FREE WILL VS. FREE GRACE
(Selected
Scriptures)
By
Lasaro Flores
In spite that the Word of God makes it very clear
that
salvation is ALL of the “free grace” of God, yet there are
multitudes of
professing Christians that believe that salvation depends on the
decision made
by the sinner’s so-called “free will.” Of course,
such a doctrine contradicts
the expressive doctrines of “the
gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). It goes without
saying, that
BOTH CANNOT BE TRUE! Either salvation is obtained by the power of
“free will”
or by the power of “free grace.” In other words, salvation
either depends on me
or it depends on God; it is my doing or God’s doing! Which is it?
Does it matter? What difference does it make just
as long
that one believes in the Lord Jesus
Christ for their salvation? Yes, IT DOES because true saving faith can
ONLY
come from a “belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians
2:13) in order to
truly believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ to be saved (Acts 16:31) “according to the
Scriptures” (1
Corinthians 15:3, 4). And the doctrines that one preaches and teaches
determine
whether one hears the truth “as the truth is in Jesus”
(Ephesians 4:21); for so says the apostle Paul to Timothy: “Take
heed
unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing
this thou
shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy
4:16).
You see, beloved, what one hears and learns and
accepts as
the “truth” determines what they believe to be the Word of
God. If one believes
that the “free will” is true Biblical doctrine, then they
will look to the
power of their “free will” to be the determining factor of
their salvation. In
other words, the assurance of their salvation is based on their
“decision to
accept Christ as their Savior” due to their “free
will.”
Now, they might deny that this is what they mean,
that it is
not that simplistic. They’ll grant that they are saved by the
grace of God and
that it is Him that saves them and not themselves. Of course, they have
to say
that because they know that the Word of God makes it very clear that
“salvation
belongeth unto the LORD” (Psalm 3:8) and “is of
the LORD” (Jonah
2:9); and most certainly, it teaches that it is ALL OF GRACE from the
First to
the Last; and they cannot deny and contradict it. Otherwise, they would
be
denying the truth and would be accused of “damnable
heresies” (2 Peter
2:1).
Yet, in spite of this, they WILL NOT and CANNOT
give up
their “idol of free will.” They will still insist that man
is not a “robot” or
a “puppet” but has the ability or power to make decisions
of their own;
including “spiritual decisions” that includes a decision to
be saved or not to
be saved. In fact, they say that God is a “gentleman” and
that He will not
force anyone to be saved if they do not want to be saved. Such thinking
reveals
that not only they do not know the Scriptures, but also they do not
know their
own hearts. It reveals that their understanding of what sin is and what
it has
done to man is not obtained from the teaching of the Holy Spirit from
the
inerrant Word of God, but from the world; and perhaps it could be said
from “seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1).
But what does the Bible teach of the so-called
Free Will of
Man? Is there such a creature? Does Man really have a “free
will” as propounded
by so many? Does the Word of God really teach that our salvation is
determined
by our “free will”? Does the Bible actually teach that we
have a “free will”?
Oh, the question could go on and the answers are many as evidenced by
the
controversy of the doctrine?
But I believe that in order to answer with the
Scriptures we
have to define at least two terms: Free Will and Free Grace. First,
generally
it is believed by some that Free Will is that faculty of Man that can
determine
and make choices by and of itself. It is believed that Man has this
ability and
power, and that God has given Man this gift. With respect to salvation,
it is
believed that Man in his lost and spiritually dead nature STILL has the
power,
not only to resist God’s grace, but also to make the choice of
his own to
“freely” make a choice whether to be saved or not to be
saved. But worse, it is
taught that God WILL NOT, and CAN NOT, overcome Man’s “free
will” in order to
save him by His grace. As you can see, if this definition of Free Will
is true
(and what I have personally read and used to believe of Free Will),
this means
that the sinner is sovereign over his salvation. In other words, to
make it
simple, the sinner is his own “savior” since he has to
allow God to save him.
Again, those that believe in Free Will will deny that this is a true
definition
of “free will”; and yet if you ask them why then contend
for “free will” if
this is not what they mean by it. To deny this definition, to what will
they
turn to? It’s either “free will” or “free
grace”? They CAN NOT have both!
In the second place, Free Grace is, as
generally
accepted by most professing Christians, the “unmerited
favor” of God
towards sinners. Simply put: God saves sinners by His Grace: “For
by grace
are ye saved...” (Ephesians 2:5, 8). I believe we can say it
like this: God
does you the favor of saving you even though you do not deserve to be
saved.”
But it’s more than just the actual work of saving a sinner
whenever that sinner
believes in the Lord Jesus
Christ to
be saved, as Paul tells the jailor: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved...” (Acts
16:31). We’ll show that God’s Grace is involved from the
beginning to the end
in the work of salvation; and even after salvation also. We will see
that God
of “the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7) has
provided ALL and
EVERYTHING that the sinner needs in order to be saved; and that sinful
Man had
absolutely nothing to do or provide in order for God to save him; for (a),
he could not do anything; and (b), God would not accept
anything from
man in order for Him to save him. That is why we can term God’s
Grace Free
Grace; for truly it is ALL FREE; even for sinful man to be made “willing
in
the day of (his) power” (Psalm 110:3). Therefore, the sinner
is freely
saved because God freely gives him ALL and EVERYTHING to be
saved by,
and of His Grace. HALLELUJAH!!! Amen.
*********************
As
we continue with our study, at this time we will deal with the subject
of
"Free Will." Of course, our main focus has to do with respect to
salvation, i.e. what "free will" has to do with it. As we stated
previously, there are many that believe God has given Man a "free
will" in order to "make a decision on their own for salvation"
by either accepting Christ Jesus
as
their Savior or not. They further claim that God CAN NOT do anything
about it
since He is the One Who gave Man that "free will." So therefore, it
is up to Man as a sinner to determine whether they want to be saved
from their
sins or not. Now, if this is true what those that believe on Free Will
teach, a
question raises its head: What has happened to the Grace of God that He
in His
Word claims is what saves sinners? If Free Will is the Savior,
then there
is no place for Free Grace, according to them! Think about that!
But
before continuing, let me interject something here in order not to
misunderstand
what I’m writing about: I’m not saying that man does not
have a “will;” of
course, he has a “will.” And also I’m not saying that
it is not “free!” Man
makes decisions according to his nature and he wills to do or wills not
to do.
Another thing about man’s will is that it is “free”
according to his nature. In
other words, when man “wills” he does it
“freely” according to his sinful
nature; for that is what he has since the Fall, nothing but a sinful
nature.
That being true, then God is not the Author of his sin; or He
doesn’t force man
to sin. All that God does is either stop him from sinning, which man
will do
naturally; or just let him continue to sin without interfering with his
sinful
nature.
Having
said that, let us consider what "free will" would mean. "Free
Will" means that there is absolutely nothing or anybody that can either
force or influence that "will" to determine to do anything against
itself.
To be ":free" implies that that "will" is APART from
anything and everything outside of itself that will make it do
“something,”
whatever that “something” might be. That is the ONLY
definition of Free Will to
be true. Otherwise, it is not “free.” Consider one
particular person who really
had a “free will” to make a decision of his own will; and
that is, Adam. You
see, Adam was created without a sinful nature; and therefore, all of
his
faculties were not under the power of sin and had not been corrupted by
sin.
So, any “decision” that Adam made was “freely”
made by him. It’s true that Adam
was obligated to obey, since he was a creature of God, his Creator; but
at the
same time, he was not influenced by a sinful nature to do it or not. As
He was
“free” to “will” to obey God; also he was
“free” to disobey” God if he “willed”
to do so. (Read Romans 5:12ff. to see how Adam’s sin affected the
human race
with respect to sin and because of it why they are in the condition
they are
in.)
This,
of course, is no longer true for man because now he has a sinful nature
with
which he is born. That being the case of every individual human being
ALL of
his faculties are NOW under the power of sin; in fact, his whole
constitution
has been corrupted by sin and is under its power. Now his
“will” is under the
power and influence of his sinful nature; and therefore, anything that
man
“wills” is determined by his sinful nature. In other words,
man’s will is no
longer as Adam’s was when created by God; and for sure, it is NOT
like God’s
who ALONE has a free will so that He “worketh all things
after the counsel
of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11). Now, that is a FREE WILL;
and for sure,
Man in his sinful nature DOES NOT have that, i.e. whereby he can do and
make
decisions after the counsel of his own will! Those that believe that
man has a
“free will” most certainly will deny that this what they
mean by “free will;”
but in what other way can they define “free will” if it is
not one that does
and decides after the counsel of his own will? So you can see, then,
that this
doctrine of the Free Will of Man is a heretical teaching that is
deceitful and
sends man to hell because there are multitudes that depend on the power
of
their “free will” to ‘make a decision for
Christ’ to be saved!
Having
said that, let us look at some Scriptures with reference to what sin
has caused
man to be and why ALL of their faculties are under the power of sin and
why
they are not “free” to do anything apart from their sinful
nature so that it
can be said of ALL of us: “For there is not a just man upon
earth, that
doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). This
Scripture covers all
that Man is since the Fall of Adam (man) in the Garden of Eden. Every
individual person is included in this tragic act of disobedience,
(except the
Lord Jesus Christ, even
though He “was
made of the seed of David according to the flesh” [Romans
1:3] and “as
the children [given to Him by the Father] are partakers of
flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same”
[Hebrews 2:14]). All
the Scriptures that refer to the sin of Man and ALL that he does as a
sinner
makes it very clear that it is proven that “both Jews and
Gentiles...are all
under sin” (Romans 3:9) and it has affected the WHOLE
constitution of Man:
There is absolutely NOT one part of man that is “free” from
sin!
Remember
that God told Adam in Genesis 2:17: “But of the tree of the
knowledge of
good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou
eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die.” The thing that is very
important to
understand is what is it the meaning of “thou shalt surely
die.” What
happen when Adam died? Look at chapter 3 and see what when Adam
disobeyed God
in eating of the fruit “of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil”
(2:17). Note that as soon as Adam ate: “And the eyes of them
both were
opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together,
and made themselves aprons” (3:7). It is not that they had
been physically
blind, but now they saw themselves as transgressors of God’s
commandment not to
eat of this tree in particular. Next, they knew they were exposed to
the guilt
of their disobedience before the just sentence of God, i.e. condemned
to death;
“Thou shalt surely die.” It followed, then, that
they tried to cover up
their crime; or perhaps try to justify themselves with their own works
when “they
sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” (v.7).
Nevertheless,
at the moment of “deciding” to eat of the fruit prohibited,
they “surely died;”
first, they died “spiritually;” then secondarily,
they
died “physically.” Now, you can tell that they first died
spiritually in
that they had lost the life of God in them, which now “being
alienated from
the life of God” (Ephesians 4:18), they became afraid of God
and wanted to
hide from Him (Genesis 3:8). This is in essence is true of the human
race in
that we are all “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians
2:1); and this
is associated with Adam as Romans 5:12 tells us: “Wherefore,
as by one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon
all men,
for that all have sinned;” or as it has been commented that
the last
phrase, for that all have sinned may be translated, for in him (i.e. Adam) all (the
human race) have sinned. Yes, now sin had caused guilt,
fear of
punishment, an aversion of God by trying to hide from Him, blaming
someone else
for their sin, etc., which caused a separation from God. This
is the
essence of dying spiritually; to be “separated from
God!” Sinful man no
longer desires communion with God; and from the sinner’s side
there is no love
for his Maker but have become “haters of God” (Romans
1:30). Because sin
has caused a wall between God and the sinner, it’s an inseparable
wall between
the two, unless God of His “amazing grace” tears it down to
bring
reconciliation between the two. But since MAN is SPIRITUALLY DEAD, not
only
they don’t want to do anything, but neither do they want to do
anything since
they are content in their SPIRITUAL DEATH.
As
we consider the following Scriptures we will see that if we are left to
ourselves there is absolutely no hope whatsoever for our salvation
because SIN
has literally “killed” us; and unless Life is given to us
so that we can be
raised from the dead, you and I will enter an eternity to suffer “the
second
death” for our names will NOT be found written in the book of
life and will
be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death (Revelation
20:14,15).
In considering these Scriptures, may it pleased our God to show us
where we’re
at and how utterly hopeless we are if our God doesn’t intervene
on our behalf
to save us by His Free Grace and that we be not deceived by the
abominable
so-called Free Will of Man. Amen.
*************************************
In this segment I would
like to show you why it is
impossible for us to have a “free will” due to the
spiritual condition we are
in because of our sinful nature; and why it is literally impossible to
absolutely do anything from, or of, our own to save ourselves in any
way, shape
or form whatsoever! And we will do this simply by referring to the Word
of God;
and in doing so we will endeavor to show how ALL of man and his
faculties, not
only are under the power and bondage of sin, but also that man has no
ability
whatsoever to do anything to free himself from his sinful nature. In
fact, what
the Lord Jesus Christ said to the Jews in John 5:40 - “And
ye will not come to me,
that ye
might have life” is true
of ALL of us in the
human
race; and therefore, apart from the Free and Sovereign Grace of God,
none of us
are willing and able to make a “free decision” to
come to the Lord Jesus Christ
for “life” that is in Him. Oh, I know there will be
those that will argue this
but consider the following Scriptures and try to prove otherwise.
As I present the following
Scriptures, be honest and truthful to yourself, by God's grace, to read
them
with all humbleness of mind and receive the truth as the Holy Spirit
teaches
you; or all of us! Let us keep in mind that we are dealing with respect
to the
so-called Free Will of Man; to see if the Word of God teaches us that
we have a
Free Will that enables us “to make a decision for
Christ” anytime we want to
and if truly our salvation depends on our “free
will.” I know that I won't be
able to cite every Scripture that deals with the subject,
but
I will endeavor to at least, by the
Spirit's guidance, be able to present sufficient Scriptures to verify
the truth
that ALL of our salvation is not of our Free Will but of God's Free
Grace.
Hallelujah!!! Amen.
The first Scripture we would
like to
look at is Genesis 6:5 - “And
GOD saw that the wickedness (badness
or
evilness) of man was great (abundant)
in the earth, and that
every (the whole, all, any)
imagination (conception, i.e.
purpose)
of the thoughts (contrivances,
intentions) of his heart (i.e.
the
feelings, the WILL, and even the intellect) was
only (limited to;
merely) evil (badness
or evilness) continually (the
whole, all,
every, any).” Note
every word of this Scripture, which I also included
the meaning from the Hebrew dictionary of the Strong's concordance; and
truthfully say that there is any indication of the free will in this
verse!
This verse teaches us what God saw in mankind at that time; and what He
sees in
the heart of man was no “free will” but a bondage
to his sinful nature, as
indicated by what God saw in him and by what sinful man did! I could go
into
detail on this Scripture but suffice it to show the impossibility of
man having
a “free will” and the utter impossibility of sinful
man of doing anything of
himself for his spiritual good. One would have to actually twist the
meaning of
this Scripture of God's Word to prove otherwise.
Next let
us go to Psalm 14, and read these
verses: “The LORD
looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see
if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone
aside,
they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no,
not
one” (vs. 2, 3). Note
that these verses are referred to by the apostle Paul
in Romans 3 in showing the Total Depravity of Man; and so he writes: “We
have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
as it
is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone
out of
the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that
doeth good,
no, not one” (vs.
9-12). Again, we are told that God, i.e. the mighty
Jehovah, with whom we have to do, looks down upon us to see if there
were any
that understood and sought after God. Of course, the answer is a
horrific NO!
What a terrible picture of what we are without the Lord Jesus Christ in
our
lives! What God sees that ALL of us, whether Jew or Gentile, are UNDER
the
power and dominion of sin in our lives, so that as it was said of man
in the
times of Noah, it is also true of ALL OF US at the present time! We
need to see
that because of sin over us and in us; absolutely not one of us
understands and
seeks after God. We DO NOT want to know Him; and so we do as Job 21:14,
15
says: “Therefore
they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the
knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
and what
profit should we have, if we pray unto him?”
In fact, according to God's
Word we are “haters of God” (Romans 1:30) because
of what we are as sinners.
Furthermore,
we read in Ecclesiastes 7:20 that “there
is not a just man upon earth, that
doeth good, and sinneth not;”
for “can the
Ethiopian change his skin, or
the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to
do
evil” (Jeremiah
13:23)? It is interesting that “accustomed”
here
means “instructed,” which suggests that sin teaches
us to sin according to our
sinful nature so that we will simply sin, and nothing but sin, since
that is
what we have learned to do from our conception (Psalm 51:5). That is
why there
is absolutely not one person that is righteous, or has any sort of
righteousness before God, that may allow a sinner to do any good and to
stop
from sinning, which we have already shown. As long as man remains the
way that
he was born, he will simply “add
sin to sin” (Isaiah
30:1) which was
described to us by Genesis 6:5. Think about it: Can a black man change
the
color of his skin just because he wants to; or even the leopard: Is
there any
possibility for the leopard to take off its spots? Furthermore, if they
were
“willing” to change from the state they were born
into another state, their
“will” has no power whatsoever to make that change
since their will is under
the power of sin, as we mentioned preciously. So is sinful man unable
to do
anything to free them from sin in order to become a holy and righteous
person
before God!
Now, let
us consider a couple of Scriptures that makes it very clear why sinful
man
CANNOT and WILL NOT do anything to save themselves, not only from the
love of
sin, but also from the penalty and power of sin in their lives. Having
shown
that all the whole constitution and the faculties of man are under the
power of
sin; and therefore, is a slave to sin; for as the Lord Jesus said: “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of
sin” (John 8:34), i.e.
“all, or any one, that does sin is the slave of
sin.” Consequently, the sinner
CANNOT and WILL NOT free themselves from the bondage of sin simply
because they
have not the power or the desire to free themselves from their sin; for
as we
referred to this Scripture: “Ye will not come to me, that ye
might have life”
(John 5:40) says the Lord Jesus to any sinner. Therefore, it follows
that the
Lord said later on: “No
man can come to me, except the Father which hath
sent me draw him...”
and “therefore said
I unto you, that no man can
come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (John
6:44, 65).
These two Scriptures, beloved, emphatically make it very clear that
there is absolutely
not one sinner (which is true of each one of us) that can come to the
Lord
Jesus Christ for life and salvation on their own! Furthermore, it is
very
important to note that the doctrine here in these two Scriptures is
repeated
two times; so that “in
the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word
be established” (2
Corinthians 13:1). These two Scriptures are the witness
that establishes the truth of the Total Inability of sinners to be able
to save
them by the power of the so-called “free will,”
which we will again show.
First,
note that ‘absolutely not one
individual
person has the power to come to Christ,’ whether
‘will power,’ ‘heart power,’
or any kind of ‘power’ that man thinks they might
have to come to Jesus for
salvation. It makes no difference what man says in order to deny this,
still
the Lord Jesus Himself says that man has no power whatsoever to do
anything in
order that they can ‘come’ or
‘go’ to Him that He alone can supply for their
good. Secondly, nevertheless,
there is still hope for the sinner; and it
rests ALL on the free and sovereign grace of God; and that one word;
‘except’
brings it out, “if not, i.e. unless.” Note that
“except” comes between the
Total Inability of the sinner and the Irresistible Grace of God.
Therefore, we
can emphatically say that ‘unless’ God makes the
decision to save man, there
would be no hope whatsoever if salvation depended on the sinner to
‘make a
decision for Christ,’ which is so popularly practiced today,
although
erroneously. UNLESS God of His grace does something on behalf of the
sinner in
order to bring them to Christ, absolutely you and I, and every sinner,
would
never come to the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved! Amen.
But now, thirdly,
the Lord Jesus tells us what the
Father has to do in order for sinners to
come to Him for salvation. One
(v.44), the Father has to “draw”
sinners to Christ. This word is very illustrative of the Total
Inability of a
sinner to come to Christ for salvation on his own. The Word “draw”
literally means “to drag;” as in
“dragging” a fish net (John 21:6); or as when
Paul was “drag” out of the temple by the Jews (Acts
21:30). In both instances,
someone else was doing the “dragging.” Now, space
doesn’t allow me to explain
what “draw”
means here, but simply to say that the Father has to do
something IN the unbeliever that in a sense “drags”
him to Christ; not against
his will, but willingly because his resistance has been broken down by
God’s
power so that by His grace the sinner is drawn to Christ. “Thy
people shall
be willing in the day of thy power...”
(Psalm 110:3); “Draw
me, we will
run after thee...”
(Song 1:4); and “I
drew them with cords of a man,
with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on
their
jaws, and I laid meat unto them” (Hosea
11:4). If God does not do the
“drawing,” you and I would never have to come to
Christ to be saved.
Two
(v.65),
here we see that it has be “given”
to the sinner by the Father ALL
that is needed in order for the sinner to “come”
to Christ; otherwise, he
won’t be able to do so. Again, note the Total
Inability of the sinner on one side; and the Free Grace of God on the
other. This
in turn raises a question in considering this verse: If something has
to be “given”
to the sinner in order for the sinner to “come”
to Christ, what is it
that has to be “given”
to him? To answer this, we have
to know what the
sinner is in his spiritual state, or condition. Naturally, his natural
state as
a sinner incapacitates him to be able to come to Christ for salvation
on his
own. First, the
sinner is spiritually dead; or “dead
in trespasses
and sins” (Ephesians
2:1); secondly¸
as unbelievers they have their
minds blinded (2 Corinthians 4:4); thirdly,
they have “the
understanding darkened”,
are “alienated from
the life of God through the
ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their
heart” (Ephesians
4:18); and as a “natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because
they are
spiritually discerned” (1
Corinthians 2:14). This is true of every person
that is born into this world; and unless God does something for the
sinner they
will remain lost and enter into a Christ-less eternity and have to pay
for their
unforgiven sins forever and ever.
Therefore,
the following things God has to give a sinner so that they can come to
Christ
for salvation; and the first
thing they need from God is life;
a
dead person cannot hear, see, or response to anything. Similarly, a
spiritually
dead sinner cannot receive and know the spiritual things from God: “To them that believe on his name: Which
were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God” (John
1:12, 13). The
second
thing they need is hearing;
for without the ability to hear, how can a
sinner respond to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, as it is declared: “So
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Then, in the third
place, they need to see;
for it is said: “Every
one which seeth the
Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life” (John
6:40). Of
course, fourthly,
they also have to be willing; as
stated in the
Word of God: “If any
man WILL come after me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke
9:23); and so it follows: “Thy
people shall be WILLING in the day of thy power...” (Psalm
110:3). But fifthly,
they have to
repent of their sins and believe
on the Lord Jesus
Christ; which two things a sinner CANNOT do,
or PRODUCE, of themselves. Both repentance and faith are “given”
to a
sinner so that they can now come to Christ: “Hath
God...give repentance to
Israel, and forgiveness of sins”
(Acts 5:31); “Then
hath God also to the
Gentiles granted repentance unto life”
(Acts 11:18); which also includes
faith: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it
is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8); “Through the
faith of the operation of
God” (Colossians 2:12); “Unto
you it is given in the behalf of Christ,...to
believe on him”
(Philippians 1:29).
Now, I
know
there is much more I can refer to with respect to why we in our natural
state
as sinners CANNOT have a “free will,” but suffice
it for the time being that
with all the referred Scriptures there is enough evidence from the Word
of God
to prove this point. Of course, please remember that we are not saying
that
man, even as a sinner, does not have a “will; and that man
will still do things
“freely” according to his natural will that is
under the power of sin, if God
permits him. But what we have endeavored to show from the Word of God
is that
it is NOT FREE for spiritual things; or to “will”
things for his spiritual good
in the Lord Jesus
Christ for the
salvation that is in Him of his own “will.” The
only hope that a sinner has for
his salvation is that the God of all grace in Christ Jesus
will be willing to make him, i.e. the sinner, to be willing to come to
the Lord
Jesus
Christ with “repentance
toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ” (Acts 20:21).
Amen.
**************************************
In this segment of our
message, or study, we consider
the Free Grace of God. Now, most professing Christians believe that
God’s grace
is His “unmerited favor.” Simply put, grace is God’s
“favor towards us in that
we cannot do anything to merit” His salvation. Thus “for by
grace are ye
saved...” is ‘God doing us the favor of saving us in that
we cannot do anything
to merit it.’ But not only what God does by His grace is
“free,” but even His
“grace” itself is “free.” “Grace”
is the opposite of “works;” or to put it in
another way: “works” contradicts “grace.” It is
totally 180 degrees away from
each other. “And if by grace, then is it no more of works:
otherwise grace
is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace:
otherwise
work is no more work” (Romans 11:6). Therefore, since
“work” is connected
with the so-called “free will” of man, as so popularly
believed by proud and
carnal man, since “free will” is the sinner doing something
of his own to save
him; it is ‘in contradistinction to’ the “free
grace” of God.
Now, as
we study about the Free Grace of God, of course, it will show us the
impossibility of the Free Will of sinful man. This is what stumbles so
many
professing Christians since they don’t deny that the grace of God
is needed to
be saved, yet at the same time they don’t want to give up their
“free will.”
But we have to say that both cannot be true; especially in the work of
salvation. Either we are saved by the Free Grace of God, or we are
saved by the
Free Will of Man.; and that in effect means we have to do away with one
or the
other. Therefore, as we study about the Free Grace of God, I will
endeavor by
God’s Word to show that Free Will is like Dagon that will crumble
down at the
Ark of Free Grace: “Dagon was fallen upon his
face to the
earth before the ark of the LORD;” and “Dagon was
fallen upon his face
to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and
both the
palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of
Dagon was
left to him” (1 Samuel 5:3,4). Therefore, the idol of Free
Will is left
totally helpless before Free Grace.
With that, let us
consider some things of God’s Free
Grace that not only makes Free Will totally incompatible with it, but
also
makes it, i.e. Free Will, like “he that entereth not by the
door into the
sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a
robber” (John
10:1). Oh, if only professing Christians would only understand that
“free will”
is an abomination to God in that it is like taking away the glory that
belongs
only to Him for His “so great salvation” (Hebrews
2:3), as He says: “I
am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another,
neither
my praise to graven images” (Isaiah 42:8); and that is what
“free will” is
that dares to come before “the God of all grace” (1
Peter 5:10) and
demands that God has to give in to it, and so He is permitted to save
them.
Beloved, I am not saying anything other than what those that believe in
the
“free will of man” believe and teach. Just ask anyone that
believes that we are
saved by a “free will decision” to accept Jesus Christ as
our Savior and they
will tell you that “free will” is the ultimate reason why
God saves them; and
by saying that, the Free Grace of God cannot save them unless their
“free will”
lets Him!
First, Free
Grace is from, and of, “the
God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10). That means, than, that the “grace”
that saves a sinner has to come from Him who is “the God of
all grace.” In
Ephesians 2:8 it is stated that “by grace are ye saved
through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Note that it
is “the
gift of God;” and for anything to be a gift, it has to be
given freely! The
following Scripture proves this: “The grace of God which is
GIVEN you by
Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:4). For Grace to be Free, it
has to be given
unconditionally. In other words, it is “not of
works” (Ephesians
2:9), i.e. of anything that one does in order to merit
“grace” to be
saved; and why? “Lest (in order that not) any man
should boast.” Therefore,
the saved sinner has no grounds whatsoever to “boast” about
himself since his
salvation has been totally of God’s Free Grace; and absolutely
nothing from
him, including “free will.”
Secondly, to
prove that the “free will” of man
has nothing to do with our salvation, we read that God “hath
saved us, and
called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to
his own purpose and grace, which was GIVEN us in Christ Jesus before
the world
began” (2 Timothy 1:9). Even before man existed, He had
already given grace
to His people in order to save them in their appointed time so that “as
many
as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48) “on
the Lord
Jesus Christ” and were saved (Acts 16:31). So, you can see
that since “grace...was
given us...in Christ Jesus before the world began,” “free
will” had nothing
to do with us being saved. So, we may put it like this: At the moment
that we
heard “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24)
the Free Grace of
God was already there to make us willing by God’s power (Psalm
110:3) to do
what the will of God had already ordained to save us by His grace. Amen.
Thirdly, here we
see that that the Grace of God
is connected with Election; for in Romans 11:5 it is called “the
election of
grace.” But especially note in
Ephesians chapter 1 the emphasis on grace in all that God does for the
salvation of His people. In fact, verses 3 to 7 can be called
“The Golden Chain
of Grace;” for ALL is by, and of, grace, from eternity past to
eternity future.
We have been “blessed...with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in
Christ” (v.3); God “hath chosen us in (Christ)
before the foundation of
the world” (v.4); He has “predestinated us unto
the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself” (v.5); and note that it was “according
to
the good pleasure of his will,” and
“free will” had nothing to do with it; also “he
hath made us accepted in the
beloved” (v.6), i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ; and in Christ
Jesus “we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (v.7).
And ALL of
these is “according to the riches of his grace,” and
not because of
anything that we have done, or are doing, or will ever do; and so
therefore, it
is ALL “to the praise of the glory of his grace”
(v.6)! And this all for
eternity “that in the ages to come he might shew the
exceeding riches of his
grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians
2:7)! Now,
where is that so-called “free will” of man? Nowhere in
sight; for the “the
election of grace” obliterates it completely. Hallelujah!!!
Fourthly, the
Grace of God is connected with
salvation, i.e. our salvation from the love of sin, the penalty of sin,
the
power of sin, and the presence of sin (From Arthur W. Pink’s
“Fourfold
Salvation”). Two times it is declared in Ephesians chapter 2,
“By grace are ye
saved” (vv.5, 7). Beloved, this is a guarantee and a certainty:
God’s Grace
WILL save you; no matter how sinful you are; for “where sin
abounded, grace
did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). Your sins may be as
high as Mt.
Everest, yet Free Grace will climb to the utmost to reach you; no
matter if you
hit rock bottom in your sin, Free Grace will dive in and bring you out
“from
the pit of corruption” (Isaiah 38:17). But it is ONLY the grace
of God given to
you In Christ Jesus that will save you; YOU have to look solely at
Grace if YOU
expect to be saved from your sins. Add anything to Grace, whatever it
is,
whether works, religion, and morality; and yes, even the lie of
“free will” and
you will be lost! Somebody has said: “Free will has not taken
anyone to heaven;
but Free Grace has taken multitudes to heaven.” All Praise to the
God of ALL
GRACE. Amen.
Fifthly, as we
read before, God’s grace is given
to us in Christ Jesus, meaning then, that we cannot receive the grace
of God
apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Since grace was given to us in Christ
before
the beginning of the world (2 Timothy 1:9), then it is necessary that
we look
only to Him for grace. It is written that “of his fulness
have all we
received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16). But it is in
particular
precious that “grace for grace” can be translated “grace
upon grace,”
which simply means that ALL that God does for us in Christ Jesus
from the
beginning to the end of salvation, we are given “grace upon
grace upon grace
upon....;” in other words, we accumulate grace
throughout eternity,
since it was given to us from eternity past and continues into eternity
future!
But it is ONLY from Christ’s fullness that we may receive “grace
upon
grace.” Apart from the beloved Son of God, we cannot have
grace. This is
brought out in Ephesians 1:6 where it is stated: “To the
praise of the glory
of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” To
be made “accepted
in the beloved” is to be “graced in the
beloved,” for so is the
meaning of “accepted;” and so that is why God gets
all the praise and
glory for it! Now, where is the idol of “free will?” You
CANNOT see it! Amen.
Now, beloved, we could
continue adding reasons to show
that due to Free Grace there can be no Free Will in God’s work of
salvation.
Since salvation is ALL of, and by, Grace; and that of itself is
sufficient to
prove the nonsense of man’s so-called free will in the salvation
of sinners. We
have to understand this; otherwise, we can deceive sinners to trust in
themselves in their salvation. Of course, we do not in any way deny
that man as
a sinner has a “will;” which is very apparent in the
faculties of man’s
constitution. But the problem with man’s will is that it is under
the power of
sin; it is in bondage to sin. Therefore, whenever man utilizes his
will, he
does it according to his sinful nature. Any decision that sinful man
makes is
according to his sinful nature; and so in that sense, man’s will
is free in
only one direction; and that is toward sin. He cannot turn around and
do the
opposite of sin, so that as Genesis 5:6 states that “GOD saw
that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” is as true
today as it was
in the days of Noah. That has resulted that every sinner apart from the
Grace of
God “will not come to (Christ), that (they) might have
life” (John
5:40), i.e. salvation. Why? Because their will IS NOT FREE in that
direction.
It is my prayer that God
of His Grace will show and
convince you that it is ONLY by His Grace that you can hope for
salvation. At
the same time, that He will enable you to see that there is no such
thing as
“free will” that God will accept as a means to the
salvation from your sins. “For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift
of God” (Ephesians 2:8) so that “where sin
abounded, grace did much more
abound” (Romans 5:20); and all “to the praise of
the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians
1:6). Amen.
*****************************
At this time,
we would like to deal with
grace in the life of the believer after experiencing salvation by
God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason, I
believe, it is very important that we do so in that I'm afraid that
many professing
Christians have the erroneous idea that once we are saved by God's
grace, there isn't any need for grace in our lives. Or, at least,
many are
ignorant of the need of grace in our lives as believers. Perhaps it
might be that since we major in that salvation is by the grace of God
(which of course, is very true; Ephesians 2:8); and since we might not
make too much of grace after salvation, there will be the mistaken
notion that we don't need grace as saved believers.
But that would
be a mistake. The
Scriptures are very clear that the grace of God is very dominant, or
should be , in the lives of God's people. In fact, without grace,
included with the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer in Christ,
we CANNOT live the Christian life. Grace is that fathomless spring from
which we receive all the supplies necessary, not only for salvation,
but also for our lives as believers of Christ. What the apostle Paul
says with respect to justification in Galatians 3:3, "Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now
made perfect by the flesh?", may be applied in this
instance to grace, in that our life in Christ Jesus begins with
grace in salvation, do we suppose it now depends on our fleshly
efforts to live the Christian life? Of course, the answer is a
deafening NO!!! It is utterly impossible to do it. That's why we need
grace from the beginning to the last; and this we will prove it by the
inerrant Word of God.
Without much
further ado, let us look at
some Scriptures that teaches the doctrine of the Need of Grace in
the Life of the Believer. First Scripture that comes to mind is 2 Peter
3:18
that simply states "grow in grace." That
definitely has nothing to do with an unbeliever, but with one who
already is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Literally the word "grow" is to enlarge;" i.e. to increase in
grace. Therefore, we can put it this way: Once a sinner has been given
grace in salvation, now it follows that the believer is to "enlarge, or increase in grace." Perhaps
this is the meaning of John 1:16 where we read that "of (Christ's) fulness have all we
received, and grace for grace."
The underlined phrase has been interpreted by some to
mean "grace upon grace." In
other words, the believer's life in salvation starts with "grace," but as we progress in
the Christian life, out of the fulness of our Lord, we receive "grace
upon grace upon grace,... etc. So, in that sense, we "grow in grace."
Now, these two
Scriptures, i.e. 2 Peter
3:18 and John 1:16, make it very clear that GRACE is needed and is
essential for the life of the believer. To "grow in grace" and to receive "grace for grace" HAS TO BE in our lives if we profess to
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. The Word of God makes
very much of Grace; and since God does so in His Word, then we also
should do the same. But alas! I've noticed that professing Christians
are encouraged to look to themselves, perhaps not intentionally but by
negligence by not making much of grace for the life of the believer. So
it follows that whenever this happens, much will be lacking in the life
of the Christian who is not growing in grace and receiving grace for
grace.
With this,
before looking at the effects
of grace in our lives, let us consider how we obtain grace; or the
means by which we receive grace:
(1) We
are told that "grace,...was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Timothy
1:9). Oh, the humbling truth that we had nothing to do with being
given "grace;" in fact,
we didn't even exist, but God in His purpose had decided to give us
grace. But note that since it is given to us, grace is not something
that we deserve or can earned. It is the "free gift"of God to unworthy
sinners. Cp. Ephesians 2:8; Romans 5:15-17). So, simply said, grace is
a gift, and an undeserving gift, at that! Therefore, if grace is not
given
to us, then there is no hope whatsoever for any one of us; for
grace is the fountain from which flows all the blessings of God to all
sinners irrespective of who they are and what they are!. Amen.
(2) Then
we read that "the grace of God...is
given (to us) by Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:4), i.e "in
Jesus Christ." Read Ephesians 1:3-7ff. and you will see that all that
we have is "according to the riches
of his grace" (v.7); and that it is ALL OF, or BY GRACE!
But this grace, and the benefits of grace, is for the sake of Jesus
Christ. In fact, note that this grace is that "wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved" (v.6). Also, note particularly that "made us accepted" has the
meaning of "to grace us;" in other words, not only does God deals with
us in grace for our salvation in His beloved Son (Titus 2:11), but also
showers us with grace and the blessings of His
grace as we receive "grace for,
or upon grace" by faith
in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. This can only be true for one who
is in Christ Jesus; for apart from Him we CANNOT have grace from God;
whether for salvation or for growing in grace.
(3) Another
thing, grace comes by the testimony of the Gospel; or as the apostle
Paul puts it: "To testify the gospel
of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). In other words, it is
through the witness of the Gospel by which we receive grace; but also
by which the grace of God is magnified to the hearer. Not only is the
Death and the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ testified to
by the Gospel for our salvation (1 Corinthians 15:3,4), but that also
all the benefits of it come to us by God's grace; and so appropriately
it is called "the gospel of the
grace of God." So, grace not only comes to us for our salvation
in hearing the Gospel, but also of all that we hope to receive
from God;
and so we will be able to say with the apostle Paul: "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1
Corinthians 15:10).
Therefore, it
is very important that we
see that Grace is not simply an abstract doctrine,
but it is very practical.
This is made clear by the means that we receive grace. All three
points as shown previously must have an effect on the one who
experiences it in their life in that it is an "irresistible grace." By
that I mean to say that whenever God's grace comes upon a sinner it
will "irresistibly" do it's work upon whom it falls. Why? Because this
grace was given to him "before
the world began;" and it will not fail in that it will complete
it's work for which it was given from eternity past. Then, since it was
given "by Jesus Christ," all
that He intended to do in saving sinners, and will be done in that He
Himself said He came "to seek and to
save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10); and His grace
will do it! Furthermore, since grace comes also by hearing "the gospel of the grace of God," it
definitely has an effect on the believer; for it produces faith, and
true faith is alive and not dead. That's why we can say that grace is
very practical and will
be manifested in the lives of God's people.
Amen.
Amen.
*************************
At this time, we would like to
consider what the Grace of God does in the life of a believer. The
reason I didn't say "believers" is because sadly many of God's people
don't "grow in grace" (2
Peter 3:18) as they should for some reason or another. It's not that
that they don't have the grace that saves them, as according to
Ephesians 2:8, but strangely they don't grow spiritually; and this is a
point that is very true in the lives of many of God's elect. They have
enough of God's grace to save them; and they are conscious of it...
they believe it and would never deny it; but still remain "spiritually
retarded." But of course, there is always the danger of receiving God's
grace in vain as indicated in 1 Coritnthians 15:10 and 2 Corinthians
6:1. God's Grace may only be true in our lives if we grow in it; that
is, if we receive from Christ's fulness "grace for (upon) grace" (John
1:16). Amen.
Therefore, let us consider some
things that shows if we are growing in grace; and you'll see that these
things can only be true if we are; for they can only be produced by
the grace that we receive from Christ's fulness (John 1:16) as we grow
in grace (2 Peter 3:18) as a believer of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But we need to keep in mind that to the degree we grow in grace
will determine how evident these things will be seen in our lives. The
level to which we grow and how fast we grow also determines our
spiritual maturity; and our spiritual maturity depends on our
growth in grace. So, let us consider some things, but not necessarily
in
order, that will show our growth in grace.....
First, "But by the grace of God I am what I am:
and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I
laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God
which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). Paul testifies that
it's God's grace that has made him what and who he is; and that it was
not in vain, i.e. it has changed his life and it bears fruit according
to what grace is supposed to do in his life. Here Paul says that he "labored more abundantly than they all;" and
"all" most probably here
means in comparison with any other apostle, or servant of the Lord, in
all that he did for the Lord and the gospel's sake. Yet he confesses
that it is not due to anything of himself, but he owes it all to "the grace of God which was with" him.
In other words, beloved, what Paul is saying is that if it wasn't for
the grace of God in his life, he wouldn't have labored as he did. That
is the proof of what the grace of God can do in the lives of His
servants if it is not received in vain.
Therefore,
beloved, you'll find that as we grow in the grace of God, our lives
will manifest a definite change, especially in our serving the Lord. As
grace influences our lives, it will have such an effect that nothing
will be too difficult or impossible to do for the Lord. Study the life
of the apostle Paul and you will be able to see why Paul was able to
say what he did about his labor for the gospel's sake. This may be true
of any one that serves the Lord; and as they grow in the grace of God,
it will strengthen and enable them to do for the Lord which is actually
impossible without His grace. That's why we can say that so many
professing "believers" are not doing anything for the gospel of Jesus
Christ because of their lack of growth in the grace of God; and
consequently, churches are so weak spiritually that they are more
defeated than victorious due to the lack of God's grace in the lives of
the church members.
Secondly, "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:1). This means we
are to "be empowered" in the grace that is given to us; and as we "grow
in grace" (2 Peter 3:18), we also increase in power that is
needed in every aspect of our lives as as we live and serve our Lord.
This is not a physical power, but a spiritual power;for it is to be "be strong in the Lord, and in the power
of his might" (Ephesians 6:10); and as it is said to "be
strong in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus," we have to "of his fulness...receive...grace for
grace" (John 1:16). That's why we have the promise in 1 Peter
5:10 that "the God of all grace, who
hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye
have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." The "normal" life
of the believer consists of temptations, trials, struggles, sufferings,
spiritual battles, etc.; and it is only by grace that wd can overcome
and victorious.
But note
very carefully that we are "empowered" in the grace "that is in Christ Jesus." Let us
not deceive ourselves that this grace is in us or from us. We need to
always keep in mind that we "can do
all things through Christ which strengtheneth (us)" (Philippians
4:13) by His Grace; no matter what it might be! Always remember what
the apostle Paul said when the Lord Jesus told him: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my
strength is made perfect in weakness;" that with confidence he
could say: "Most gladly therefore
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,
in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for
when I am weak, then am I strong." That is the power of Grace
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thirdly, "But by the grace of God I am what I am"
(1 Corinthians 15:10). Although I already referred to this
Scripture, I see here what is the sum of grace in the life of the saint
of
God. What Paul means is that his total existence is totally of the
grace of God; and nothing else. You see, beloved, grace is not ONLY for
salvatiom (as it seems that many professing Christians limited it to
that), but for the entire life of the elect. Note that 2 Timothy 1
states that it was God's purpose from eternity past to give grace to
them: "according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began" (v.9).
Since this grace was given to us "by
(or "in") Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:4),
the purpose of God is one of grace from election to glorification (
Ephesians 1:4; 2:8) for everyone in Christ; otherwise, one CANNOT
say: "But by the
grace of God I am what I am."
Therefore,
it is very important that we grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18); for so has
it been provided that we receive "of
(Christ's) fulness...grace for grace" (John 1:16). In the Lord
telling the apostle Paul, "My grace
is sufficient for thee" (2 Corinthians 12:9), this indicates
that it is true for every aspect of the believer's life. To be able to
say that "by the grace of God I am what I am," is
not only to experience God's grace in one's life, but also to confess
that if it hadn't been for God's grace, their lives would have been
radically different than what grace in Christ had made it. There is not
one area in the believer's life that may be separated from God's grace;
otherwise such a professor truly does not KNOW the grace of God. But
the proof of this is the growth of grace; for it is the growing
in grace that makes the believers in Christ what they are in their
practical life.
Although
there are more observations, or reasons, we could make here, but I
believe that for this instance these are sufficient to show us the
importance of grace in our lives as believers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To fail in this may prove to be fatal to our souls; for if the grace of
God is not real in our professing Christian life, it may be that grace
is not there in the first place. Therefore, it is of the utmost
importance that we don't take the grace of God for granted; or "in vain" (2 Corinthians 6:1) as
exhorted by the Word of God. Let us plead from "the God of all grace" (2 Peter
3:18), by coming "to the throne of
grace...(to) find grace to
help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16), by receiving "of his fulness...grace for grace" (John
1:16) to assure that we have "by
grace been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8) "which is given (us) by Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians
1:4). Amen.
(To be
continued)
