Part 18

As we begin to wind down our great feast upon the rich fruitfulness of King Jesus, we learn of yet further produce grown by Him: a superior salvation. Paul taught that our Lord should be deemed far superior because of the sort of salvation He provides. It’s declared to be a superior salvation primarily because it’s salvation by grace. Old covenants are far lesser because they could not succeed with regard to salvation: They proved weak and unprofitable because they depended on men’s obedience (Heb. 7:18-19; Gal. 3:1o-12; Rom. 10:5). Humanity has well-proven that it simply cannot keep the law to God’s standard, for “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10).

“Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one” (Job 14:4).

Salvation, as a result, was never fully-realized (Heb. 11:13, 39)… Until now!

Today, most thankfully, we’re given salvation fueled by “better promises“, that is, salvation fueled by grace (Heb. 8:6)! This sort of gracious salvation is called “a better hope“, and it’s the route by which we now may draw near unto God! It is better because grace makes it entire (Jas. 1:4), it is better because grace makes it eternal (Heb. 5:9), and it’s better because grace makes it manifold (1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Cor. 1:10). God not only pardons us undeservedly, but also enables us to walk in the victory of that pardon, and feeds us with that victory’s reward! Paul used this newfound grace as an appeal for his readers to “lay aside every weight” of sin, and to loosen their firm grasp of lifeless Judaism: Grab hold of the gracious and true Vine instead (Jn. 15:1; Heb. 12:1)!

“For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God” (Heb. 7:18-19).

Let us now ask: What is grace? Paul calls it a mystery because the Scriptural definition is quite rich (Eph. 3:1-3). Throughout the Bible, grace is seen as the unmerited favor of God. Such favor is said to be both saving as well as enabling: We find unmerited favor toward pardon as well as unmerited favor toward obedience. Let’s observe:

Firstly, grace is unmerited favor toward pardon. It is saving-grace, or rather, grace that pardons men unto salvation (Eph. 2:8-9). It is the fuel behind God’s gift of atonement. Our Lord willingly laid down His life so that humanity would grab hold of redemption. Grace is why Jesus loves evil men! It’s unmerited!

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).

It was God’s grace that led Him to become the Word made flesh, for He dwelt among men being “full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). He chose to tabernacle among men and offer His own blood for our redemption, not because we deserved it, but because of gracious, unmerited love. Grace abounded unto fallen creation despite the fact that sin abounded too! Regardless of our innate evil natures, the “riches of [God’s] grace” have given us pardon, and thereby made us “accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:6). What sweet and superior fruit!

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8).

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:19-21).

“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. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:11-12).

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:12-14).

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:14-16).

Oh the blessedness of such fruit! Again, such bounty far surpasses that of lesser covenants. This grace was not so-readily available then, but now has appeared in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was sacrificed and sent to hell, only to resurrect and bear gracious fruit. This fruit is for us: It’s a “horn of salvation” (Lk. 1:68-69). It’s fruit which the law could never reap:

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17).

“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39).

We now have a liberal dispersal of God’s grace and truth, and Jesus promised it would “make you free” (Jn. 8:32). Day by day, and faith by faith, God’s own sons are made free from the power of sin, and free from the restraints of absolute carnality (Jn. 1:12). By grace we perform the will of God, for “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). Yes, His gracious power makes us “willing” for the many “beauties of holiness” (Ps. 110:3), and thereby anxious to refuse our own. Grace is that which “inclines my heart” unto God’s good Word, and then lights the way toward it’s outworked obedience (Ps. 119:36; Prov. 21:1; ; Jn. 6:65; 1 Jn. 2:6). Grace actually “quickens” our fallen flesh and alters our sinful hungers (Eph. 2:4-5)! The tongue’s once-innate taste for “wicked dainties” now flourishes with holy taste buds (Ps. 141:4). We discover ourselves hungering for far different fruit (Matt. 5:6; Rev. 7:16). Our previous proclivity toward sin and uncleanness is no longer so absolute! And why? Because Jesus has become that better well which now feeds us: He turns our bitter waters sweet (Jn. 7:38-39; 4:14; Isa. 49:10)! He’s the source of all our gracious goodness, and the fount of all holy influence. This grace has both revealed and empowered mankind’s righteous destiny. It both proclaims it judicially and empowers it experientially! The law could only tell of God’s demands and then judge man for his failures, but grace now fosters endless clouds of divine favor: they shower rains of God’s wherewithal upon us. Jesus forms and fashions His own works deep within us (Isa. 26:12; Jn. 14:12). He assumes personal responsibility for our inward ripening and sweetness, and He removes the awful stench of those former, filthy “rags” of self-effort (Isa. 64:6).

“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Rom. 9:15-16).

To be continued…