AMAZING GRACE!
... But he gives us more grace? That is why Scripture says; "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'' ' (James 4:6)
'The religion of the Bible is a religion of grace or it is nothing . . . no grace, no gospel'. Every Christian will echo that statement by Dr. James Moffatt in his book 'Grace in the New Testament'. One's mind runs immediately to Paul's matchless words, 'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith ‑ and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God ‑ not by works, so that no one can boast' (Ephesians 2:8‑9). Then there is his word to the elders at Ephesus when he describes his life's ministry as 'testifying to the gospel of God's grace (Acts 20:24). Peter, too, attributes the Christian's salvation entirely to 'the God of all grace' (1 Peter 5: 10).
There is a case for saying that other than the Divine names and titles, there is no greater word than 'grace' in the whole Bible. That being so, we shall take an overall look at its place in the Bible as a whole before concentrating on James's use of it here. Two headings will cover our complete study.
1. How it is given
It has been said that 'the essence of the doctrine of grace is that God is for us' and the Bible underlines this in at least three ways.
Firstly, common grace.
In Christian circles, we usually think of grace in terms of the crisis of salvation or the process of sanctification, but the Bible teaches us that God's grace covers a much wider area. David says 'The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made' (Psalm 145:9) and later adds 'You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing'. (Psalm 145:16) Is that not obviously true? The smallest bird, the tiniest animal, the most microscopic fish, all have their needs met by their Creator. They exist and survive only by his grace. In the same way all of humanity benefits from God's common grace, regardless of whether or not they respond to it in any way. Paul tells us that God is 'the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe (1 Timothy 4:10). This is obviously a crucial verse on the subject of common grace, because Paul says that God 'is the Saviour of all men'. What does he mean? Obviously he does not mean that he is their Saviour in the evangelical sense of saving them from sin and giving them eternal life; because in the: first place that would teach the unbiblical doctrine of universalism (that all men will eventually be saved) and in the second place it would render completely unnecessary Paul's next phrase 'especially of those who believe'. Then in what sense can we say that God is the Saviour of al1 men? If we were to take time to study the biblical development of the word 'Saviour', we would discover that some of its fundamental meanings include 'Preserver' and 'Deliverer', and if we apply Paul’s words with those definitions in mind we come to a perfectly satisfying explanation. God is the Saviour of all men. Every moment that a man enjoys the benefits of a healthy body, God is saving him from illness; if a man is sane, God is saving him from a diseased mind; to whatever degree a man knows the truth about any subject whatever, God is saving him from effort; when a man has food to eat and water to drink, God is saving him from starvation; ‑ every moment of good in a man's life is possible because God is; saving him from the forces of evil; every thought, word and deed that has the slightest element of rightness about it is possible because God is at work saving that man from utter and complete corruption; in every moment of life, God is saving from death. As William Hendriksen says, 'He provides his creatures with food, keeps them alive, is deeply interested in them, often delivers them from disease, ills, hurt, famine, war, poverty, and peril in any form. He is, accordingly, their Soter (Preserver, Deliverer, and in that sense Saviour).
This is common grace, in the sense that God pours it out upon all men regardless of their faith or infidelity. As Jesus himself put it, 'He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends~ rain on the just and the unjust' (Matthew 5:45). God pours out this common grace upon all men without distinction, upon the downright sinner as well as the upright saint! To quote Hendriksen again, 'There is no one who does not in one way or another come within reach of his benevolence'.
Secondly, covenant grace.
This is what Paul means when he speaks: of‑ 'this grace in which we (as Christians) now stand' (Romans 5:2). Unlike common grace, this is not given indiscriminately to all~ men, but only to those whom God calls and causes to receive his free gift of salvation. The first time the word occurs in the Bible is where we read that Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord'. (Genesis 6:8) (The word 'favour' translates the Hebrew chen which has the same meaning as ‘grace’? The immediate result was Noah's physical salvation, but the deeper truth is clear, and the whole context shows it to be a covenant word, as it is when used of God's dealings with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Indeed, the Old Testament teems with the idea of covenant grace, brought out in words such as 'mercy', 'kindness' and 'love'.
Turning to the New Testament we come across the surprising fact that Jesus never once used the word! Yet of course he had n o need to, for he was the very personification of the grace of God As John put it, 'grace and truth came through Jesus Christ' (John 1: 17). This does not mean that God did not reveal his grace and truth before the birth of Christ but that he displayed them in their fullest form. As Thomas Parker puts it in 'Baker's Dictionary of Theology', ' . . . we may say that grace means Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ means grace'.
The word 'grace' is a translation of the Greek charis, and it will help us to grasp its meaning in terms of salvation if we look at one particular verse in which it is used. This is where Paul says 'For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Romans 6:23). Now Paul's word 'gift is the Greek charisma, which means a gift that is free and unmerited. It stands in direct contrast to 'wages', which are worked for, earned, deserved, and makes it crystal clear that the Christian's salvation is his entirely as the result of the free, unmerited, covenant grace of God. In William Jenkyn's brilliant phrase, 'Grace is not native but donative'.
Few Christians have as dramatic a testimony as John Newton. A deserter, slave trader and infidel, the turning point in his ~life came when he miraculously survived the terrifying Atlantic storm that struck the trading ship 'The Greyhound' in March 17 48. After his conversion, he taught himself Greek and Hebrew, became a minister of the Gospel, and had a decisive influence ort William Wilberforce, who was to lead the successful campaign for the abolition of the slave trade. Newton also wrote a number of fine hymns, and one of the best‑known gives poetic expression to so much of what the Bible says about covenant grace:
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound!
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour l first believed!
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord his promised good to me,
His word my hope secures:
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine:
But God, who called me here below,
Will be for ever mine.
Thirdly, continuing grace.
This is the sense in which James is using; the word when he writes 'but (God) gives us more grace'. He is using the word 'grace' to speak of the God‑given help a Christian needs moment by moment if he is to counter the devastating forces of his old nature. At this point, let us try to link this in to the previous verse. In order to do so, we must place the question mark at the end of verse 5 instead of after the word 'grace' in the middle of verse 6. (We are perfectly entitled to do this, and I believe it is the only place where it makes obvious sense). Now what is the link between what James: said in verse 5 and his statement that '(God) gives us more grace?' If we accept the first
Interpretation of verse 5 that we considered, then James is saying that in contrast to our covetous, envious old nature the Holy Spirit's nature is to give. If the second interpretation is correct, James is saying that far from being responsible for our sins of jealousy, envy and covetousness, the Holy Spirit longs to pour in his continuing grace to enable us to overcome these very things. If we accept the third interpretation` which tells us of God's yearning for our holiness, then James is adding this reminder that God alone can empower‑ us to achieve it. In Thomas Manton's fine phrase, 'Grace is nothing but an introduction of the virtues of God into the soul'. Yet regardless of alternatives, the statement’s axiomatic ‑'(God) gives us more grace', and of that continuing grace we can add two further comments ‑The first is that it is according to God's nature. The verb 'gives' is the Greek didosin, a present indicative which implies giving which never ends. There is a story about an artist who submitted a painting of the Niagara Falls to an exhibition, but forgot to give it title. Faced with the need to supply one in the artist's absence, the organisers chose just three words ‑ 'More to follow'. Do you see why? Those surging waters had poured down for countless years, and had been harnessed to bring light, heating, power and comfort to multitudes of people ‑ yet there was more to follow. So with the grace of God; although multitudes have drawn on it for untold centuries, there is still more to follow from the hand of the one who can truly be described as 'the giving God' (1:5 The amplified Bible).
The second is that it is according to our need. The Amplified Bible has this wonderful elaboration of Hebrews 4:16 'Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace ‑ the throne of God's unmerited favour to us sinners; that we may receive mercy for our failures and find grace to help in good time for every need ‑ appropriate help and well‑timed help; coming just when we need it'. Surely that is a truth written into the experience of all the children of God? Just as God supplies food for all his creatures 'at the proper time' (Psalm 104:27), so he supplies perfectly measured grace to meet the needs of the godly. For daily need there is daily grace; for sudden need, sudden grace; for overwhelming need, overwhelming grace. God's grace is given wonderfully, but not wastefully; freely but not foolishly; bountifully but not blindly.. Annie Johnson Flint has perfectly captured the spirit of this in these well known lines;
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater;
He sendeth more grace when :the labours increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials His rnultiplied peace.
:
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done:
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources:
Our Father's full giving is only begun
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth and giveth again.
So much for our brief study of how grace is given. Now let us turn to the remainder of the text and notice
2. How it is governed.
'That is why scripture says; "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" '.
The essence of this statement is taught throughout the Old Testament, but James seems to have Proverbs 3:34 in mind – ‘(God) mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble' (also used by Peter in 1 Peter 5:5). James's point in quoting these words here is surely to show us how we can know this amazing grace of God of which he has been writing, or as Spiros Zodhiates puts it, 'to provide direction for the finite to participate in the infinite.’. Now the grace of God is infinite, boundless, limitless ‑ yet its application is governed by very specific laws. That may seem contradictory, but because those laws are Divine, they are perfectly consistent with the freedom of the grace being given. God's mind is not in conflict with his heart. James now tells us two ways in which the grace of God is governed.
Firstly, the proud in spirit are resisted.
'God opposes the proud'. The verb here is the Greek antitassetai, which literally means 'to arrange against'. It is a military term which could be translated 'to set in array as in a batttle', and the picture it conjures up is vivid and terrifying. Whereas the humble, godly man has the hosts of God encamped around him, the arrogant, godless man has the God of hosts arrayed against him! James is saying nothing less than that. But is his language too strong? Is he overstating the case? Not in the least! The Bible even goes so far as to say that 'The Lord detests all the proud of heart' (Proverbs 16:5). But why is pride singled out for such terrible condemnation? Thomas Manton sums up the Bible's answer to that question like this - 'other sins are more hateful to man, because they bring disgrace . . . .but the Lord hateth it because it is a sin that sets itself most against him. Other sins are against his law, this is against his being and sovereignty. Pride doth not only withdraw the heart from God, but lifteth it up against God . . . . Besides, pride is the cause of all other sins'. To recognise this is to understand precisely why the Bible speaks so clearly of God's implacable hatred of pride and his unyielding resistance to it.
How then does God resist the proud? He does so in many ways. To quote Thomas Manton again ‑'The proud man hath his tactics, and God hath his anti‑tactics!’ His quaint wording is rernarkably up-to‑date in our world of missiles, anti‑missiles and anti‑missile missiles! Try as he will, man's pride will: never get the better of God. How does God resist proud men? The Bible gives us a number of answers to that question. :
God resists the proud by refusing to speak. Recording one of the trials Jesus faced before his crucifixion, Luke writes ‑ 'When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time, he had been wanting to see hirn. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer' (Luke 23:8‑9). Herod was an Edornite, a descendant of Esau, and noted for his pride. But the king's arrogance was met by the Master's silence. There are some terrible and more widely applicable examples of this in Romans 1, where Paul describes people who 'claimed to be wise' (v: 22), 'worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator' (v:25), 'did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God', and were 'insolent, arrogant, and boastful'. (vv 28, 30). And what was God's reaction to such people? He 'gave them over' (vv 24, 26, 28). In other words, there came a time when he had nothing more to say to them, did nothing to stop them, had nothing more to do with them. It is impossible to imagine anything more terrible than that.
Then God resists the proud by ridiculing their schemes. One single passage from scripture makes this clear ‑ 'Why do the nations rage and peoples plot in. vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. "Let us break their chains", they say, "and throw off their fetters". The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them' (Psalm 2:1‑4). This kind of language is known as anthropomorphism ‑ using human terms to describe God's attributes or actions ‑ and how telling it is! While men and nations proudly plot their independence of God, he remains totally unmoved except to derisory laughter, and whenever he chooses he brings their schemes to nothing.
God also resists the proud by ruining their success. In 2 Chronicles 26 we are told something of the story of King Uzziah. His .amazing success as a ruler, administrator and commander‑in-chief takes us right through to verse 15, where we read 'His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his; downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense'. Now the burning of incense was exclusively reserved by Divine law for the Levitical priests, God having added the clear warning, 'Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death' (Nurnbers 18:7). The arrogant Uzziah decided to over‑ride God's law, but even as he stood in the sanctuary, defying the courageous priests who remonstrated with him, the deadly disease of leprosy broke out on his forehead and his reign was at an end.
Finally, God resists the proud by removing their status. Like Uzziah, King Belshazzar was successful, opulent ‑ and arrogant. He also had recent history as a warning, for Daniel reminded him that although the king's father Nebuchadnezzar, had been equally exalted, 'when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory' (Daniel 5:20). Refusing to learn from history, Belshazzar was doomed to repeat it, and in the midst of his careless revelry he was violently done to death. Let us learn the lesson that God has power both to give and to take away. None of our positions, in business, social or church life, is so secure that God cannot end them, and if we do not hold them in humility we may be forced to leave them in humiliation.
This then, is the first law by which grace is governed ‑ the proud in spirit are resisted.
Secondly, the poor in spirit are rewarded.
'but gives grace to the humble'. This law applies both to unbeliever and believer;: it applies both to entering the kingdom of heaven and being a member of it. Both applications can be seen in these words: spoken by Jesus ‑ 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of: heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven' (Matthew 18:3‑~4). Notice first that to enter the kingdom of heaven a man must become as a little child, he must humble himself, he must abandon all trust in his own goodness and throw himself as a spiritual bankrupt on the mercy of God. The very first of the Beatitudes says 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' (Matthew 5:3), and the particular word translated poor – the Greek ptochos ‑ does not mean having very little :it means having nothing. Grace can only flow into empty hands. The only way into the kingdom of heaven is in the spirit of Augustus Toplady's well‑known words
Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to thy cross I cling,
Naked, come to thee for dress;
Helpless, look to thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, or I die!
Then notice that the second part of the quotation from Matthew 18 shows humility as the key to spiritual greatness within the kingdom of heaven. This underlines what Jesus said elsewhere ‑ 'For he who is least among you all ‑ he is the greatest' (Luke 9:48). In Christian circles we often tend to estimate a man by his gifts ‑ or oratory, organisation, leadership, knowledge, and so on. But God thinks most of the man who thinks himself least. In William Bridge’s lovely words, 'If you lay yourself at Christ's feet he will take you into his arms'.
We shall look more closely at the subject of humility later. For the moment, let us leave this particular section of James's epistle with the assurance that in the deepest spiritual sense, the Bible's words are unshakeably true –