Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
July 01, 2001 a.m.
GRACE GRACE MARVELOUS GRACE
Grace - Faith - Works - Salvation
Reading - Ephesians 2.1-10
For the past three weeks, we’ve been using our notes from Green Valley as a basis for our sermons. It is ironic that both our lessons today were requested lessons... One on Grace... How to harmonize GRACE... FAITH... WORKS as a part of our salvation... And tonight Repentance and Confession from Psalm 51. While both were requested this week... Both were also used at Green Valley this summer. Pulpit preaching is useless, unless it addresses our problems and needs... Unless it speaks to our hearts... So don’t hesitate to request sermons that will help you live closer to God.
Our text says... For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God... Not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
There is a lot of confusion in our churches today about the concept of GRACE.
-Some have been blinded to grace because of their own lack of study.
-Others have been blinded by teachers who were afraid to teach Biblical Grace.
-Still others have been led astray by false teachers who have distorted the Scriptures, contending that GRACE ALONE is all that is necessary for our salvation... And that there is nothing that we need to do to be saved.
Of course the best way to study this subject, or any Bible subject for that matter, is to just let the Bible speak for itself. Let’s see what we can learn about grace... and harmonizing Grace... Faith... and Works.
First... We Learn That Grace Cannot Be Earned
It is easy for us to get the idea that our relationship with God is measured by a set of old-fashion balance scales. You see... The idea is that all our sins... All the bad and ugly things in our lives are on this end...
-And that to be saved...
-In order to go to heaven...
We must place enough good things on the scale to balance it in the favor of God and good. If we can just put enough good deeds on his side of the balance... Then our relationship with God is secure... and heaven is ours.
But the Bible teaches that grace cannot be earned. This fact is implied in the very definition of grace. You see... The fact that salvation cannot be earned is implied by the word grace itself.
The Greek word is charis... It means unmerited favor. Listen to what Paul wrote concerning grace and our salvation from Romans 11.6... If our salvation is by grace... It is no longer on the basis of works... Otherwise grace is no longer grace. Paul is saying... The gift of GOD’S GRACE cannot be earned. We cannot put God in our debt... So that He must save us.
Salvation is a gift of God... Not by works... Lest any man might boast.
Read with me now from Matthew chapter 18... And let’s read an illustration of GRACE.
Matthew 18 contains the parable of the unmerciful servant... At the bottom of your worship bulletin... Matthew 18... Beginning with the verse numbered 23... Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. `Be patient with me,' he begged, `and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow-servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. `Pay back what you owe me!' He demanded. His fellow-servant fell to his knees and begged him, `Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. `You wicked servant,' he said, `I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow-servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
Did you catch how much the debt was... 10,000 talents.
This man’s debt totaled something in excess of ten million dollars.
Church... Notice the contrast between what this man owed... and what he earned.
He was a servant... Meaning that his income was one denarius every day.
That figures out to about sixteen cents a day.
You see... There is no way a man can pay a 10 million dollar debt... on a 16 cent a day salary.
Now... know this... The servant in the parable represents us... And our sin debt. Jesus used the absurdity of paying back such a debt on an income of 16 cents a day. Like us... This servant thought he could pay his debt... So... He asked for more time!
Some of us think we can earn our forgiveness... Our salvation... We can’t!!
But he could have lived a thousand years and still never would he have been able to pay.
-If he had been allowed to pay back the debt interest-free...
-If he had put every bit of his salary toward the debt, never buying food, clothing or shelter...
He would still owe well over $9,884,873 today!... 2000 years later.
This illustrates the absolute absurdity of our trying to... earn our salvation.
Clearly... This servant’s only way out was to accept his master’s generous offer.
You see audience... The only way out of my sin debt... and yours...
-Is to accept Jesus...
-Is to respond to God’s MARVELOUS grace gift on the cross.
Listen to me... Any religious system which proposes some sort of payment to God for what we owe is as ludicrous as this servant thinking he could pay back a ten-million dollar debt. Paul emphatically states..For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves... It is the gift of God.
Brother Guy N. Woods once wrote... A simple, but nonetheless full definition of “grace” is unmerited favor. I emphasize the adjective unmerited. It is not enough to say that grace is favor. It is indeed that, but more--much more. Genuine grace is a favor of a special kind-that which is undeserved, unmerited, and freely bestowed by the Lord! We did not deserve it, we cannot earn it and, of course we cannot obligate God for it. Let this definition of grace impress itself indelibly upon our hearts: Grace is the unmerited favor of God.
Folk... We must firmly stand where the Bible stands on grace.
Earned grace is an oxymoron... It can’t be....
-If it is earned it is not grace...
-If it is grace then it cannot be earned.
Secondly... We Learn That God’s Grace Saves Us Through Faith.
This fact is implied in Hebrews 11.6... Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Listen to this closely now... If it is impossible for us to please God without faith... Then receiving the grace of God must depend upon our own personal faith.
You see... GRACE... PLUS... FAITH... EQUALS... SALVATION!!
Grace is God’s part in the salvation equation... and Faith is our part. Grace is something God has done and continues to do... Faith is something we must do.
Listen to what the Greek scholar A.T. Robertson says of this use of the word saved in our text.
He says... This is a very special verb tense in the original language... For which there is no English equivalent.... In the Greek... Paul is saying that... God’s past action in saving the sinner has brought about the present result of his having been... and continuing to be saved.
So... We see that salvation by grace through faith is... How God SAVES US... And it is how He continues to keep us SAVED.
This is exactly what Paul and John both say when you put Galatians three and First John one together... We are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus... For as many of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ... Have been clothed with Christ... And if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another; and the blood of Jesus, His Son, continues to clean and purify us from all sin.
INDEED... OUR FAITH PLEASES GOD... But HE SAVES US... And keeps us saved THROUGH HIS GRACE. Isn’t that exactly what Paul said about Abraham?... Abraham believed God... and it was credited to him as righteousness.
It is important for us to notice that... In making faith part of the salvation equation... A part of the grace transaction... God has put conditions on grace! Perhaps this is where some good people get confused... Instead of understanding grace to be unmerited favor... They mistakenly define it as unconditional favor.
You see... Even though God unconditionally loves us, He does not unconditionally save us.
-The Hebrews’ writer specifically says... That Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for
all who... (WHAT?)... Those who obey him
-Matthew 7.21 has Jesus saying... Not everyone who says to Me... Lord, Lord... will enter the
kingdom of heaven... But he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
This bring us to our third point... We learn that... Works are a Part of Saving Faith.
Let’s see if we can find out... Just what part FAITH AND WORKS play in our salvation.
Just what is this faith through which we receive God’s Marvelous Grace?
Listen to Paul from Ephesians 2.10... For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works... Which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Having plainly stated that salvation is a gift from God... And that we receive it through our faith... Paul points out that works are part and parcel of that faith. Paul pictured the life of faith as a walk down a road... A road paved with good works.
Isn’t this similar to what he wrote telling Titus... For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own... Eager to do good works. Grace teaches to live a disciplined life... One in which we are eager to do good works. No not meritorious works... But works nevertheless.
Works and Faith go together... Faith and Obedience go together.
It is wrong thinking to suppose that we can have faith in God... And not do what He commands us to do. In fact... Scripture plainly teaches that Biblical Faith includes our works of obedience.
For instance... Abraham’s faith was acknowledged... And blessed by God when he obeyed... By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance.
The example left for us by Abraham is one of FAITH... WORKS... and OBEDIENCE.
The Hebrews’ writer also mentions the LIVING... ACTING... WORKING... OBEDIENT FAITH... of Abel... Enoch... Noah... Sarah... Isaac... Jacob... Joseph... Moses... Rahab... and others.
Then James says that... FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD BEING ALONE... What good is it... if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way... faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead... Belief in God is good... But even the demons believe that--and shudder... Do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
James is saying that Abraham’s faith was complete ... When it moved him to obey God...
-Faith is not complete until it prompts us to respond to God’s commands.
-Faith does not save until it acts...
-Faith is not pleasing to God until it is obedient.
Mental assent... Mental agreement... Just believing... Is not saving faith.
Even the devil and demons believe.
Well... Does this fact present us with a theological problem? I mean... We started our lesson by stating the Bible fact that salvation cannot be earned. But if salvation cannot be earned... Where do Works... Acts... Obedience figure in?
This is our final point... I believe that with a close examination... We will learn that the Works... Which Make Faith Complete... Are Not Meritorious.
This fact is implied by both Paul and James.
-Paul says... We are saved... By Grace... Through faith... Not by works.
-James speaks of the uselessness of a non-working... freeloading faith.
If James is to be in harmony with Paul... and... If Paul is to be in harmony with himself...
It can only be that... The works which make our faith complete... are not meritorious works.
By this... We mean that they...
-Do not... Cannot... Earn favor with God...
-They do not put God in debt to us...
-They do not obligate God to pay us back with salvation.
-In no way do our works merit forgiveness or eternal salvation.
This fact too is illustrated in the life of Abraham. Remember what James and Paul both quoted from Genesis... saying... Abraham believed God... And it was reckoned to him as righteousness
Notice... neither Moses... who originally wrote those words... or James, or Paul ever said... Abraham believed God and that this faith made him righteous.
They said... He believed God... and that because of this... It was reckoned to him... Credited to him... As righteousness... Because... You see... Faith pleases God... So faith is rewarded by God.
-I’ve never heard anyone ever suggest that Abraham purchased his favor with God.
-No one have ever suggested that Abraham deserved to be called the friend of God.
-Who would be so bold as to hold that God owed Abraham anything.
In fact, church, scripture tells us that when we’ve done all we can do... When we’ve obeyed all of God’s commands... We are still an unprofitable servant... And that all our righteousness is but rags in God’s sight.
But WHY?... Why would God put it down on the credit side of Abraham’s ledger? For the same reason He credits our faith with righteousness... Because God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Grace... Grace... Marvelous Grace... That covers all my sin.
Amazing Grace... How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
God credited Abraham's Working... Acting... Obedient... Living... Faith... with Grace!!
Matthew 7.24 says... Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine... And acts upon them... May be compared to a wise man... Who built his house upon the rock.
Did you notice...
-Do the will of My Father...
-Hear and act upon these words of Mine?
These are direct commands from the mouth of our Lord.... They are also works!
But are they not meritorious works... They earn us Nothing... They do not put God in our debt?
Isn’t it time that we acknowledge what Isaiah said centuries ago... All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
I hope we all have a better understanding of God’s Marvelous Grace, as a result of our study this morning. My prayer is that we all will respond to God’s Grace through our faith in Him...
That we will be obedient to Him in genuine New Testament repentance and baptism.
And that we will be found working the works He has foreordained for us to do.
And in so doing... We will become His workmanship.
The invitation is ours to respond to God’s Marvelous Grace... Will You Come?
