Common Grace
Common Grace:
What is it?
Common Grace is the grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation.
Adam and Eve became worthy of eternal punishment and separation from God when they sinned!
1 Peter 2:4 "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;"
God had the right to do the same with Adam and Eve...but He chose to show them Grace!
Examples:
1. Physical Realm: Every breath that an unbeliever takes (for that matter that anyone takes) is a gift of God. It is undeserved! The Earth produces vegetation for us to eat and raise animals rather than being completely cursed and allowing nothing to grow like the other planets!
2. Intellectual Realm: All people have some grasp of the truth. All people have a knowledge of God (Romans 1:21). Also all Science and technology carried out by non-Christians is a result of common grace, allowing them to make incredible discoveries and inventions, to develop the earth's resources into many material goods, to produce and distribute those resources, and to have skill in their productive work.
3. Moral Realm: Common grace restrains people from being as evil as they could be. Also by giving warning of final judgment in the operation of the natural world.
4. Creative Realm: God has allowed significant measures of skill in artistic and musical areas, as well as in other spheres in which reativity and skill can be expressed, shuch as athletics, cooking, and writing.
5. Societal Realm: Families, Government, laws, police forces, judicial systems, human societies, educational institutions, businesses, corporations, and voluntary associations. All because of God's common Grace.
6. Religious Realm: Although God has not promised to answer the prayers of unbelievers...He does answer some prayers! This is out of His common Grace. And also the proclamation of the Gospel to those who do not ultimately accept it is a clear declaration of the mercy and grace of God, which gives clear witness to the fact that God does not delight in the death or condemnation of any of his creatures (Ezek 33:11, 1 Tim 2:4).
7. Common Grace and Special Grace Influence each other: The Grace that God bestows on all (common Grace) most definately influences Special Grace. God blesses His people with other gifts...but lets look at an example:
A church is looking to expand it's building, they seek out a construction company to do the work at a resonable price. Many of the men who work on the church may not be saved...but the gifts that God has blessed them with do to common grace a certainly influencing that local body of believers with a new building.
8. Common Grace does not save people: Common grace is different than saving grace! It does not change peoples hearts nor bring them to genuine repentance and faith--it cannot and does not save people. It restrains sin, but it does not change anyone's foundational disposition to sin, nor does it in any significant measure purify fallen human nature.
Also the actions of unbelievers performed by virture of common grace do not in themselves merit God's approval or favor. These actions do not spring from faith and "For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." Romans 14:23b
Reasons:
1. To Redeem those who WILL be Saved: The day of final judgment and punishment is being delayed because there are more people that will be saved. 2 Peter 3:9-10 "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed."
2. To Demonstrate God's Goodness and Mercy: God demonstrates His Goodness and Mercy in the Salvation of believers as well as Blessing undeserving sinners. Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil." God's kindness is revealed in the universe to His glory. Psalm 145:9 "9The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made." God showers untold blessings upon all men and also clearly indicates that these are the expressions of a favorable disposition in God, which falls short however of the positive volition to pardon their sin, to lift their sentence, and to grant them salvation. It is not unjust for God to delay execution of punishment upon sin and to give temporary blessings to human beings, because the punishment is not forgotten, but just delayed. In delaying punishment, God shows clearly that he has no pleasure in executing final judgment, but rather delights in the salvation of men and women. Ezekiel 33:11 "Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?" 1 Timothy 2:4 "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." In all of this the delay of punishment gives clear evidence of God's mercy and goodness and love.
3. To Demonstrate God's Justice: When God repeatedly invites sinners to come to faith and when they repeatedly refuse his invitations, the justice of God in condemning them is seen much more clearly. Paul warns that those who persist in unbelief are simply storing up more wrath for themselvs. Romans 2:5 "But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed." On the day of judgment every mouth will be stopped and no one will be able to object that God has been unjust. Romans 3:19 "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God."
4. To Demonstrate God's Glory: Finally, God's glory is shown in many ways by the activities of human beings in all the areas in which common grace is operative.In developing and exercisin dominion over the earth, men and women demonstrate and reflect the wisdom of their Creator, demonstrate God-like qualities of skill and moral virtue and authority over the universe, and so forth. Though all fo these activities are tainted by sinful motives, they nonetheless reflect the excellence of our Creator and therefore bring glory to God, no fully or perfectly, but nonetheless significantly.
Our Response:
1. Common Grace does not mean that those who receive it will be saved: Even exceptionally large amounts of common grace do not imply that those who receive it will be saved. Even the most skilled, most intelligent, most wealthy and powerful people in the world still need the gospel of Jesus Christ or they will be condemned for eternity! Even the most moral and kind of our neighbors still need the gospel of Jesus Christ or they will be condemned for eternity! They may appear outwardly to have no needs, but Scripture still says that unbelievers are enemies of God and are agianst Christ. They live as enemies of the cross of Christ and have their minds set on earthly things and are by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Romans 5:10 "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."
Colossians 1:21 "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds."
James 4:4 "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Matthew 12:30 "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."
Philippians 3:18-19 "For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things."
Ephesians 2:3 "among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
2. We must be careful not to reject the Good things that Unbelievers do as Totally Evil: By common grace, unbelievers do some good, and we should see God's hand in it and be thankful for common grace as it operates in every friendship, every act of kindness, every way in which it brings blessing to others. All of this -- though the unbeliever does not know it -- is ultimately from God and He deserves the glory for it.
3. The Doctrine of Common Grace should stir our Hearts to Much Greater Thankfulness to God: When we walk down the street and see houses and gardens and families dwelling in security, or when we do business in the marketplace and see the abundant results of technological progress, or when we walk through the woods and see the beauty of nature, or when we are protected by government, or when we are educated from the vast storehouse of human knowledge, we should realize not only that God in his sovereignty is ultimately responsible for all of these blessings, but also that God has granted them all to sinners who are totally underserving of any of them! These blessings in the world are not only evidence of God's power and wisdom, they are also continually a manifestation of his abundant grace. The realization of this face should cause our hearts to swell with thanksgiving to God in every activity of life.
In Christ,
David
What is it?
Common Grace is the grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation.
Adam and Eve became worthy of eternal punishment and separation from God when they sinned!
1 Peter 2:4 "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;"
God had the right to do the same with Adam and Eve...but He chose to show them Grace!
Examples:
1. Physical Realm: Every breath that an unbeliever takes (for that matter that anyone takes) is a gift of God. It is undeserved! The Earth produces vegetation for us to eat and raise animals rather than being completely cursed and allowing nothing to grow like the other planets!
2. Intellectual Realm: All people have some grasp of the truth. All people have a knowledge of God (Romans 1:21). Also all Science and technology carried out by non-Christians is a result of common grace, allowing them to make incredible discoveries and inventions, to develop the earth's resources into many material goods, to produce and distribute those resources, and to have skill in their productive work.
3. Moral Realm: Common grace restrains people from being as evil as they could be. Also by giving warning of final judgment in the operation of the natural world.
4. Creative Realm: God has allowed significant measures of skill in artistic and musical areas, as well as in other spheres in which reativity and skill can be expressed, shuch as athletics, cooking, and writing.
5. Societal Realm: Families, Government, laws, police forces, judicial systems, human societies, educational institutions, businesses, corporations, and voluntary associations. All because of God's common Grace.
6. Religious Realm: Although God has not promised to answer the prayers of unbelievers...He does answer some prayers! This is out of His common Grace. And also the proclamation of the Gospel to those who do not ultimately accept it is a clear declaration of the mercy and grace of God, which gives clear witness to the fact that God does not delight in the death or condemnation of any of his creatures (Ezek 33:11, 1 Tim 2:4).
7. Common Grace and Special Grace Influence each other: The Grace that God bestows on all (common Grace) most definately influences Special Grace. God blesses His people with other gifts...but lets look at an example:
A church is looking to expand it's building, they seek out a construction company to do the work at a resonable price. Many of the men who work on the church may not be saved...but the gifts that God has blessed them with do to common grace a certainly influencing that local body of believers with a new building.
8. Common Grace does not save people: Common grace is different than saving grace! It does not change peoples hearts nor bring them to genuine repentance and faith--it cannot and does not save people. It restrains sin, but it does not change anyone's foundational disposition to sin, nor does it in any significant measure purify fallen human nature.
Also the actions of unbelievers performed by virture of common grace do not in themselves merit God's approval or favor. These actions do not spring from faith and "For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." Romans 14:23b
Reasons:
1. To Redeem those who WILL be Saved: The day of final judgment and punishment is being delayed because there are more people that will be saved. 2 Peter 3:9-10 "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed."
2. To Demonstrate God's Goodness and Mercy: God demonstrates His Goodness and Mercy in the Salvation of believers as well as Blessing undeserving sinners. Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil." God's kindness is revealed in the universe to His glory. Psalm 145:9 "9The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made." God showers untold blessings upon all men and also clearly indicates that these are the expressions of a favorable disposition in God, which falls short however of the positive volition to pardon their sin, to lift their sentence, and to grant them salvation. It is not unjust for God to delay execution of punishment upon sin and to give temporary blessings to human beings, because the punishment is not forgotten, but just delayed. In delaying punishment, God shows clearly that he has no pleasure in executing final judgment, but rather delights in the salvation of men and women. Ezekiel 33:11 "Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?" 1 Timothy 2:4 "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." In all of this the delay of punishment gives clear evidence of God's mercy and goodness and love.
3. To Demonstrate God's Justice: When God repeatedly invites sinners to come to faith and when they repeatedly refuse his invitations, the justice of God in condemning them is seen much more clearly. Paul warns that those who persist in unbelief are simply storing up more wrath for themselvs. Romans 2:5 "But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed." On the day of judgment every mouth will be stopped and no one will be able to object that God has been unjust. Romans 3:19 "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God."
4. To Demonstrate God's Glory: Finally, God's glory is shown in many ways by the activities of human beings in all the areas in which common grace is operative.In developing and exercisin dominion over the earth, men and women demonstrate and reflect the wisdom of their Creator, demonstrate God-like qualities of skill and moral virtue and authority over the universe, and so forth. Though all fo these activities are tainted by sinful motives, they nonetheless reflect the excellence of our Creator and therefore bring glory to God, no fully or perfectly, but nonetheless significantly.
Our Response:
1. Common Grace does not mean that those who receive it will be saved: Even exceptionally large amounts of common grace do not imply that those who receive it will be saved. Even the most skilled, most intelligent, most wealthy and powerful people in the world still need the gospel of Jesus Christ or they will be condemned for eternity! Even the most moral and kind of our neighbors still need the gospel of Jesus Christ or they will be condemned for eternity! They may appear outwardly to have no needs, but Scripture still says that unbelievers are enemies of God and are agianst Christ. They live as enemies of the cross of Christ and have their minds set on earthly things and are by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Romans 5:10 "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."
Colossians 1:21 "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds."
James 4:4 "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Matthew 12:30 "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."
Philippians 3:18-19 "For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things."
Ephesians 2:3 "among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
2. We must be careful not to reject the Good things that Unbelievers do as Totally Evil: By common grace, unbelievers do some good, and we should see God's hand in it and be thankful for common grace as it operates in every friendship, every act of kindness, every way in which it brings blessing to others. All of this -- though the unbeliever does not know it -- is ultimately from God and He deserves the glory for it.
3. The Doctrine of Common Grace should stir our Hearts to Much Greater Thankfulness to God: When we walk down the street and see houses and gardens and families dwelling in security, or when we do business in the marketplace and see the abundant results of technological progress, or when we walk through the woods and see the beauty of nature, or when we are protected by government, or when we are educated from the vast storehouse of human knowledge, we should realize not only that God in his sovereignty is ultimately responsible for all of these blessings, but also that God has granted them all to sinners who are totally underserving of any of them! These blessings in the world are not only evidence of God's power and wisdom, they are also continually a manifestation of his abundant grace. The realization of this face should cause our hearts to swell with thanksgiving to God in every activity of life.
In Christ,
David
posted by Mark 1:17 at 7:45 PM
0 comments
