Grace And Debt
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:4,5).
As
we look back at all the Old Testament types: the physical types, the
narratives, the sacrifices, we exclaim: “The cross was not an accident,
nor an afterthought on God’s part: He had it in mind all the while.”
Surely Paul was right when he said of believers that “[God] 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” (II Tim. 1:9).
It
is on the basis of the cross, typified all through the Old Testament,
that God now saves us by grace through faith alone, and the types show
that this was indeed His eternal purpose. Furthermore salvation should
be by grace through faith.
As
our text, above, declares: if man could earn his salvation it would be
the payment of a debt, not the bestowal of a gift — and God will never
be indebted to anyone. He will never be in a position where He owes us,
sinners, a debt. Nor will He ever allow us to disgrace ourselves and
annoy others by our boasting about how we earned eternal life. But He
can, on the basis of the penalty paid at Calvary, bestow salvation as a
free gift. This is why we read:
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).“It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).
God
owed Abraham nothing, but seeing his faith He said, in effect: “This
man believes Me; I will count his faith for righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).
And this He still does for those who trust Him, only He has now revealed
the basis for this action: Christ’s payment for sins at Calvary. This
is why, in Romans 4:5, He forbids works for salvation and declares that
the believer’s faith is “counted for righteousness.”
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Les Feldick Ministries
30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.
Kinta, OK 74552
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