Category: Grace

Any correct concept of God’s interaction with mankind will keep in view both His justice and His compassion. God is not capricious. He has treated man fairly. He is just. His desire to save men, not condemn them, impelled him to send His only begotten Son. He is compassionate. This grand scheme of redemption has brought salvation to many souls. However, most have rejected His overture.

Even casual discussions with friends and loved ones who are outside of the churches of Christ can reveal a very strange mythology that has developed…

The question, “How are people saved from the consequences of their sins,” is answered in Galatians chapter 3.  God revealed to Abraham that justification is…

I had the chicken pox when I was about six years old and I can still recall the horrible, Jobian itching that resulted. In my…

A good way to begin our study would be to define the word grace.  Grace is defined as, “Favor, goodwill for or toward another… to…

God has offered up His son, but has given certain requirements in order to receive that gift. This has nothing to do with earning our salvation, we are only accepting God’s terms for the delivery of the gift of salvation. What are the terms? If you want a concise answer, listen to our Lord, as recorded in Mark 16:16: “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, He that believes not shall be condemned.”

In this video, Stan affirms that we are saved by the grace of God, but notes that God has placed conditions upon receiving that great gift of salvation.

James wrote, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work” (1:2-4). God’s grace is sufficient to help us endure any trial, if we are willing.

Without going into detail concerning John Calvin’s theories on the sovereignty of God, or Martin Luther’s rejection of James 2, we will simply state that Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9 affirms salvation by grace, but does not intend to deny the necessity of man’s obedience to God.

There is deliverance available, not by submitting to the dominion of the flesh, but by submitting to the Lordship of Jesus as an obedient servant of righteousness who has found newness of life in Christ.

On our own, we will never be good enough, certainly not to deserve heaven and put God in our eternal debt. That glory will only be achieved by craving his grace and humbly accepting it (1 Peter 5:5).

Neo Calvinists believe that under the new covenant, man is not constrained by law.

Neo-Calvinists distort the concept of salvation by Grace

One aspect of Calvinistic doctrine is the three-fold error whereby it is taught that (1) Adam’s sin was transferred to mankind; (2) man’s sin was transferred to Christ; and (30) Christ’s personal righteousness was transferred to believers. None of these statements are true nor do they reflect accurately the Bible doctrine of “imputation.” In this article we will note the second of these errors and study the claim that the sins of mankind have been transferred to Christ.

It is a wonderful and blessed thought to know that we can be free from bondage to Satan and sin. When one obeys from the heart “that form [pattern] of doctrine,” then he will no longer be a slave to the devil, but a servant of Christ (Romans 6:16-17).

We affirm that our salvation is made available through the freely given and unmerited favor of God. He sent his Son to earth not because we deserved such treatment, but because He loved us. We have access to His eternal presence only because of His good grace. However, it is clear from scripture that not all gain access to the blood of Christ. God demands that conditions be met before man can enjoy the privilege of remission of sins. In affirming this we do not claim that man earns his salvation. The debt is too great and our efforts too imperfect to accomplish such a feat. We do, however, have to submit to God’s will in order to be saved.

The following material in this month’s Watchman Magazine is intended to give an overview of the sublime plan of Redemption. It is our intention to both document the great expression of God’s grace in sending His Son to die in our stead, and the divine requirements mandated by God that we might receive the benefits of such a gift. No study of Redemption is sufficient that does not explain both God’s part, and man’s part in securing that safety.

Yes, we are saved by Grace (unmerited favor of God) when we obey the Gospel (“Good News”) of God’s plan of salvation for man. Note again our beginning passage, Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Now, let us look at the very example of these Ephesians being saved by God’s grace. “And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said to them, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ So they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Then Paul said, ‘John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 19:1-5).
If man wishes to be saved by the Grace of God, he must be saved the same way the Ephesians were saved! Don’t be fooled by a perverted kind of “grace” that is not Grace at all! Are you willing to be saved by the Grace of God? If so, you must obey the conditions of that Grace.

Do not hesitate to tell those who know not the grace of Christ that in order to know it, they must be baptized for the remission of sins, then they will be added to the Lord’s church, to the redeemed, and if faithful unto death, they will be saved eternally (Acts 2:38, 47; Rev. 2:10).

Let us never forget that we are saved only because God extended his grace in love, by sending His Son. Let us never forget that if we make it to Heaven, it will not be because we earned or paid our way there, but rather because of that freely offered gift. And let us never forget our part of this salvation equation. The extension of grace teaches us that we have certain responsibilities to our God. Notice what Paul told Titus in Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…” The gift has been offered, and it is up to us to accept it through the obedient faith described by James in his epistle.