The Proof of Grace (2)

Looking again at the Proof of grace in 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—we see a third principle. Not only does salvation have nothing to do with us, and not only is it a gift, but it is also not of works, lest any man should boast. In spite of this phrase, there are many who resort to their own works, their own religion instead of God’s grace alone.

There is, indeed, a dramatic contrast between “religion” and “Christianity.” We can put it in at least two ways: Religion is works‑oriented, while Christianity is grace‑oriented; or, religion tries to earn salvation, while Christianity gives salvation.

“Religion” is no less than an insulting slap upon the face of the Lord Jesus. He has offered salvation as a gift, but the reply from the religious man is, “Oh, no, I must earn it; I must do something.” We hear it countless times and in countless ways: “I must earn it;” “I must work for it;” “I must agonize for it.” Would we not be hurt and insulted if someone replied that way to a gift we gave them out of love? One might say, “Oh, well thanks, but I owe you one.” Another says,  “I’ll pay you back.” NO! It’s a gift. How much more then is our Savior insulted and grieved at any works‑oriented salvation?

Charles Spurgeon thundered this in his sermon, All of Grace: “Some try to lay hold upon salvation by grace through the use of ceremonies; it will not do. You are christened, confirmed, and caused to receive ‘the holy sacrament’ from priestly hands, or you are baptized, join the church, sit at the Lord’s table: does this bring you salvation? I ask you, ‘Have you salvation?’ You dare not say ‘yes.’ If you did claim salvation of a sort, yet I am sure it would not be in your minds salvation by grace; for those who are most addicted to the performance of outward rites are usually the last persons to enjoy any assurance of being saved by grace: they do not even look for such a thing. The more they multiply their rites and ceremonies, the more they quit the notion of grace, and the more they lose the true idea of salvation.’ What a statement! No works-oriented person can ever say, “I am there.”

How full of meaning and how packed with application are the words, Not of works, lest any man should boast. The Apostle Paul here makes it very clear that no man can boast, “I earned my salvation” or “I bought my forgiveness.” The Greek word behind boast (kauchaomai) means “to boast, vaunt oneself, be proud.” Paul uses it some 35 times in his letters. He rebuked the Corinthians, for example, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (I Cor. 4:7). In other words, what do we have that we didn’t in one way or another receive? Why do we boast as if we did it ourselves? So Paul is telling us here that we in no way can we boast that our salvation is in any way whatsoever a result of any works we can do. People boast about Confirmation, Baptism, Church membership, Holy Communion, keeping the Ten Commandments, living the Sermon on the Mount, giving to charity, and living a moral life. Some people even boast about their faith (regardless of what that faith is in). But all boasting is rooted in works, not grace.

One writer offers a graphic illustration between grace and works by recounting a scene that seems to occur every year during the final game of the NCAA basketball tournament. We’ve all seen it—that one young player standing at the free-throw line with one second left to play, dribbling the ball nervously. If he makes these two shots, his team wins, he’s a hero, and he’ll have something to boast about and relive for the rest of his life. But if he misses, he’s the goat of the game and his college, and will probably be in therapy when he’s forty.

That’s the difference between grace and works. Man operates on the basis of works, on whether or not he can boast about sinking those free-throws. But God operates by grace; it’s not a matter of our performance but His; He has already done it all.