“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)
I have a question that cannot be answered by man, only by God, and like all those questions that only He can answer, I must wait patiently until I arrive home for the answers. Grace is unmerited favor; it is giving us what we do not deserve. Ephesians 2:8-9 and other places in the Scriptures make it perfectly clear that we can produce no work that will entice the Lord towards our salvation, it is by grace through faith with not one work of our own that we are saved.
The Almighty made it quite clear to Paul that no matter what He brought upon him or what He allowed to enter into his life, His grace was sufficient for him to complete the tasks set before him. So, I ask this question then, how are we to grow in the grace of God when no work that we can perform in and of ourselves counts towards that, when grace is indeed unmerited favor, that which cannot be earned?
The closest I have been able to comprehend this is by our obedience to the will of God in our lives, yet that brings John 15:5 into the equation, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” No work for the Lord that we attempt to perform for His glory outside of His will for us will be accepted by Him, it is Christ that works through us. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13)
Is this grace we speak of then that which we have received and thereby grown in by being willingly subject to the Lord? Is it not the Holy Spirit who guides us, leads us in the paths of righteousness, and so by our willing participation is that “additional grace” imparted to us because of our obedience?
“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12) What will we be held most accountable for, those actions of obedience, or those when we knew what we were supposed to do and did not do it? Do we then fall out of favor with the Lord, do we then not grow in His grace but lose a portion of it?
If obedience is how we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and it is Christ that is working through us, then in what area or reason would grace be imparted to us when it is not us performing those actions? By agreeing and doing what has been asked of us, do we grow in unmerited favor?
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)
The best questions are the ones that only God can answer, but I caution you here, those who are weak in the faith may be hindered in their growth by these types of questions, they can cause them to stumble, for our free will and the Sovereignty of God cannot be reconciled, and this particular question no man can answer sufficiently.
How does one grow in unmerited favor when all our righteousness are as filthy rags?
How can we be rewarded for any work that glorifies God when it is Christ that does the work through us?
These are contemplation points, and many men of God much wiser than myself have spent much of their lives considering them. They are meant to draw us closer to the Lord, He draws us closer to Him when we contemplate Him. “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” (Rev. 15:3)
Faith is what drives us, our foundation is sure, the promises are true, that should be enough for us, but there are some who say with Paul, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2)
These are deep waters my friends, if you are led to contemplate them, find rest for your soul on the Rock that is Jesus Christ.
