16.7 God Gives Abundantly: Grace

Table of Contents

The Text

Isaiah 64:6 (CSB) All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

The Chapter

Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and to others; yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith, nor are done in a right manner according to the Word, nor to a right end, the glory of God, they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, nor make a man meet to receive the grace from God, and yet their neglect for them is more sinful and displeasing to God.

The Confession

The Grace Upon Grace of God: Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and to others;

2 Kings 10:30 (CSB) Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”

1 Kings 21:27 (CSB) When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around subdued.

1 Kings 21:29 (CSB) “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime, because he has humbled himself before me. I will bring the disaster on his house during his son’s lifetime.”

We are so prone to read passages like this or of the Philistines in 1 Samuel 5 where person or people did exact what the Lord commanded them to do. Yet, no one in their right mind would contend that King Ahab was saved. He was dully wicked and condemned before the Lord.

1 Kings 22:37-38 (CSB) So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria. Then someone washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria. The dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes bathed in it, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken.

2 Kings 8:18 (CSB) He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight.

No one in their right mind would suggest that the Philistines were saved just because they seemingly obeyed God just so they could get rid of the ark of the covenant.

Case in point: show of hands who have ever met a Philistine. You have not. Why? God has wiped them from the face of the earth.

They were not saved.

Yet, a few years ago, proponents of Open Theism (think Bethel, Hillsong and the like) contended because of King Hezekiah appealed to God in a certain way, God extended his life by 15 years--it is as though God changed his mind.

2 Kings 20:1–6 (CSB)
1 In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Set your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’ ”

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

3 “Please, LORD, remember how I have walked before you faithfully and wholeheartedly and have done what pleases you.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Isaiah had not yet gone out of the inner courtyard when the word of the LORD came to him:

5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the LORD God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the LORD’s temple.

6 I will add fifteen years to your life.

Eureka! They think. If I can do the right things and say the right prayer, then I can get God to do what I want him to do. But keep reading the 2 Kings passage:

?I will rescue you and this city from the grasp of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’ ”

God didn't do jack squat for King Hezekiah--certainly not based on what he said or did. God extended the life of Hezekiah for his own sake and for the sake of his servant David. In other words, for his own glory and the promise that he had made to King David that his Son, Jesus Christ, would rule and reign forever.

Daniel 2:21 (CSB) He changes the times and seasons;
he removes kings and establishes kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those
who have understanding.

We should never be shocked that God would use wicked people to do his bidding so that God alone would save his people and be glorified.

Just because anybody does something that God has commanded them to do does not ever put God in debt to anyone. The Creator is never in debt to his creation.

Job 35:6–8 (CSB) If you sin, how does it affect God? If you multiply your transgressions, what does it do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give him, or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness affects a person like yourself, and your righteousness, a son of man.

Acts 17:24–25 (CSB) The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth—does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

Romans 4:3-5 (CSB) For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness. Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.

Creation will do the will of the Father. But what have we preached time and time again: we are not saved by what we have done but everything that God has done. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

The Grace Upon Grace of God: yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith,

Genesis 4:5 (CSB) but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.

Hebrews 11:4 (CSB) By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

Hebrews 11:6 (CSB) Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Now why is that? Why can't we be saved by our works? Why can't we prove to myself and others that I am saved by my actions?

Hebrews 11:6 (CSB) Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

You and I, born of Adam, born in our trespasses and sins, from our born stone hearts produce nothing good from us because we are not the source of good.

Luke 18:19 (CSB) “Why do you call me good? ” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone.

We might do good things. We might know of good people. But in ourselves are not good. Whatever good we think we are doing comes from the source of good: that is God alone.

James 1:17 (CSB) Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

The Grace Upon Grace of God: nor are done in a right manner according to the Word

1 Corinthians 13:1 (CSB) If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And because we are not the source of good, we cannot do good because every human being born of man is born in sin and has broken the law of God.

James 2:10 (CSB) For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.

Galatians 3:10 (CSB) For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.

We break one of God's laws, we break them all. Human justice would be injustice to punish a person for committing one crime. But this is how holiness, righteousness, love, mercy, grace, and divine justice works: God rightfully demands goodness, love, righteousness, holiness, and justice perfectly. He demands it and he will not abide by anything less than perfection.

The Grace Upon Grace of God: nor to a right end, the glory of God

Matthew 6:2 (CSB) So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.

Matthew 6:5 (CSB) “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.

And into that end, God must be glorified in all. God alone will receive the glory for who he is. He cannot and will not share his glory with another.

The Grace Upon Grace of God: they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, nor make a man meet to receive the grace from God

Amos 5:21–22 (CSB) I hate, I despise, your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. Even if you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle.

Romans 9:16 (CSB) So then, it does not depend on human will or effort but on God who shows mercy.

Titus 3:5 (CSB) he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

The Grace Upon Grace of God: and yet their neglect for them is more sinful and displeasing to God

Job 21:14–15 (CSB) Yet they say to God, “Leave us alone! We don’t want to know your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him, and what will we gain by pleading with him?”

Matthew 25:41–43 (CSB) “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.

That is the depth and depravity of our wickedness and sin. It is not a zero sum game. "If I do something good, that offsets the evil I once did." Does that sound like perfection? Or "If I might be bad--who isn't--but at least I am not as bad as this other guy." Does that sound like that defense would satisfy the perfection of God?

God demands perfection from his creation. Creation was good. And the apple of his eye--his imagebearers, mankind-- he declared, "Very good." Creation didn't do anything wrong but his imagebearers did. We brought in sin, we were born in sin, we live in sin, and from within ourselves is nothing good but we sin continually.

WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM, WHO WILL SAVE ME FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH!

God the Father knew were we were sinful. He knew our wicked little stony hearts. He knew that if it was up to us, we would descend to hell at warp speed. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. That is why he sent his Son. Jesus Christ came to us and he put on flesh. As C.S. Lewis said, "It is the Son of God that became man so that you and me would become sons of the Living God."

The Father demanded perfection. And he got perfection because of what his Son did. And the Father is completely satisfied with us--because God, His Son, and His Spirit dwell in us.