If the people do not like the doctrine of grace, give them all the more of it.

Man is never more in his element, than when building a security before God, on some plea or palliation of his own; and it is not without a sigh, or without a struggle, that he can behold the foundation of all merit in himself utterly swept away.

...there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Grace is young glory.

For Paul teaches and proves, that our election to eternal glory must be either entirely of grace, or entirely of works; grace and works being directly opposite. They cannot, therefore, unite in producing the same effect, or in promoting the same end.

But before I come directly to this, give me leave to premise a caution or two. And the first is, that I take it for granted you believe religion to be an inward thing; you believe it to be a work in the heart, a work wrought in the soul by the power of the Spirit of God. If you do not believe this, you do not believe your Bibles. If you do not believe this, though you have got your Bibles in your hand, you hate the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart; for religion is everywhere represented in Scripture as the work of God in the heart...If any of you place religion in outward things, I shall not perhaps please you this morning; you will understand me no more when I speak of the work of God upon a poor sinner's heart, than if I were talking in an unknown tongue.

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.

The friends of free-will are the enemies of free-grace.

You might as soon yoke a gnat with an archangel as think of your going in to help Christ save you. To join a filthy rag from off a dunghill with the golden garments of a king or a queen cannot be permitted. Christ will be everything, or else he will be nothing. You must be saved wholly by mercy, or else not at all. There must not be even a trace of the fingers of self-righteousness on the acts and documents of divine grace.

A Flight From Grace

by Douglas Wilson

You run. But your running does not bring you to the goal before your adversary. You look over your shoulder, desperate to gain the advantage.

Do you not know that your opponent began running this race before the world began? He has been running forever before eternal times and now, in time, is preparing to overtake you.

He was running after you before you were born, and after you were born, before you suspected it at all. You walked along, enjoying the pleasures of your life, and content in your self-sufficient reason. But then, though his footsteps were silent, you began to hear them. As soon as you suspected the pursuit, your choice was immediate. You began to run you began to run from the swift and inexorable grace of God.

And now as you run, your mind frantically jumps from argument to argument. This cannot be! All reason stands against it if grace overtakes me, then what role is there for my free will? None at all, your pursuer replies, and you desperately run on. And grace runs right behind.

The Bible is so hard to interpret! Scholars disagree! Who is to say what Paul meant? But if you would stop running, perhaps you could read what he wrote ask him! You shake your head no; it cannot be. And grace runs silently behind.

I will not become a Calvinist! I want nothing to do with factions and parties! Well spoken, runner! But what makes you think this pursuit began at the Reformation? It did not. What makes you think the starting line was in Geneva, or Scotland? It was not. Have you not heard? Do you not understand? This race was begun before the foundations of the world. The start of your salvation was the eternal good pleasure of the Father overtaking you in your foolish dash away from Him started with His good pleasure. It seemed good in His sight, and only He knows why. But you still run on, and grace runs right behind you.

You look over your shoulder again. Nothing. But why do you feel no relief? Why has the panic not left your heart? Because an invisible and silent grace is right behind.

Now another thought occurs to you. You do not run this race for your own glory! Not a bit of it! You run on, in the freedom of your will, because you wish to have no one slander the holiness of the Most High. Why, if grace were really pursuing you this way, and not pursuing others, then God is unjust! God would then be partial in His dealings with men! That cannot be and you thank God that you are not as other men. Just like the Pharisee in the story you thank God for what you do. You run the race, you fast twice a week, you tithe everything you get good man! But just one question. How do you run for the glory of God by running from the grace of God? You have forgotten the lesson of that story; self-justified men are unjustified men. So you do not stop or slow down, but the grace of God is still closing.

Speed up then. Pitiful man! You will be overtaken God has willed it. You say that you have not willed it. But who ever said that you did? Where does the Scripture say the salvation of creatures depends upon the will of man? Of course you do not will it. No one ever does, until they are overtaken. Have you not read? ...it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. So do you run on? Run on then God will show you mercy regardless. And the footsteps of His grace, still inaudible, are right behind.

Your thoughts dart here and there. You snatch up a possibility. You do not run from grace. You run from extremism, and enthusiasm, and fanaticism. You know Calvinists (your name for them) who will not leave this subject alone. What! Horrible crime! Men talking on and on about the grace of God, His love for sinners, and His election of some to glory! Men studying, and believing all of the Word of God? Men speaking what God has spoken, and remaining silent where He has not spoken? If you think this extreme, it is more and more clear why you are running. But consider this: they are no more diligent in magnifying this truth than you are in running from it. And the grace of God is right behind you.

You need time to think about this more. Time to study, to reflect, to mull it over. If only this pursuit would stop! Then you could think it through. But now you need to come up with more reasons to keep running, and you have to do it on the run. You are breathing hard, and your silent pursuer, not breathing at all, is behind you.

Thus far, all your carnal reasonings are like the physicians treating that woman in the Gospel the more they work the worse she gets. You dislike assertions you want your physicians to stroke the chin and say maybe this and maybe that. You want to traffic in possibilities. They enable you to keep running, but they cannot give a thus says the Lord. But God has spoken, and the footsteps of grace do not slacken.

Ah, you say, you are not running away. You are running toward righteousness. You do not want to live in wickedness. You think your goal is righteousness? You are not the first to think so. But whose righteousness? Do you not remember the Jews? They would not say their goal was wickedness; they ran toward the goal of righteousness. They said. They, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. The apostle sees their race (he ran it once himself), but he interprets their running differently than do they so many interpretations! and he sees them going in a different direction. And is this not you? You want to be righteous. You want to run the race, and you will not be overtaken by the grace of God. You say you do not believe in this sort of grace? That is fine! This grace does not believe in you either that is why the pursuit is not done. Your decision to stop the pursuit has no effect. Grace is not your slave, and so grace continues to gain.

Doubts begin to arise. Perhaps all this is true, but surely it does not matter. If it is true and it may not be what is the sense in talking about it so much? It is such a divisive doctrine. It upsets people, and it unsettles them. So even if it is true, there is no reason to stop running. Why should you stop, why should you surrender? It would only plunge you into the midst of conflicts, controversies and religious debates. Surely the world is sick of religious debates! Yes, it is, because the world, like you, is running from the grace of God. And the grace of God is not slower than you, and it is not slower than the world. Grace wills, and grace runs.

Mockery! Perhaps that will do it! But mockery and refutation are two entirely different things, and deep in your heart you know it. That is why you run. If you could overpower this grace in pursuit of you, if you could refute it, you would not be running the way you are. But mockery is consistent with your flight, so mock on! But while you mock, keep running grace is behind you.

They have no soul, no aesthetic sense. Look at them there! Small crabbed souls, turning life into one great devotional exercise. No more art for the sake of beauty! No more music for the sheer joy of it! They are so...devout! They can't do anything without dragging God into it! Everything to the glory of God! Weary runner, have you forgotten perhaps you have been running too long that these small crabbed souls, as you call them, have written magnificient music, glorious poetry, and have painted pictures to make the heart ache? You shake your weary head. You are running; you don't have time to discuss details of history. And besides, they did all that for Christ not for themselves. If grace is in all, and through all, and before all, and behind all, where is the room for human accomplishment? For human pride? Where is the awe, where is the mystery of life? But more to the point, where is grace? You look over your shoulder; it is still there running, silently running behind.

They are berserk logicians, they have the souls of engineers. They dissect the Scriptures, rearranging all to fit their system! They are nothing but rationalists! Confused runner, any stick is good enough to beat this dog! Which is it? Do you run from the grace of God because it conflicts with your reason? Yes, say you. And then do you run because grace is too rational? Yes, say you. And grace is right behind.

Perhaps grace is not chasing you. Maybe all this running is unnecessary. Perhaps if you stop, grace will run by, and all will be as it was before. Quiet. No turmoil. That's it! You will just stop, and calm will return. Wait. Wait. What if it doesn't? What if you stop, and grace seizes you?

That's it! Grace hasn't caught you yet, and if you decide now to stop, it was your decision. Grace was in pursuit, but you had the wisdom to see what was happening, and you stopped. There is something you can take credit for! Centuries of debate so unnecessary. See, grace chases everyone, and some have the good sense to stop running. And you certainly have good sense. Why not stop and let grace catch you? Then it wouldn't be the kind of grace you have been so afraid of. This is worth thinking about. And you run on, turning it over in your mind, and grace is right behind.

The panic returns. Suppose you wait too long, and grace catches you while you are still running? Then where will you be? You must run, or you must stop. Which will it be? Don't lose control, stay in control. You finally decide. You will stop and turn, and you will greet this grace as a well-met companion. There was never a problem between you. You finally decide. You will stop and turn...but wait, why are you still running? You realize with horror that you are running because you have to. You are running this race, championing free will, because, when it comes to grace, you have no free will. Your heart hates grace, and so you run. Your heart won't let you stop running.

But grace overtakes the most wretched; a hand is on your shoulder. Another hits you behind your legs, and you are lifted up. You have lost this race glorious loss!

Sweet rest.

Grace: Free and Glorious

by Chris Schlect

"Grace" is one of Christianity's favorite words. Phrases like "by the grace of God. . ." roll from our tongues with little thought at all, and we all know that we have been saved by "grace." But while the term may be common in the church today, the subject of grace and its implications are often neglected. We must never speak of grace flippantly; when we do, we show that we really don't know what grace is. If the mere mention of the word fails to bring us trembling to our knees in humble thanksgiving, then we really don't know grace.

We begin to understand grace by looking at ourselves. The biblical doctrine of man's depravity shows that it is truly grace that God should look upon us with favor. Scripture is brutally clear in its assessment of the fallen human condition: There is no one righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes (Rom. 3:1018). We are a race of debaucherous rebels, as this passage illustrates. On a good day, we are bloodthirsty, destructive and miserable (vv. 1516). We are champions of wickedness and folly, and we do not seek after God (vv. 1012). Isaiah tells us that even our righteousness is filth (Is. 64:6).

When confronted with the Bible's testimony of man's depravity, we are humiliated and ashamed. In light of God's standard, we cry out with Isaiah, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips" (Is. 6:5). We are truly a wretched race.

It is frightening to imagine what would become of us if God removed his constant, gracious intervention. Human history continues only because God is always pouring out his grace on every man. He does this by restraining sin, holding back his wrath, and continuing to nourish us. This kind of grace is known as common grace, because it extends to everybody. There are several cases in Scripture where God restrains someone from sinning (eg., Abimelech, Gen. 20:6; Sennacherib, 2 Ki. 19:28). Indeed, it stretches our minds to think that God prevents sin from running its full, selfdestructive course. Consider also the patience demonstrated in the postponing of His terrible wrath, (Rom. 3:25), and His gracious provision in meeting our needs (Matt. 5:45). None of this is deserved; it is all grace. We participate in it only in that it happens to us.

Even more wonderful than common grace is saving grace. Saving grace, also undeserved, extends to those whom He chooses. This was accomplished in Christ, who endured the wrath that would have fallen upon us (Is. 53:46, 1 Pet. 2:24). There is nothing noble in us that God should look upon us with favor, for we were truly ungodly. But by His free grace, we have found favor in His eyes. Salvation did not come to us because we sought it and found it, for no one seeks after God (Rom. 3:11). It did not come to us because we made a decision for God, for we were born "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but born of God" (John 1:13). Furthermore, our salvation had nothing to do with our diligence or effort, for "it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Rom. 9:16). In no way did we originate the work of our salvation. Yes, we did believe; yes, we have gained faith. But even these are from God, not ourselves (John 3:3136, 10:26; Heb. 12:2).

Salvation is a gift. Paul tells us that, "it is 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" (Eph. 2:89). Here we see grace in its true colors. Because our righteousness is solely the work of God, we have no grounds for boasting in ourselves. This is what we mean when we say we are saved by grace: we have received God's undeserved favor.

An old Puritan divine once wrote, "God finds nothing in man to turn His heart, but enough to turn his stomach; He finds enough to provoke His loathing, but nothing to excite His love." This is a humbling thought, but it is quite true. The Scriptures testify to it, and our consciences confirm it. He continues, "How then should holiness and purity love you? Be astonished, O heavens, at this; be moved, O earth. Who but must needs cry, Grace! Grace!"

We know that we come before God with no dignity, and without any plea. But by His grace, His sheep have found favor in His eyes. It is written, "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight" (Col. 1:2122). Thanks be to God!

"Where is boasting then? It is excluded." As the Apostle speaks in another place, "If Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory:" so if men were saved either in whole or in part, by their own wisdom and prudence, they might, in the same degree, ascribe the glory and praise to themselves. They might say, My own power and wisdom gave me this; and thus God would be robbed of the honour due to his name. But now this is prevented.

Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

Again the writings of many professed inquirers after truth evidently show that they expect to find it, not by `trusting in the Lord with all their heart', or seeking it from the Scriptures, and by earnest prayer for the teaching of the Holy Spirit, but by `leaning to their own understanding'; resting the argument on philosophical reasonings, and the authority of this or that renowned name; and supporting their conclusions by bold and perplexing criticisms and interpretations of Scripture. Hence so many daring appeals from revelation to reason and philosophy! hence such and so many objections, brought against doctrines plainly revealed in God's Word, if language has any determinate meaning! and so many consequences charged upon these doctrines, with a design to invalidate their divine authority; as if the appearance of unreasonableness, imposed by every disingenuous art, were sufficient to prove the plainest revelation of God's Holy Spirit a falsehood!

The sovereignty of God in grace does not affect anything that we have said about the nature and duty of evangelism...We are to order our lives by the light of His law, not our guesses about His plan...The things that God is pleased to keep to Himself (the number and identity of the elect, for instance, and when and how He purposes to convert whom) have no bearing on any man's duty. They are not relevant in any way for the interpreting of any part of God's law. Now, the command to evangelize is a part of God's law. It belongs to God's revealed will for His people. It could not, then, in principle be affected in the slightest degree by anything that we might believe about God's sovereignty in election and calling.

...so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Next Month!

Our issue next time will address apologetics -- how Christians can give an answer to those who do not believe. In particular, we will address the futility of unbelief, the pathology of unbelief, and how the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is the inescapable God. Stay tuned.

Credenda/Agenda is published monthly by Canon Press, the literature ministry of Community Evangelical Fellowship/PO Box 8741/Moscow, Idaho/83843. Subscriptions are free.