The bedrock of Christianity is the grace of God. Without grace there would not have been an incarnation and without Jesus, there would be no Christian faith. In Hebrew the word for grace is channun and in Greek, charis, they mean favor, blessing and kindness. It has been described as “God’s unmerited favor.” Grace is God choosing to bless us rather than punish us for our sinful rebellion. It has been said that grace is getting what we don’t deserve and not getting what we do.
Being gracious is a part of God’s self-described character. He is gracious in all his dealings with humankind. We see that early in Scripture in God’s encounter with Moses. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness . . . (Exodus 34:6 | ESV) His saving grace is connected to his love and mercy along with his justice, righteousness and holiness.
God punishes sin because he is just. Let’s look at the verse following the one quoted above, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:7 | ESV) Fortunately, we are now only held accountable for our own sins, not those of our ancestors.
He punishes those who do not repent of their sins, but that is not what he prefers. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 | NIV) Repentance leads to salvation by grace through the faith God provides. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— (Ephesians 2:8 | NIV) We cannot even come to Jesus in faith unless God gives us the faith necessary. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, (John 6:44a | NIV)
Grace is divided into two types, common and special. Common grace, as the word implies, is common to all humankind. It includes the good things in our lives, including our human conscience. “The conscience is the focus within each person, as a being formed in the image of God, not only of self-respect and respect for others, but of respect for God.”[1]
Special grace is God’s saving grace. It justifies and sanctifies those who trust in Jesus for their eternal salvation. Unlike common grace, which is universally given, special grace is bestowed only on those whom God elects to eternal life through faith in his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.”[2] It is special grace that transforms us into the likeness of Jesus.
There are four kinds of special grace. Prevenient grace is God making the first move to reconcile sinners to himself. It is best described by the apostle John. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10 | NIV) Efficacious grace accomplishes God’s purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30 | NIV) Sufficient grace sanctifies and eternally saves the believer.
Irresistible grace cannot be ignored. One of the best examples of this is what happened to the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. Calvinists believe that the “elect” cannot resist God’s saving grace. Arminians maintain people can exercise free will and reject God’s saving grace. An example of this would be the rich young ruler. (Matthew 19:16-22 and Mark 10:17-22) Those who reject the gospel will pay an eternal price for their rejection.
[1] P.E. Hughes, “Grace,” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed., Edited by Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), p. 520.
[2] Ibid.
Recent Comments