Page Name: A Theological and Devotional Reflection
By Rameshwar Yadav
Though the churches of Christ rely on God’s Grace, many of them usually take it very lightly or have wrong perception of it. It considers as a gift to enjoy and misuse it because the license of God’s Grace is with them to get the forgiveness from sins. For such people, in Romans 6: 2-4. God has harshly rebuked, “Are we do continue in sin that Grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that…we might walk in newness of life?” Thus, our frequent reading and teaching from the Word of His Grace must make us serious about the Grace of God because God’s joy is serious joy.
God’s Grace as a Gift
To limit God’s Grace as mere gift is abusing. Attaching His Grace only to martial welfare is misunderstanding. Yes, it is a gift of God but it is beyond the gift. The word of His Grace (Acts 20: 32) teaches about Grace to look more than it. It is not only to receive the worldly blessings but it is also to build us up and give us God’s inheritance. Here, Paul says, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” Thus, to see the Grace as a receiving gift is the narrow perspective. Grace teaches us to give instead of receiving. Thus, God gave His Son on our behalf to bestow His grace for our salvation.
His words show the greater scope of God’s Greater Grace. In Ephesians’ chapter one, when God bestows His Grace upon us as sinners, it is not only limited to the salvation from sins. He also blesses us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (V. 4). We know what has decided in heaven that happens on earth. Furthermore, this blessing is for our election to make us holy and blameless before God. Then, in love He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ to the praise of his glorious Grace according to the purpose of God’s will. Again, in Him we have redemption though Christ’s blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His Lavished Grace. Here, God’s wisdom and insight have attached to the Grace, which help us to know the mystery of God’s will. Without His Grace, we do not understand God’s salvation in Christ, which was planned and declared by God before the foundation of this world.
The Grace of God highlights our inabilities unto salvation and unwillingness towards the will of God. Ephesians 2: 1-10 has an analogy of “the dead man has made alive by God’ Grace and Mercy to grant salvation from sins and give a new life to walk in Christ Jesus for good works”. Now consider, why does God bring such analogy? Why are we dead in sins? Why do we need a new life? In sins, we are dead for God. We cannot do anything for God. We cannot walk and follow God. God says in Genesis 3:3, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” The tones and messages of Ephesians and Genesis are same. The result of sin is “death”. Further He says, ‘For by Grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not you doing, it is a gift of God, not result of works, so no one may boast (Eph. 2: 8)’. Thus, Grace of God is a gift but beyond the worldly blessing.
God’s Grace and its two Sides
God’s Grace has two sides. One side is for His people and another side is for His enemies. In other words, the Doctrine of the Grace includes Doctrine of Election and Doctrine of Reprobation. Many of us may know bit about Doctrine of Election. But we might hate this teaching because we are thinking that how a good and loving God can choose one and reject another. It means we do not have the right understanding of it. Regarding it, our learning is only a half. But half-truth is no truth. To see the beauty of it, we must know it fully. But about the doctrine of Reprobation, most of them have not even heard. It is because the doctrine of Election is presented in the distorted form. In other words, there is a blasphemy about the doctrine of Election. This wrong teaching has created the wrong notions among them. Thus, they are not ready to hear about it, then what about learning of it.
God’s grace for as Election
This doctrine is soul comforting for the people of God and ministers of God because God has done everything to save us. In other words, the salvation belongs to the Lord. If the salvation bases on someone’s ability and works, then none will get the salvation. Let us learn what God words writes about the sinners. We are: sinners (Gen. 8:21, Ps 51:5; 58:3), spiritually dead (dead in sin – Eph. 2:1,5; Col. 2:13), spiritually blind (2 Cor. 4:3-4; 1 John 2:11; 2 Cor.3:14; John 12:40), by nature objects of wrath (Gen 8:21; ps. 51:5, Mat.7:21; Eph.2:3; Rom. 9:22), spiritually deaf (Mk. 8:18; John 10:27), unable to understand & believe (Eph. 4:18; 1 Cor. 2:14; John 8:43-45; John 5:44; 10:26), incapable of change (Isa. 44:20; Jer.13:23;17:9; John 3:6), unwilling and unable to come & believe (John 6:37, 44-45; 65; John 10:26-27; John 12:37-41; Rom. 2:10-21), unworthy of anything (no right at all – Job 40:4; Gen.18:27; Isa.64:6; Luke 17:10; 1 Cor. 4:7; Rom. 11:35-36; Job 35:7-8), hard hearted (stone hearts– Rom. 2:5; Ezek. 36:26), hostile toward God (Rom. 8:7-8), slave to in (not free-will, but enslaved will– John 8:34; Rom.7:14; 8:7-8; Gal. 4:24-25).
These passages indicates our conditions in sins. We are dead and not even free. Many of us have a wrong notion of freedom. It is very worldly. Let me explain it through an analogy of shopping. Why they cannot buy everything? It is because they lack the means. None has money to buy the entire world or universe. Even all billionaires come together still they cannot buy everything of this world. Their means or money are limited. So they are thinking about the world things. They can select one thing, which needed. But in term of salvation, this method of selecting one and rejection another will not work. Everyone needs salvation. The worth of one soul is more than this world. In sin, God counts this world as nothing. Thus, free will does not relate to man but God. None is free because everyone has limitation but God. God is free from all limitations. The limited freedom is not equal to freedom. To attach something to freedom or to detach something from freedom make freedom no freedom. Therefore, the doctrine of choice or freewill or selection is of God. It is not related to man. God has all rights to save us for everlasting bliss or to send us hell for everlasting torment.
God’s Grace for Elimination (Reprobation)
The principle of election is helpful to explain the principle of reprobation. For example, there are the representatives of many parties in election. But we can cast one vote though we love more than one candidates. We have right for one vote. To cast one vote or use voting right, we choose one and reject others. Similarly, God chooses some. He leaves others. In other words, He did not select them. It is His right. He exercises His sovereign choice. Then, is He unjust? As a man we can exercise our right and still we are good. In the case of God, how can we blame Him? How can we say that He is unjust? Therefore, applying one doctrine, another principle automatically comes into effect.
Conclusion
God’s Grace abused by many of us. We have taken it very lightly. It is a gift of God to us. Yes, it is. But it is not only a gift to acquire material things. It is beyond of it. It is an unmerited favour of God, which bestowed upon us unto our salvation. None deserves it. We cannot earn or buy it. It is freely given to us by the Gracious God. Therefore, the Sound of the Grace is amazing to our ear and heart. But this amazing sound is the call of God unto the salvation from sins for a sinner.
