^[1]Grace is one of the most precious words in the Christian’s vocabulary. There is no more dynamic a word in all of the theology of redemption. The believer sings about grace, hopes in grace, prays for grace, and depends upon grace for his or her entire relationship with God. Even the secular world appreciates the concept of grace, as is demonstrated by the popularity of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” In the seventies, this song topped the pop charts for over twenty weeks. The writers of the New Testament documents rely on the word grace to communicate important truths about the relationship between human beings and God. Paul speaks about the gospel of the grace of God in Acts 20:24, about standing in grace in Romans 5:2, and about falling from grace in Galatians 5:4. Peter urges us to grow in grace, and our text (Hebrews 13:9) exhorts us to be established in grace. Grace is the foundation and efficient cause of every spiritual blessing and eternal possession that a child of God will ever have. Every knowledgeable believer will gladly say, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”

The New Testament Scriptures present the theology of salvation as a contrast between a religion of works based on obedience to the old legal covenant and a religion of grace based on the new gracious covenant established by Christ. The contrast looks like this:

Old Covenant = Law − Works − Sin − Death.

New Covenant = Grace − Faith − Righteousness − Life.

The following six points are essential to understand grace:

One: A biblically informed definition of grace that includes all of its major elements and explains their relationship to each other. Preachers and writers rarely provide this.

Two: A biblically informed view of the heinous nature of sin that necessitates grace.

Three: Recognition of the antithesis between faith and works to either produce, or in any way maintain, a sinner’s standing before or relationship with God.

Four: A biblically informed view of law that demonstrates the antithetical natures, purposes, and powers of law and grace. We must allow texts such as John 1:17, Romans 6:14, and Galatians 4:19-31 to mean exactly what they say and we must not theologize them away. Grace must deliver the believer totally and forever from the condemning power of the law. Until the conscience is set free from the law, we have not grasped the reality and implications of justification by grace through faith.

Five: A biblically informed view of deliverance from the law that:

• magnifies and honors the law 
• magnifies grace even more by showing that grace can, and really does, accomplish what the law never could; namely, it destroys sin and brings sinners, without fear, into the presence of God.

Six: Recognition of real and lasting change in those affected by grace. This change proves that a particular person is not under the law [because he or she is not producing the works of the flesh, Galatians 5:18-21], but is under grace [because he or she is demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22, 23].

• Grace that does not dethrone sin and enthrone righteousness is worthless and is only a cheap imitation of grace.
• Grace that does not dethrone law and enthrone Christ is powerless and counterfeit.
• Grace that cannot dethrone both the reign of law and the reign of sin simply cannot be biblical grace.

Look again at 1 Corinthians 15:56. “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” If I claim that I am not under the law, but under grace, yet allow sin to reign in my life, then I am denying both the power of grace and the validity of God’s holy, just, and good law. On the other hand, if I claim that Christ is my Lord, yet allow fear and doubt to fill my life, then I am misusing law and denying grace, as well as dishonoring Christ and his all-sufficient work of atonement. To attempt to dethrone sin without silencing every claim of the law is to attempt to fight both the devil and the Holy Spirit at the same time.

We can summarize the above biblical requirements thusly: 

1. Grace must conquer the effects and power of sin. Grace must dethrone sin as king, or grace has no real power.
2. Grace cannot dethrone or conquer sin until the law is satisfied and silenced. The reign of sin and the rule of law go hand-in-hand.
3. Grace must accomplish this mighty work in such a way that:

1. The holy law of God is magnified and made honorable.
2. Grace is magnified even more, by accomplishing what the law was too weak to do.

The following quotation from William Romaine sets forth the thesis that grace alone is able to sanctify, or to conquer sin, in a Christian’s life. The italics are mine.

True spiritual mortification does not consist of sin not being in thee, nor upon it being put upon the cross daily, nor yet upon its being kept upon it. There must be something more to establish perfect peace in thy conscience; and that is the testimony of God concerning the body of sin. He hath provided for thy perfect deliverance from it in Christ. He finished everything needful for this purpose upon the cross. He was thy Surety. He suffered for thee. Thy sins were crucified with Him, and nailed to His cross. They were put to death when He died: for He was thy covenant-head, and thou wast legally represented by Him, and are indeed dead to sin by His dying to sin once. The law has now no more right to condemn thee, a believer, than it has to condemn Him. Justice is bound to deal with thee, as it has with thy risen and ascended Savior. If thou dost not thus see thy complete mortification in Him, sin will reign in thee. No sin can be crucified in heart or life, unless it be first pardoned in conscience; because there will be want of faith to receive the strength of Jesus, by whom alone it can be crucified. If it be not mortified in its guilt, it cannot be subdued in its power. If the believer does not see his perfect deadness to sin in Jesus, he will open a wide door to unbelief; and if he be not persuaded of his completeness in Christ, he gives room for the attacks of self-righteousness and legal tempers. If Christ be not all in all, self must still be looked upon as something great and there will be food left for the pride of self-importance and self-sufficiency; so that he cannot grow into the death of Christ in sensible experience, further than he believes himself to be dead to sin in Christ. The more clearly and steadfastly he believes this, as the Apostle did—I am crucified with Christ— in proportion will he cleave to Christ, and receive from Him greater power to crucify sin. This believing view of his absolute mortification in Christ is the true gospel method of mortifying sin in our own persons. Read the sixth chapter of the book of Romans and pray for the Spirit of revelation to open it to thee. There thou wilt discover the true way to mortify sin. It is by believing that thou art planted together with Christ in His death; from thence only thy pardon flows, from thence only thy daily victory is received, and from thence thy eternal victory will be perfected.^[2]

All of the above is but another way of saying that the grace of God that comes in the gospel must justify us in our conscience without the works of law, and it must sanctify us in our daily lives without the energy of the flesh. A failure of grace to accomplish either of these two things proves a serious defect in our view of grace.

I think I can say without fear of contradiction that biblical grace will make the sinner perfectly satisfied with the work of Christ for us and it will also make Christ satisfied with his work in us through the Holy Spirit. We must never forget the stake that our Lord himself has in both our justification and sanctification. His delivering work of redemption is from sin and not in sin. Grace that can provide salvation while allowing a sinner to remain in sin does not glorify the saving power of Christ. Therefore, we must consider that kind of grace as counterfeit.

Definition of Grace

I want to communicate clearly in this book, so I will begin by defining the word grace. The English word grace comes from the Greek word charis. This noun appears more than one-hundred seventy times in various forms in the New Testament Scriptures. Some readers may be ready to say, “Grace is one word that I can define. Grace is the unmerited favor of God to hell-deserving sinners.” This definition correctly includes both a positive and negative aspect. Grace, in this definition, is more than just the unmerited favor of God; it is that favor, shown to those who have earned and righteously deserve the opposite. This aptly defines one aspect of grace, but it does not constitute a complete definition of grace. Let me illustrate. Suppose a boy has been extremely bad in his behavior. His mother informs him that he will get none of his weekly allowance nor will he be allowed to go out of the house to play for a week. On the second day of his confinement, the boy begins to bombard his mother with a request for a dollar of his allowance to go buy an ice cream cone. His mother reminds him that he is not allowed out of the house, and if even he were, he has forfeited his allowance by disobedience. The boy continues to pester his mother and she proceeds to grow more aggravated. Like most children, the boy has learned to strike at the most inconvenient times. On the fourth day, the mother is extremely busy doing paperwork. The boy’s constant interruptions, crying, and arguing are so distracting that the mother, in total exasperation, gives him a dollar and says, “Shut up and get out of here.” The boy certainly received “unmerited favor,” and he deserved the exact opposite, but the mother did not show grace. Her action was motivated by anger and desperation and, unfortunately, came at the expense of righteousness. What she did was disgraceful and, in the long run, hurtful to the child.

It is true that one definition of biblical grace is the “unmerited favor of God that is given to hell-deserving sinners,” but the favor springs from a pure, loving heart and not from frustration and anger. God grounds his grace in the complete satisfaction of his righteousness, and gives it, not, as in the case of the exasperated mother, at the expense of both truth and true love. God’s attitude and action of showing grace is the right thing for God to do given all the circumstances entailed by God’s character and sovereign purposes. 

If we were to leave our definition there, we would have an insufficient and defective definition of the word grace. We have given a good partial definition of grace, but have not come close to a full definition. If we let this narrow definition serve as either the only meaning of grace or the full meaning of grace, we will muddy the waters of our understanding. Unfortunately, that is just what some preachers and teachers have done.

Grace is multi-faceted—it has more than one shade of meaning. It is irresponsible to latch onto a single aspect of meaning and then interpret every use of the word grace with that meaning. Consider what happens when we use our partial definition of grace in the following verses.

And the child [Jesus] grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace [unmerited favor] of God was upon him (Luke 2:40, KJV).

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace [unmerited favor] and truth (John 1:14, KJV).

Who will say that in these two verses, the writers use grace to mean that God gave his unmerited favor to a hell-deserving sinner? It is almost blasphemy to even use this as an illustration.

Nothing inherent in the meaning of charis/grace denotes whether it is earned or unearned. Consider these verses in Luke.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found charis [favor— unmerited] with God (Luke 1:30, KJV).

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in charis [favor—merited] with God and man (Luke 2:52, KJV). 

The English word favor in both of these verses translates the Greek word charis, or grace, but in one case, the recipient did not deserve grace, while in the other case, the recipient richly deserved it. We will formulate an incoherent, unbiblical doctrine of grace if we restrict every use of the word to one narrow definition.

The best way to understand the broad meaning of grace is to consider its varied usage by both secular and biblical writers. Here is Webster’s definition of grace:

Grace—1. Favor, kindness, mercy, etc. an exhibition of such favor, etc. as to sue for grace. 2. pl. state of being favored or in favor; as, to be in one’s bad graces. 3. A short prayer in which a blessing is asked, or thanks rendered, at a meal. 4. Obs. Lot; fate. 5. Virtue: esp. sense of right: graciousness: as, he had the grace to refuse. 6. Title given to a Duke, Duchess, or Archbishop, and formerly to the English sovereign. 7. Temporary exemption, as from a penalty, or relief, as by postponement of a settlement: reprieve, as a day or year of grace. 8. Attractiveness, charm, easy natural elegance or harmony; beauty of line, movement, etc. 9. Eccl. a. Divine mercy or forgiveness. b. Divine assistance given man for his regeneration or sanctification. c. In full state of grace. State of being pleasing to God because of responsive to grace; also, state of the elect.^[3] 

Notice the seventh meaning that Webster gave to the word grace. Imagine an unbeliever coming to an evangelical church for the first time. The preacher says, God “forgives sinners by grace.” The next week, the man’s insurance company informs him that his payment is overdue and they are extending a thirty-day grace period during which he may pay the premium. The man could say to himself, “Ah, I see what the preacher meant about grace on Sunday. I wonder how long God’s grace period is for me to come up with the payment for my sins.”

The contemporary English word grace denotes a pleasant, charming, and becoming appearance, which attracts a favorable notice or response. A sermon may be delivered with much grace. An ice skater may be graceful. These few examples, along with Webster’s nine different usages of the word, show that grace has a wide range of meanings. These meanings provide our current conceptual framework of grace. Recognition of this framework, however, is just the beginning of establishing a biblical understanding of the word. We must move beyond a twenty-first-century understanding to arrive at a contextually informed definition of grace. How would the first-century believing Jewish and the believing Gentile audiences have understood the word charis/grace? The illustration above (the insurance company and grace) demonstrates not only the danger of using too narrow a definition, it also highlights the danger of using contemporary definitions to interpret the words of Scripture. 

In classical secular usage, charis denoted attractiveness of speech or physical beauty. By the first-century AD, secular usage incorporated a strong element of benefaction. This held true for both human-to-human beneficence and divine-to-human interactions. The divine bounty was limitless, but the gods bestowed it in proportion to the recipients’ capacity for reception. Recipients must be able to do something for the god, or to register thanks worthy of the benefits thus bestowed. Human benefactors obviously did not have a limitless supply of benefits to bestow, and so they made sure to benefit only those who were in some way worthy or who were likely to respond in a worthy manner. This concept formed the basis of the first-century Roman patronage-client relationship. Thus, by the time we arrive at the writing of the New Testament documents, charis contained the imbedded concept of reciprocity.^[4] New Testament usage both builds from this definition and works against it.

This book will identify and expound the New Testament authors’ understanding of charis by considering three distinct meanings of the word.

First, New Testament authors explain grace as an attitude in the heart of God that shows undeserved favor to hell-deserving sinners. In this sense, grace is the only reason that anyone ever is saved. Grace, in this first sense, is almost identical to sovereign election.

Second, New Testament authors view grace as a spiritual power that flows from God into a sinner and effects a genuine change in that sinner. In this sense, grace is the only source of power for either regeneration or sanctification. In this second sense, grace is almost synonymous with the work of the Holy Spirit.

Third, New Testament authors consider grace as the response, in terms of gratitude, worship, and service that flows out of those who receive grace. In this sense, grace demonstrates and proves who is a child of God. Grace that does not affect true worship and holy living is not biblical grace!

If we are going to understand grace as the New Testament writers did, we must see it as:

1. an attitude in the heart of God

2. a power flowing from the throne of God

3. a result effected in and through redeemed sinners

We will develop these three concepts in this book.

Here is a brief list of English words used in the King James Bible to translate the Greek word charis. The words in ALL CAPITALS translate the Greek word charis or one of its derivatives.

Ephesians 1:6 – “…wherein he has made us ACCEPTED in the beloved.” God has graced us in Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:15 – “…that you might have a second BENEFIT.” We sometimes jokingly say this is a good verse to teach that there is a second blessing. In context, the word shows that Paul’s coming personally would be double favor or gracing. 

1 Timothy 4:14 – “…Neglect not the GIFT that is in thee.” The gifts of the Spirit are the graces of the Spirit. The same idea occurs in 2 Timothy 1:6 – “…stir up the GIFT of God, which is in thee.” We easily could say, “Stir up the grace of God that is in thee.”

Acts 24:27 – “…Felix willing to show the Jews a PLEASURE.” It means, “Do them a favor” or show them grace. The charis that Felix showed is not the charis that God has shown to poor sinners.

Luke 17:9 – “Doth he THANK that servant…?” No, he does not, because the servant has only done his duty. The servant did not earn favor and the master did not choose to show him any. The master could have chosen to pity the tired man and excuse him from his duties, but he was in no way obligated to do so. The moment grace, as God gives it to sinners, ceases to be optional, it ceases to be grace. Grace that can be earned in any sense by a sinner is not grace at all.

Look carefully at the next reference. We will return to this particular aspect and meaning of grace. 

Romans 6:17 – “But God be THANKED, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” We are exhorted to grace or favor God. We grace God when we worship and praise him. Our worship is the effected response of the power of his grace working in us. God’s grace to us produces a response of grace in us. We cannot produce this response in the energy of the flesh nor can we suppress it when the Spirit produces it.

Translators often render charis as favor. This is appropriate, as the basic meaning of charis is favor. When we speak of charis as a mental attitude, we call it graciousness. When someone shows charis toward another person, we call it favor. The context determines whether it is earned or unearned favor. When charis describes the emotional response created in the person receiving the charis, then we translate it as gratitude or thankfulness, as we saw in Romans 6:17.

Although grace has broad and elastic meanings, when the biblical writers use grace to show how a holy God relates himself to guilty hell-deserving sinners, the authors use the word in a narrow and rigid sense. In these cases, charis means unmerited favor. The biblical authors want to emphasize that God shows grace to guilty hell-deserving rebels only because of his amazing love.

God’s love and his grace are manifestations of his goodness. The goodness of God is a generic attitude of heart toward his created order, with identifiable distinctions. Benevolence is God’s good or kind favor terminating upon his created order. This includes the care of God for both human beings and animals. Love is his good favor terminating upon rational and personal beings. The sun shines on the just and the unjust. Mercy is his good favor terminating upon miserable rational beings. These people escape much of the misery they deserve. Grace is his favor terminating on sinful human rebels. These people receive benefits that they do not deserve. Grace is unique and is the highest form of God’s goodness. It is beyond anything imaginable by the human mind.

Rome and the Reformers fought over the meaning of grace, and unfortunately, both emphasized a narrow aspect of grace. Look at a key text in that debate:

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Cor. 12:7-9, KJV).

The words my grace, my strength, and the power of Christ function synonymously in this passage. Grace, in this text, is not an attitude in God but is something coming out from God and into Paul. It is the power, or strength of God, given to Paul to enable him to bear his weakness. Grace here is a power from God infused into Paul that moves and strengthens him. We all agree that Paul did not earn or deserve this gift from God. However, that is not the point of the passage.

Rome used this definition of grace (a valid one for this passage) to stand for the entire New Testament concept of grace. Salvation by grace, in this view, means that God infuses grace into a sinner and enables him or her to perform good works worthy of reward. God is then able to justify the sinner on the grounds of his or her works. Salvation is said to be by grace, not by works, since it was God’s grace that gave the sinner the power to do the good works. However, with such a scheme, in the end, salvation is still salvation by human effort and works. Using this definition as the full and consistent meaning of grace, Rome could make Romans 3:24 (“being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”) teach the opposite of what Paul meant, as shown by the context (the good deeds of the law cannot justify anyone). Consider how another of Paul’s texts contradicts Rome’s definition of grace. 

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt [when a person works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation]. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness (Romans 4:4, 5, KJV).

The clear reading of this text establishes that God justified us before we had any good works at all. He justified us while we were still ungodly. If we accept the narrow definition of grace proposed by Rome, we have people receiving the reward/wage of justification because they have worked to earn it. God is obligated to pay them with justification. In such a scheme, good works, and not faith, is what counts for righteousness.

We will see not only that grace has three distinct elements (an attitude in the heart of God; a power flowing from the throne of God; and a result effected in and through redeemed sinners), but also that we must not confuse these three elements with each other. Rome was correct in seeing that grace is a spiritual power infused into a person’s heart. They were wrong in confusing that with the doctrine of justification, which rests entirely and exclusively on the work of Christ. The Reformers correctly emphasized the truth of justification apart from any works of the law, but they often failed to teach that sanctification was equally by grace, apart from any works of the law. We will return to this point later. For now, we emphasize again that there are three distinct elements of grace, and it is essential that we not confuse these three elements with each other or get them in the wrong order.

In order to identify and understand these three different aspects of grace, we must see grace in its distinct relationship with sin and law. First, we must see grace against the background of sin. It is this stark contrast that makes grace shine with glory. If you want to know how great God’s grace is, look long and carefully at the depth of the pit of guilt and shame out of which grace lifted us.

Second, to be biblical, we must see grace as the antithesis of law (remember what we said about seeing this in such a way as to magnify and honor the law). We must see that the constant contrast in New Covenant theology, especially as developed by Paul, is between the sin/law/works/death motif and the righteousness/grace/faith/life motif. This strong, absolute antithesis demonstrates the awesome power of grace. If you want to see the awesome power of grace, look at the strength of the chains of sin and the power of death that held us captive, and you will begin to see the power of the grace that delivered us.

Let us begin our understanding of grace by seeing it against the background of sin. Pastor Gables said it well:

Every book needs a preface to introduce its contents to the reader. Every artist needs a background upon which to accentuate his paintings. Every diamond needs a setting to bring out its beauty and accentuate that beauty. So grace needs its preface, its background, and that is found in the utter sinfulness of mankind. He who is not a guilty sinner is not a proper subject of grace!

Let us examine the awful nature of sin before we try to analyze the amazing jewel of God’s grace. Let me again quote Pastor Gables:

When a chemist analyzes water, he discovers two basic elements comprising two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. When a Bible student analyzes the nature of sin, he discovers two basic elements comprising one part “guilt” and the other part “pollution.” Guilt is objective, and pollution is subjective. Guilt affects man’s legal status or standing before God, and pollution affects his moral character. Guilt makes him punishable by God and pollution makes him offensive to God. Guilt makes him obnoxious to the justice of God, while pollution makes him obnoxious to the holiness of God. Grace, to be effective, must provide a double remedy to remove both of sin’s components. It must remove the guilt of sin and give man a new status before God; and it must cleanse away the stain of sin and give him a new nature. The task of grace is to give the sinner both a new standing and a new heart. You see, I have, as a sinner, a twofold problem. I have a bad record in heaven, and a bad heart on earth. I need a dual change. But such a double change cannot be accomplished by kindness, or love, or mercy. It can only be done by grace. “Be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt and power—Save from wrath and make me pure.”

The above is another way of saying that grace must be able to both justify and sanctify. Grace must deal with the penalty of sin and it must also defeat the power of sin.

Most will agree, in theory, with this idea. Who will deny that sinners must be both justified and sanctified? The disagreement arises in our understanding of how the Holy Spirit accomplishes these two things. More specifically, the differences in understanding are magnified when we look at the roles that law and grace play in both justification and sanctification. Our understanding of these roles determines both the method and content of our preaching to both sinners and saints. To err in one direction is to become an antinomian, and to err in the other direction is to become a legalist. In both cases, we distort the gospel of God’s sovereign grace. 

New Covenant Theology differs greatly from Arminians in preaching justification, and we differ just as much from many Reformed people, especially some Reformed Baptists, in preaching sanctification. We reject the mantra, “The law will bring you to Christ to be justified, and Christ will lead you hack to the law to be sanctified.” We believe such a statement places Moses, and not Jesus, as the ultimate authority in the Christian’s life and conscience. We agree with John Bunyan that Christ alone must sit on the throne of the saint’s heart and conscience. While we reject Rome’s idea of infused grace that enables us to do good works as the ground of justification, we also reject any notion that a Christian’s obedience to the law is the ground of his or her sanctification.

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