Saved by Grace
There is no power in man to save himself. Inherently he possesses no righteousness. By nature he is lost and undone,
“Having no hope, and without God in the world.” Ephesians 2:12.
“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.
We are “carnal, sold under sin.” Romans 7:14.
“There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3: 10.
In our flesh there “dwells no good thing.” Romans 7:18.
We are “filled with all unrighteousness.” Romans 1:29.
Failing to recognize this truth, men have sought through all the ages to save themselves. By fasts and penances, by the infliction of bodily pain, by long pilgrimages, by great benevolences and other good
works, they have tried to transform their hearts and change their natures, but they have fought a losing battle. No man can extricate himself from the pit into which his own carnal nature has plunged him; but,
thank God, there is a way of escape. Deliverance has been provided. One mighty to save appears upon the scene. The merciful heavenly Father looks down in pitying tenderness upon the creatures of His hand, and
in His infinite mercy and tender love provides a way whereby they may come into a different state, whereby their characters may be transformed.
Grace is love and unmerited favor. We do not merit Christ’s great sacrifice in giving His life for our salvation, nor the tender pleadings of the Holy Spirit for us to turn from our evil ways. On the contrary,
we have been rebels against His government. We have rejected His overtures of mercy many times. We have done despite to the Spirit of grace. But, notwithstanding this, in His unfathomable and infinite love He comes to us again and again, and seeks to win us to Himself.
What Is God’s Righteousness?
The righteousness of God is expressed in the law of God. This law is the transcript of His character. It reveals what He Himself is. “All thy commandments,” declared the psalmist, “are righteousness.”
Psalm 119:172. And the observance of these commandments by His children is declared to be righteousness on their part.
The righteousness of the law is exemplified in Jesus Christ and is revealed through the gospel. By the power of the gospel the believer is enabled to meet in his life, through faith, the righteousness required
of the law. Of this the apostle Paul states: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16, 17.
The same blessed truth is expressed again by the apostle in this same epistle: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the
forbearance of God.” Romans 3:20-25.
Obtaining God’s Righteousness
How may one obtain this righteousness of God, ‘revealed in the law of Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The answer is a simple one; namely, by accepting Christ as the Savior from sin. Listen to His gracious word: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
All heaven unites in this invitation. The Christian believer echoes in his life and words the heavenly message: “The Spirit and the bride say, come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And, whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17.
Blinded by sin and unacquainted with the approach to the throne of grace, man may wonder with what words he shall present his petition for peace and pardon. In gracious condescension the Majesty of heaven meets even this condition. He puts within the mouth of the penitent the very words which he may, employ in seeking the righteousness of faith. “Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.” Hosea 14:2.
And when this prayer or any similar prayer is uttered, this is the blessed assurance: “I will heal their backsliding, 1 will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” Verse 4. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.
Truly it is a blessed experience to find forgiveness of sins and that peace which passes all understanding, in reconciliation with the great God of heaven. Upon those who do this the Lord pronounces His divine blessing.
“Now to him that worked is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worked not, but believed on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also described the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputed righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin.” Romans 4:4-8.
Justified and Saved
In this experience of regeneration Christ takes care of the sins of the past. The believer is justified by His blood. “God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Romans 5:8, 9.
To justify is to make righteous, to make equal to the divine standard. As the penitent confesses his sins and lays hold of Christ’s atoning sacrifice in his behalf, there is imputed to him, for all his past life, the
righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that when God looks upon the past years of unrighteousness, He sees no longer a life filled with crime and iniquity, but He sees the spotless life of the Son of God that has
been put in the place of the life of the believer. Thus the man stands in God’s sight as though he had never committed iniquity.
But this takes care only of the past. How will the believer be kept from falling back into the sins of which he has been guilty? What will break the power of the old habits? What will enable him to place his feet in the upward path and maintain his integrity before God? He is justified or reconciled by the death of Christ, but he is saved by Christ’s life.
Read this in the Divine Record: “If, when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10. The faith of the penitent, which claims forgiveness for the sins that are past, claims the possession of a new life in Christ Jesus. And so the apostle’s desire for the Ephesians was that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith. (Ephesians 3:17.) It was by this indwelling life that the apostle Paul walked in the path of righteousness. He declared that in his own personal experience of conversion he himself no longer lived, but that it was the Christ life which glowed within him. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.
With what confidence and assurance may the child of God lay hold of this divine promise! The battle is not ours; it is the Lord’s. We, in our own weakness and frailty, cannot hope to cope successfully with the enemy of all righteousness. But we may hide in Christ, we may rely upon the power of His Holy Spirit, of His indwelling life, to rise up and defend us in the hour of temptation.
In response to the penitent’s plea for forgiveness, Christ’s imputed righteousness covers the sins of the past. In response to the penitent’s plea for power to keep from sin, imparted righteousness is bestowed.
This imparted righteousness is the Christ life, or Holy Spirit, dwelling in the heart of the believer, shaping and molding the life after the similitude of Christ’s character.
The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven.
Divine and Human Co-operation
This entire experience of reconciliation and regeneration must be wrought out by the co-operation of man with God. Divine power has made us free moral agents. The Lord will not force us to come unto
Him. He declares, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17. Hence, in coming to God man must will to do so. He must yield himself a willing subject into the hands of the divine Architect, to be molded and fashioned according to the divine will. In his life of sin he has willed to do wrong. He has chosen the paths of evil in preference to the paths of righteousness. It is for him now to use that same power of will in working the works of God and in following the paths of truth and righteousness. This is plainly stated by the apostle. “Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield you your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:11-14.
But suppose the will is weak. Suppose the sinner, while recognizing his great need, feels that he is powerless to place even his will on the side of God’s will. For this there is the gracious promise, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Romans 5:20. It is for the penitent one to cry unto God from the depth of his misery for power to yield himself, for a desire after life so strong that it shall resolve itself into purpose, and God will hear this cry for deliverance. He will bend low to lay hold upon the one struggling in his weakness for deliverance from the power of sin.
Growth in Grace
One more phase of this subject should be considered in this connection. The life of the Christian is a life of growth. It is likened by the Savior to the growth of vegetation. There is “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear,” and the apostle Peter emphasizes this same truth in the concluding verse of his second epistle: “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is contained in His Word, and this also is emphasized by this teacher of righteousness. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby: if so he you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” 1 Peter 2:2, 3. It is by the milk of the Word that the believer is made strong. It is by taking the promises of God and appropriating them to his own personal
needs by the divine aid of the Holy Spirit that he becomes a partaker of the divine nature. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4.
In this experience “the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18. By the perfection of grace in his life, the child of God will be fashioned after the similitude of Christ’s character and will be fitted to associate with the heavenly family throughout the ages of eternity.
“Having no hope, and without God in the world.” Ephesians 2:12.
“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.
We are “carnal, sold under sin.” Romans 7:14.
“There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3: 10.
In our flesh there “dwells no good thing.” Romans 7:18.
We are “filled with all unrighteousness.” Romans 1:29.
Failing to recognize this truth, men have sought through all the ages to save themselves. By fasts and penances, by the infliction of bodily pain, by long pilgrimages, by great benevolences and other good
works, they have tried to transform their hearts and change their natures, but they have fought a losing battle. No man can extricate himself from the pit into which his own carnal nature has plunged him; but,
thank God, there is a way of escape. Deliverance has been provided. One mighty to save appears upon the scene. The merciful heavenly Father looks down in pitying tenderness upon the creatures of His hand, and
in His infinite mercy and tender love provides a way whereby they may come into a different state, whereby their characters may be transformed.
Grace is love and unmerited favor. We do not merit Christ’s great sacrifice in giving His life for our salvation, nor the tender pleadings of the Holy Spirit for us to turn from our evil ways. On the contrary,
we have been rebels against His government. We have rejected His overtures of mercy many times. We have done despite to the Spirit of grace. But, notwithstanding this, in His unfathomable and infinite love He comes to us again and again, and seeks to win us to Himself.
What Is God’s Righteousness?
The righteousness of God is expressed in the law of God. This law is the transcript of His character. It reveals what He Himself is. “All thy commandments,” declared the psalmist, “are righteousness.”
Psalm 119:172. And the observance of these commandments by His children is declared to be righteousness on their part.
The righteousness of the law is exemplified in Jesus Christ and is revealed through the gospel. By the power of the gospel the believer is enabled to meet in his life, through faith, the righteousness required
of the law. Of this the apostle Paul states: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16, 17.
The same blessed truth is expressed again by the apostle in this same epistle: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the
forbearance of God.” Romans 3:20-25.
Obtaining God’s Righteousness
How may one obtain this righteousness of God, ‘revealed in the law of Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The answer is a simple one; namely, by accepting Christ as the Savior from sin. Listen to His gracious word: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
All heaven unites in this invitation. The Christian believer echoes in his life and words the heavenly message: “The Spirit and the bride say, come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And, whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17.
Blinded by sin and unacquainted with the approach to the throne of grace, man may wonder with what words he shall present his petition for peace and pardon. In gracious condescension the Majesty of heaven meets even this condition. He puts within the mouth of the penitent the very words which he may, employ in seeking the righteousness of faith. “Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.” Hosea 14:2.
And when this prayer or any similar prayer is uttered, this is the blessed assurance: “I will heal their backsliding, 1 will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” Verse 4. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.
Truly it is a blessed experience to find forgiveness of sins and that peace which passes all understanding, in reconciliation with the great God of heaven. Upon those who do this the Lord pronounces His divine blessing.
“Now to him that worked is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worked not, but believed on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also described the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputed righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin.” Romans 4:4-8.
Justified and Saved
In this experience of regeneration Christ takes care of the sins of the past. The believer is justified by His blood. “God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Romans 5:8, 9.
To justify is to make righteous, to make equal to the divine standard. As the penitent confesses his sins and lays hold of Christ’s atoning sacrifice in his behalf, there is imputed to him, for all his past life, the
righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that when God looks upon the past years of unrighteousness, He sees no longer a life filled with crime and iniquity, but He sees the spotless life of the Son of God that has
been put in the place of the life of the believer. Thus the man stands in God’s sight as though he had never committed iniquity.
But this takes care only of the past. How will the believer be kept from falling back into the sins of which he has been guilty? What will break the power of the old habits? What will enable him to place his feet in the upward path and maintain his integrity before God? He is justified or reconciled by the death of Christ, but he is saved by Christ’s life.
Read this in the Divine Record: “If, when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10. The faith of the penitent, which claims forgiveness for the sins that are past, claims the possession of a new life in Christ Jesus. And so the apostle’s desire for the Ephesians was that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith. (Ephesians 3:17.) It was by this indwelling life that the apostle Paul walked in the path of righteousness. He declared that in his own personal experience of conversion he himself no longer lived, but that it was the Christ life which glowed within him. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.
With what confidence and assurance may the child of God lay hold of this divine promise! The battle is not ours; it is the Lord’s. We, in our own weakness and frailty, cannot hope to cope successfully with the enemy of all righteousness. But we may hide in Christ, we may rely upon the power of His Holy Spirit, of His indwelling life, to rise up and defend us in the hour of temptation.
In response to the penitent’s plea for forgiveness, Christ’s imputed righteousness covers the sins of the past. In response to the penitent’s plea for power to keep from sin, imparted righteousness is bestowed.
This imparted righteousness is the Christ life, or Holy Spirit, dwelling in the heart of the believer, shaping and molding the life after the similitude of Christ’s character.
The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven.
Divine and Human Co-operation
This entire experience of reconciliation and regeneration must be wrought out by the co-operation of man with God. Divine power has made us free moral agents. The Lord will not force us to come unto
Him. He declares, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17. Hence, in coming to God man must will to do so. He must yield himself a willing subject into the hands of the divine Architect, to be molded and fashioned according to the divine will. In his life of sin he has willed to do wrong. He has chosen the paths of evil in preference to the paths of righteousness. It is for him now to use that same power of will in working the works of God and in following the paths of truth and righteousness. This is plainly stated by the apostle. “Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield you your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:11-14.
But suppose the will is weak. Suppose the sinner, while recognizing his great need, feels that he is powerless to place even his will on the side of God’s will. For this there is the gracious promise, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Romans 5:20. It is for the penitent one to cry unto God from the depth of his misery for power to yield himself, for a desire after life so strong that it shall resolve itself into purpose, and God will hear this cry for deliverance. He will bend low to lay hold upon the one struggling in his weakness for deliverance from the power of sin.
Growth in Grace
One more phase of this subject should be considered in this connection. The life of the Christian is a life of growth. It is likened by the Savior to the growth of vegetation. There is “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear,” and the apostle Peter emphasizes this same truth in the concluding verse of his second epistle: “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is contained in His Word, and this also is emphasized by this teacher of righteousness. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby: if so he you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” 1 Peter 2:2, 3. It is by the milk of the Word that the believer is made strong. It is by taking the promises of God and appropriating them to his own personal
needs by the divine aid of the Holy Spirit that he becomes a partaker of the divine nature. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4.
In this experience “the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18. By the perfection of grace in his life, the child of God will be fashioned after the similitude of Christ’s character and will be fitted to associate with the heavenly family throughout the ages of eternity.
posted by Michael A. Redwine at Sunday, January 08, 2006
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