The Purpose of Grace and Faith

Grace has been simply defined by theologians as unmerited favor. It is a gift from God which we don’t deserve. It is an infinite and unexhaustible love of God expressing itself through infinite goodness. Unmerited or undeserved because being sinners, we deserve to be in hell, but because of the love of God for mankind, his last and very special creation, his “obra-maestra”, he provided a way for man’s salvation.

This has become imperative because of the fall of the human race, with all its consequences, carrying out His eternal purpose, for the Lord would establish His throne in righteousness. God knows the end from the beginning: “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18 KJV). Therefore, redemption was not an afterthought – a plan formulated after the fall of Adam – but an eternal purpose for the good of all human beings whom God has specially and delicately created, out of the dust for the male, and out of the rib of the male for the female species. A woman is for man to love and to take good care, and the woman to inspire and be a help for man, in words and in deeds.

The creation of all that is in heaven and on earth, the mystery of the gospel, are for one purpose, for the glory of God through his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. By the marvelous display of His love in giving “his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16 KJV), the glory of God is revealed to lost humanity. The handpicked man of God and deliverer of Israel, the great and illustrious servant, Moses, when he offered his prayer to Jehovah in behalf of idolatrous Israel pleaded, “Shew me thy glory.” Idolatrous in the sense that many worshipped pagan gods like Baal, Dagon, etc. Idolatry means somebody or something revered or venerated (which consumes the thoughts and deeds of man) more than the one true God, called Jehovah, and who or which becomes or has become the priority of man. Thus, many have given or are giving priority to the love of spouses, parents, siblings, money, professions, vocations and money and other things, more than that of the sovereign God, the owner of everything in heaven and on earth.

It is the privilege of every follower of Christ to behold the glory of God, to understand His goodness, and know that He is a God of infinite mercy and love. Jesus was sent by God the Father to reveal the true God and the Father’s nature and character, to make His glory known before humanity. No one is excluded from the unparalleled privileges of the gospel, but one must receive the gift heartily by faith so that the grace of God will flow forever like the river Jordan.

The mystery of the gospel had been spoken in Eden when the lost first human couple fell into the guilt of transgression, for God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15 KJV). This foretells the continues fight or struggle between the good and the devil, and the defeat of the serpent (devil) through victory in the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ). “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ that man is saved. “For by grace are ye saved through faith (in Jesus Christ); and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2: 8-9 KJV).

How does saving faith works?

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).

Faith is agreeing (or believing) what God said in his Word. Our Christian canonized Bible defines as “NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:11 KJV). Notice the word NOW is present tense, not tomorrow or sometime in the future, but instantly, immediately. Faith is believing which is shown or evidenced by action, without actually seeing the things hoped for to happen. For example, the disciple Thomas said, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25 KJV). To Thomas, “to see is to believe”, if not seen by his two naked eyes, he will not believe. This is not a saving faith. But was Thomas saved? Yes, of course, but because he saw. But Jesus said, “Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29 KJV). Now, unlike during Thomas’ time, we can’t see Jesus Christ personally, but many of us believe on the gospel and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. More blessed are these believers although they have not actually seen. Do we belong to this group of believers?

Believing but without action or works, has no substance, and is dead. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17 KJV). Faith is shown by works (vs. 18). Thus, “the devils also believe, and tremble” (vs. 19), but their works or actions contravene their belief, or they show no work at all. Their faith is dead.

When through repentance and faith we accept Christ as our Savior, the Lord pardons our sins and remits the penalty prescribed for the transgression of the law. The sinner then stands before God as a just person (just as if he did not commit any sin at all), and is taken into favor with God in heaven, and through the Spirit has fellowship with the Father and the Son. Then, there is yet another work to be accomplished, and this is of a progressive nature. The soul is to be sanctified through the truth (or Word). And this also is accomplished through faith. For it is only by the grace of Christ, which we receive through faith, that the character can be transformed.

It is important that we understand clearly the nature of faith. There are many who believe that Christ is the Savior of the world, that the gospel is true and reveals the plan of salvation, yet they do not possess saving faith. They are intellectually convinced of the truth (or Word of God), but this is not enough; in order to be justified, sinners must have that faith that appropriates (or does something) the merits of Christ to their own soul. Thus, as already stated above, the devils “believe, and tremble”; but their belief does not bring them justification, neither will the belief of those who give merely an intellectual assent to the truths of the Bible bring them the benefits of salvation.

In genuine, saving faith, there is trust in God through the belief in the great atoning sacrifice made by the Son of God on Calvary. In Christ, the justified believers behold their only hope and deliverer. Belief may exist without trust, but confidence born of trust cannot exist without faith. All sinners brought to a knowledge of the saving power of Christ will make manifest this trust in greater degree as they advance in experience.

The words of the great apostle Paul shed light upon what constitutes genuine faith. He says, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9-10 KJV). To believe with the heart is more than conviction, more than assent to the truth. This faith is sincere, earnest, and engages the affections of the soul; it is the faith that works by love and purifies the heart. This is the kind of faith in God (Jesus Christ) that saves. (FGBMFI Davao City Chapter Bulletin, June 23, 2012)