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Saved By Grace
Summary
In the previous study we learned that before time began God chose His elect without factoring in anything those individuals were going to do in their lives. In other words, He did not just look down the corridors of time and say, "That person is going to turn to Me in his life so I will elect Him." The elect's future actions had nothing to do with the decision God made (see Study on The Elect Were Predestined).
In this study we will examine how it is that God saves one of His elect during his or her life. We will discover that God draws His elect and this drawing always results in the elected individual turning to God. God gives the individual spiritual life, which causes the individual to have a desire to be obedient to God.
Those That God Draws Do Become Saved
No one can become saved until God draws them:
"No one can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44)
And everyone that God draws does eventually become saved:
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14)
This is because God causes His chosen ones to approach Him:
"Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in they courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy calling." (Psalm 65:4)
Furthermore, when we look at God's usage of the word "draw," we find that it always relates to an action that is irresistible to the person or thing being drawn. The word "draw" in the verse above (John 6:44) is translated from the Greek word helkuo, which is found 7 other times in the Bible. For example, Paul was irresistibly drawn out of the temple:
"And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew [helkuo] him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut." (Acts 21:30)
Paul and Silas were drawn forcibly into the marketplace:
"And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew [helkuo] them into the marketplace unto the rulers" (Acts 16:19)
The word is also used in the drawing of a sword (John 18:10) and the drawing of fish (John 21:6-11), and of course neither the sword nor the fish could resist those drawings.
Those That God Grants Spiritual Understanding Do Become Saved
Everyone that is granted spiritual understanding does come to God:
"It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh to me." (John 6:45)
We receive spiritual understanding as part of our soul being brought to life, which was previously dead:
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2:13)
Those God Works Within Do Become Saved
It is because of what God has first done within us that makes us fully turn to Him in repentance:
"And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and that thou mayest live." (Deuteronomy 30:6)
Anyone God chooses to work in does not get left behind:
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6)
Once we become saved, God causes us to have a desire to follow His commandments:
"They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn." (Jeremiah 31:9)
Nothing We Do Contributes To Becoming Saved
God says that our salvation is entirely His doing. We can't claim we played any part in it:
"For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them." (Ezekiel 36:24-27)
God makes it perfectly clear that our salvation is not based on some decision we made:
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." (John 15:16)
If our salvation was based on some decision that we made, then we could no longer say we are saved by grace:
"Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Romans 11:5-6)
Works Will Not Save Us
It's commonly quoted in the Christian community that we are not saved by works:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16)
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2 Timothy 1:9)
"(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;") (Romans 9:11)
But then the churches turn right around and say, "But here's what you can do to get yourself saved."
According to the Bible, works are defined as any action that is obedient to God:
"And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not." (Jonah 3:10)
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" (Matthew 7:22)
The Bible commands us in many places to believe in Christ. The Greek word for "believe" is the same as for "faith," the only difference being that one is a verb and one is a noun. Since believing in Christ is a commandment, following that commandment would be a work, based on the definition of "work" that the Bible has given us. Not surprisingly, therefore, the Bible describes faith as a work:
"Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father" (1 Thessalonians 1:3)
"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thessalonians 1:11)
Knowing that we are not saved by works we know that faith will not save us.
In fact, our faith was given to us by God. It's not something we mustered up on our own:
"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."
(Phillipians 1:29)
Faith is the result of, not the cause of, our salvation:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" (Galatians 5:22)
This will not work for the free-will doctrine because that doctrine needs to be able to instruct its followers to do something to get themselves saved. It acknowledges that being a kind person or living a moral life is a work and therefore will not save someone, but it has to leave something on the table as an action we can perform to get ourselves saved. It therefore tells people that if they believe in Christ and say a certain prayer and maybe get baptized, then they will be saved. However, those things are also commandments of God so obeying them is also a work and therefore will not save us.
We then ask ourselves, "Well, what then can I do to become saved?" That's just it, we can't do anything. When we have an accurate understanding of the true nature of salvation we can really understand how powerful this statement is:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We have to wait and hope that God will save us:
"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD." (Lamentations 3:26)
Why A Saved Individual Desires To Be Obedient
We learned in our Study on The Creation of Man that mankind was created as a physical body with a spirit essence that, when alive, identifies entirely with God and cannot sin:
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9)
We also learned in our Study on Man Is Spiritually Dead that as a result of sin mankind became spiritually dead. The part of his being that could not sin died. However, when someone becomes saved God brings this part of his being back to life:
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1)
"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2:5)
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2:13)
This is why the Bible indicates that a sign that we may have become saved is if we keep His commandments:
"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1 John 2:3-4)
Being spiritually alive, we find ourselves being happier when we obey God. However, we still have our physical body which desires to sin. Therefore, there is a war that goes on inside a saved individual:
"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." (Galatians 5:17)
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