Among the many names under which it has pleased God to make Himself known none is sweeter to the heart of the Christian than this—"The God of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:1010But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)). To grace we owe everything; it is the parent spring of all blessing. Exclude grace, and you exclude pardon and peace, eternal life and endless glory; for these are the gifts which grace—the free, unmerited favor of God—brings from the heavenly treasury. Let grace go, and nothing remains but our deserts; the light of day is gone, and we are shut up to a night that shall never end. It is the grace of God that brings salvation to all men (Titus 2:1111For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, (Titus 2:11)). By grace the believer is justified (Rom. 3:2424Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Romans 3:24)); by grace he is saved (Eph. 2:88For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8)); and in grace he stands (Rom. 5:22By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2)). The redemption which he has in Christ is according to the riches of God's grace, for He is rich in grace (Eph. 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)). Moreover, in the ages to come, He will show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:77That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)). Angels, principalities, and powers shall then see Grace in her garments of glory. Never will she look more beautiful than when her handiwork is fully seen in the taking of poor sinners from the lowest depths of degradation and displaying them in association with Christ in the glory of God.
Well might Paul exhort Timothy to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:11Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:1)). Well might he say to the Hebrews, "It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace" (Heb. 13:99Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. (Hebrews 13:9)). And well might he declare for himself that his only desire was that he might finish his course with joy, and pursue the ministry which he had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the glad tidings of the grace of God (Acts 20:2424But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)). Let us exalt Grace. Let us crown her with garlands—the rich, free, boundless grace of our God—for she is worthy to be praised.
But while it is true that every believer is set in the changeless grace of God, that he is always there, and never will cease to be in divine favor, yet let it be remembered that grace does not place him beyond the sphere of divine government. In this connection, his actions, the state of his soul, the way he carries himself hour by hour, acquire an importance not easily exaggerated. Grace and government go on together; they proceed on parallel lines; and if the believer is the object of the former, he is no less subject to the latter. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Gal. 6:7, 87Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7‑8). This is an abiding principle of God's government, from the application of which, either on the side of warning or encouragement, grace exempts none.
The lives of many of the Old Testament saints furnish striking examples of this great principle, by the aid of which we are able to distinguish clearly between grace and government. And this great principle of God's government changes not with the change of dispensations. "Them that honor Me I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." 1 Sam. 2:3030Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. (1 Samuel 2:30). Let us not think that because we are the subjects of divine grace, therefore we are beyond the range of divine government. Not so. For what do those words in 1 Pet. 1:1717And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: (1 Peter 1:17) mean? "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." Do they not tell us that if sovereign grace has set us in eternal relationship with the Father, giving us the place of children before Him, therefore the Father observes our ways, judges our actions and their motives, and deals with us accordingly? What a man sows, that shall he also reap. If a saint of God sows to the flesh, what shall the harvest be? Shall he reap joy and peace in the Holy Ghost? Sooner shall men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles.
In the face, then, of the fact that God does govern among men, let us ask ourselves, To what are we sowing? What are the things in which our hearts and minds live? Are we sowing to the Spirit? Do we heed the Word of God? Is the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven the One with whom we are increasingly occupied? There is untold blessing in being engaged with Him. "He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Let us seek the things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God; seek them as one that seeks for hidden treasure. Then we shall taste of heavenly springs, and shall sit under His shadow with great delight; and His fruit shall be sweet to our taste.
And if there be in our soul the humbling consciousness of having declined from Christ, we would desire to remember that we have to do with the God of all grace. However low we may have sunk, however great and grievous our declension, the thought of God as the God of all grace may encourage us to return to Him with a heart softened by the recollection of grace so unchanging, and loathing ourselves that we could have ever turned away from One whose grace is unwearied and inexhaustible.