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Response
Amazing grace—how sweet the sound—
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
The lyrics of this renowned hymn by John Newton resonate with individuals of various theological beliefs: it is sung in churches of diverse denominations, from evangelical Christian to Roman Catholic, to mainline liberal, to Mormon. It has been performed by numerous artists ranging from Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, to the Three Tenors, to Rascal Flatts and Alan Jackson. The idea of grace is deeply ingrained in our society.
The biblical concept of grace is complex, yet it can be summarized as “undeserved favor.” The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace. God’s grace is demonstrated through His forgiveness of our sins, and His blessings to us encompass peace and fulfillment in this life, and in the afterlife, unhindered communion with Him for eternity. Just as the song “Amazing Grace” has gained widespread acceptance, it is challenging to find any Christian tradition that does not emphasize the importance of grace. Few individuals, even those minimally exposed to Christianity, would assert that they have lived a flawless life deserving of eternal salvation. The majority acknowledge their imperfections and the need for God’s grace in their lives.
Nevertheless, there is often confusion regarding salvation by grace. Many who identify as Christians believe that God’s grace allows sinners to lessen their deserved punishment through their own actions. For some, this belief manifests in formal sacraments that are believed to impart God’s grace to the soul. For others, it involves less formal practices such as attending church, receiving baptism, giving to the church, and engaging in other religious activities.
Doing good deeds is important. While most agree that “nobody’s perfect,” many believe that God, in His “grace,” will overlook our sins if He sees that we have sincerely tried to do the right thing, improve our ways, and accept the help He provides through the church—if He sees that our lives are moving in the right direction, then in His “grace,” He will forgive our sins and give us eternal life. In this concept of “grace,” the sinner does not earn eternal life outright, but their repentant attitude and sincere effort prompt a merciful response from the Father. This belief, though common, goes against the true essence of grace (“unmerited favor”).
An illustration to explain the aforementioned perspective on grace: a teenager diligently works all summer to save money for a car. He holds a regular job and does additional yard work and odd jobs. He saves his earnings and avoids spending recklessly. However, by the end of the summer, he falls short of the amount needed to buy a suitable car. His father, recognizing his hard work and thriftiness, kindly intervenes by not only covering the shortfall but also contributing extra money to the car fund, enabling his son to purchase a better car than he had anticipated. The son’s best efforts were insufficient, yet the father’s grace bridges the gap. It cannot be argued that the father was obliged to cover the difference, so his action is indeed an act of grace. If the son had been fired from his job for tardiness, spent his days idly by the pool instead of working, or squandered his money on fast food and video games, then the father would not have stepped in to help. It would be inaccurate to claim that the son “earned” the car, as he did not, but his efforts did elicit a merciful response from his father.
Is this truly grace according to the Bible? The answer is NO! Grace is unmerited favor; it is God’s blessing on the undeserving. In the scenario described earlier, the father showed grace to his son, not because the son deserved it, but out of the father’s kindness and generosity.
Stowed his favor because he felt his son’s efforts should be rewarded—the father’s gift was based on a genuine effort by the son and was therefore not true grace. Jesus illustrated true grace with the story of a father who received his runaway son with celebratory joy—a totally unworthy individual who brought nothing to his father except dishonor and shame was lavished with undeserved blessings (Luke 15:11-24).
We are saved by grace, not by a mixture of God’s grace and our meritorious works. According to Scripture, we can do nothing to earn salvation, nor are our best efforts good enough to elicit a gracious response from God so that He will make up the difference. All of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags «But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. », (Isaiah 64:6). Even considering our best efforts, we have fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness «for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; », (Romans 3:23), and we deserve death «For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.», (Romans 6:23). We are not commanded to “do our best” for God but to love Him perfectly and completely «Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. », (Matthew 22:37). We fail in that. The command is not to “try” to love our neighbors but to actually succeed in loving our neighbors as we love ourselves «And the sec
One command is similar, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39). Despite our “best efforts,” we fall short — and who can truly say they gave their “best effort” anyway?
When individuals acknowledge their shortcomings, others may try to console them by saying, “Don’t be afraid — God knows your heart,” as if that should bring comfort. If God knows our hearts, we are truly in trouble — there is nowhere to hide! Our sole hope lies in placing our faith in Jesus Christ, who led a flawless life, sacrificed on the cross for our sins, and resurrected. Our sins are attributed to Him, and His righteousness is attributed to us when we believe in Him “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”, (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are not justified by our actions “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.”, (Romans 3:20) but by Jesus’ resurrection “who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”, (Romans 4:25). Faith itself is not a “good work” that garners God’s attention. Faith involves repenting of our sins, acknowledging our utter lostness and helplessness, and recognizing our inability to earn God’s favor, then simply accepting the freely offered salvation.
We are saved by grace; the work is God’s, not ours. “Now to the one who works, wages are not considered a gift but an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God, who justifies the ungodly, their faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:4-5), we find two profound truths. Firstly, God justifies the ungodly—not individuals who have done their best and somehow received a gracious response from God. God justifies those who do not merit it. Secondly, God justifies individuals who attain salvation through faith—not those who exert their best effort. If they are justified even partially based on their actions, they are receiving wages, not a gift. If grace is influenced by works to any extent, then it is not truly grace. As stated in (Romans 11:6).
We are saved by grace from start to finish. Once a person has embraced faith in Christ, they will undoubtedly realize that the sole reason they could have faith is that God was drawing them even before they were aware, as seen in John 6:44. If left to their own devices, the sinner would have persisted in rebellion and avoidance of God. Even before believing, the very inclination to turn to God is God’s grace in action to rescue us. As stated in (Psalm 3:8;ESV;cf: Revelation 7:10).
Salvation by grace signifies that, from start to finish, it is unmerited. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, as mentioned in (Hebrews 12:2). Grace is not God doing 95 or even 99.9 percent, with us filling in the rest. Grace is God doing 100 percent, and our humble acceptance of it, acknowledging that we are undeserving and have nothing to offer.
Could my tears forever flow,
I no longer know,
These sins could not be atoned for—
You must save, and You alone:
In my hand, I bring no price,
Simply clinging to Your cross.
(Augustus Toplady)
