Untitled article by G.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, Cal. · Jun 25, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 26.

"BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED."

By G.

GRACE is defined as "unmerited love and favor." Then the sinner's being saved by grace shows that he had no just claim to being saved. There was no law in his favor; for the law of God justifies only those who obey it perfectly (Rom. 2:13), and the sinner had violated it. Being a sinner, the only thing due to him was death. "The wages of sin is death." Ch. 6:23. There is no way to earn grace, for any consideration that is earned is not grace. So the grace of God, by which the sinner is saved, must be a gift, and the antithesis of the foregoing quotation is, "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

The sinner having no claim to life at all, the love of God, which is the well-spring of His grace, has the unrestricted right to impose a condition of salvation by grace. So we read, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that [the grace] not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:8, 9. That faith is the condition of grace, is shown by the well-known scripture: "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

Peter says, "We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved," Acts 15:11. The benediction of the New Testament epistles is the grace of God. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Rom. 16:24; 1 Cor. 16:23. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all." 2 Cor. 13:14. The epistle to the Galatians begins and ends with the benediction of grace. "Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins." Now note especially the purpose! "That He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father." Ch. 1:3, 4. "Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." Ch. 6:18.

The same is true of the epistle to the Ephesians (1:2; 6:24); of the letter to the Philippians (1:2; 4:23); of the two epistles to the Thessalonians, and of the letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Hebrews closes with, "Grace be with you all." 1 Peter closes with, "Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus." 2 Peter has "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord" (1:2), and closes with the injunction, "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

Thus we have it emphasized that salvation is a free, unmerited gift of God. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8. As "all

have sinned" (3:23), the grace of God offers salvation to all (Titus 2:11). To this Peter adds that God "is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all shall come to repentance." When one is offered anything free, and he will not take it, who is to blame if he suffer the loss of the proffered favor?

Christ is now on the "throne of grace," and invites all who stand in need of His favor to "come boldly" "that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:16. Every human being stands in need of that divine help which we do not deserve, to which we have no merit to set up as a claim, and no means with which to buy. Then why should we not all face the situation squarely, lay aside all pride and all doubt, acknowledge our poverty, and thankfully accept the salvation from sin which the love and grace of God so freely offers? God is not a respecter of persons or of nationalities; the free gift of His grace is for every one who will accept it. "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let Him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Rev. 22:17. This is the last invitation recorded in the Book; and its last verse is the benediction, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." G.