SAVED BY GRACE

Rex A. Turner

 

Foreword

 

Without question, mortal man is saved or justified by the grace of God. What, however, is involved in a man being saved by the grace of God? Does God’s grace unconditionally cover all men—believers and non-believers—as the universalists contend? Is God’s grace operative for all who “just believe” as the Armenians, along with others, contend? Are there no conditions to be met for receiving God’s grace, other than the condition of faith, as many of the Protestant world contend? Is God’s grace irresistible for—and only for—the limited elect, as the Calvinists contend? Does grace dispense with law? Christians need to know the answers to these questions.

Further, there is within the churches of Christ a growing misconception of the meaning or subject of grace. To illustrate, a gospel preacher and graduate of a denominational seminary is reported to have said in substance: “There are two classes of preachers in the churches of Christ—those that believe that a sinner is saved by works and those who believe that a sinner is saved by grace. I believe that the sinner is saved by the grace of God.” Another preacher is reputed to have said that grace excludes all law.

Now, what faithful preacher has ever contended that man is saved by works only—as the preacher’s assertion would imply? As for the affirmation that grace excludes all law, how does such an assertion comport with Isaiah’s statement that “out of Zion shall go forth the law,” and with Paul’s statement, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Isaiah 2:3; Gal. 3:2)?

 

The Grace of God

 

Grace is defined as unmerited, unearned, and undeserved favor. No man has a right to salvation as a result of his own righteousness or meritorious works. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). God’s offer of salvation to man is positively a matter of grace. The offer is to all men! What a glorious contemplation! What love hath been shown to fallen man!

Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves [not earned, nor a right through your own selves], it is a gift [unmerited grace] of God; and not of works [not of works stemming from their own righteousness and/or power], that no man should glory (or boast of his own devices and accomplishments).”

In short, the plan or scheme whereby man might become righteous was a matter of absolute grace on God’s part. All men were under sin (Rom. 3:23). No man had or could have earned his salvation by means of his own meritorious works. True, the Jews had the law of Moses, but the law did not save the Jews from sin. It only convicted them of sin. It was not given to save, but rather, it was given to convict.

God’s grace, as extended to all men, was and is through his Son,Jesus Christ, who gave his body as a propitiation—an appeasement, an atonement, a sacrifice—for the sins of men. Through his propitiation, Christ has provided a means for the redemption—or the buying back—of fallen men.

Christ made the atonement for the sins of men by dying in their place. He gave his life in the place of sinners who deserved to die. This was a matter of meeting the terms of justice which required “life for life.” Adam through sin, so to speak, had taken his own life. His redemption, therefore, could only be obtained on the basis of a life for his life (Deut. 19:21). Since the “life is in the blood,” Christ left heaven and came to earth through means of a body prepared for him in the womb of the virgin Mary in order that he could give his life—which necessarily required his atoning blood—for the redemption of man (Heb. 10:4-7). God’s gift of his Son for fallen man provided that God could at the same time be just and the justifier of him that hath faith in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:26).

God is, first of all, just and righteous, and if he were to “pass over the sins done aforetime” without the demands of violated justice having been met, he would cease at that very point to be a righteous and just God. Christ made an unlimited atonement—that is, he made atonement for all men (Heb. 2:9; 1 John 2:2). Christ’s atonement for all men is certainly contrary to Calvin’s doctrine of limited atonement, or atonement for a certain and predetermined elect only. The atonement which Christ made is predicated, however, on the basis of man’s faith in him, and in the blood that he shed.

While boastful works are excluded by God’s grace, there are works that are included. The works which are included are works which the Protestant religious world refuses to recognize or grant. To illustrate the fact that there are works which are included, Peter declared at the house of Cornelius: “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34-35). A point of emphasis is that whatever is included under the term “righteousness” is included in the gospel plan of salvation. Certainly, salvation is by faith, but is it by faith only or alone, as the denominational world claims? This is the pertinent question.

Salvation is through faith, but not by faith only! To illustrate, James wrote: “Wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect” (2:20-22) Paul wrote: “Faith cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). In short, faith is the result of teaching, and the acts of obedience are the results of faith in God—thus faith is made perfect by obedience. Within this very frame of reference. Paul wrote the Galatians: “For ye are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ” (3:26-27) To the Ephesians, Paul wrote: “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them (2:10). Paul also wrote the Galatians: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision—now observe—but faith working by love” (5:6) The conclusion of this whole matter is that a faith that saves is a faith that takes God at his word, believes what he says, obeys what he commands, and becomes what he demands. The faith that saves is a live, energetic, and active faith.

 

Conclusion

 

While the grace of God has been extended to all men, not all men will be saved. The offer of God’s free grace is predicated upon a faith that works by love. Paul emphasized this fact still further in his letter to Titus. He wrote: “The grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men [that is, within the reach of all men], instructing us (observe—instructing or teaching), to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12).