Modern pulpiteers have almost made a career out of the various texts dealing with the grace of God. So radical have they become that there has been fostered a feeling that there is nothing for man to do, and nothing that he can do, to affect his salvation. If this be true, then God has the sole responsibility for man's salvation, and if any man is not saved, he can point an accusing finger at God. Too, if one man is saved and another is lost, then God has indeed become a respecter of persons, and Acts 10:34 is utterly false which says: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." God has thus become capricious and fanciful in doling out salvation!
Yet, none can deny God's grace is extended to man, and man can receive it. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:11-12). It is just as important for us to realize that there is something that grace does as it is to understand that grace is given.
We are told that grace teaches. Also, we are told that grace teaches us to DO something! The fact that we are to do something does not nullify grace. Rather, our response to God's grace is the means whereby grace is appropriated. As the apostle Paul wrote, "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). Here he explains that grace, apart from anything we might do to try to earn it, saves through faith. But to be an availing faith, it must work through love: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor un-circumcision: but faith working through love" (Gal. 5:6). This is the "0bedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5; 16:26 b) which obtains God's grace.
Even in the field of nature, grace is associated with the obedience of faith. God's grace is shown in seed time and harvest; He sends rain and sunshine, and has placed the germ of life in the seed. Nature teaches us these things. But, while praying for our daily bread, we cannot ignore the laws of nature! We must, in faith, plant the seed, cultivate and harvest the wheat in order to appropriate God's grace and eat the bread. Grace provides, faith accepts, and then the obedience of faith appropriates that which grace has offered. That we may see that this same inflexible rule holds true also in spiritual matters, we turn for examples in the word of God.
Because of the wickedness of mankind, God determined to destroy the world (Gen. 6), but
God extended grace to Noah. He warned him of the impending deluge that was to destroy the
world and revealed to him the way of escape. Noah could not know the danger, nor the solution,
by himself. But God's grace to Noah was amply shown through the word of God which was
spoken to him. Because Noah believed God, he acted obediently to that word to save himself.
"Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, even so did he" (Gen. 6:22). As a
result of his obedient faith, God's grace saved Noah. "By faith Noah, being warned of God of
things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the
which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith" (Heb.
11:7).
Abraham Was Justified by Grace
God's promise to Abraham was extended by grace, and it was accompanied by instruction. This
testimony was believed by Abraham, and because he believed, he moved in obedience to God's
teaching to become justified by the obedience of faith. "By faith Abraham, when he was called to
go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not
knowing whither he went" (Heb. 11:8). After God's grace was extended in the promise,
Abraham's faith accepted this grace with complete assurance, and his faith worked to obtain the
reward. "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered up Isaac his son
upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made
perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed
unto him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a
man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:21-24). Again, we have a clear example of how
grace is extended, faith accepts the promise of grace, and the obedience of faith appropriates the
blessing.
The Deliverance of Israel
When the Israelites were in need of deliverance from bondage in Egypt, God's grace was
extended by the word of God through Moses. They were helpless without God's intervention.
But God sent Moses to tell them what to do to obtain freedom. They had to believe this word to
accept God's grace. But there was an obedience of faith also demanded before they could enjoy
the reward of this grace. "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that
our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto
Moses in the cloud and in the sea . and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the
same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was
Christ" (1 Cor. 10:1-8). Very plainly is it shown that grace was extended through teaching, this
grace was appropriated by faith and the reward of this grace and faith was appropriated by the
obedience of faith.
Naaman Was Cleansed by Grace
Another good example of the working of this principle is the cleansing of Naaman, the Syrian (2 Kgs 5). God's grace was shown in the promise of cleansing. Naaman, a leper, was told by a Jewish slave girl that a prophet in Israel could heal him. He went to Israel and met with Elisha, a prophet of God. Elisha gave God's instructions, that Naaman must go and dip seven times in the River Jordan. Naaman, at first, rejected the grace of God and started home in rebellion to God's instructions.
But when his servant showed him the foolishness of his actions, he turned back to God's grace. Faith was generated and that faith prompted "obedience of faith" and he went to the Jordan River and dipped seven times. He then received the reward: he was healed of his leprosy. So again, grace extended the promise, faith accepted and the obedience of faith obtained the reward.
The man had been blind from birth. The Lord Jesus healed him, restoring his sight: "He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing" (John 9:6-7). God's grace was extended to the blind man through Jesus, with instructions to be followed. The fact that he followed the word of Jesus by going and washing in the pool of Siloam demonstrated his faith in the instruction which grace provided. The results of the "obedience of faith" is stated simply: "He washed, and came seeing." Grace was extended by instruction, faith was produced, and the obedience of faith appropriated the blessing of sight.
Grace Preached on Day of Pentecost The same rule of faith and action is carried over into the gospel proclamation. Those Jews on Pentecost in Jerusalem heard the promise of salvation which God's grace extended to them (Acts 2:21). But they had to have faith in order to obtain the promised blessing. So Peter told them to have such faith: "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified" (v.36). They then asked what they were to do. Peter, still delivering God's plan of grace, commanded them: "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38). Now, notice how and when the grace of God was received: "They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). Grace provided the promise through gospel preaching, the testimony was accepted by faith, and their repentance then led to that "obedience of faith" in baptism by which the remission of sins which they sought was provided.
The Samaritans Were Saved by Grace
This same unerring rule applied to every case of conversion in the book of Acts. When Philip "went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them" (Acts 8:5), God's grace was extended in the gospel message. "But when they believed Philip's preaching concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Christ, they were baptized, both men and women (v. 12). This shows exactly the same pattern as in the cases above grace was extended by the preaching of the gospel, faith accepted the message, and the obedience of faith obtained the reward. Jesus had promised, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). The Samaritans were saved in exactly that way. Grace was extended by Philip's preaching, they believed and were baptized, and they were thus "saved by grace through faith." Only the "obedience of faith" could appropriate the grace of God for salvation.
God extended His grace to a man traveling from Jerusalem back home to Ethiopia. He was reading from the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 53), and asked Philip for an explanation of this portion of the word of God. The grace of God was then extended to the man when Philip "opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus" (Acts 8:35).
The Ethiopian then accepted this message in faith and asked, "Here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (v. 36). We then read, "He commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him" (v. 38). This follows the pattern of the Pentecostians and the Samaritans. Grace was extended to him through the preaching of the gospel, he believed and was baptized, and rejoiced in his salvation (v. 39). Grace had been extended, faith had accepted its message, and the obedience of faith had obtained the promised reward (Mark 16:16).
Time will not allow an exhaustive study of every case, but this principle is axiomatic to any Bible student: Never has God's grace blessed any man until faith had accepted its message and was made perfect in obedience. There is no exception to this rule in the Scriptures. Therefore, we plead with you to accept God's grace and obey from the heart the teaching grace delivers. (Rom. 6:3-6; 16-18; Gal. 3:26-29).