God’s Grace

In Ephesians 2:4-5, Paul mentions the third of three words that details our reconciliation to God—grace. He goes on to detail this term in verses 7-9: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 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.

As I shared on the morning I delivered the first of three messages on this passage, I had been looking forward to these verses for weeks. This passage is truly the “high point” of our study thus far. Ponder a moment: What is the symbol, the mark, the distinctive trait of our reconciliation? In fact, what is the symbol, mark, and distinctive trait of Biblical Christianity? These three verses provide the answer—­GRACE. There is no other word in the entire vocabulary of Christian Theology that is more characteristic of its true nature than grace.

Grace truly is the “focal point” of the Epistle to the Ephesians. As we’ve mentioned before, Ephesians has been called “the Epistle of grace,” and there is more about grace in Ephesians than in any other book of the Bible, even Romans.

Over a century ago, in one of the greatest sermons he ever preached, which was based on Ephesians 2:8 and titled “All of Grace,” Charles Spurgeon began with these words: “Of the things which I have spoken unto you these many years, this is the sum: Within the circle of these words my theology is contained, so far as it refers to the salvation of men . . . The doctrine which I preach to you is that of the Puritans: it is the doctrine of Calvin, the doctrine of Augustine, the doctrine of Paul, the doctrine of the Holy Ghost. The Author and Finisher of our faith himself taught most blessed truth which well agreed with our text. The doctrine of grace is the substance of the testimony of Jesus.”

To that we say, Amen. Grace is our Theology. In a sense, the word grace sums up all Biblical Theology. Of all the theological words we could discuss—redemption, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, glorification, election, and many more—none cuts to the heart of our theology than grace. Today’s redefining of the Gospel is not the Gospel at all; it is not the Gospel of grace.

In a day when grace is so challenged by religion, it is absolutely essential that we define exactly what this term means. This word lies at the very heart of Christianity. It is, indeed, as theologian Lewis Sperry Chafer calls it in his book on the subject, “The Glorious Theme.” Without grace, in fact, Christianity is just another religion with no difference in its basic essence than any other religion. No other religion or faith on the planet uses the word grace as does Biblical Christianity.

That said, however, few words are more misunderstood, misused, or misapplied than grace. Two people can be discussing grace but mean two entirely different things. Other words in this category are “election,” “predestination,” “foreknowledge,” and others, but grace is at the heart of every one of those, as well as other concepts, so to misunderstand grace is to be totally clueless as to what Biblical Christianity is about.

In the same sermon just mentioned, Charles Spurgeon illustrated such confusion: “Among those who dwell around us, we find many who are as altogether strangers to the doctrine of grace, and those never dream of present salvation. Possibly they trust that they may be saved when they die; they half hope that, after years of watchful holiness, they may, perhaps, be saved at last; but, to be saved now, and to know that they are saved, is quite beyond them, and they think it presumption.”

Spurgeon was right then and is still right today. People are strangers to the real meaning of grace. In one way or another, they deny and pervert its true meaning. In the installments to follow, I hope to dispel such misunderstanding.