What Does the Bible Say About Being Justified by Grace #2?

In this episode, Arnie, Glenn and Eric continue the discussion of what the Bible says about being justified by grace. Glenn begins by reviewing what we discussed in the last session. We move to looking at some of the doctrinal errors concerning justification by grace. We note that there are some who believe and teach that grace is extended unconditionally to all people contrary to the fact that the Bible teaches that God requires both faith and obedience. We look at a couple of passages that relate to this point. Eric takes a short look at Calvinism, what is involved in this error and several Bible passages that show the problem with this erroneous teaching. We move to look at Judaism and several New Testament passages that show us the problems with that current religion. Being justified by faith only is a popular belief today as well. We discuss several passages that clearly show this to be an erroneous teaching and belief. This episode is closed out as we begin to talk about man's condition before we begin to enjoy God's grace. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

Transcript

Fred Gosnell: 0:00

This is a presentation of the Woodland church of Christ, meeting at 3370 Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina. We meet for worship on Sunday at ten thirty am and five thirty pm we meet for bible study at nine thirty am on Sunday and seven pm on Wednesday. If you have questions or comments on this lesson, you may email them to Arnie Granke at agranke440718@twc.com or to Glenn Landrum at scbamaboy2003@yahoo.com or to Eric McClam at ericmcclam50@outlook.com.

Arnie: 0:47

Good afternoon. This is Arnie Granke and Glenn Landrum and and I have Eric with me again tonight. He he wasn't able to be with us last week, but he's back back back this evening, and this is what does the Bible say? And in our last session, we began talking about the subject of grace. Oh, I ought to mention that we're with the church of Christ at Woodland in Sumter, South Carolina. We're on highway 76 and 378 and we would love to have you drop in and visit if you happen to be in the Sumter area, and have a study with us. We would enjoy doing that with you, Glenn. you want to pick up where we left off there on, on the subject of grace last Lord's day?

Glenn: 1:51

Sure. First of all, I'll kind of recap what we talked about the past couple of weeks. Well, first of all, we gave an introduction to this, this subject of being justified by grace, and we talked about that a bit. Then last week, we, we defined what what grace is, and we we defined it in in a few different ways. We first said that it's an attitude of friendly disposition or from which a gift or kindly act mercy or charity proceeds, and which act proceeds from God, God. We talked about it being a spiritual state or condition that's entered into by faith. We talked about it being a gift which God's Will provides, and that grace is equal to salvation. We said that it's not a reward for good works. And I think most, most everyone can relate to to that for that's that's a common teaching, that that grace is not, we don't receive grace because of what we do. But there are some doctrinal errors concerning grace. In other words, there are groups or people, denominations, if you will, who teach error concerning grace. Universalism is one of those errors, and universalism teaches unconditional grace to everyone. The New Testament teaches faith and obedience. Hebrews 11, six, which should be familiar to the most, most everyone says, But without faith, it is impossible to be well pleasing unto Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is that that God is and that He, that's God, is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. That's a basic passage that we need to understand when we're talking and talking about faith, is that that is exactly what it's said. But without faith, we have to have that faith, and at some point here, we're going to go further into defining what faith really is. Well, without faith is impossible to please God. We have to have true faith in order to please Him. Another passage that would would read it be Mark 16, 15, and 16. Now we've read this several times over the past few weeks, and you may remember it and he that's Jesus said unto them, Go you into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. So these passages refute that idea of unconditional grace to all. Unconditional grace to all would mean that everyone, regardless who, who they who they are and what they do, what all they would all they would need to do is have in their mind this thought that I believe in God, and I believe in Jesus, and the grace would be granted to them. Now we've talked about what this grace, that it is a gift from God, but it's something that's offered, and there are some conditions that are required of us in order to accept that gift.

Eric: 5:58

And another part concerning grace, that that's false, that's being falsely taught. Uh, concerning Calvinism, which Calvinism teaches God, precreation, immutable choice means certain persons would be saved and certain others would be condemned. As we can see in Hebrews, chapter two, verse nine, Christ died for all, and it says, But we behold Him who have been made little, made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that by the grace of God he shall taste, he should taste death, taste of death for every man. And also in Titus, chapter two, verses 11 and 12, it says, For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to the intent that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world. And also in Romans, chapter one, verses 16 and 17, Paul said that, I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believe it, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek, For therein is revealed the righteousness of God from faith unto faith, as it is as it is written, but the righteous shall live by faith. And as we read all that, and when they talking about that, just onece saved, always, saved, if you look in Romans, chapter two, verses 11, for there is no respect the person of God. So Jesus, Jesus died for us all. Jesus died for us all.

Arnie: 8:03

I grew up in a community that was largely Jewish, and so let me mention something here about the the subject of of Judaism. Judaism also is, is a faith that has an has errors in it, with regard to lots of things that the New Testament deals with, but one of them happens to happens it to deal with with God's grace. And the problem there is the fact that Judaism limits God's grace to a particular group of people. Christians would not be eligible for it, in the opinion of scholars in the Jewish faith. And it limits God's physical descendants, limits people to just those who are physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and then any that would be considered proselytes. These would be people that convert to to Judaism. If you're not in one of those races, one of those groups, then you're not eligible to receive God's grace. And of course, that doesn't take into consideration things that that we're looking at from the from the New Testament, because Jewish people generally don't believe in, in in the New Testament. But the the New Testament includes Gentiles as as being eligible for for God's. Uh, grace. Romans chapter three is, is a passage that would that would discuss that, beginning in verse 19, Paul asks the question, Or is God the God of Jews only? That's the subject that we're really dealing with right here at the moment. Is he not the God of the Gentiles also? Yea, he of Gentiles also. If so be, that God is one, he shall justify the circumcision by faith. And of course, circumcision would be, generally speaking, a term that you would use with regard to Judaism, but also a lot of Gentiles are circumcised as well. I don't know that that would necessarily qualify here in what Paul is writing about, because not everybody that is circumcised has has faith in the first place. But he says, Yea of Gentiles also, if so be that God is one, and he shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. So our our faith as Christians, qualifies us, if other things are in accordance with God's will, that qualifies us to receive the the grace of of God. Glenn, you want to pick up from there? Well,

Glenn: 11:45

Well, first of all, I'll go back and mention that that, that passage that you first read in Romans three, that's actually 29 and 30 and doesn't begin at verse 19, but,

Arnie: 11:58

Oh, did I say 19?

Glenn: 11:59

You said 19. But that passage, when he's talking about the circumcision and uncircumcision, those are actually terms that refer to the Jews being circumcision and uncircumcision being Gentiles. So that's that's a reference to those groups of people, and he's saying that through that, that now both are accepted, as long as they believe in God and believe in Jesus and meet those conditions. Well, there's, there's another idea and doctrine that's taught by by many groups, and that would be the the idea of faith only. That faith only is required for for grace. Now you remember we, we read that passage in in Ephesians, two, eight and nine earlier. Which told us about about grace, and that's, that's one of the, the key verses that that most people will use when referring to to grace. Ephesians, 2, 8 and 9, says, For by grace, you are saved through faith, that not of yourself. It is the gift of God, not of works. Lest any man should boast. Now I'm going to go ahead and read verse 10 as well, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ. Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Well, this idea of faith only generates from, primarily from from this passage where, where God has actually saying that that grace is that gift that He's He's offering, and that we can't earn it. There's nothing that we can do. There are no things that we can do to actually earn grace or earn salvation. We, but there are conditions, and that's the one of the things we've been trying to to show in this study, that there are some some conditions. But the Bible does teach other conditions, and we've covered many of these, these conditions through, throughout the time that we've we've been studying. We said Mark 16, 16, we read that a few moments ago. It's 16, 16, through 18. And it says, He and He said unto them, Go into the all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. And so that's by verses, 15 and 16. So, two conditions there are mentioned, believe and being baptized. Alright also in Acts 3, 19, 19 and 20, It tell tells that that one would need to to repent. Repent ye therefore and turn again that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Christ who has been appointed for you, even Jesus. So without repenting, we can't have our sins forgiven. If we can't have our sins forgiven, we can't be saved. So that's another condition. Or another condition after, after that, we find would be we mentioned baptism, and we've read Acts two, and we've read Titus three, several times, mentioning that baptism or that washing of regeneration is a, is a requirement or a condition. First Peter 3, 20, and 21, When the long suffering God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was apreparing, wherein few, that is eight, souls, were saved through water, which also, after a true likeness does now save you even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of flesh, but the response of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So once again, it's at baptism. One, one that we've not mentioned is, is confession. Um, Matthew, 10,10, 28 I believe is 10 32 I believe it's that passage. 10, 32 is a passage that where Christ says, If you, if you confess me, I will confess you to the Father in heaven. If you do not confess Me, I will not confess you. Romans, 9, 10, nine and 10 also mentioned that confession is required for salvation. So these are conditions that we find that that must be met. And it's not faith, only. Faith is is required, but we need to understand what faith is and what faith does, and we'll try, before we end this lesson, we'll talk a little bit more about what faith truly is,

Eric: 17:36

Okay. And as you was talking about that, not faith only. There are a lot of people out there that believe that's all you have to have, is just faith and faith only. But not faith only, but you have to have the works included with that as well. If you in James, chapter two, verses 21 through 24 was talking about Abraham. Abraham, it says, Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works, in that he offered up his son, his son upon the altar. Thou seeth that faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect, and the scriptures was fulfilled which said and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness and he and he was called the friend of God. You see that by works, a man is justified and not by faith only. Also concerning works in John, chapter six, verses 27 to 29 it says, Work not for the food which perish, perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you. For him, the Father, even God, has sealed They said therefore unto him, What must we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God that you believe on Him, whom he has sent. We have to have works and faith as we are trying to teach others God's word, but everything is just not faith only. You got to have the works along with the faith.

Arnie: 19:31

And, and that's a that's an area that many of our religious neighbors, you know, trip up on that and, and we're not, we're not trying to accuse anybody. We just, we just want to be sure that that the word gets out there to them so that they can decide whether they're going to agree with that or or disagree with it. We're just trying. To teach what the Bible says and, and we don't have any kind of a a group of people who are senior to the rest of us, and they tell us what we're supposed to believe in order to be Christians. What all we have is the Bible and, and all of the Bible, Old Testament, New Testament. But being a Christian, of course, isn't discussed very much, except in prospect, in the Old Testament and and the New Testament, of course, is written to to disciples by the various writers so that they would understand what they needed to do and how they were to conduct themselves and and things of of that sort. I think Eric You mentioned a couple minutes ago us speaking about man's condition before we began to receive grace. Let's talk about that for a little bit there. In Titus, in Titus, chapter three, and beginning in, just just that one verse, verse three, For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. That's pretty much the way most of the world responds to a lot of things and and that's one of the things that changes, of course, when, when they obey the the gospel. But the point is that that sin is is common to the human race. There's not an individual that we can point to except Christ Himself and and say he's never sinned. Jesus never did. Yeah, but all the rest of us surely have and, and I would suspect that it's on a much, much more frequent base than basis than most of us would would want to admit. It could even be several times in the course of the day, in various ways. Not all sin is is gross behavior, but sometimes things that we ignore or things that we forget, things that we should have done, that we didn't do, that falls into the category of of sin as as well. So in in that respect, we we missed the boat. Another passage, I think that that deals with that is in Romans, chapter five, Paul writes there, and beginning in verse 12, and he and he said, Therefore, as through one man, sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death passed unto all men. For that all, that all sinned. So death comes upon us even before we become old enough to to know the difference between righteousness and sin. Even while we're infants, we might be subject to death, and all of that is because of the fact that it's characteristic of what we endure as as human beings. There are a couple more passages here. I'll pass them on. Let let Glenn mention them, if you'd like.

Glenn: 23:56

Yeah, before I do that, I'm going to step back just just a bit. I mentioned this thing about us understanding faith, and before we move on from from that faith only, well, we've already started to move on, but we've, we've covered that pretty well. But there's, there's a few points I wanted to make about that. And here's the question would be, is, what is faith? Is faith just simply, I think, in our mind we say that we believe? Or is it something more than that? I believe it is something, something more. And we, we have some, some specific passages that that tell us about that. Hebrews 11, one, and most, maybe are familiar with it. Now., faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Well, it's talking about there being a substance there. There's something that really shows us that that what we're what we're believing, is actually true. When we read in Romans, one, Paul mentioned to the Romans that these things were were evident to to all people, and they were clearly evident to what what God had done. Most of you may be familiar with Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11, generally is kind of known as being Ah, the the hall of faith, or kind of the Hall of Fame of those who were faithful. And one of the key points we need to need to see when we read Hebrews 11 and we read about all those people who demonstrated their faith, is exactly that point that that they had faith, and they actually did something about it. They demonstrated that faith. They showed that they had faith. It wasn't just simply that they, they did believe and have faith, but they they demonstrated that faith. Uh, Eric read from James two a few moments ago, and he read a couple of those verses. But if you read verses 14 through 24 you actually find that that James is giving a great example for for faith and what faith really is. He gives an example of Abraham and how Abraham actually put into action his faith. It wasn't just a thing that he said. He said that he believed, he actually put his son on an altar and was ready to sacrifice his son before the angel kept him from doing so, he actually demonstrated his faith, knowing that God would raise his son back. So this is the thing about faith. Faith isn't just a belief, a thought in our mind, faith is actually us demonstrating, showing that that we we believe. And that was the point that was made in James two, where he says, By by works, faith was made perfect. It's by those things that that that that have been done, those things that Abraham did, that actually demonstrated his faith. So we also should be willing to demonstrate our faith and show that we have faith. It's not knowing that it doesn't earn us anything, but because we have been saved, we are changed, and we live like God wants us to live. So moving on from from where Arnie was just talking a moment ago, Romans, Five, Verse 12, it says, Therefore, as though one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, so death passed unto all men, so that all sin, I think he read that. But this is simply saying that through Adam by by Adam sinning. That's in a in a sense, got the ball rolling, if you want to say that it it got things started, and then after that, everyone was subject to sin. We know Romans, 6, 23, and most are probably familiar with. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. So what does this mean? Well, when we, when we work for something, or when we're doing things and we there's, there's often a payment. We get a payment. But if we do things that are wrong, there's there's a payment for what we do, and so the payment for sin, for doing things against God, is death. But we learned that the free gift, the gift of God, is eternal life. That's salvation. We've been saying that, and this is the scripture that actually puts words to it, that shows that that grace, that he done, that gift of God, is eternal life or salvation.

Arnie: 29:55

You know, let me, let me back up to something that you were talking about with the. Uh, with Abraham offering his, Oh, I have to make it quick here, because we're about out of time. Uh, offering his son. Isaac, lest anybody think that Abraham was just involved in undue violence, he had been instructed by God to do that, and then God gave him further instructions to not do that afterward, there. Anyway, we we are out of time. We appreciate you listening to us. We hope that you'll come back and be with us again next Lord's Day. And if you have the opportunity to worship with us here in Sumter, we're at 3170 Broad Street extension, and we hope that you come and drop in and and worship with us. Have a good week.