Grace

The following passage is taken from Grace: The Glorious Theme by Lewis Sperry Chafer. Chafer was an American theologian and scholar in the early part of the 20th century. He was a key figure in the expounding of the Dispensational method of understanding Scripture, and wrote many books exploring the important “big picture” themes and motifs of the Bible.

“No more can grace remain grace, if by its benefits there is created and imposed the slightest obligation for payment or remuneration. Grace is unrecompensed favor. Its riches must be bestowed and received only on the ground that it is an uncomplicated gift. ‘I give to them eternal life,’ and ‘The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’ (John 10:28; Romans 6:23).

In order that the field might be absolutely clear for the manifestation of uncomplicated divine grace, God has perfectly eliminated every work of man- past, present, and future- from the terms of salvation by grace: ‘not of works, lest any man should boast’; and, ‘if by grace, it is no more works’; ‘Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted [reckoned] as righteousness’; ‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.’ Man must take salvation as a gift. He need only believe in order to be saved. The complete setting aside of human obligation as payment for divine blessings is the only ground upon which God can be free to act in unlimited divine grace towards sinners; but every human work and obligation is now set aside, and pure grace is offered to all men in the Gospel of the grace of God.’

The phrase that jumped out at me in the section above was “uncomplicated gift”. It’s hard to grasp sometimes, but our salvation in Christ is really a completely free gift with no strings attached! Having received it and going forward, we don’t owe God one single iota of work, response, etc. It’s a good thing there isn’t a price tag attached- how could we (being finite, and screwed up by sin to boot) pay for something of infinite value? Even if God granted us salvation at 99.9% off (what a deal!), there would remain a price to be paid (0.1% of infinity = uh-oh). The fact of the matter is, we can’t earn our salvation either before or after the fact, and don’t need to. The gift is uncomplicated and simple.

What about “faith without works is dead”? This is also true, and very important. But the works in question are produced by who we are in Christ (a new creature, one that operates in a new way) and not as an obligation or payback. When we speak of the freedom we have in Christ, it is the freedom to finally act in the manner that we were created to act; demonstrating faith towards God, love towards others, and a hope that moves us onward to deeper and greater things in Him.

-C. Wagner