Salvation By Grace

Written by David P. Brown, this originally appeared in the June 16, 1983 edition of the Gospel Advocate.

Salvation from sin is made possible by God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Man has never deserved salvation and there is not one thing that he could do to obligate God to pay him with salvation (Romans 5:8). Salvation is, therefore, the free gift of God.

Hence, grace involves a giver, gift and receiver. In John 3:16 this is readily seen. God (the giver) motivated solely by love for lost mankind gave Christ (the gift) to man (the receiver). Clearly seen from these foregoing simple facts are two sides to salvation. On one hand there is the Divine side and on the other is the human side. The Divine side has to do with what God has done for man that he never could do for himself. The human side takes into account that man can do certain things and that, therefore, God expects him to do them.

This raises the question, "Is salvation free if man does anything?" This query is illustrative of the fact that man will reason in regard to religion in a way that he would never do in his secular endeavors. It also indicates to what extent men will go to uphold a man-made doctrine.

What person would take the absurd position that air is not free because one must do what is necessary to receive the singular blessing obtained therefrom? The same is true of water, sunshine, food and a host of other items in God's natural world. It is elementary indeed to conclude that in order for man to benefit from God's freely given natural gifts that he must do or work something in order to appropriate their blessing to himself.

Relative to man's salvation from sin man must appropriate or receive the free gift of salvation. How does he do this? He cannot do so by the works of the law of Moses (Romans 3:20) or by any meritorious works devised by man (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The inspired James, however, declared that, "by works a man is justified..." (James 2:24). It is obvious that James is not speaking of the works of the law of Moses or the meritorious works of man. What works then, could justify a man in God's sight? Or the question could be phrased in another way; how does one take old of or receive God's free gift of salvation?

In answering the aforementioned question, one must remember that at this point the human side of salvation and not the Divine side is being investigated. The only works that will save anyone are the works of God and man can do them (John 6:29). David declared, "My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteous" (Psalms 119:172). At the house of Cornelius it is then no wonder that Peter declared that, "he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him" (Acts 10:35). It is obvious therefore, that the works that James and Peter are speaking of are works of obedience to God's commandments (Hebrews 5:9). By obedience to God's commandments is God's work done and man thereby receives or appropriates the free gift of salvation to himself.

The denominational world ignores man's part in salvation. They, thereby, are blind and dumb when the Biblical question of, "Men and brethren, what shall we do" is put to them (Acts 2:37).

It is obvious that if the Divine side was the only side to salvation, that all men would be saved regardless of anything they might do or not do (Titus 2:11, 2 Peter 3:9). The whole truth is, however, that, "the grace of God that bringeth salvation" came, "teaching us that" man must abstain from certain things and also do other things (Titus 2:12, 2 Peter 3:9).

In Noah's day, after God had resolved to destroy man the Bible records that, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8). Because Noah, "found grace" God instructed him as to how he could appropriate the blessings that had been so freely made available to him by God. Noah had to do what God said do, in the way He said do it, and for the reason God said do it or God's grace could not save him. Hence, Noah, "prepared an ark to the saving of his house" (Hebrews 11:17). Noah's faith saved him only when it was strong enough to obey the teaching that God's grace provided. Thus, both the Divine and human sides of salvation are clearly seen in this example that was, "written aforetime for our learned, that we might through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4).

No man cold love as God loved nor give the gift (the Christ) that God gave. Neither could man live, suffer, die, rise and ascend back to heaven as Christ did. No mortal could build the church and give the human race the Bible as God has done. Deity did all of this because man could not.

Man can study the Bible, have faith created in him by God's word and do what God said (John 5:39), Acts 17:11, Romans 10:17, James 2:24). In doing what god said, he is simply taking hold of the free gift of salvation. Such work has no connection whatsoever with the meritorious works men have concocted to obligate God to pay man with with salvation.

Much studying and teaching regarding, "the grace of God that bringeth salvation" needs to be done. Only then will men understand that "grace reign(s) through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:21). Both the Divine and human sides of salvation must be taken into consideration before man can reconcile, "how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24, Ephesians 2:9).