Do You Understand God's Grace?

Romans 6:14-15 says, For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

The word "grace" is, no doubt, a most precious truth personified by God through Christ and the work on the Cross. We sing "Amazing Grace" by John Newton and is loved by both Christians and within the secular society. However, people within and without the church have little to no concept of grace as it is greatly misunderstood.

Many Christians believe it to mean that because of grace, they can live as they please without regard to God's law - specifically the moral will or commandments of God. Christian's take Paul's words to mean they can live as they please. This has sadly resulted in what is termed "easy believism" or "cheap grace."

Theologically this is termed antinomianism, which is the conviction that believers are freed from the demands of God’s law by depending upon God’s grace for their salvation. Of course, this is not a new concept and Jude addresses it when he states For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 4).

The difficulty as a pastor is to preach salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone and to do so without merging toward antinomianism or, at the other end of the spectrum, and to add works. Both are heretical and to combat this is for us to have a clear understanding and biblical view of the grace of God. 

We often define grace as "God's unmerited favor." That's good, but only gives us half of the whole definition. Galatians 3:10 states that  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. We are all deserving the "curse" of God because we all have fallen short of the mark and have not obeyed the law. That's why Jesus came and He alone as the God-Man could and did obey the law completely and perfectly.

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus states, Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am cnot come to destroy, but to fulfill. And praise God, that is exactly what He did for you and me. Christ fulfilled the law in which we could not do.

Thus, a more complete definition is one given by Jerry Bridges where he defines it as "God's blessings through Christ to people who deserve His curse" (The Transforming Power of the Gospel p.1192). He goes on to say that a concept of grace that does not include our "ill-deservedness" and Christ's work for us will lead people down the wrong path of "easy believism" or "cheap grace." However, a concept that does include our "ill-deservedness" and Christ's work for us leads us to a place of gratitude for His gift of grace, which then leads to a loving obedience. 

As Christians we need to be just as dependent on the grace of God that we received at salvation in our daily walk with the Lord. It's that same grace that is needed in all we do in and for His kingdom.