8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Titus 3:4-7 KJV
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Titus 3:4-7 KJV
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Galatians 2:16, 20-21 KJV
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
We are here to understand the meaning of sovereign grace. The crux of the Christian faith is not human effort. Instead, it is the very grace of God. Grace is something that is unique in the Christian faith. Grace is not something that is found is some other religious system. We can't earn our way into heaven. Grace means it is impossible to successfully earn our way into heaven.
Grace and faith are gifts of God. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone. We are not saved by ourselves and we are not saved by our works. No one can say they have lived a good life. Romans 3 says no one is good and no one is righteous. No one can say they do not need to be saved. None of us are good. In fact, we all are no good. Is someone trying to earn their way to heaven? It is a folly. We ought to rely on the grace of God alone in spiritual salvation. Only by the grace of Christ alone can someone make it into heaven. Heaven has already been earned! It is by the work of Christ alone that has earned heaven. Christ has done all the work necessary for us to earn heaven. All of us are under Adam's curse of sin and none of us are worthy of salvation. It is only by the Spirit of God and the Word of God. Grace is not won by rules nor is grace cheap. With grace, comes a cost. The cost was the precious life and death of Christ alone in His victory over death, sin and Satan.
There is such a thing as "common grace" and "redemptive grace." Common grace is a grace that God gives to everyone in His work of creation. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. This might be known as "general benevolence" in God's work of creation. People are permitted to enjoy God's work of creation. It extends to the elect and the non-elect. Sometimes, however, the non-elect get things from Satan. This involves great sin. Redemptive grace is to the elect alone. It is God's special grace that is given to those who are born again by the Spirit and the Word. People receive this grace before they even ask for forgiveness. Christ died while we were yet sinners. This grace is given to everyone who receives it by faith. This special grace gives great meaning to our lives. God's grace does not mean we are to sin with permissiveness or license. God does not over look our sin. He directly forgives our sin but also gives us chastening. Nothing can be hide from God. There is a price to pay when we sin. Grace is the cost of the Cross in His shed blood. We do not deserve God's mercy but He showers us with it. We ought not to take sin lightly because Jesus shed His own blood for our redemption. He also did not die to give us a life of legalism. We ought to comprehend the cost of our sins. We ought to understand God's own sacrifice for sin, and we will cherish our relationship with God's dear Son. We ought to love God supremely and we will draw closer to Him in our relationship with Him. We will notice that He truly cares about our lives. We ought not to live in terror of God but cherish His love for us because He took our place at Calvary. We ought to thank Him for His grace and cherish it every day of our lives. Amen.
