The Grace of Christ, or,
Sinners Saved by Unmerited Kindness
William S. Plumer, 1853
"We believe it is through the grace of our
Lord Jesus that we are saved." Acts 15:11
Self-righteousness is worthless. Man needs a Savior
Our own merits are of no avail for salvation. Man never
deserves the favorable regard of God. The more self-righteous any one is,
the worse it is for him. He, who is found with a little counterfeit money on
him, may be suspected; but he, who knowingly carries much of it, may be
convicted. Self-righteousness is spurious coin. Whoever relies on his own
goodness for salvation will surely perish. He puts darkness for light and
bitter for sweet. He turns judgment into wormwood and righteousness into
hemlock. Self-righteousness is a condemnation of God's law and an
impeachment of his justice.
There are but two ways in which man ever had solid peace
with God. The first is by having a heart and life free from sin. When Adam
was holy, his peace was unbroken. But we have all sinned, and this door is
forever closed against our race. Of all that have been born of woman, but
one entered heaven by his own merits. That one was Jesus, the Son of God.
The other way for us to have peace is to flee to Christ who is our peace,
and has made peace for all who believe on him. Those who receive him shall
never come into condemnation. Their peace shall be like a river, which
widens and deepens the farther it flows.
The way in which some secure a false peace and destroy
themselves, is to shut their eyes on their offences, sear their own
consciences, and persuade themselves that they are not truly and fearfully
guilty, and have not grievously sinned against God. They spend their days in
framing excuses, perhaps vindications of a life of rebellion and sin; or
they boldly deny their guilt in every particular, as did the Jews in the
days of Malachi, and of our Savior.
Self-righteousness seems to be born with sin, and to grow
with its growth. A disposition to deny criminality is universal among men.
Nothing but divine grace can effectually cure the habit of
self-justification. One honest confession is a better sign of amendment, and
promises more good than all excuses and denials. Indeed no saving mercy can
come to him who will not confess his sins. The reason is that to him, who
thinks he has no malady—all medicine is offensive. "The whole need not a
physician." He who thinks he knows—will not inquire. He who says he
sees—will not ask for a light. How can he wish to be better, who is already
in his own esteem good enough? How can he who believes he has done no wrong,
ask for pardon? Forgiveness to the 'innocent' is impossible. To
absolve the guiltless is an absurdity. The very offer of mercy to the
sinless is an indignity.
Nothing in human nature seems to be more obstinate, or
more difficult to eradicate than a self-righteous spirit. Without the grace
of Christ going before, no man ever sought or desired a new heart, or a
gracious pardon. Left to themselves, men will live in sin, die in sin, and
lie down in eternal sorrow, rather than renounce their own goodness and
abandon their self-righteous hopes.
It tends greatly to strengthen these delusions when men
can plead natural amiability of temper, or a fair standing with the world
for truth, justice and honor, or a decent and serious attention to the
ordinances of religion. Christ said to the most exact observers of the
Mosaic ritual, "the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before
you." "There are many who think they are safe, so long as they can find
others worse than themselves. As if the fox should thank God that he is not
a bear; or the wolf that he is not a lion; or the swine that he is not a
wolf; whereas all this is nothing to the purpose, because God has called his
children to be sheep, neither shall any species of unclean beasts be
tolerated in the Christian society, unless they become sensible of their
sinful disposition, and put it off as fast as they can by repentance and
conversion."
All observation goes to show that there is not a more
hopeless class of offenders than those who trust in themselves that they are
righteous. "All our righteous acts are as filthy rags." "If I wash myself in
snow-water, and make my hands ever so clean, yet shall you plunge me in the
ditch and my own clothes shall abhor me. For he is not a man as I am, that I
should answer him, and we should come together in judgment." Job 9:30-32.
"If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" Psalm
130:3. See also Job 4:17-20, and 15:15, 16, and 9:2, 3. How wisely did David
plead, "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight shall
no man living be justified." Psalm 143:2. It is the part of wisdom for every
mortal to say "If I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me: if I say,
I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse." Job 9:20. Let us confess,
"all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own
way."
Peter has forewarned us that "God resists the proud, and
gives grace to the humble." Here is the secret of the difference of the
treatment received by the pharisee and the publican, the one with unhumbled
heart pleading his own goodness, the other crying "God be merciful to me a
sinner." Indeed it is the unvarying law of God's government that "whoever
shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he who humbles himself shall be
exalted." "Christ came not to call the righteous," he came to call "sinners
to repentance."
All this is well summed up in the Heidelberg Catechism:
62. But why cannot our good works be the whole or part of our righteousness
before God? Because that the righteousness which can be approved of before
the tribunal of God, must be absolutely perfect, and in all respects
conformable to the divine law; and also, that our best works in this life,
are all imperfect and defiled with sin.
63. What! do our good works merit nothing, which yet God will reward in this
and a future life? This reward is not of merit, but of grace.
64. But does not this doctrine make men careless and profane? By no means;
for it is impossible that those who are implanted into Christ by a true
faith, should not bring forth the fruits of thankfulness.
The effect of all God's saving dealings with men's souls,
is ultimately to bring them to remember their ways, and all their doings
wherein they have been defiled; and to loathe themselves in their own sight
for all their evils that they have committed, and to know that God is the
Lord, when he has wrought with them for his name's sake, and not according
to their wicked ways, nor according to their corrupt doings. Ezek. 20:43,
44.
From all that has been said it follows that man needs the
grace of Christ. Where evil exists—a remedy is called for. He who is
sick—needs a physician. It would be better for the blind—if their eyes were
opened; for the deaf—if their ears were unstopped; for the halt—if their
lameness were taken away. The unclean need washing; the condemned, pardon.
Those who are not holy should be renewed. To the diseased even painful
remedies are a kindness. The perishing need mercy; the guilty need grace.
The lost should be sought and found. The starving require bread; the
thirsty, water; the wounded, oil and wine; the cold and naked, raiment and
shelter.
The truth is, we are dead in trespasses and sins, yes,
twice dead. How strong this language, and yet how just! If any man fights
against it, his quarrel is with God, not with those, who by divine command
preach the doctrine. The Bible is a sober book. It never mocks us. It never
trifles with any man's feelings. It gives no idle alarms. It scatters all
needless fears, and cuts up superstition by the roots. Yet it says, we are
dead, twice dead, dead by nature; dead by actual transgression; dead by the
law; dead by a willful, ungrateful, unbelieving rejection of Christ. What a
death! Men are dead, like a very dry tree, which is ready to be plucked up
by the roots. If a spark touches it, it is soon all in a blaze. There is in
unconverted men, no spiritual life, no warmth of affection, towards God and
holiness. They have no good hope through grace. The life and love of God are
not in them. Separated from God, they cannot live. For as the branch severed
from the vine, or the arm from the body; or the body from the soul is dead,
being alone, so the spirit of man without God is dead also.
Surely man in this state needs a Savior. Never were
necessities so extreme. If God intended to do something, "which angels would
desire to look into," what would more surely gain his end, than to provide a
Savior for lost men? It is no insult to offer grace to such rebels as we
are. A little humility, faith and love, would make us all adopt as our
creed, the words of Peter: "We believe that through the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they." At least we should say, that
we never can be saved otherwise, and should greatly desire to be saved in
this blessed way. If not thus saved, we are forever undone. Our true wisdom
is to cry, "We do not present our supplications before you for our
righteousness, but for your great mercies." Dan. 9:18.
This brings us naturally to the consideration of the
amazing grace, actually shown to men in their salvation by Jesus Christ.