God’s Marvelous Grace
Categories: Bible Study LessonsRegarding God’s marvelous grace, the apostle Paul declared in Titus 2:11: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” Grace is often defined as “unmerited favor” or a “free gift.” It has more specific application to the gift of salvation which God gives to men. It can have a generic application to other areas, i.e., God’s gift of making the sun to shine, the rain to fall, providing our food, etc. (cf. Matthew 5:45). Let us contemplate God’s gift of salvation for a few moments. Any gift that is offered and received has four elements, and each of these is biblically important:
1) There Must Be A Gift
The gift in which we are interested is that of salvation. David wrote: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1). Paul said, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men” (Titus 2:11). God’s grace brings salvation, which is manifested in two ways:
(a) Salvation from past sins – Jesus stated: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). In this statement, the Lord referred to savation from one’s past sins.
(b) Salvation in Heaven or eternal life – Peter wrote to Christians about “receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9). Our salvation comes by means of the blood of Christ shed in His death on the cross, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9; cf. Romans 5:9-10; Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:7).
2) There Must Be A Giver
If there is a gift, there must be a giver. “Grace” is the Bible term for that which God (the Giver) gave through Christ. God is the source of our salvation, and for this reason, “grace of God” is found twenty-four times in the New Testament. Paul exulted: “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). There is no other source of salvation. Therefore, we cannot save ourselves (either by good works or by our moral behavior). We must have God’s grace to be saved.
3) There Must Be A Receiver
A third necessary component of a gift that is accepted is a receiver. Mankind is the recipient of the marvelous grace of God. God has done for man what man could not do for himself. On his own, man could not find the right way (Proverbs 14:12; Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 10:23). A human being, when he reaches the time in his life where he can discern right and wrong (Isaiah 7:15), commits sin (Romans 3:23; Gal. 3:22), and thus deserves death (Romans 6:23; James 1:15). Man could not and cannot devise a way to save himself or earn his salvation, as Paul clearly states in 2 Timothy 1:9: “Who [God] hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” In Ephesians 2:8-9, he also indicated that man cannot earn his salvation. Man must rely upon God and His grace to be saved: “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.”
4) The Giver May Impose Conditions
The giver may impose conditions relating to reception of the gift. This is not a necessity; the giver may give a gift without any conditions. To impose or not to impose conditions is entirely at the discretion of the giver. Whether or not the giver imposes conditions relating to his gift, it is no less a gift – and unmerited – in either case. God has placed conditions upon our reception of His “gift” of salvation. God says that upon “hearing” His Word we must “believe” in Jesus as His Son (John 8:24; John 14:1; Romans 10:17). When we believe, we must, upon that belief, “repent” of our sins (Luke 13:3; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 17:30). A faith not worth confessing is not worth possessing, thus we must “confess” our faith in Jesus as God’s Son (Romans 10:10; Acts 8:37). Then we must be “baptized” (immersed) in water for the forgiveness of our sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16). While baptism saves us from our past sins (1 Peter 3:21), we must, to be eternally saved in Heaven, live faithfully until death (Matthew 10:22; 1 Corinthians 15:58).
Conclusion
God’s marvelous grace is available to all men everywhere (Titus 2:11); however, only those who meet the conditions which God has attached to this “gift” will receive this most important and precious of all gifts.