This is the first of what will be 4-6 posts on the issue of God’s grace in salvation. My goal, to magnify the grace of God, to make much of the glory of God’s grace which we can see in the dignity and excellency of the gift it bestows: salvation in Jesus; the degree of horror from which it delivers us: eternal punishment; the immeasurable unworthiness of those on whom it is lavished; the manner by which it was given: through the incarnation, humiliation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. It is this grace, that in salvation leaves us with no room for boasting. We can not bring anything to the table or add anything to the salvation that God provides (Eph 2.8-9).
To begin, I want to consider Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4.
2Cor. 4.1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants* for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Paul here strikingly compares what happens in salvation with the creation of the world. Seeing the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is just as easily done as creating light when there was only darkness. To see the beauty of Christ and desire Christ is to have something (faith) where there was once nothing. Or, in other words, something is created that was not there before. This begs the question of who possesses this creative power.
John Piper writes - This means that in the dark and troubled heart of unbelief, God does what he did in the dark and unformed creation at the beginning of our world. He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. So he says to the blind and dark heart, “Let there be light,” and there is light in the heart of the sinner. In this light we see the glory of God in the face of Christ.This creative act, just as creation itself, is something that is beyond the ability of man. For me to create light such that I see Christ’s beauty and desire to come to him for salvation is just as likely as me creating a new universe or world in the lounge this evening.
Listen to Paul’s explanation of how he got saved in Galatians 1.
Gal. 1.13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles...
It was the revealing of the Son. It was sight where there was blindness, light where darkness.
Well, more to come on this. Here are some questions we’ll look at in the coming posts:
- Does the command to believe upon Christ imply the ability?
- Does scripture teach that humans have the ability to, in and of themselves, to believe upon Christ?
- Does man have free will? If so, what does that mean?
- Why are people saved? How do people get saved?
- and many more, which if I listed them here would give too much away (as if any of it is really a secret, it’s all in the bible for any to see).
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