Views: 2<\/p>
[Note:\u00a0 <\/strong>This MS is available in\u00a0 <\/strong>larger font on our Brief Articles 1<\/strong>\u00a0 page.]<\/span><\/p>\n Grace<\/i> in the Bible refers to God\u2019s favor men do not deserve and cannot merit. Few subjects are more widely misunderstood\u2014or perverted. It is imperative that men understand this Bible doctrine, for our salvation depends upon it. Perhaps some contrasts relating to Grace will be helpful:<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Grace does not preclude conditions. <\/b>Christians are \u201cjustified freely by his grace\u201d (Rom. 3:24). God did not owe us His favor; we could not compel it. That grace is free, however, does not mean it is cheap (i.e., without conditions or our efforts for receiving it or remaining in it). If grace were unconditional, all would be saved<\/b>, for God so desires (1 Tim. 2:6); but not all will be (Mat. 7:13; 25:31\u201346). Grace is no less free because it is conditional.Grace does not eliminate law. <\/b>Grace and law are not<\/b> mutually exclusive, as many affirm and assume. If grace excludes law, it also excludes sin, for \u201cwhere there is no law, neither is there transgression\u201d (Rom. 4:15; 5:13; 7:8). Where there is no sin, there is no need for grace, the purpose of which is to cover our sins. When Paul wrote, \u201cfor ye are not under law, but under grace\u201d (Rom. 6:14), he referred to the law of Moses, whose authority died with Jesus on the cross (Col. 2:14). Moses\u2019 law could not save (Heb. 10:4). Grace by Jesus\u2019 blood is the key to salvation. We are nonetheless accountable to His<\/b> Law<\/b> (see Rom. 8:2; 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2; Jam. 1:25; 2:12).<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Grace does not exclude our works. <\/b>As with law, so with our works: one does not exclude the other. What then did Paul mean, \u201cFor by grace have ye been saved through faith; \u2026not of works, that no man should glory\u201d (Eph. 2:8\u20139)? Did he exclude every<\/b> sort of \u201cworks\u201d? Hardly, unless he countered his teaching that an oral confession of one\u2019s faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9\u201310), repentance (Acts 17:30), and baptism (Rom. 6:3\u20134; Gal. 3:27) \u2014all involving our \u201cworks\u201d\u2014are necessary to salvation. Rather, the excluded \u201cworks\u201d are ones in which men might seek to boast that they had \u201cearned\u201d God\u2019s grace (cf. Tit. 3:5). While none can work hard or well enough to de-serve salvation, the availing principle in Christ is \u201cfaith working<\/b> through love\u201d (Gal. 4:3, emph. added).<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Grace does not equal license. <\/b>God\u2019s grace brings liberty and freedom (Gal. 2:4; 5:1). Some thereby interpret \u201cgrace\u201d to be a \u201cpermission slip\u201d to behave as they please. They \u201cturn the grace of God into lasciviousness\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>(Jude 4), using their freedom for an \u201coccasion of the flesh\u201d (Gal. 5:13). Those who thus fall from grace will be lost eternally (v. 4; 19\u201321).<\/span><\/p>\n [Note:<\/b> I wrote this article for and it appeared in the Denton Record-Chronicle, <\/i>Denton, TX, December 4, 2015].<\/span><\/p>\n Attribution:<\/b> From thescripturecache.com<\/i>; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Views: 2[Note:\u00a0 This MS is available in\u00a0 larger font on our Brief Articles 1\u00a0 page.] Grace in the Bible refers to God\u2019s favor men do not deserve and cannot merit. Few subjects are more widely misunderstood\u2014or perverted. It is imperative that men understand this Bible…<\/p>\n