understand our need for God’s saving grace.
Salvation can be only by grace "because
by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for
through the Law comes the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20). The NET Bible
reads, "For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the
law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin."
The Amplified Bible on Romans 3:20 reads, “For no person
will be justified—made righteous, acquitted and judged acceptable—in His sight
by observing the words prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to
make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an
acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith and holy character].”
We are saved by unmerited grace. "For
by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God; it is not from works,
so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9 NET).
Saving grace of God is a gift that is received only
through faith in Jesus, apart from any human merit. We do not deserve
grace, for if we did it would not be grace. The only thing we deserve is
the full outpouring of God’s just wrath upon us for eternity. If it is
not apart from good works and human merit, it is not saving grace
because God does not owe us anything.
Grace makes sinners humble in their own eyes, and as sinners we
hate being humbled.
Grace puts everyone on the same level in the eyes
of a holy God. No one is less sinful than any other person. It does not
take more grace or less grace to save the notorious sinner or a small
child.
Grace does not make up what is lacking in the
spiritual life of a sinner. It is not a matter of much grace or less
grace. Equal exercise of grace is required for all sinners to be saved
because God cannot by his holy character dismiss nor diminish our sin.
God's saving grace is the demonstration of His
infinite love.
The atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus propitiates
and dismisses forever our sins. Our sins can be dealt with only on the
basis of the death of Christ as our substitute.
Grace is found in God through the saving work of Christ on the cross.
That is why John Newton could express it so beautifully, “Amazing grace—how
sweet the sound—that saved a wretch like me!” Anything else is not grace.
Saving grace teaches us that salvation is apart from any human merit
of any kind.
Have you opened your heart and responded to God’s free grace?
There is no sin you have ever committed too great to cause God to turn away from you, or
too lessen the abundance of the grace He freely gives to sinners who will trust in Jesus
Christ as their Savior.
The apostle Paul was a great sinner who experienced the grace of God
and declared, “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20).
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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