Chapter 44.

THE GRACE OF GOD

BY

C. I. SCOFIELD, D. D.,

Editor Of The "Scofield Reference Bible"

"Grace" is an English word used in the New Testament to translate the Greek word, [charis], which means "favor," without recompense or equivalent. If there is any compensatory act or payment, however slight or inadequate, it is "no more grace" — [charis].

When used to denote a certain attitude or act of God toward man it is therefore of the very essence of the matter that human merit or deserving is utterly excluded. In grace God acts out from Himself, toward those who have deserved, not His favor, but His wrath. In the structure of the Epistle to the Romans grace does not enter, could not enter, till a whole race, without one single exception, stands guilty and speechless before God. Condemned by creation, the silent testimony of the universe (Romans 1:18,20); by wilful ignorance, the loss of a knowledge of God once universal (Romans 1:21); by senseless idolatry (Romans 1:22,23); by a manner of life worse than bestial (Romans 1:24,27); by godless pride and cruelty (Romans 1:28, 32); by philosophical moralizings which had no fruit in life (Romans 2:1,4); by consciences which can only "accuse" or seek to "excuse" but never justify (Romans 2:5,16); and finally by the very law in which those who have the law boast (Romans 2:17; 3:20), "every mouth" is "stopped, and all the world becomes guilty before God."

In an absolute sense, the end of all flesh is come. Everything has been tried. Innocence, as of two unfallen creatures in an Eden of beauty; conscience, that is, the knowledge of good and evil with responsibility to do good and eschew evil; promises, with the help of God available through prayer; law, tried on a great scale, and through centuries of forbearance, supplemented by the mighty ethical ministry of the prophets, without ever once presenting a human being righteous before God (Romans 3:19;Galatians 3:10; Hebrews 7:19; Romans 3:10,18; 8:3,4); this is the Biblical picture. And it is against this dark background that grace shines out.

DEFINITION

The New Testament definitions of grace are both inclusive and exclusive. They tell us what grace is, but they are careful also to tell us what grace is not. The two great central definitions follow:

"That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:7).

This is the inclusive, or affirmative, side; the negative aspect, what grace is not, follows:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

The Jew, who is under the law when grace comes, is under its curse (Galatians 3:10); and the Gentiles are "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12).

And to this race God comes to show "the exceeding riches of His GRACE in His kindness toward US," "through CHRIST JESUS."

The other great definition of grace is:

"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared" — the positive aspect; "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us"

 — the negative aspect. Grace, then, characterizes the present age, as law characterized the age from Sinai to Calvary. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." And this contrast between law as a method and grace as a method runs through the whole Biblical revelation concerning grace.

It is not, of course, meant that there was no law before Moses, any more than that there was no grace and truth before Jesus Christ. The forbidding to Adam of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17) was law, and surely grace was most sweetly manifested in the seeking, by the Lord God, of His sinning creatures, and in His clothing them with coats of skins (Genesis 3:21) — a beautiful type of Christ "made unto us ... righteousness" (1 Corinthians 1:30). Law, in the sense of some revelation of God’s will, and grace, in the sense of some revelation of God’s goodness, have always existed, and to this Scripture abundantly testifies. But "the law" as an inflexible rule of life was given by Moses, and, from Sinai to Calvary, dominates, characterizes, the time; just as grace dominates, or gives its peculiar character to, the dispensation which begins at Calvary, and has its predicted termination in the rapture of the Church.

LAW AND GRACE DIVERSE

It is, however, of the most vital moment to observe that Scripture never, in any dispensation, mingles these two principles. Law always has a place and work distinct and wholly diverse from that of grace. Law is God prohibiting, and requiring (Exodus 20:1,17); grace is God beseeching, and bestowing (2 Corinthians 5:18,21). Law is a ministry of condemnation (Romans 3:19); grace, of forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7). Law curses (Galatians 3:10); grace redeems from that curse (Galatians 3:1). Law kills (Romans 7:9,11); grace makes alive (John 10:10). Law shuts every mouth before God; grace opens every mouth to praise Him. Law puts a great and guilty distance between man and God (Exodus 20:18,19); grace makes guilty man nigh to God (Ephesians 2:13). Law says, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" (Exodus 21:24); grace says, "Resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:39). Law says, "Hate thine enemy;" grace, "Love your enemies, bless them that despitefully use you." Law says, do and live (Luke 10:26,28); grace, believe and live (John 5:24). Law never had a missionary; grace is to be preached to every creature. Law utterly condemns the best man (Philippians 3:4,9); grace freely justifies the worst (Luke 23:24; Romans 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 6:9,11). Law is a system of probation; grace, of favor. Law stones an adulteress (Deuteronomy 22:21); grace says, "Neither do I condemn thee" (John 8:1,11). Under law the sheep dies for the shepherd; under grace the shepherd dies for the sheep (John 10:11).

The relation to each other of these diverse principles, law and grace, troubled the apostolic church. The first controversy concerned the ceremonial law. It was the contention of the legalists that converts from among the Gentiles could not be saved unless circumcised "after the manner of Moses" (Acts 15:1). This demand was enlarged when the "apostles and elders" had come together at Jerusalem to settle that controversy (Acts 15:5,6). The demand then made put in issue not circumcision merely, or the ceremonial law, but the whole Mosaic system. "That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses" (Acts 15:6).

The decision of the council, as "it seemed good to the Holy Ghost," negatived both demands, and the new law of love was invoked that Gentile converts should abstain from things especially offensive to Jewish believers (Acts 15:28,29).

But the confusion of these two diverse principles did not end with the decision of the council. The controversy continued, and six years later the Holy Spirit, by the Apostle Paul, launched against the legalistic teachers from Jerusalem the crushing thunderbolt of the Epistle to the churches in Galatia.

In this great letter every phase of the question of the respective spheres of law and of grace comes up for discussion and final, authoritative decision. The Apostle had called the Galatians into the grace of Christ (Galatians 1:6). Now grace means unmerited, unrecompensed favor. It is essential to get this clear. Add never so slight an admixture of law-works, as circumcision, or law effort, as of obedience to commandments, and "grace is no more grace" (Romans 11:6). So absolutely is this true, that grace cannot even begin with us until the law has reduced us to speechless guilt (Romans 3:19). So long as there is the slightest question of utter guilt, utter helplessness, there is no place for grace. If I am not, indeed, quite so good as I ought to be, but yet quite too good for hell, I am not an object for the grace of God, but for the illuminating and convicting and death dealing work of His law.

The law is "just" (Romans 7:12), and therefore heartily approves goodness, and unsparingly condemns badness; but, save Jesus of Nazareth, the law never saw a man righteous through obedience. Grace, on the contrary, is not looking for good men whom it may approve, for it is not grace, but mere justice, to approve goodness, but it is looking for condemned, guilty, speechless and helpless men whom it may save through faith, sanctify and glorify.

Into grace, then, Paul had called the Galatians. What (Galatians 1:6) was his controversy with them? Just this: they were "removed" from the grace of Christ into "another gospel," though he is swift to add, "which is not another" (Galatians 1:7).

There could not be another "gospel." Change, modify, the grace of Christ by the smallest degree, and you no longer have a gospel. A gospel is "glad tidings"; and the law is not glad tidings. "What things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God" (Romans 3:19), and surely that is no good news. The law, then, has but one language; it pronounces "all the world" — "good", bad, and "goody-good" — "guilty".

But you say: What is a simple child of God, who knows no theology, to do? Just this: to remember that any so-called gospel which is not pure= unadulterated grace is "another" gospel. If it proposes, under whatever specious guise, to win favor of God by works, or goodness, or "character," or anything else which man can do, it is spurious. That is the unfailing test. But it is more than spurious, it is accursed — or rather the preachers of it are (Galatians 1:8,9). It is not man who says that, but the Spirit of God who says it by His apostle. This is unspeakably solemn. Not the denial of the Gospel even, is so awfully serious as to pervert the Gospel. Oh, that God may give His people in this day power to discriminate, to distinguish things which differ. Alas, it is discernment which seems so painfully wanting.

If a preacher is cultured, gentle, earnest, intellectual, and broadly tolerant, the sheep of God run after him. He, of course, speaks beautifully about Christ, and uses the old words redemption, the cross, even sacrifice and atonement — but what is his Gospel? That is the crucial question. Is salvation, perfect, entire, eternal, — justification, sanctification, glory, — the alone work of Christ, and the free gift of God to faith alone? Or does he say: (Dr. Abbott) "Character is salvation," even though he may add that Christ "helps" to form the character?

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