God’s purpose of grace:
God’s purpose of grace is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. Even before creation, God, in His omniscience, knew that man would sin and need to be saved from man’s own free will. There was forgiveness in the heart of God before sin was in the heart of man. God’s purpose of grace, therefore, refers to God’s purpose fully to save man: regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.
To understand God’s purpose of grace, we also must need to understand election. Election goes into two truths that we must remember: God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. Caution yourself to not define election as God’s purpose to save as few people as possible, rather to save as many as possible. When election is referred to in the Bible, it is never a violation of human will but election begins as an initiative from God, and man’s response to that beckoning. In John 6:44, it reads, “No man can come to me, except the Father…draw him.” The “Draw” here refers to God’s initiative, the “come” is depicting man’s response. God proposed to save man and as John reminds us, He took the initiative to do so by sending his Son. “The greatest thing about man is not that he is seeking God but that God is seeking man (Luke 19:10).” (Citation).
Once man responds to God’s call for redemption, the very nature of this new salvation assumes perseverance. Ephesians 2:8-10 reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Believers are called to persevere because salvation is a work of God’s grace, not of our own doing or keeping. This should give us hope in God’s purpose of grace. Without it and without Him, we would not be secure in our salvation. The greatest assurance we have is confirmed in Ephesians 1:13-14. When we believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit seals us as belonging to God. This verse refers to those who have truly believed IN Jesus, not just believe things about Him.
Referencing back to a statement at the beginning of this excerpt. God’s purpose is to fully save man: regeneration, sanctification and glorification. When a person becomes a Christian, they are free from the penalty of sin, which is death, but they are not free from sin’s power just yet. The process of sanctification is not of perfection, but of progression. The glorious and relieving thing about God’s Grace is that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
To understand God’s purpose of grace, we also must need to understand election. Election goes into two truths that we must remember: God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. Caution yourself to not define election as God’s purpose to save as few people as possible, rather to save as many as possible. When election is referred to in the Bible, it is never a violation of human will but election begins as an initiative from God, and man’s response to that beckoning. In John 6:44, it reads, “No man can come to me, except the Father…draw him.” The “Draw” here refers to God’s initiative, the “come” is depicting man’s response. God proposed to save man and as John reminds us, He took the initiative to do so by sending his Son. “The greatest thing about man is not that he is seeking God but that God is seeking man (Luke 19:10).” (Citation).
Once man responds to God’s call for redemption, the very nature of this new salvation assumes perseverance. Ephesians 2:8-10 reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Believers are called to persevere because salvation is a work of God’s grace, not of our own doing or keeping. This should give us hope in God’s purpose of grace. Without it and without Him, we would not be secure in our salvation. The greatest assurance we have is confirmed in Ephesians 1:13-14. When we believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit seals us as belonging to God. This verse refers to those who have truly believed IN Jesus, not just believe things about Him.
Referencing back to a statement at the beginning of this excerpt. God’s purpose is to fully save man: regeneration, sanctification and glorification. When a person becomes a Christian, they are free from the penalty of sin, which is death, but they are not free from sin’s power just yet. The process of sanctification is not of perfection, but of progression. The glorious and relieving thing about God’s Grace is that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).