Gospel of Grace Alone 19

Revelation 2:5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place– unless you repent.

John 12:36 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them. 37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?” 39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, 40 “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.”

The Gospel of grace alone cannot be grace alone from eternity past to eternity future including each and every point of salvation and sanctification in between unless each and every point of it be grace and grace alone. While it is not often preached on (in my hearing, never), nor written about, sinners don’t deserve to have anything less but their hearts hardened and their eyes blinded when they hear the Gospel. It is the purchased (by Christ) grace of God that some sinners have their eyes opened and their hearts softened to and by the Gospel. It seems like such a hard saying, but no one deserves to hear the Gospel at all. While evangelistic crusades and missions are driven by the idea that people are worthy to get the Gospel to, that is simply not true. No one is worthy to hear the Gospel. God is worthy to have His name proclaimed, which is the real reason for evangelism.

Again, this seems so hard to people in the modern day and possibly most any other day as well, but the Gospel is the good news of the glory of God. Sinners who hate God do not deserve to hear of the beauties and wonders of the glory of God and His grace in the Gospel. No only do they not deserve to hear it, they are not worthy of anything but to be judged by it. The true hearing and seeing the Gospel is by grace and grace alone. The arm of the Lord is revealed in great power when a sinner has his or her heart opened to behold the glory of God in the Gospel, but even the revelation of His great power is of grace as well. There can be no spiritual sight of Christ apart from the Spirit of Christ opening the eyes of the soul to see, but that is only by grace alone. Fallen human beings can never see Christ on account of anything they do or merit and so this is but by grace alone.

Why do sinners not believe when the true Gospel is preached? One reason is because their judgment is to be blinded to the Gospel and their hearts hardened to the Gospel. One of the great dangers of preaching a false gospel is that people will be deceived by it and think that they are converted when they still hate the true God, but we can also say that hearing the true Gospel can be dangerous because God uses it to harden hearts and blind eyes. Either way but this is a judgment upon them. The Gospel is not believed because a man makes a decision, but it is because the mighty arm of the Lord is bared and His grace works in that soul so that the man believes. Truly no one is worthy to hear the Gospel, but in His great mercy God brings the Gospel to His people. When the glorious Gospel is preached in truth, however, God hardens some to it. God judges people by preventing the Gospel from getting to them, by taking the Gospel from them, but also by blinding them by the truth of the Gospel.

This should humble all men into the dust before Him and it should show them their utter inability and helplessness before God in spiritual things. This should teach men that they need grace to understand the Gospel and that they need grace to see Christ and His glory. Men need grace to hear the calling of Christ and men need grace to soften their hearts. The Gospel of grace alone reaches to these parts of men as well. The Gospel of grace alone teaches men the utter dependence on grace in all aspects of the Gospel and how it comes to them at all times. Men deserve the hardening, but by grace alone God softens their hearts. Men deserve their eyes to be blinded, but by grace alone God opens their eyes and cures their blindness. How arrogant it is for men to think that they deserve the Gospel and have the power to see His glory and believe as they please and when they please. It shows that they have been blinded and hardened to grace alone. But for those who truly see, they should bow in worship and be amazed at the grace of God in Christ that reaches vile sinners as they are and gives them Christ Himself.

Leave a comment