The Grace of God

In this lesson we shall summarize the "The Gospel of the Grace Of
God" under these three headings:

• The "need" for grace
• The "provision" of grace
• The "reception" of grace

THE "NEED" FOR GRACE

A. THE BIBLE DESCRIBES MAN'S TRUE CONDITION...

1. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Rom 3:23
2. "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." - James 2:10.
3. "For the wages of sin is death..." - Ro 6:23
4. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." - Isa 59:2
5. "But we are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousness are like filthy rags;" - Isa 64:6

B. WHAT THESE PASSAGES REALLY MEAN TO US...

1. FIRST: We must all plead guilty!
• Every accountable person has sinned
• We can never demand entrance into heaven because we are somehow good enough
• Even the very best of us is without merit in God's sight!
2. SECOND: Our sins have alienated us from God!
• By our transgressions, we lose that precious relationship with God
• We experience "spiritual" death, or separation from God; which if left unchecked, will result in eternal separation from God (i.e., hell)
• While in this state of "spiritual" death, we are dead to God; our prayers are not heard - cf. 1 Peter 3:12
3. THIRD: As sinners, we cannot accomplish the removal of our guilt on our own!
• We cannot run away from this guilt
• We cannot work our way out of this guilt

THE "PROVISION" OF GRACE

A. OUT OF "LOVE", GOD HAS PROVIDED HIS SON...

1. Because God loved us, He sent His Son to die that we might have eternal life - John 3:16; 1 John 4:9
2. Because God loved us, He made His Son a "propitiation" for our sins - 1 John 4:10
• A "propitiation" is a sacrifice designed to appease
• Therefore God has offered His Son as a sacrifice designed to appease Himself, which leads to a related point...

B. OUT OF "JUSTICE", GOD HAS PROVIDED HIS SON...

1. To satisfy His justice, God provided redemption through the blood of His Son - Rom 3:24-26
2. God's grace therefore functions in this way:
• God's justice requires an appropriate sacrifice for sin
• Because He loves us, He provided His Son as a sacrifice for sin
• God recognizes the death of Jesus on the cross as a suitable ransom for our sins, paid in full!

So to satisfy both His justice and His love, God has graciously provided salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. What we cannot earn, God has provided!
But the provision of grace is not unconditional (otherwise all would be saved). Therefore we need to consider…
… Continue.

« Newer