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"Salvation
by grace" and
"Salvation
by grace alone"
are
popular religious shibboleths!
Most Christians worth the name can readily rattle off the words, "salvation is by grace alone." And that's wonderful. The Scriptures affirm that fundamental truth. However, the sad thing is, very few Christians actually believe their confession, i.e. that their salvation is by grace alone!
Let's consider that popular statement "salvation is by grace alone" for a moment.
Salvation
is a multifaceted term, embracing many aspects of God's activities in that
salvation:
-
God purposed that salvation, for His people.
-
God accomplished that salvation, for His people.
-
God applies/bestows that salvation, to His people.
-
God consummates that salvation, for His people.
Does God execute all those activities by grace alone? Or does God require the cooperation of His people to execute those activities for them? The phrase "by grace alone" speaks about the manner God executes those activities to save His people... i.e. He executed those activities freely and sovereignly without His people fulfilling any condition or aiding Him in any way whatsoever. If that was not the manner God executed those activities, is it still "by grace alone"?
-
Salvation requires freeing you from your just condemnation of death, that's
justification by His grace alone.
-
Salvation requires removing you from your native state of deadness in
trespasses and sins, that's regeneration by His grace alone.
-
Salvation requires delivering you from your alienation from God, that's
adoption by His grace alone.
(The
above three divine activities are simultaneously executed at the effectual
calling of each elect out of his native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation)
-
Salvation necessitates bringing up the dead from the grave to eternal glory,
this resurrection by His grace alone; and transforming those still living in
their bodies of death unto glory, this by His grace alone too.
Well, unless of course, you insist that you cooperated or assisted in any part of those activities of God!
Did God execute all these divine acts by His grace alone, or did He not? Or did He require your cooperation for the execution of any of those activities to save you? There can be no mixture - it is a zero-sum game. It is either one or the other by your own confession... "alone" speaks of EXCLUSIVITY!
Ro 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
The
Scriptures declare that salvation is by grace alone... that is:
-
your justification is by grace alone,
-
your regeneration is by grace alone,
-
your adoption is by grace alone, and
-
your resurrection and/or transformation unto eternal glory is by grace alone.
Your
justification before God: freely by His grace
-
Ro 3:24 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus..."
-
Tit 3:7 "That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life."
It is plain enough that the justification of a condemned man before God is by the free grace of God alone, based on the righteousness of Christ alone.
The devil deceives God's children to believe that condemned sinners are justified by God through their faith alone in Christ! Their favourite mantra is - justification by faith alone, i.e. their act of believing in Chris gets them justified by God. Such sola fide is a lie from the pit of hell!
That
hellish lie denies and usurps divine grace, and substitutes it with man's work
of believing. No amount of disclaiming will remove the charge!
You regeneration by God: freely by His grace
-
John 3: 3 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
-
Eph 2:1,5 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and
sins...even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved."
-
Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the
Holy Ghost..."
These declare that your regeneration by God is freely by the grace of God. The spiritually dead can't possibly assist God in their own regeneration.
The
devil deceives God's children to believe the big lies that their regeneration
requires the work of preaching the gospel by preachers, and believing the
gospel by the hearers! They believe that God needs the help of preachers to
regenerate sinners dead in trespasses and sins. They also believe that the
sinners dead in trespasses and sins need to help God by their believing in
order for them to be regenerated! And they still foam, "salvation is by
grace alone."
Christ repeatedly said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot..." But they say, "... he can...!" Let Christ be true but every man a liar.
Preaching the gospel is very important for the purpose it was ordained, i.e. so that God's children may know the truth of their salvation by God's free grace! It is not for the fictional purpose imagined by many... instrumental for the regeneration of the dead. Believing the gospel truth is very important, but not for the purpose of being born again, but for the purpose of knowing the truth that liberates them, and to be delivered from lies and falsehood, and superstitions.
Your
adoption by God: freely by His grace
John
1: 12-13 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Eph
1:5 "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will..."
1John
3:1 "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God..."
The devil deceives God's children to believe that it is when they believe that they are adopted by God as children. And they point to John 1:12 as proof! That verse says that receiving Christ (and only those who are already born of God, therefore already God's children) enables them to have the power and authority to see themselves as God's children.
Your
glorification by God: freely by His grace
Phil
3:20-21 "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for
the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may
be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he
is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
1Cor
15:42-44 "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised
in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural
body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a
spiritual body."
When we lie as dust and dry bones in the grave, what can we do to assist our resurrection? What can we do to assist God to transform us in this natural mortal corruptible body to that of the spiritual, immortal and incorruptible body fit for eternal glory? Do you really mean it when you say, "salvation is of the LORD, salvation is by His grace alone"?
Please do make sure that "salvation is indeed by grace alone" is not just a pious shibboleth or religious jargon. It does not serve the cause of Christ or His truth!
Unless
you do really believe in salvation by grace, stop using it less you end up
bearing false witness against Christ and His gospel.
