12.3 The Work of Grace
March 2008
References and Notes:
Was there a law Before Sinai?
The Power of Grace
Does Man Exercise Free Will?
References
How then can a person be changed? Not education, not wealth or fame, not counseling, not even sitting in the pew at church. And, let me whisper, not even by meticulous keeping of the law! It is only by abiding in Christ and becoming a new creature that a person is changed. Only in this way can a person be lifted out of his selfishness. It is the God who delivered Israel from Egypt who will deliver us from sin. Only in this way can people truly obey. This obedience must be rooted in faith. A faith that begins with knowledge, is confirmed by action, and is completed in love.
When a person is drawn to Christ, he is also convicted of sin (Galatians 3:24). He confesses his sin, is forgiven, and is “cleansed of all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). He is born again, becomes a new creature. He wants to be like Christ. The ten commandment law is a guide to tell us what Christ is like. It is in Christ that we keep the law.
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
“But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:24, 25).
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
When a person is converted or “saved” it does not mean that he has “arrived.” The direction of his life is now towards Christ. By observing Him, we increasingly see the sinless purity of His life and we increasingly see our own sinful natures (Romans 7:24). This produces a growing gap between our view of who Jesus is and a recognition of who we are. This can be discouraging, but Jesus has bridged that gap by the cross.
The grace and the love of Christ are needed in the life every day. By meditation on the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will impress us with what He has done for us. Our relationship to Him becomes our highest value. By beholding Him, we become more like Him.
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Is the ten commandment law just for the Jews?
Mankind was created in the image of God and naturally looked to God for an example of how to live. Was there a “law”? Of course! Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earthly creation, commanded to multiply and replenish the earth, and were told what to eat. They did not focus on a moral law, but it would never even occur to them to have any other Gods, to kill, to steal or to break any of the other commands.
After the fall of man, a Redeemer was first promised to save mankind from sin. In the “enmity between thee and the woman” (Genesis 3:15) given by God after the fall of man are the seeds of His moral law. Adam and Eve would not be helpless in rebellion. They were given a conscience and a desire to do right, to obey God; though now subject to temptation.
In Noah’s day the “wickedness of man was great” and “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Wickedness and evil are known only because of the law of God “for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20) (3).
Abraham was chosen for the Everlasting Covenant because he kept the law of God.
“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him” (Genesis 18:19).
Why was so little said about the law until Sinai? In the Patriarchal age people lived long, memories were strong, and information was passed on by word of mouth. What we read in Genesis are just glimpses of the law of God. This oral tradition was picked up by Moses as he wrote the book of Genesis. Of all the myths and legends present during that time, how could Moses know which stories were true. Second Peter 1:19-21 tells us that “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Genesis gives us the basis for worshiping God as our Creator, the origin of sin and the promise of a Redeemer to come, but not all the details.
The written law was added, or appended because of transgressions. The people had been in Egypt for 215 years. They had been exposed to paganism, immorality, and bondage. In that setting they became insensitive to sin. Only by having God’s moral law brought into sharp objective focus could the Israelites be made conscious that they were sinners, and thus needed salvation. (See article twenty four, “Old Covenant in the New Testament.”)
“Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator” (Galatians 3:19).
The Ten Commandment law can be summarized as love to God and love to man. To go a little deeper, lacking love to God leads to pride. Lacking love to fellow men leaves selfishness. How can a person overcome pride and selfishness without becoming even more proud and selfish? It is only be the grace and power of God that a man can be lifted out of pride and selfishness. Otherwise everything a person does, even the good things are tainted by these twin evils.
The purpose and the power of grace in the life is shown in the following verses. For this to happen a person must submit to Christ and let Him be Lord in your life. This is called being born again.” Such a person “in Christ” has become a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Eph. 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:
Revelation 2:7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,
Revelation 14:12 .. here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus
2 Cor. 3:18 beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image..
Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). It is by grace that the Christian is enabled to keep the law. By grace, keeping the commandments, Christ will prepare a church that is “holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27), a commandment keeping church.
Christians must know that “ye are not your own... For ye are bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19). It is by faith in the price that was paid, faith in the victory gained by Jesus for us all, that we can be overcomers. Before Jesus comes again, the saints will “keep the commandments of God” (Rev 14:12). There are no “unfunded mandates” with God. When he commands, He provides.
What is the standard that God has for us? Is perfection necessary? Yes!
1 Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
What constitutes perfection? It is God who judges and He takes a broad view of perfection. When God looked over Israel on the east bank of the Jordan, He could see only perfection.
“He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them” (Numbers 23:21).
Maybe then, there is a chance for me! He is looking for those people who are whole hearted in their faith, holding nothing back. Perfection is trust, perfect trust in Jesus Christ.
Does the Christian ever perfectly keep the law of God? Several questions must follow: Is grace sufficient to overcome sin in the believer? If perfection is expected, at what point is that perfection achieved? Please read and meditate on 1 John 1:6-10. Our “perfection” is in the hand of Jesus Christ. It is His business, not ours, and in Him we can trust. He is the author and the finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).
There are a number of conditional statements in the Bible indicating that the Christian must consciously choose to serve God. Words like “if, choose, seek, ask, find” and many others. Free will is a special gift from God, yet man has only a limited option in exercising free will. Most of the decisions we make from day to day are based on practical issues, and can better be considered “reactions.” The only real decision that man makes is in choosing Whom he will serve; Christ or Satan (disguised as self).
When Jesus died on the cross, he died for all (Hebrews 2:9). Salvation was made a free gift to every person (Romans 5:15-18). The Holy Spirit makes that salvation effectual in the life, but only by our consent. God never overrides our choice. In this passage to the end-time Laodicean church, note how many verbs require action on the part of the Christian. Also please note, the required action is to consent to the work of grace, to decide to exercise faith.
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Revelation 3:18-21).
Once a person is born again, once he becomes a new creature, can he fall from grace? If salvation is a free gift to every man, can that salvation be taken back? The following verses show that the Christian is expected to endure to the end, be confident, patient, and not turn away from faith.
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13).
“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:35-38).
The Christian must renew his commitment to God every day. Be assured of this, God has gone to great lengths to save mankind. Jesus came and died that all who believed might be saved. God is in the business of saving people. He will not let a person be lost easily.
God has staked His reputation on the lives of His people. It is a special problem when God’s people sin.
4 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 “And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 “If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Satan can no longer injure Christ except through His people. It is now the purpose of Satan to show that Christ died in vain, that grace is not sufficient to save. The Christian, trusting wholly in Christ, will prove that grace is sufficient to save (1 Cor. 4:9).
1. Exodus 25:21; 34:28; Deut 9:9,11,15; 10:2,5
2. Exodus 25:21; Deut 10:5; 1 Kings 8:9; 2 Chron 5:10
3. This is in direct contrast with the theory of man’s evolution through survival of the fittest, where violence and death are normal!
4. See John 1:17 in The Scofield Reference Bible, 1917 edition; and Darby JN: The Law, and the Gospel of the Glory of Christ, p. 431, 432.
5. “True sanctification means perfect love, perfect obedience, perfect conformity to the will of God. We are to be sanctified to God through obedience to the truth. Our conscience must be purged from dead works to serve the living God. We are not yet perfect; but it is our privilege to cut away from the entanglements of self and sin, and advance to perfection. Great possibilities, high and holy attainments, are placed within the reach of all.” White EG: “Transformed by Grace,” Acts of the Apostles, p. 565
6. “By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God's commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.” White EG: Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 312