OF THE GRACE OF GOD
John Gill
This attribute may be
considered, both as it is in God himself, and as displayed in acts towards his creatures;
as in himself, it is himself; it is his nature and essence; he is
"Grace" itself, most amiable and lovely; hence so often called
"gracious" in Scripture: it is a character
expressive of the amiableness and loveliness of his nature: and thus he was
before he had, and would have been for ever the same if he never had displayed
his grace towards any of his creatures. And this appears from the loveliness of
Christ, the image of the Father, the express image of his person; who, to them
that believe, is exceeding precious, and altogether lovely; when they behold his glory, as the only begotten of the Father; the
fulness of grace in him, as Mediator; the purity, perfection, and beauty of his
human nature, as in union with his divine person, in which he was in high
favour with God and men. Now if Christ, under these several considerations, is
so graceful and amiable, he must needs be infinitely so, whose image he is, and
who has all virtues, all excellencies, all perfections in
him; he is said to be "glorious in holiness", #Ex 15:11. And if he is
so glorious and graceful, viewed in one perfection of his, what must he be when
all put together, and he is viewed in them all, his goodness, wisdom, power,
justice, truth, &c.? and therefore is to be loved above all, and with all
the heart, soul, and strength; and hence it is that good men, as Moses, David,
and others, desired to see the "face" of God, so
far as could be admitted, and they were capable of, #Ex 33:14,15 #Ps 27:7,8
105:4 and what a lovely sight had Moses of him in the clift of the rock, when
he caused his goodness to pass, and proclaimed his name, a God gracious before
him, #Ex 33:19 34:6 and to see the lovely face of God, so far as creatures are
capable of, is the happiness of angels, will be the happiness of saints to all eternity, #Mt 18:10 #1Co 13:12 1Jo 3:2 Re 22:4.
The grace of God may be
considered as displayed in acts of goodness towards his creatures, especially
men; and is no other than his free favour and good will to men; it is no other
than love unmerited and undeserved, exercising and communicating itself to them in a free and generous manner; which they are
altogether unworthy of. There are many things called grace, and the grace of
God, because they flow from his grace, and are the effects of it; as the
gospel, #2Co 6:1 Ga 5:4 #Tit 2:11 gifts for preaching the gospel, #Ro 12:6 Eph
3:7,8 the blessings of grace, as justification, adoption, &c. #Ps 84:11 2Ti
1:9 in each of the graces of the Spirit in regeneration, as faith,
hope, love, &c. #2Co 9:8 Ga 2:9 but then these are to be distinguished from
grace in God; as the Giver and the gift, the Fountain and the streams, the
Cause and the effect. The grace of God arises from the goodness of his nature,
and not from anything in the creature; and is exercised according to his
sovereign will and pleasure; "I will be gracious to whom I will be
gracious", #Ex 33:19. It is "independent" of
all merit and worth in creatures, and of all works done by them, and is always
opposed to them in scripture, #Ro 11:6 2Ti 1:9 Eph 2:8,9 it is quite entirely
"free", as Austin {1} said long ago, grace is not grace, unless it is
altogether free. As an attribute, it wholly and only "resides" in
God; and is only in men, as to the sense and perception of it, and the effects
of it upon them and in them, #Ro 5:5 8:37 and it is only
exhibited and displayed through Christ, in and through whom men are elected,
adopted, redeemed, justified, pardoned, regenerated, and sanctified, #Eph 1:4-7
Ro 3:24 Tit 3:5,6. And though there are various gifts and blessings, and
effects of it, it is but one in God: there is but one Fountain, from whence
they all flow. With respect to creatures, the objects of it, some distinctions are made concerning it, as of natural and
"supernatural" grace. Natural grace seems to sound oddly, and unless
guarded against, may tend to confound nature and grace together; but rightly
applied and understood, may be admitted.
What Adam enjoyed, in a state of integrity, above the rest of creatures,
was all owing to the unmerited kindness and goodness of God, and so may be
called grace; as the image of God, in which he was created;
his holiness and righteousness; knowledge and understanding; the communion he
had with God, and his dominion over the creatures; and yet it was all natural:
so many things which his posterity in their fallen state enjoy, being
altogether owing to the free favour and undeserved goodness of God, may be
called grace: to have a being, and life, and the preservation of
it, and the mercies of life, as food and raiment, which men are altogether
unworthy of, are gifts and favours; and so may bear the name of grace, though
only natural blessings. "Supernatural" grace includes all the
blessings of grace bestowed upon any of the sons of fallen Adam; and all the
graces of the Spirit wrought in them; and which will easily be allowed to be
supernatural. But that Adam had any such, in a state of
innocence, for my own part, I cannot see; though some are of this opinion.
Again, grace is, by some, distinguished into "common" or
"general", and "special" or "particular".
"Common" or "general" grace, if it may be so called, is
what all men have; as the light of nature and reason, which every man that
comes into the world is enlightened with; the temporal blessings of life, the
bounties of providence, called the riches of God's goodness,
or grace, #Ro 2:4 which all partake of, more or less; and the continuance and
preservation of life; for "God is the Saviour of all men", #1Ti 4:10.
"Special" or "particular" grace, is that which is peculiar
to some persons only; such as electing, redeeming, justifying, pardoning,
adopting, and sanctifying grace, #Ro 8:30 and this special grace is, by some, distinguished into "imputed" and "inherent"
grace: "imputed" grace is the holiness, obedience, and righteousness
of Christ imputed to justification: "inherent" grace is what is
wrought in the heart, by the Spirit of God, in regeneration. But these
distinctions, with others, only concern the effects of the grace of God; that
itself is but one in God; and is sure, firm, and immutable, as his nature is;
and is the efficient cause, source, and spring, of all good
things enjoyed by men; and should be acknowledged, as it was by the apostle,
"By the grace of God I am what I am", #1Co 15:10 whether as a man, or
as a minister, or as a Christian; and this is the final cause, or ultimate end
of all, that God does towards, upon, or in his elect, through Christ; all is
"to the glory of his grace", #Eph 1:6 and is what appears, shines
forth, and is illustrious in every part and branch of their
salvation; and therefore they are said to be "saved by grace", #Eph
2:5,8 as will be evident by an enumeration of them.
1. The grace of God appears in
the election of men to everlasting life; and is therefore called
the election of grace; and is denied to be of works, #Ro 11:5,6 and, indeed,
this act of the grace of God, passed in his eternal mind, before any works were
done, good or evil, and without any consideration of them, #Ro 9:11 nor can any
works truly good be done, until men become the workmanship of God in
regeneration; and then they are the fruits and effects of divine preordination,
#Eph 2:10 nor were men chosen in Christ because they were
holy, but that they might be holy, #Eph 1:4. And sanctification, both internal
and external, is a means fixed in the decree of election; and is as absolute,
unconditional, and certain, as the end, salvation, #2Th 2:13 and all the true
holiness that is, has been, or will be in the world, flows from electing grace;
had it not been for this, the world had been as Sodom and
Gomorrah, #Ro 9:29. Election is also irrespective of faith; that is likewise a
means fixed in the decree, and most certainly follows upon it, and is therefore
called the faith of God's elect, #2Th 2:13 Ac 13:17 #Tit 1:1. It remains,
therefore, that election must be ascribed to the free favour, good will, and
pleasure of God, to his unmerited grace and goodness, the true spring and cause
of it; and to show forth which is the design of it, #Ro
9:18,23 Eph 1:4-6.
2. The grace of God is
displayed in the covenant he has made with his elect in Christ; this, with
great propriety, is commonly called by us, "the covenant of grace";
though the phrase is not in so many words to be met with in scripture; it is founded in the unmerited grace and mercy of God; and is made
to establish and secure the glory of it, #Ps 89:2,3. It was free grace that
moved God to make one, to which he was not otherwise obliged: it was free grace
that called, and that moved Christ to engage with his Father in it, and which
"gave" him to be the covenant of the people, #Ps 40:6,7 #Isa 42:6 it
was free grace that stored it with all spiritual blessings;
by which it appears to be ordered in all things for the glory of God, and the
good of his covenant people; and these are grants of grace, made in it to them
in Christ, #2Ti 1:9 and it was free grace that filled it with exceeding great
and precious promises; promises of grace and glory, made before the world
began; and which made them sure by an oath to the heirs of them; and who become
heirs of them, not through any merit of theirs, but through
the undeserved favour of God towards them.
3. The grace of God is very
manifest in the adoption of the chosen ones; the cause of which is, the good
pleasure of the will of God; and the end of it, the glory of his grace, #Eph 1:5,6. God, the adopter, stood not in any need of
sons; he had a Son, an only begotten Son, a beloved Son, the dear Son of his
love, who always pleased him, his Son and Heir; the adopted are altogether
unworthy of such a favour, being "by nature children of wrath, as
others"; and these men, and not angels, who are only servants in the
family, to wait upon the children, the heirs of salvation, and minister unto them: and not all the race of men, only some, and these
no better in themselves than others; and therefore their adoption cannot be
ascribed to anything else but the free and distinguishing grace of God; and
into which relation they were taken before time, in the everlasting covenant;
and Christ was sent to open the way, that they might receive this blessing of
grace, and which they do by faith, the gift of God; for
faith does not make them, only manifests them to be the sons of God; which
relation is the ground of their having the Spirit, faith, and every other
grace, #Ga 4:4-6.
4. The grace of God shines
very illustrious in redemption by Jesus Christ; free grace set
infinite wisdom to work, to find out a proper person to be the redeemer and
saviour; and it found out Christ to be the ransom, and provided him to be the
sacrifice, #Job 33:24 his incarnation was owing to God's good will to men, #Lu
2:14 and his mission to his unmerited love, #1Jo 4:10 and it was by the grace
of God he tasted death for men, #Heb 2:9 and this for sinners, the chief of
sinners, ungodly men, enemies in their minds by wicked
works. In short, all that are redeemed and saved, whether Old or New Testament
saints, are saved by the grace of God and Christ, #Ac 15:11.
5. The grace of God is very
conspicuous in the justification of men before God, and acceptance
with him; which, in the strongest terms, is said to be of grace, to be by
"his grace", the grace of God, and "freely" by his grace,
and that through the redemption that is in Christ, #Tit 3:7 Ro 3:24. Free
grace, by infinite wisdom, found out the way whereby sinful men might be just
with God; which otherwise never could have been; namely, by not imputing their
trespasses to them, but to Christ, the Surety free grace
provided, whereby "God is just, and yet the justifier of him that believes
in Jesus", #2Co 5:19 Ro 3:25,26 free grace appears in appointing Christ to
work out, and bring in everlasting righteousness; and in sending him in the
likeness of sinful flesh to do it, #Da 9:24 Ro 8:3,4 and it was free grace
moved Christ to come to do this will of God, and "become the end of the
law for righteousness"; and it was free grace in God
the Father to accept of this righteousness, in the room and stead of sinners,
and to impute it, without works, unto them, as their justifying righteousness;
and in appointing faith to be the recipient of it, that so it might clearly
appear to be of grace; as the persons who are justified by it, being in
themselves ungodly, more clearly shows it, #Ro 4:5,6,16. Justification
is always denied to be of works; and the righteousness by which men are
justified, is represented as a gift, a free gift, a gift by grace, as faith
that receives it also is, #Ro 3:20,28 5:15-17 Eph 2:8.
6. Pardon of sin is according
to the riches, fulness, and freeness of the grace of God, #Eph
1:7 the promise of it in the covenant is free, absolute, and unconditional,
#Heb 8:12 the proclamation of it in the gospel, bore witness to by all the
prophets, is the same, #Ex 34:6 Ac 10:43 13:38 the blood of Christ was shed
freely for it; and though it cost him dear, it is all of free grace to sinners,
without money and without price. Christ is exalted as a prince to
"give" it; and God, for Christ's sake, frankly forgives all trespasses, #Ac 5:31 Lu 7:41,42 Col 2:13 and it is
vouchsafed to the worst and chief of sinners, #1Ti 1:13 and to great
backsliders, ungrateful persons, guilty of sins of omission and commission, #Ho
14:4 Isa 43:22-25.
7. The grace of God is
abundantly evident in regeneration, calling, and sanctification;
God regenerates men by his grace, and of his own good will and pleasure, #Jas
1:18 and he calls them by his grace, and according to it, #Ga 1:15 2Ti 1:9 and
which always becomes effectual. There are some things which bear the name of
grace, which fall short of true sanctifying grace, at least what men call so,
as "restraining grace"; whereby some of God's people, before
conversion, and some others, are kept from the commission
of gross sins others fall into; and external "gifts" of grace, as a
rational knowledge of the gospel, historical faith, and even gifts for the
public ministry; which persons may have, and yet be unknown by Christ, and be
castaways. And also what some call "sufficient grace", though
wrongly; rather it should be called, insufficient; for that can never be
sufficient which is ineffectual; as the means of grace
often are. There are other distinctions of grace, which are not very material,
yet, if rightly explained and understood, may be allowed, as grace
"preparing, anticipating, operating", and "co-operating",
and "subsequent". "Preparing" grace must be understood not
of preparations, and previous dispositions in men, and of them, to the grace of
God; but what is of God himself, who prepares the heart,
and makes it, by his grace, good ground, fit to receive the seed of the word
cast into it, where it becomes the ingrafted word, #Pr 16:1 Mt 13:23.
"Anticipating" grace is that in which God goes beforehand with men,
and enlightens their minds, teaches and instructs them in the knowledge of
themselves, and of Christ, and guides, directs, and draws them to him, #Joh
6:44,45 "Operating" grace is that by which God
works in men, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure, #Php 2:13.
"Co-operating" grace is that by which men act, being acted or wrought
upon, and by which they run, being drawn, #So 1:4. And "subsequent"
grace is that by which the work of grace is carried on, and performed until the
day of Christ, #Php 1:6. Though there seems to be no great need of these distinctions; the most proper epithet of the grace of God, as
displayed in regeneration, calling, and conversion, is, that it is
"efficacious"; it never fails of its effects: and it is always
"persevering" grace, and is never lost or comes to nothing; but
issues in everlasting salvation; and all is owing to unmerited goodness. Every
grace implanted in regeneration, flows from the free favour and good will of
God. Faith is a gift, a free grace gift, a distinguishing
gift; not given to all men, only to whom the Lord pleases, #Eph 2:8 2Th 3:2.
Repentance is a grant of God's grace, a gift of Christ, and a blessing of the
covenant, #Ac 5:31 11:18 #Eze 36:26. Hope is a good hope through grace; what
men, in a state of nature, are without; and which God, of his free grace,
gives, #2Th 2:16. The same may be said of every other grace, love,
humility, patience, &c.
8. Lastly, Eternal life is the
free gift of God, through Christ, a free grace gift through him, #Ro 6:23. The
introduction of all the Lord's people into the enjoyment of it, will be
attended with shouts and acclamations, crying "grace, grace, unto
it!" #Zec 4:7 and which will be the employment of
saints to all eternity; and so the great and ultimate end of God in their
salvation, will be answered, namely, "the glory of his grace", #Eph
1:6.
{1} "Non enim Dei gratia,
gratia erit ullo modo, nisi gratuita fuerit omnimodo", Aug.
contra Pelag. de Peccat. Original. l. 2. p. 338.