Grace without Conditions?

Unconditional grace. Grace without conditions. This is something that is very difficult for us to comprehend and for good reason. But is it biblical? Does grace come without conditions?

As we talked about last Sunday morning, grace is something many people fail to understand as it flies in the face of our cultural norms. But I want us to understand that this is NOT a new issue but is something the church has wrestled with for many years. In fact… it has wrestled with this concept from its earliest days.

First, I want us to define by what I mean by grace without conditions or unconditional grace. To be clear: grace is fully given to those who place their faith in Jesus. So yes… salvation is a condition to receiving God’s grace.

Grace is extended to the believer through the work Jesus did for us on the cross. Jesus’ death on the cross opened the door for God’s grace to be poured out on all who would believe.

What does it mean to “believe” in God? Many people would say they “believe” in God but does that make a person a follower of Jesus? Does mere belief make a person a Christian?

A christian is not something we do… but become. HOW we become a Christian is central to the phrase unconditional grace.

Romans 10:9-11 says “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

Becoming means believing in your heart and professing with your mouth. When we believe in our heart, we understand that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus IS THAT SAVIOR we need. Our sins CANNOT be forgiven outside of Jesus. This belief… this faith leads to our justification in Christ.

The profession or declaration with our mouth is the outspoken acknowledgement of faith. Our mouth speaks out of the overflow of our heart (Jesus’ words) so the faith of our heart will be evident in the words from our mouth.

This truth is universal. This truth expands to all. It is by faith that we are saved. Jesus did ALL that was necessary. And once a person is saved, they now live and operate in the grace of God.

Look at verses 12 -13 of Romans 10. “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This all seems relatively simple, right? Yet even to this day, there is often a struggle to adding conditions to our salvation that are simply not biblical at all.

Again, God’s grace can be somewhat difficult to comprehend because it goes against the normal trends in our world. But God’s grace is given to ALL WHO BELIEVE. If you have faith in God, God’s grace is given to you! That’s true for you, and true for the rest of this world.

The church in Acts… was struggling with this concept. God was doing amazing things in the lives of the gentiles as the gospel message was being preached. But a group of believers were trying to add conditions to their salvation that were simply not necessary. They were holding on to the old… and struggling to embrace the new. Acts 15:5 tells of the issue saying, “Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

The problem: they were adding conditions to the salvific work of God.

Here’s what they failed to realize. In His death and resurrection, Jesus FULFILLED ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW on our behalf. When a person places their faith in Christ, they now come under this new covering, this new fulfilled reality, and receive the grace of God.

To be clear, Jesus did not abolish the law, but fulfilled its terms. And what these certain believers were trying to do was “test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither they (the Jews) nor their fathers had been able to bear” (Acts 15:10).

The answer to this dilemma can be found in the very next verse. Acts 15:11 says “We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

I felt led this week as I studied this passage to bring us together to pray on two points. One, that we NEVER add to or take away from the power of God’s grace and two, that we never take God’s grace for granted.

The Tricky Thing About God’s Grace

Too often I see the church adding conditions to the salvific work of Christ and honestly… in most cases… many believer don’t catch themselves doing it.

In Acts 15, the wrestling match began at the difference between Jew and gentile. The Jews had been circumcised in accordance with the law… but what mark did the gentiles bear signifying that they belonged to the body of Christ?

We may not wrestle with the distinctions between Jew and gentile, but if we are honest… there exists a similar struggle as believers expect nonbelievers to look and act a certain way before they are accepted. We add conditions to God’s grace.

Instead of looking to the work that God is doing in their heart, there is a fixation on the outward appearance that creates a reluctance or hesitation to see that person as a son or daughter of God.

Here’s the deal… none of us are here tonight because of what we have done. We are all here tonight because of what Christ has done for us!

Our justification… our righteousness is found in and through Jesus Christ. Our “mark” of salvation, if you will, is the Spirit of God who now dwells within our hearts. Ephesians 1:13-14 reads, “13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

When a person believes, not only do they come under the grace of God but they are also filled with the Spirit of God - a seal declaring they now belong to God!

Church, we cannot get into the habit of adding to the message of grace! But we must also be careful not to take away from or cheapen the message of God’s grace.

Once the problem and solution had been agreed upon in Acts 15, the church sent a letter to the gentile believers that encouraged them in their faith but also instructed them to walk away from the old life of sin.

Grace is NOT given to be abused. it is given to be enjoyed, but not trampled on. So long as a person genuinely calls upon the name of the Lord to be saved, that person is now a recipient of God’s grace.

Grace is not a license to do whatever we want. As we come under His grace, we should naturally leave the sin behind that God has delivered us from.

As the Spirit moves into the heart of the believer, he will guide and direct that person away from sin and closer to God. I say this carefully today: If a person claims to have given their life with Christ but chooses to remain in sin, I question their salvific experience for biblical reasons. 1 John 1:6 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

God’s grace is NOT given that we might remain in our sin… God’s grace is given that we might break free from all sin!

The first church realized inappropriate conditions were being communicated to the gentiles and such had to be corrected. But they also made the point to clarify that with God’s grace comes change. With God’s forgiveness comes transformation.

Prayer Points

And this brings us to our prayer time this evening. I NEVER want to underestimate the power of God’s grace! However, I never want to ever take advantage of God’s grace!

We need to make sure that we do not get in the habit of adding conditions to the salvific work of Jesus Christ. His blood was enough! And when we see people… I pray we see them as Christ sees them… I pray we see them as Christ see us.

Jesus gave His life for ALL. And it is not His desire for His church to heap on burdensome conditions for salvation. Jesus did all that was necessary.

Prayer point one is this: Help us God not to add conditions to the grace You are pouring out. Help us God to remember that we come as we are as we receive your grace.

Secondly, I want us to pray that in Christ, we come as we are but do not remain as we were. I want us to pray for God’s grace to TRANSFORM hearts. I want us to pray for God’s Spirit to lead people away from sin and closer to God. Prayer point two: Help us, God to never take your grace for granted! Transform our lives as we let go of the old and come alive in the new!