The Triumphs of His Grace
When God works for the benefit of His people, we call it “grace.” The Bible has many words to describe grace. It is called: great (Acts 4:33); abounding (2 Cor 9:8); rich (Eph 1:7; 2:7; 3:8); manifold (1 Pet 4:10); sufficient (2 Cor 12:9); etc.
The key action of grace is that it gives. This is set against sin; which deceives, steals, and destroys — while it assures people it is giving them a better life. Sin boasts in pride, while grace manifests in the humbled. God gives grace to the weak (2 Cor 9:8), and grace gives and gives again. This is called “grace upon grace (Jn 1:16).”
The God of all grace calls His elect people to come to Him (1 Pet 5:10), and they come to Jesus by irresistible grace (Jn 6:37, 44). By God’s grace, you are saved (Eph 2:8; Titus 3:5). Even more, God’s regenerate are employed in God’s gracious work to build His church (Mt 16:18), the kingdom of God and the reign of grace (Rom 5:20–21). We are vessels of mercy, restored clay pots, being displayed so that others may see the grace of God and receive a faith like ours (Rom 9:23; 2 Pet 1:1).
The grace that gives us faith as a gift (Eph 2:8–9; Phil 1:29) is the same grace from God that keeps us from falling (Jude 24). In other words, if God’s grace is busy crafting you into conformity to the image of Jesus Christ (Rom 8:29), then you can be assured, not only of the means but also the end (Jn 3:36; 1 Jn 5:12). Grace has an end goal objective, which includes you, if you belong to Him (1 Cor 3:23).
The glorious end of grace is the ultimate victory of grace’s reign (Rom 5:20–21). When the kingdom of God began its reconnaissance of God’s lost sheep, there was a promise that the King of glory would make His appearance. Prior to this history-altering event, God’s grace came to the least of the peoples of the earth, the Israelites. This was peculiar, and it made them a peculiar people. The difference was that they were recipients of grace. Everyone else merely operated under God’s providence.
Grace was different. It was more than just providential care. Grace included love (Dt 7:7; Jer 31:3). It came with an unconditional covenant, which brought a plethora of promises. Because the promises of God were good, and even more importantly — true — they brought hope to those who heard them read and preached.
Grace has never been some impersonal force to enable or empower God’s people. Grace is always personal, and it is always God working for His people (Ps 57:3; 138:8; Is 26:12; Phil 2:13). When men imagine they are doing something for God, they have the wrong god.
Grace is sovereign in its reign, and its reign, today, is in the Spirit (Rom 14:17). This means that if one is looking for the kingdom of God, he can only see the kingdom reign of Christ with spiritual eyes. Jesus said about this ability to see, “You must be born again,” to see it (Jn 3:1–8).
Grace causes each elect soul to enter the kingdom of God, and this is the work of the Holy Spirit (Col 1:13; 1 Pet 1:3), who is applying the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, which was His gracious gift (2 Cor 9:15; Phil 2:5–11), in accordance with the grace of God the Father, in His predestined election (Rom 8:30; Eph 1:4–5). This causes us to contemplate the eternality of grace and its sovereign reign.
The work of grace, by the Spirit, is not yet complete. The Spirit of the Good Shepherd is still seeking and finding the lost sheep of the house of Israel, from every nation, tribe, and tongue (Rev 5:9; 7:9). The full number of the Gentiles must be complete before the end.
Grace, of course, will shine brighter and more abundant on the Day of Judgment. Grace will resurrect those who have died in Christ from all of history (Jn 5:28–29; 1 Cor 15). Grace will gather the living, redeemed from the ends of the earth (Mt 24:31; Mk 13:27). Together, in a twinkling of an eye, grace will create glorified bodies for the members of Christ’s body, His church. By God’s grace, all the redeemed resurrected will meet Christ in the air, at His glorious appearing (1 Thess 4:13–5:11).
The world will see God’s grace toward His beloved people like they have never seen it before. Pretenders of grace will be excluded on that day (Mt 7:21–23), for God’s Spirit never graced them with His presence, and of course, these never truly sought God (Rom 3:10–12) nor desired life in His kingdom. These will be exposed, like Demas, for having loved this present world. In truth, these were workers of iniquity, deceiving others but not deceiving God.
The triumph of God’s grace, on the last day of this creation, will be seen in the defeat of every enemy of God and His people, the Israel of God (Is 49:1–6; Gal 6:16; Rev 19:11–21). The reign of grace will climax in wisdom, power, and judgment.
With the sentencing and execution of God’s enemies to hell and the lake of fire (Mt 25:41, 46; Jude 7; Rev 20:14–15), God will destroy this present Creation with fire (2 Pet 3:10–12). With all things purified comes the new heavens and the new earth, where righteousness dwells (2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21–22).
In retrospect, with victorious grace reigning in the new creation, the celebration of grace will be unhindered by sin, destruction, and death. Christian, rejoice at the token of triumphant grace and the glory to be revealed to you (Rom 8:18; 2 Cor 1:22; 5:5), which is far above your ability to think or imagine. The exceeding riches of God’s grace is our inheritance waiting for us in heaven (1 Pet 1:4). As the pilgrim crosses Jordan, his reflection is that it was all grace. Setting his eyes on the celestial city, heavenly Jerusalem, he will then see grace, face to face.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
July 15, 2022
