This is a sermon manuscript for January 17, 2021. This lesson is part two of a four week series on The Grace of God.
Introduction
In the 1965 film Shenandoah, Jimmy Stewart plays Charles Anderson, a Virginia farmer whose wife has died leaving him to work the farm with six sons, daughter, and daughter-in-law while trying to stay out of the War between the States. Anderson had promised his wife he would raise their children in church, so he continued to attend the weekly services but did so with a bitter and proud heart. His prayer at the dinner table may be the best known scene, as Stewart’s character says aloud what many no doubt think but are unwilling to admit.
“Lord, we cleared this land. We plowed it, sowed it, and harvested it. We cooked the harvest. It wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be eatin’ it if we hadn’t done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you just the same anyway, Lord, for the food we’re about to eat. Amen.”
What a contrast with our text! By the grace of God I am what I am. That’s not just true for the apostle Paul. It is true for you and for me. It was true for Charles Anderson who learned it in a very hard and bitter way through the film. We are nothing without God’s grace. All of the good we enjoy, whatever pleasure in life there may be, all of our comfort, peace, and joy, to whatever extent we have it, is owed to the power and work of God’s grace.
But be careful here, because when we start to talk in these ways, people tend to flatten out the grace of God and simply make it God’s general kindness to the whole world. The sun rises on the good and evil, rain falls on the righteous and unrighteous, and the holy God has not yet cast the reprobate into Hell. This is all mercy and goodness, but grace is something far more. If the Lord wills, next week we will study the specificity of God’s saving grace, but today I want you to contemplate its power. When Paul says he is what he is by grace, he doesn’t mean it in so empty and superficial a way as some may interpret it. If everything is grace, then nothing really is special. But Paul, the former persecutor who hated Christ, knew better. He contrasts his past and present, his past and his future, and explains that God’s grace is what has made the difference, transferring and transforming his life.
How Does the Bible Describe What Grace Has Done?
Let’s begin by considering what grace has done in the lives of all believers.
Eph. 2:1-7: And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Tit. 3:3-7: For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
1Pet. 2:9-10: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Rom. 3:10-26: As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”…
For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Notice how these four texts describe us apart from Christ and prior to God’s work of grace. We are dead in our sins and trespasses; foolish, disobedient, deceived, and full of hate; existing in darkness from which we could not escape by our own power; and thoroughly corrupt and polluted, neither fearing God nor seeking him. Now notice what God accomplished by grace in each of these texts. He made us alive, raised us with Christ, and seated us in glory; he saved us by regenerating us by washing and renewing us by his Spirit; he brought us out of darkness to live in his marvelous light; and he justified us, pardoning our sins and accounting us as righteous based on the work of Christ. This is a complete transformation both of our status and of our state. We are acquitted in the court of divine law and made holy by the sanctifying work of God’s Spirit. All of it is the result of grace.
We need to understand these descriptions of our condition prior to the work of grace are not analogies. That is the way we may be tempted to interpret them. “We weren’t really dead in sin, but it is as though we were dead in sin. We weren’t really full of hate and under the power of the Devil. We didn’t really live in inescapable darkness. It’s not really as if no one is righteous or seeks God. It only seems as if this were true. It’s hyperbole.” No. The Bible uses hyperbole and symbolic language. Yes, the Scriptures speak analogically about God and divine truths. But this language is not merely an analogy; it is a description of the reality of our condition apart from grace.
We were dead, spiritually cut off, separate from God, without any divine life within us. But God made us alive in Christ by grace. We were deceived, disobedient to God, polluted in every part of our selves: body, mind, heart. But God enlightened us, forgave us, and delivered us from that corruption. We dwelt in darkness which we could never penetrate or escape. But God drew us out of the darkness so that we might live in the light of his presence. We were not good, moral people; we did not seek God; we could not do anything truly good in God’s sight; even our best deeds were done for our own glory. But God justified us. By Christ’s obedience to the law and his satisfaction of the covenantal curse, we have been declared righteous in God’s sight and accounted as such through being joined to the righteous One, Jesus, God’s Son.
Many Christians have far too small a sense of what grace has accomplished because they do not realize how dreadful our former condition really was. We were hopeless and powerless. We had no chance to improve ourselves or save ourselves. God had to do that. And the transformation was death to life, darkness to light, bondage to freedom, eternal damnation to everlasting salvation.
If you want a sign which illustrates this transforming power of grace, consider Lazarus in the tomb who had been dead for four days and whose body was already decomposing. But Jesus commanded the tomb to be opened and ordered Lazarus to return to life and come out. Or consider the experience of a man we know only as Legion who was possessed and continuously oppressed by a horde of demons. His life was a living hell, but Jesus cast the demons out and restored him to sound health and a sane mind. Or consider the vision given to the prophet Ezekiel, which signifies more than just individual salvation but does not illustrate anything less.
Ezek. 37:1-10: The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Those bones represented God’s people, the house of Israel. They were not just dead men; they had decomposed to the point that only dry skeletons remained! But God called them back to life. He did not animate the skeletons. He put flesh on them and breath in them. We could spend several more hours just talking about what grace has done for believers, but let’s move on.
How Does the Bible Describe What Grace is Doing?
Grace is not a “one and done” experience or gift. There are single, once and for all, acts of grace. “Justification is an act of God’s free grace” (WSC 33; Rom. 3:24). So is our adoption into the family of God (WSC 34; 1Jn 3:1). Justification is not a process; it is a pronouncement. We are not gradually becoming God’s children; we are his children by an act of grace. But that is not the sum of God’s saving grace. God makes us alive in a moment. He justifies us in Christ at one time for all time. He brings us into his family and makes us his heirs. But grace doesn’t end there. It continues working in us. It continues to work upon us. It is still working for us and for the fulfilling of God’s purpose to glorify us forever in and with his Son.
Notice how often the Bible describes the ongoing operation of grace in our lives.
Php. 2:12-13: Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
1Thess. 5:23-24: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
2Cor. 3:18: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
God is working in us and on us by his grace in order to make us more like his Son. “Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness” (WSC 35). This is an ongoing process, a work of grace, which continues every day until the last day of our earthly life.
I need this work of grace in my life right now. I’m not the man I used to be, praise God, but I am still not the man I ought to be and never can claim to be in this life. I’m still a sinner, forgiven, yes, accounted by God as righteous, but far from perfectly holy, pure, and obedient. Grace has not only forgiven my sins, it is preparing me for glory. It is chipping away the barnacles of sin that still cling to my heart. It is scrubbing off the pollution that clouds my thoughts, words, and actions. It is training my heart in the desires and habits of holiness, so that I increasingly love God and long for him while loving sin and the things of the fallen world less and less.
The grace of God continues to work in our lives through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
Rom. 8:8-11: … those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Gal. 5:16-26: I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law…. the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
The Spirit applies the grace of God to our hearts in order to transform us and continually grow us in the will of God and likeness of Christ. We should never feel alone because we’re not. We should not be discouraged, even though we continue to be tempted, struggle, and fall short in many ways. The grace of God is still operating on us. God has not finished his work within us, but he promises to complete the work he has begun (Php. 1:6).
There are two errors we need to be aware of at this point. One is thinking of grace as a one time act which fulfills God’s part of the bargain and leaves us now trying to make up the remainder on our own. The other is imagining that because grace is working within me, I do not have to work at all. That my role in sanctification is simply to sit back, believe, watch, and wait for God to make me holy. Neither is what the Bible teaches. Reformed Christians debate whether sanctification, this growth in grace, is synergistic or monergistic, does it involve my work and God’s work or is it only God’s work? As with many questions, it depends on how you define terms. Sanctification is not synergistic in the sense that God does his part and then I do my part, as though the two parts are separate or in any way comparable. Scripture is clear that it is God who is at work within us right now. But neither is sanctification monergistic if by that we mean that God is the only one who is active, that we remain entirely passive, that we wait for the Lord to make us holy. No, Scripture commands us to be obedient, to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, to pursue holiness, and to be diligent in every good work. We are actively involved in this process. You and I have work to do. But how do we do it? Is it our strength? No. It is God’s grace. “Work out your own salvation… for it is God who works within you.” There is one energy, one power that is at work within our lives for sanctification, and it is a power that enables us to work also! We are to be obedient to God, not in our strength, but in God’s. You may say, “But I can’t do it!” Correct, but “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Php. 4:13). That isn’t talking about passing a math exam I did not study for. It’s talking about being content when Paul is in prison and doesn’t have enough to eat. It’s talking about rejoicing in Christ in all circumstances. It’s talking about doing the will of God even though we, in our own strength, are unable. Grace not only has justified us and is transforming us, it is also enabling us.
Do not be discouraged. I talk to some Christians who seem to be discouraged every time a preacher reminds them of their duty to obey God or reiterates that true faith will make a difference in our lives. Maybe we are discouraged because sometimes that difference seems so small as to be almost imperceptible. But be of good cheer. God is at work within you. His Spirit dwells within you. And the work he has begun, he will certainly complete, even though it seems to take so long.
How Does the Bible Describe What Grace Will Do?
Grace will not only complete the work of sanctification which God has begun in his children, it will one day completely transform and renew the entire world. Every believer in Christ will be made “perfect in holiness” (WSC 37; 1Thess. 5:23), and the curse which presently troubles the material world will end so that creation may enter the glory God ordained in the beginning.
Rom. 8:18-25: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
2Pet. 3:9-15a: The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation
We have a glorious hope, brothers and sisters, not merely the hope of our final transformation, but the assurance that God will one day transform and renew the whole world. The Christian’s hope is not a parachute or evacuation strategy. We are not seeking to escape the world. The Lord Jesus will not surrender this ground to the Devil; he has already secured his defeat. The Lord is now in a mop up operation, pushing back the borders of the kingdom of darkness in order to flood the entire world with the light of his gospel. You don’t have to be postmillennial to expect this. There will be a new heavens and earth where righteousness dwells.
The Bible says one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Php. 2:10-11). But how can we believe that? How can we believe that hardened sinners full of hate in their hearts will confess Jesus is the Master? How can we believe in the Second Coming when it has been two thousand years since Christ was born? How can we believe the world will be actually transformed and remade like the new Narnia in The Last Battle? Isn’t it all a foolish hope, a child’s fairytale, an empty idea meant to comfort those too fragile to be realistic about life?
Look around. Look at the world where you live. Look at your body: your eyes, your hands and feet, your lungs, the taste buds on your tongue. How can you believe in any of this? And yet, how can you not believe? These things are real. You can see the sun rise and set every day, birds flying across the sky, impressive mountains, evaporation and rain, trees and crops, music and color, happiness and sorrow. None of this is imaginary. These are features of the world in which you live. And the Bible says God spoke this world into existence out of nothing. If you find that hard to believe, wait until you hear the evolutionist’s alternative explanation. That is impossible to believe!
If God could make this world and every one of you, why do we find the new heavens and earth impossible? If God could become a man and be born to a virgin in Bethlehem, why do we struggle to believe that he will come again, even if he waits what may seem like a long time? God gave you taste buds and created raspberries. He intends for us to enjoy his creative work. But sin has spoiled the goodness of creation, not eradicated it, but damaged it. The Lord’s work and plan will not be thwarted. Sin will not have the last word. God promises to return to this world, assert his sovereignty, damn all of his enemies, deliver the natural world which cries out in agony, purge the present world with fire, and usher in a glorious new creation as the consummation of Christ’s saving work. Are you excited about that? Scripture says we ought to be. Look for the day eagerly.
Conclusion
One of my former mentors, who died several years ago, once preached a sermon in which he described the grace of God as consisting of two parts: Christ’s death which made forgiveness of sins possible, and the gospel message contained in the Scriptures which tells us how to be saved. I hope you understand why I found this categorization to be inadequate, indeed, so inadequate as to misrepresent and distort the gospel of God’s grace. But I am not persuaded that many evangelicals would recognize the distortion. I’m afraid it would sound right to many sincere believers today.
Grace is not something God gives once and then leaves us to do our part. It is not only the ongoing forgiveness of our sins. It is not something that makes salvation merely possible. And it is not something generally available to everyone but effective for no one, as we’ll see next week.
Grace regenerates, making us alive in Jesus Christ. Grace justifies, forgiving our sin and imputing the righteousness of Christ to us. Grace sanctifies, setting us apart as God’s special people and making us his children by adoption. Grace glorifies, enthroning us with Christ in the heavenly places right now and working in us to make us more and more like Jesus until the day we are made wholly sinless and righteous in the presence of Christ. Grace preserves us; Peter says, we “are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1Pet. 1:5). Grace is working in us, enabling us to repent and believe, strengthening us for obedience, creating a new desire for holiness, and comforting us in our daily struggle, trials, and temptations. Grace is how God saves us, first to last, beginning to end, in every part. It is how he not only saves our souls but transforms our entire person. It is not only how he saves the Church but the whole world. Grace is Jesus Christ, Redeemer, Savior, Mediator, King. We receive grace in our union with him.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)
