by
Tom Wacaster
"For
by grace have ye been saved though faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory' (Eph. 2:8-9). These words
have been the center of controversy for as long as I can remember.
Denominational theologians, and in recent years some of our own brethren have
suggested that man is saved solely on the basis of grace; that no man can
"contribute one whit to his salvation." This of course is false on
the very surface of it. One need simply take a look at the numerous passages
which lay at the feet of each and every individual the responsibility to act on
that which he has come to know and believe (Phil. 2:12, 2 Thess. 1:7-9, Acts
17:30-31, 2 Cor. 5:10). If man plays absolutely no role whatsoever in his
salvation, then all men must eventually be saved for "the grace of God
hath appeared unto all men" (Titus 2:11).
Yes,
the doctrine of salvation by grace has been abused, maligned, and perverted.
But we must avoid the temptation to swing too far to the right while attempting
to make a correction toward center. Balance demands the recognition of both
parties involved in salvation, namely the divine and human sides of salvation.
When we speak of God's grace, we are speaking of the divine side of salvation.
Someone has said, ""Grace is that quality of God which gives us what
we do not deserve while mercy is that quality which does not give us what we do
deserve." God saves us by grace, not by obligation. The only obligation
that God has to save man is that obligation that is self imposed. He is not
obligated by outside forces. What you or I do in compliance to God's commands
does not in any way obligate God, or place Him in debt to us. But since He has
promised that He will save those who believe and obey, He has placed upon
Himself the obligation to follow through on His promises. What great comfort
there is in knowing that we serve a God Who never lies, and Who always keeps
His promises. There is great consolation in knowing that we do not have to
depend upon our own self righteousness to make it to heaven. Were that the
case, then quite frankly, none of us would ever see so much as the shadow of
that heavenly portal to which we have set our hopes and our hearts. The key
here is this little word "depend." It is a matter of in what or in
Whom we place our trust and confidence. It is summed up in the word
"faith."
Paul
clearly states that we are saved by grace, through faith. Faith is the medium
by which we gain access to the wonderful grace of God. Here is the human side
of salvation. When the two are combined, the result is man's salvation through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Clovis Chappell once wrote, "God measures us not by
our achievements, but by our longings to achieve. He judges us not by what we
have in our hands, but what we have in our hearts. He crowns us not for the
great task that we actually accomplished, but for the great task that we long
to accomplish." The beloved poet Browning said, "It is not what man
does, but what man would do that exalts him." When we sing the words,
"My Savior pardoned me and now I onward go; I know He'll take me thro'
tho' I am weak and poor," we are speaking of God's Marvelous Grace.