On Grace
By Grace You Have Been Saved
Man is completely dead. His sin has overwhelmed him, and there is no hope of redemption apart from God. Since the beginning, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, man has been in a fallen state of sin. So how would God save man, who had rebelled against Him? How does God save men today? He saves humankind through grace. God chose to be gracious to man and give him a chance to be saved. But, how could God let him go unpunished for his sin? How could He let sin into His holy presence? He was able to do this because of Christ’s sacrifice. God sent His Son to take all of man’s sin upon Himself. God accepted this sacrifice, and now man can be cleared from his guilt through Christ’s surrender. Furthermore, God’s Holy Spirit shows believers the grace of God’s gospel. It is evident in the Scriptures that God saves man through grace because of Christ’s death, God’s acceptance, and the Holy Spirit’s persuasion to the truth.
In the Bible, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” These verses clearly state God’s work of grace in salvation. Man cannot work to gain justification of his sins because only God supplies the way to heaven. God, because He loves man, provides a way for him to be redeemed by His grace. Why did God choose to set up salvation this way? He did it so that no one could take glory for saving himself. One could imagine how boastful a self-saved person could be. That person would give no glory to God, and all of the person’s praise would be given to himself because he saved himself by his works. Therefore, God saves man by His own grace so that He can receive the glory.
God’s grace in salvation is shown by the sacrifice of His Son. God’s Son, who is Jesus, was sent by God to come to earth and die for the sins of the world. How much grace did God have upon man at this time? How deserving was man? The fact is that God had an amazing amount of grace for the exceedingly sinful man. God gave His Son as a sacrifice to pay for man’s sin. It is hard to imagine that a father who loves his son would give him up to save people who could care less, but in the same way, God is that father. God had to be full of grace and love to give His Son to die for the sin of man. The sacrifice of Christ shows that God has grace on man. Since Christ’s sacrifice covers death, God’s sending His Son to die shows that God gives salvation by grace.
God shows His work of grace in salvation by accepting the sacrifice that Christ made. In the Bible, God says that those who believe in Him will inherit eternal life (John 3:16). Furthermore, He says in John 14:6 that Jesus is the way, truth, and life. In these passages, God affirms, through His Word, that Christ’s sacrifice was acceptable. Since God inspired the Bible, and because God cannot sin, what He says in the Bible must be true. Therefore, God graciously gives license for the method of salvation in these verses. Now man can be saved. Christ’s death for mankind is the acceptable means of salvation, and God saves by grace because He accepts Christ’s sacrifice for the payment of sins according to these verses.
The Holy Spirit confirms the act of God’s grace to believers. In John 15:26 Jesus says, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about me.” In this verse, Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit who will come to teach believers the truth of the gospel. Now, there are two important facts that are stated here. The Holy Spirit, through the work of salvation, shows believers the truth. Also, He is the Helper that, for believers, proves the gospel. In other words, once a person is saved the Holy Spirit works in his life and proves that God’s gospel of grace is true.God’s act of grace in salvation is proven to believers by the Holy Spirit.
Since Biblical evidence is not widely trusted by non-believers, how can those who do not believe, trust that God saves by His grace? How can it be proven to them? The most basic answer is that it cannot. One would have to prove God, but there is no way to prove God as a gracious Savior by human effort. Aside from the work of God and Christ, stated in the Bible, the only proof and the only one who can prove the work of God is the Holy Spirit. God proclaims in John 15:26 that the Helper will teach and show God to believers. The Helper, who is the Holy Spirit, is the one who can teach man of the truth of God. Consequently, the condition of unbelievers is such that they cannot know the truth. Since God has not saved them, they do not have the Holy Spirit and, therefore, they do not know the truth. So, since the Holy Spirit is the only One who can truly prove God’s grace in salvation, and unbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit, unbelievers cannot really know that the gospel of grace is true.
God’s saving work of grace is found in the Bible through Christ’s death, God’s acceptance, and the Holy Spirit’s illumination. The Bible clearly states that God has been gracious to man and that He has chosen His grace as the means of salvation. Christ’s sacrifice with God’s acceptance of the sacrifice points to God’s merciful hand, and the Holy Spirit, though He does not reveal the truth to unbelievers, shows true believers that God has been awesomely merciful and gracious to men. God has blessed man more than anyone can know. He has chosen to spare men from their sinful, godless fall, and He has provided a means of salvation. He has given man what man cannot possibly deserve, and he saves man by that same gift, His grace.
