Today we will continue on with the discussion of sola gratia (grace alone). The teaching of grace alone is not just an essential part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; it is an essential part of Christianity. The beauty of the glory of God’s grace shines and gives luster to all aspects of Christianity. A Christian must be strengthened by grace or s/he is strengthened in some way by self. We live by grace or we live by self. We are sanctified by grace or our sanctification is not according to truth. We bear fruit when the Branch works grace in us or our fruit is from the branch of self. We live by grace and do all by grace because we are to receive all from God who gives nothing other than on the basis of grace. The biblical doctrine of grace must saturate all that we do or we will be turned over to some system of works based on the strength and energy of self.
Colossians 1:5-6 is a beautiful text that shows us what is necessary for people to come to Christ, for people to grow in Christ, and then for people to bear fruit from Christ. The text reads like this: “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth.” This text shows us that grace is at the heart of it all. What do people need to hear if they are going to hear the true Gospel of Christ? They need to hear that the Gospel is all of grace. What do people need to hear if they are going to grow in Christ? They need to hear of an increasing grace. What do people need to hear if they are going to bear fruit from Christ? They need to hear and understand grace in order to bear fruit. The fruit that a believer bears is really the character of God shining in and through that person. That is the glory of God that believers are to love and it is the life of Christ shining out through the believer by the work of the Spirit who works His fruit in the hearts of believers by grace alone.
It has been common to think that people need to be beaten over the head with threats of fire and brimstone and with dire warnings in order to grow. However, this text tells us that true growth and true fruit will only come when people understand grace. No matter what else a preacher must preach, he must preach grace or people will not bear true fruit. It is necessary for people to understand grace in order for them to bear true fruit. This is not to say that the topic of each sermon must be exclusively on grace, but as with the Gospel each sermon must point to or lead to Christ in some way. If there is no such thing as spiritual fruit apart from an understanding of grace, then we must show how this is absolutely necessary in all things as we preach and teach on many different things.
Holiness and sanctification are not from the will and hard works of man, but they (it) are from the work of grace in the human soul. Holiness is sharing in the nature of God rather than something that is obtained by a diligent will (II Peter 1:4ff). Jesus Christ Himself is said to be the sanctification of the believer (I Corinthians 1:30). No good has ever come to a human being in Christ apart from grace alone. Grace and truth were realized through Christ (John 1:17) and the glory that is seen in Christ is a glory of grace and truth (John 1:14). All that God does toward human beings in terms of salvation and sanctification is by Christ alone and so nothing can come to a human being apart from grace alone. It is only when people understand the grace of God in truth that they bear true fruit. As Jesus taught us in the Gospel of John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
A human being cannot bear spiritual fruit apart from Christ. No act of the will and no amount of hard labor or effort will produce one bit of spiritual fruit apart from Christ. It is not even that we do a percentage of the work and as long as part of it is from Christ we bear fruit, but there is nothing we can do apart from Him. If it is true that no one can do one spiritual thing apart from Christ, then all spiritual fruit is a work of grace alone in the soul. If all spiritual fruit is the work of grace alone, then we can see that people must understand grace in order to bear fruit and see it increase. While it may not sound like traditional American versions of Christianity, it is nevertheless the biblical truth. Until people are broken from self and look to grace alone to save them, they will not be saved. Until believers understand grace and so bear fruit from that grace, they will not be sanctified by grace alone which is true sanctification by Christ. God has saved sinners and will sanctify sinners to the praise of the glory of His grace alone. He must do it all by grace because He is holy and there is no other motive to move Him.
God Loves... Himself 
Leave a comment