In one last look at Ephesians 2:8-9—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—the great preacher and commentator Donald Grey Barnhouse recounts in his book How God Saves Men one of the most graphic pictures of salvation by grace I have ever read in my 30 years of ministry.
He tells the story of Henry Moorehouse, a social worker in the slums of 19th Century London, and a little girl that he befriended. As he was headed home one evening, he saw the little girl exit a basement store carrying a pitcher of milk, only to see her a few steps later slip, fall, and drop the pitcher, shattering it and spilling the milk into the filthy gutter. Broken hearted, the poor little girl began to cry. Moorehouse approached and tried to console her but to no avail. All she could say was, “My mommy’ll whip me.” Confidently, Moorehouse then said, “No, little girl, your mother won’t whip you. I’ll see to that. Look, the pitcher isn’t broken in many pieces.” He then stooped down, picked up the pieces, and began fitting them back together. The little girl had seen pitchers mended before, so she hopefully stopped crying as he worked. But then, working too roughly, Moorehouse knocked it apart, and the little urchin started crying again. Renewing his promise, Moorehouse said, “Don’t cry, little girl. I promise you that your mother won’t whip you.” Setting to work again, he got all of it back together except for the handle. He then gave it to her so she could attach the handle, but, of course, it fell apart again. This time her tears could not be stopped. So Moorehouse picked her up, carried her to a shop that sold crockery, and bought a new pitcher. Still carrying her, he went back to where she had bought the milk and had the new pitcher filled. Finally, after asking her where she lived, he carried her there, set he down on the step, handed her the pitcher of milk, and asked, “Now, do you think your mother will whip you?” With a radiant smile she answered, “Oh, no sir, it’s a lot better pitcher than we had before.”
That is what God has done in His grace. Once a whole creature, man was destroyed by a fall, shattered beyond repair. In his own efforts, he has tried through the ages to put the pieces back together but has failed miserably. God had to intervene, not by just fixing the old pitcher, where the cracks would show and leak, but by creating a new one. And just as that little girl could not pay Moorehouse for his kindness—since she didn’t have anything!—neither can man purchase salvation. It is all of grace, all because God desired to show undeserved kindness.
I would close our thoughts on grace with this sonnet:
Grace
Grace. What a wondrous word it is to hear!
What staggering thoughts it brings to mind!
Delivering us from dead works and fear,
It has opened wide the eyes of the blind.
Grace. There’s surely no more glorious theme,
Best defined as unmerited favor,
Transforming us from sinners who blaspheme
To the saints of God who give Him honor.
Grace. No greater word can any man speak,
No fuller expression of God’s glory.
Tis God’s gift to the dead, not merely weak,
The true heart of the salvation story.
One day we shall see Our Lord face to face.
And eternally praise Him for His Grace.
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