Three Common Misconceptions Regarding Grace

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

INTRODUCTION:

1. Grace is the unmerited, undeserved favor of God.

   1. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. " (1 John 4:8).

   2. In God's infinite love, He manifested His grace through the gift of His only begotten Son (John 3:16-17).

   3. God's grace is extended to everyone unconditionally, but for that grace to be effectual and to receive His mercy your faith must be demonstrate in obedience.

2. Jesus willingly laid down His life to be the propitiation or atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2).

3. He then taught us how to access that grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).

4. Grace is a marvelous study, but it is not without misunderstanding -- as we note three common misconceptions regarding grace.

ALL LAW KEEPING AND NO GRACE.

1. One of the primary problems of Paul's day were those who advocated keeping the law of Moses as a means of justification.

   1. For example, the problem at what is called, "The Jerusalem Conference." Acts 15:1

   2. A letter was sent that Gentiles are not under Law for justification.

2. The apostle Paul responds to such demands: Galatians 2:21.

3. One of the grave misconceptions in law keeping is the failure for one to realize that the law cannot be kept perfectly (with the exception of Christ who did keep it perfectly).

   1. Man is weak and comes short of the glory of God. Isaiah 53:6.

   2. Paul even told those who thought they could keep the law perfectly: Galatians 3:10

   3. Titus 3:5 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His mercy

   4. "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:31).

4. Even today, salvation is not law keeping.

   1. If a person attended 10,000 worship services, sang 50,000 hymns, offered hundreds of prayers, etc., he still cannot earn his salvation.

   2. One cannot get to heaven without the blood of Christ.

5. That was Paul's point in Romans 4 concerning Abraham; he did not earn his justification by works or law or merit (Romans 4:2-4).

6. When one truly understands and appreciates the grace of God, then one's love responds to it and motivates one to live in obedience to God, as opposed to the "I have to" spirit behind legalism.

   1. The legalist follows rules and forgets the spirit behind them.

   2. Matthew 23 – Jesus called them hypocrites

7. It is not enough just to keep rules.

ALL GRACE AND NO WORKS.

1. Paul answered this in Romans 6

   1. Some reason: Since there is grace, I don't need to obey the law.

   2. Today some argue that we have no law – except love.

   3. Romans 6:1-2 answers this false argument.

   4. James discusses this in James 2:14; James 2:24.

2. Is there a contradiction? Paul is telling us that we can't be saved by works, and James is telling us that our faith is dead without works.

   1. No. The reason that people miss this point is that they do not understand that there are two kinds of works.

   2. One kind of work is work of merit in which we try to earn salvation.

   3. The other is work of obedience which is evidence of our faith.

3. We see works of obedience in Hebrews11

   1. Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice by faith (Hebrews 11:4).

   2. Noah moved with godly fear and prepared an ark ( Hebrews 11:7).

   3. Abraham went (Hebrews 11:8-10).

   4. Abraham also offered up his son by faith (Hebrews 11:17-19).

   5. Moses forsook Egypt (Hebrews 11:26).

4. These men were not justified or saved by their own works, but evidenced their faith in God through works of obedience.

5. They were saved by grace, and as good as they were, they still needed the sacrifice or sin-offering of Christ.

ONE CAN NEVER FALL FROM GRACE.

1. Consider those Jews who sought justification through law-keeping.

   1. In their error they were turning from Christ to another gospel. (Galatians 1:6-9)

   2. Galatians 5:4 – You have fallen from grace.

   3. Hebrews 10:26-31.

      1. To "sin willfully" is to sin so deliberately.

      2. To "trod under foot the Son of God" is to sin with contempt.

      3. "Counting Christ's blood as an unholy thing" is to count it as common and without power.

      4. Doing "despite unto the Spirit of grace" is to grieve the Spirit of God (cf. Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19).

2. In Hebrews 6, some Christians went so far away from God that they would not turn back (Hebrews 6:4-6).

   1. It was impossible to bring them back, to repent of their error

   2. God never closed the door to them (2 Peter 3:9).

   3. 2 Peter 2:20-22.

NOTE: This outline is borrowed and adapted from material from Lenny Santee, Mark Aites, and James Tolle.