A Discussion On Grace

I have a friend at work named Calvin Johnson--we all call him Cal. Cal is a nice guy, a smart guy, and a religious guy. So Cal and I often get into discussions about the Bible. It is a pleasure to discuss the Bible with him because he remains calm, and he approaches the discussion as a means to learn more. Yet, I must admit, he is quite convinced of his positions--as though I am not--and does not yield a point easily.

The other day, I tried to start up a discussion on the importance--even necessity--of obedience in the life of a Christian. I wanted to begin with a statement that was not a matter of debate. I have found that when one wants to resolve a disagreement, he must start at a point of agreement, and slowly work forward to the area of disagreement. So--as I've said--I began at a point that I thought was commonly accepted:

"We know that although salvation comes by the grace of God, one must believe--or have faith--in order to be saved…"

Cal was already shaking his head "no."

"Eternal life is God's work, start to finish. And he finished it with the Cross. If Jesus died for you, do you think God will scorn his sacrifice?

"In Matthew 13, Jesus tells us that God sought his own (the pearl); when he found us, he spent every single thing He had - He gave his one and only Son, whom He loved, up to death. To suggest that you're going to go to hell even though Jesus died in your place suggests that God despises his own sacrifice."

I had not expected this. I assumed that everyone knew that faith was required for salvation. Cal was convinced that one did not even have to believe.

"If anything besides grace is necessary, then it is no longer grace. Faith is a result of grace, not a precondition or qualification for grace. As soon as you set qualifications, you no longer have grace."

He often thinks that by repeating a point, he makes it more true.

Why must God's grace be unqualified? 'Grace' is simply unmerited favor--like an undeserved gift. A gift can have qualifications and still be a gift. The "Publisher's Clearinghouse" is a giveaway, but you must still qualify to win. The qualifications might be simple--like filling out a form and mailing it in. You must do something, but it is still a giveaway.

If I handed you a present simply because I wanted to, it would be a gift by grace. You still must reach out and grasp the present. You still must unwrap the present if it is to be of any use to you. The present may even require some assembly.

Yet my gift is still gracious--you did not earn it, you simply received it.

Why do you say that "faith is a result of grace"?

"Because Paul said it in Ephesians 2:8. 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.'

"Faith is the gift of God, not the choice of man. God saves you by His grace, then grants you faith as well."

But the Bible speaks of faith--in many places--as a command, not a gift. Jesus said, "For if you believe not that I am He, ye shall all die in your sins." (John 8:24). When asked, "what must I do to be saved?", Paul told the jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16:31)

Why would God command belief, but only grant belief to a select few? And if faith is directly given by God, what use is the command? You have God commanding some to believe to whom He has already given belief, and commanding others to believe to whom He will not grant belief.

"What about Ephesians 2:8? It plainly says that faith is given by God."

That is true, but a gift can be rejected. Paul said that 'faith comes by hearing' (Romans 10:17). Hearing what? The word of God. Is it not God's grace that gives us the word? Do we not thank God that someone taught us about Jesus? Do we not thank God that we have the Bible?

By giving us the word, He gives us faith. If we refuse to hear the word, we refuse the faith that comes by the word. The present is returned unopened.

"It just seems to me that if faith is my accomplishment, not God's, I 'merit' God's grace. Isn't that the very thing Paul was arguing against in Romans 4:4? He wrote, 'Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt.'

"Can I stand before God on the day of Judgment and say, 'I believed just like You commanded. Now you have to grant me eternal life.'"

That would be rash indeed. What is so meritorious about believing the word of God? What is so virtuous about accepting the fact that Jesus was God's Son?

If you managed to lead a life completely free of sin, serving God night and day without falling behind in anything, that might be something to boast about. But even if you did, what did Jesus say? "I am an unprofitable servant. I have only done that which was expected of me." (Luke 17:10)

And that is the point of grace. As soon as we have sinned even once, we have failed to live up to the holiness of God--like Paul said in Romans 3:23. Yet we see our lives full of sin and imperfection. The amazing grace of God is that He still will accept us, through the cross and through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. As Paul said in Romans 3:25, God redeems us through Jesus 'through faith in his blood'.

Obedience and faith are necessary and in no way detract from the grace of God.

"That's going way too far. Now you want to say obedience is necessary? We're not yet through with the Sovereignty of God. We'll have to take this up again later."

That is how that discussion ended. Maybe I had not completely won Calvin over, but I did give him a lot to think about.

There are many people who believe as Cal does: God grants a thing and then commands it. Augustine said something like, "Give what You command, and command whatever You want." He rejected the more likely statement, "Whatever God has commanded, man has the ability to accomplish."

The teaching of Augustine--later expounded upon by John Calvin--leads to many, many errors in the religious world today. Errors like "once saved, always saved" and "unconditional salvation" are based upon the view that a man has no choice but to receive the grace and salvation of God.

I'll have to discuss this more with Cal later.