The Lord Jesus was condemned for meeting the needs of the poor, sick, and outcasts. The scribes and Pharisees found fault with Him for eating with publicans and sinners, and for healing on the Sabbath (Mark 2-3). Grace that blesses the sinner is offensive to religious pride. Consider Jonah—he made himself a little booth (Jonah 4:5) so that he might sit and observe the fruits of his preaching, the destruction of Nineveh! God had other plans; the people of Nineveh had repented—marvelous grace (Jonah 3). The kingdom of God had come in the person of Christ; its power could not be constrained. “No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles” (Mark 2:21-22). The first saying shows that grace cannot be attached to law; they are separate and distinct principles. A union will not work without one destroying the other. The old garment must be discarded altogether. The second shows that grace is expansive and cannot be contained by law. We have an example in the story of the Syrophoenician woman. She first approached the Lord on the basis of God’s covenant relationship with Israel: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David” (Matt. 15:22). But this would never do; she was shutout from the commonwealth of Israel. When she comes without warrant, as the little dog under the table, then the out-pouring of grace must reach even this woman of Canaan: “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt” (Matt. 15:28). When our thoughts begin with self, our hearts are going to be constrained. “Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us” (Luke 9:49). Religious pride is not limited to the Jew. We all too easily fall into the trap of self-satisfaction. In the presence of God there is no room for self at all, and it is only there that we will find the divine source of all grace and blessing. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).
All will ultimately prove to be “To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6). The excellencies of God’s grace will be on full display in the church. It is notable that the word accepted (χαριτοω) has the same root as grace and means highly favored. One feels his inadequacy in presenting this subject. There is much left for personal meditation—the one who takes this up will be richly rewarded.
Grace taught our wandering feet
To tread the heavenly road;
And new supplies each hour we meet
While traveling home to God.
’Twas grace that wrote each name
In God's eternal book;
'Twas grace that gave us to the Lamb,
Who all our burdens took.
Grace saved us from the foe,
Grace taught us how to pray;
And God will ne'er His grace forego,
Till we have won the day.
May grace, free grace, inspire
Our souls with strength divine;
May every thought to God aspire,
And grace in service shine.
Grace all the work shall crown
Through everlasting days;
It lays in heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.