Part
10 of 12
The
3rd Sola - “SOLA GRATIA”
“SOLA
GRATIA” is Latin for “BY GRACE ALONE.”
GRACE
Defined
– Vine’s Expository Bible Dictionary
“GRACE”,
on the part of God as the bestower, is the friendly disposition from
which the kindly act proceeds, graciousness, loving-kindness, goodwill
generally; especially with reference to the Divine favor, called “grace.”
In this respect there is stress on its freeness
and universality, its spontaneous character, as in the
case of God’s
redemptive mercy, and the pleasure or joy He
designs for the
recipient; thus it is set
IN CONTRAST…WITH DEBT.”
Paul
says God’s “grace” is unmerited
favor… and man’s works
for salvation… are mutually exclusive.
And
if BY GRACE, then is
it NO MORE OF WORKS…if it
be of works, then is it no more grace… (Rom
11:6)
“Now
to him that worketh [i.e., for salvation] is the reward not
reckoned of grace, but
of DEBT.
“Christ
is become of no effect unto you, whosoever
of you are justified by the (works of) law;
YE ARE FALLEN FROM GRACE.” (Galatians 5:4)
God’s
grace is His unearned and unmerited favor that is gifted
to all who would simply receive it. Notice the word “gift”
in the verses below. God’s salvation for man is gifted
“by
grace through faith ALONE”
as the “Gift of God.”
God’s “gift…
unto justification” results
in the “gift
of righteousness”
“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.” (Ephesians
2:8-9)
“But
not as the offence, so also is
the FREE GIFT. For if
through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the
GIFT BY GRACE, which
is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” (Romans
5:15)
“For
if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the
GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment
came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of
one the FREE
GIFT came upon all men unto
justification of life.” (Romans 5:17-18)
Sola
Gratia is the
teaching that salvation
comes by God‘s
grace
ALONE or God’s “unmerited
favor only” — This means that salvation
is an unearned GIFT from God.
By
contrast, under Old Testament Law one had to obey “the Law” and make
the prescribed animal sacrifices in order to be
“blessed,” if
one disobeyed they were “cursed.”
“The Law” contains God-given contingencies noted by use of the
phrase “if thou…”
Deut.
28:1-2
IF THOU (Israel)
shalt
hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord
thy God, to OBSERVE AND
TO DO
ALL HIS COMMANDMENTS which I command, that the Lord
thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
all these BLESSINGS SHALL COME ON
THEE, and overtake thee, IF
THOU (Israel)
shalt
hearken unto the voice of the Lord
thy God.
Deut.
28:15-16
But it shall come to pass, IF
THOU wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord
thy God, to observe to DO ALL
HIS COMMANDMENTS AND HIS STATUTES which I command thee this day; that
all these CURSES SHALL COME UPON
THEE, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt
thou be in the city, and
cursed shalt thou be
in the field.
These
“if thou” requirements are of
“the Law” dispensation and for another people (
Israel
). These were not
addressed to the members of “the
body of Christ” under grace. Thankfully,
while “…
the LAW was given BY MOSES… GRACE
and truth came BY JESUS CHRIST.
Paul
was called by the ascended Lord Jesus to declare the “gospel
of the grace of God” for us today. “The Law” relationship
does not apply to the grace believers of the “body
of Christ.” Romans 6:14 …YE
ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW (of the old dispensation),
but UNDER GRACE.
Paul is the
dispenser of the truth of the “dispensation
of the grace of God” that he received directly from the
ascended Lord Jesus.
Eph
3:2
…the DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD WHICH IS GIVEN
ME (PAUL) TO YOUWARD
Gal.
1:12
I (Paul) neither received it
(the
gospel of grace)
of
(from) man, neither was I taught it, but by the
revelation of (from) Jesus Christ.
The
doctrine of “Sola
Gratia” (Grace
Alone) declares divine “monergism”
at work in our salvation. What
does “monergism” actually
mean?
Theologically,
“monergism” means “God acts
ALONE” to save the sinner by His GRACE. It is the opposite
of “synergism” (i.e., two working in concert), which requires man’s
works added
to God’s works.
“Monergism:
The view that God by the Holy Spirit is the ONLY agent who affects salvation
and regeneration of Christians. It is in contrast with
“synergism,” the view that there is cooperation between the
divine and the human in the regeneration process.” (
Westminster
Dictionary of Theological Terms)
With fallen man in an utter
hopeless and helpless fallen condition, it requires the work of God to gift
man with His “grace.”
God’s “grace”
imparts the gift
of
the faith of
Christ to men, saving them with God’s
gift of justification (right standing). This “right standing,”
based upon Christ’s sacrifice at the cross, is gifted
and counted to believers as their righteousness. This is
“justification” gifted “by
grace through faith” unto salvation (Eph 2:8-9).
Ephesians
2:8 For BY
GRACE are ye saved THROUGH
FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it
is the GIFT OF GOD: Ephes.
1:6 To the praise of the glory of his GRACE, wherein HE (God
the Father) hath MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED (in CHRIST).
Romans
3:24
Being JUSTIFIED FREELY (apart from works) BY HIS GRACE through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Monergism strips us of all
hope in ourselves, revealing our spiritual bankruptcy apart from Christ, and
thus leads us to give all glory to God ALONE for our salvation. As long as
we think we contributed something, even a little bit (like “our” good
intentions) then we still think deep down that God saves us for something
good he sees in us over our neighbor. But this is clearly not the
case. Only Jesus, who died for
all mankind, and Christ’s
Spirit of life in us, makes us to differ from anyone else. We
all were sinners and can boast in nothing before God, including the desire
for faith in Christ. Philippians
1:29 For
unto you it is GIVEN
… TO BELIEVE ON HIM…
2Tim
2:25b …God
peradventure will GIVE THEM REPENTANCE to the acknowledging of the truth
Why do we have faith and perhaps not our
neighbor? Did we make better use of God’s grace than our neighbor did?
Were we smarter? More sensitive? Do some naturally love God? The answer is “no”
to all. It’s God’s grace ALONE in Christ that makes us to differ from
our neighbor. God’s grace alone that gave rise to our faith, not
because we were better or had more insight - no other element but His
GRACE.
Though God “foreknew”
(Rom 8:29) we would respond favorably to His love and grace, the
responsibility for the believer’s salvation does not rest on the sinner to
any degree as in synergism between God and man. The problem of
conversion is not with God but with man’s prideful heart. The humility
required to submit to the gospel, which is beyond
man’s natural capacity, is therefore not prompted by man’s will but
by God’s mercy (John 1:13; Rom 9:16). No one can believe the gospel unless
God grants it. “…the
words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit, and they are
life. (John
6:63b) “… I (Jesus) say unto you, that no
man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” (John
6:65)
The Spirit of God is always working to
intervene in the lives of all men to humble them and turn their hearts to
Him. Thus we see the “why” of the sufferings of this life. Every
circumstance and situation of life is designed and intended to do for us
what we cannot do for ourselves; these are to turn us to call upon and trust
the Lord. Therefore it is the Lord
who works to give
us
to see the truth; that our hearts will be opened, to respond to
Christ in faith.
Our turned and inclined heart then is a reasonable response to His
grace
working in our lives. We are thus constrained and seized by His
love and grace.
1
Cor. 15:10
…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.