Page 106 - TH200 Abundant Life A4 Final

Abundant Life in the Son: A Study of Salvation

The word freely in Romans 3:24 has the extended meaning of “without
reason or cause.” This shows that the grace of God is given not as a
result of anything we have done to deserve it, but as a gift—an
undeserved favor that cannot be paid for or earned. Good works or
commendable Christian service are not payment for God’s grace. They
are, however, a practical and
normal expression of our
devotion and love to God.
Good works are not

payment for God’s You should be aware of
misunderstanding that exists
grace; they are a normal concerning grace. Perhaps

expression of our the following illustration will
help you understand more
devotion and love to God. clearly the meaning of grace.
A certain man and a judge
were good friends. One day,
the man was charged with a crime and was brought to trial in the court
where his friend was the presiding judge. After hearing the evidence,
the judge sternly gave the verdict: “Guilty as charged,” and he fined his
friend a large sum of money.

The man was shaken because his friend had not bent the law in order
to clear him of the charge; instead, he had given him a heavy penalty.
However, as the judge walked out of the courtroom, he handed his own
personal check to the clerk as full payment for the penalty. In order to
keep the integrity of the law, the judge pronounced the verdict. Yet, in
mercy, he provided a way for his friend’s penalty to be paid.

Grace does not mean that God is so loving that He overlooks sin
and avoids righteous judgment. As the holy and just ruler of the
universe, God cannot treat sin lightly, for this would detract from His
holiness and justice. But God’s grace is revealed in the fact that He
himself, through the atonement of Christ, paid the full penalty of sin;
therefore, He can justly pardon the sinner. His pardon of sin rests
upon strict justice: “He is faithful and just” (1 John 1:9). God’s grace is
demonstrated in His provision of the atonement by which He justifies
the ungodly, repentant sinner and at the same time upholds His holy,
unchanging law.

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