common grace part i

7/28/2019 Common Grace Part I

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Explanation and Scriptural Basis

What are the undeserved blessings that God gives toall people, both believers and unbelievers?


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A. Introduction and Definition

When Adam and Eve SINned, they

became worthy of eternal punishment andseparation from God (Gen. 2:17). In thesame way, when human beings sin todaythey become liable to the wrath of God

and to eternal punishment: The wages ofsin is death (Rom. 6:23).


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This means that

what happened to angels who

sinned, and it could justly havehappened to us as well:


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But in fact Adam and Eve did not die at once(though the sentence of death began to be workedout in their lives on the day they sinned). The fullexecution of the sentence of death was delayedfor many years.

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Moreover, millions of their descendants even tothis day do not die and go to hell as soon as theysin, but continue to live for many years, enjoyingcountless blessings in this world.


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The answer to these questionsis that God bestows commongrace.



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Common grace is the grace of Godby which he gives people

innumerable blessings that are notpart of salvation. The wordcommon here means somethingthat is common to all people and isnot restricted to believers or to theelect only.



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In distinction from commongrace, the grace of God thatbrings people to salvation is

often called saving grace.



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When we talk about commongrace and saving grace we are

not implying that there are twodifferent kinds of grace in Godhimself, but only that Gods grace

manifests itself in the world in twodifferent ways.



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Common grace is different from saving grace:

in its results (it does not bring about salvation),

in its recipients (it is given to believers andunbelievers alike),

and in its source (it does not directly flow fromChrists atoning work, since Christs death did

not earn any measure of forgiveness forunbelievers, and therefore did not merit theblessings of common grace for them either).



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However, on this last point it should be said that

common grace does flow indirectlyfrom Christsredemptive work, because the fact that God did not

judge the world at once when sin entered it wasprimarily or perhaps exclusively due to the fact that heplanned eventually to save some sinners through thedeath of his Son.



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B. Examples of Common Grace

If we look at the world around us and contrast it with the fires ofhell that the world deserves, we can immediately see abundantevidence of Gods common grace in thousands of examples ineveryday life.


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Jesus said,

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that youmay be sons of your Father who is in heaven; forhe makes his sun rise onthe evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust(Matt. 5:4445).

Here Jesus appeals to Gods abundant common grace as anencouragement to his disciples that they too should bestow love andprayer for blessing on unbelievers (cf. Luke 6:3536).

Similarly, Paul told the people of Lystra, In past generations he allowed

all the nations to walk in their own ways; yet he did not leave himselfwithout witness, for he did good and gave you from heaven rains andfruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:1617).



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The Old Testament also speaks of the common grace of God thatcomes to unbelievers as well as to believers. One specific exampleis Potiphar, the Egyptian captain of the guard who purchasedJoseph as a slave: The LORD blessed the Egyptians house forJosephs sake; the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had, in

house and field (Gen. 39:5).



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David speaks in a much more general way about all the creaturesGod has made: The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is overall that he has made....The eyes of all look to you, and you give themtheir food in due season. You open your hand, you satisfy the desireof every living thing (Ps. 145:9,1516).



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These verses are another reminder that the goodness that is foundin the whole creation is due to Gods goodness and compassion.

We even see evidence of Gods common grace in the beauty of thenatural world. Though nature itself is in bondage to decay andhas been subjected to futility (Rom. 8:21, 20) because of the curseof the fall (Gen. 3:1719), much beauty still remains in the naturalworld. The beauty of multicolored flowers, of grass and woodlands,

of rivers and lakes and mountains and ocean shores, still remains asa daily testimony to the continuing common grace of God.Unbelievers deserve to enjoy none of this beauty, but by Godsgrace they can enjoy much of it for their whole lives.



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2. The Intellectual Realm. Satan is a liar and the father of lies andthere is no truth in him (John 8:44), because he is fully given overto evil and to the irrationality and commitment to falsehood thataccompanies radical evil.

But human beings in the world today, even unbelievers, are not

totally given over to lying, irrationality, and ignorance. All peopleare able to have some grasp of truth; indeed, some have greatintelligence and understanding.

This also must be seen as a result of Gods grace. John speaks ofJesus as the true light that enlightens every man (John 1:9), for inhis role as creator and sustainer of the universe (not particularly inhis role as redeemer) the Son of God allows enlightenment andunderstanding to come to all people in the world.



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Gods common grace in the intellectual realm is seen in the fact thatall people have a knowledge of God: Although they knew God theydid not honor him as God orgive thanks to him (Rom. 1:21).

This means that there is a sense of Gods existence and often ahunger to know God that he allows to remain in peoples hearts,

even though it often results in many differing man-made religions. Therefore, even when speaking to people who held to false

religions, Paul could find a point of contact regarding knowledge ofGods existence, as he did when speaking to the Athenianphilosophers: Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you arevery religious....What therefore you worship as unknown, this Iproclaim to you (Acts 17:2223).



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The common grace of God in the intellectual realm also results in anability to grasp truth and distinguish it from error, and toexperience growth in knowledge that can be used in theinvestigation of the universe and in the task of subduing the earth.

This means that all science and technology carried out by non-

Christians is a result of common grace allowing them to makeincredible discoveries and inventions, to develop the earthsresources into many material goods, to produce and distributethose resources, and to have skill in their productive work.

In a practical sense this means that every time we walk into agrocery store or ride in an automobile or enter a house we shouldremember that we are experiencing the results of the abundantcommon grace of God poured out so richly on all mankind.



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3. The Moral Realm. God also by common grace restrains peoplefrom being as evil as they could be.

Once again the demonic realm, totally devoted to evil anddestruction, provides a clear contrast with human society in which

evil is clearly restrained.

If people persist hard-heartedly and repeatedly in following sin overa course of time, God will eventually give them up to greater and

greater sin (cf. Ps. 81:12; Rom. 1:24, 26, 28), but in the case of mosthuman beings they do not fall to the depths to which their sinwould otherwise take them, because God intervenes and putsrestraints on their conduct.



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One very effective restraint is the force of conscience: Paul says,When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the lawrequires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do nothave the law. They show that what the law requires is written ontheir hearts while their conscience also bears witness and their

conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them (Rom. 2:1415).



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This inward sense of right and wrong that God gives to all peoplemeans that they will frequently approve of moral standards thatreflect many of the moral standards in Scripture. Even those whoare given up to the most base sin, Paul says, Know Gods decreethat those who do such things deserve to die (Rom. 1:32).



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And in many other cases this inward sense of conscience leadspeople to establish laws and customs in society that are, in terms ofthe outward behavior they approve or prohibit, quite like the morallaws of Scripture: people often establish laws or have customs thatrespect the sanctity of marriage and the family, protect human life,

and prohibit theft and falsehood in speech. Because of this, peoplewill frequently live in ways that are morally upright and outwardlyconform to the moral standards found in Scripture.



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Though their moral behavior cannot earn merit with God (sinceScripture clearly says that no man is justified before God by thelaw, Gal. 3:11, and All have turned aside, together they have gonewrong; no one does good, not even one, Rom. 3:12), neverthelessin some sense less than earning Gods eternal approval or merit,

unbelievers do do good. Jesus implies this when he says, If you do good to those who do

good to you what credit is that to you? For even sinners do thesame (Luke 6:33; cf. 2 Kings 12:2 and 2 Chron. 24:2, where Joash issaid to have done good during his reign as king, with 2 Chron. 24:17

25, where he did such evil as to make it apparent that there was notsaving faith in his life).



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Of course, in areas where the gospel has had great influence andthe church is strong, it will have a stronger moral influence onsociety than in places where the gospel has never reached, orwhere it has little restraining influence (for example, in cannibalisticsocietiesor even in modern Western society where belief in the

gospel and moral absolutes have both been abandoned by thedominant culture).



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God also demonstrates his common grace by giving warnings offinal judgment in the operation of the natural world. God has soordered the world that living according to his moral standards veryoften brings rewards in the natural realm, and violating Godsstandards often brings destruction to people, in both cases

indicating the eventual direction of the final judgment: Honesty, hard work, showing love and kindness to others, and

faithfulness in marriage and family will (except in the most corruptsocieties) bring much more material and emotional reward in thislife than dishonesty, laziness, cruelty, marital infidelity, and other

wrongs such as drunkenness, drug abuse, theft, and so forth. Thesenormal consequences of sin or righteousness should serve as awarning of judgment to come, and, in this way, they are alsoexamples of Gods common grace.



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4. The Creative Realm. God has allowed significant measures of skillin artistic and musical areas, as well as in other spheres in whichcreativity and skill can be expressed, such as athletics, cooking,writing, and so forth. Moreover, God gives to us an ability toappreciate beauty in many areas of life. And in this area as well as in

the physical and intellectual realm, the blessings of common graceare sometimes poured out on unbelievers even more abundantlythan on believers. Yet in all cases it is a result of the grace of God.



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5. The Societal Realm. Gods grace is also evident in the existenceof various organizations and structures in human society. We seethis first in the human family, evidenced in the fact that Adam andEve remained husband and wife after the fall and then had children,both sons and daughters (Gen. 5:4). Adam and Eves children

married and formed families for themselves (Gen. 4:17, 19, 26). Thehuman family persists today, not simply as an institution forbelievers, but for all people.



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Human government is also a result of common grace. It wasinstituted in principle by God after the flood (see Gen. 9:6), and isclearly stated to be given by God in Romans 13:1: There is noauthority except from God, and those that exist have beeninstituted by God.

It is clear that government is a gift from God for mankind generally,for Paul says the ruler is Gods servant for your good and that heis the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer(Rom. 13:4). One of the primary means God uses to restrain evil inthe world is human government.



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Human laws and police forces and judicial systems provide apowerful deterrent to evil actions, and these are necessary, forthere is much evil in the world that is irrational and that can only berestrained by force, because it will not be deterred by reason oreducation.

Of course, the sinfulness of man can also affect governmentsthemselves, so that they become corrupt and actually encourageevil rather than encourage good.

This is just to say that human government, like all the otherblessings of common grace that God gives, can be used either forgood or for evil purposes.



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Other organizations in human society include educationalinstitutions, businesses and corporations, voluntary associations(such as many charitable and public service groups), and countlessexamples of ordinary human friendship. All of these function tobring some measure of good to human beings, and all are

expressions of the common grace of God.



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6. The Religious Realm. Even in the realm of human religion, Gods common grace

brings some blessings to unbelieving people.

Jesus tells us, Love your enemies and pray for those whopersecute you (Matt. 5:44), and since there is no restriction in thecontext simply to pray for their salvation, and since the commandto pray for our persecutors is coupled with a command to lovethem, it seems reasonable to conclude that God intends to answerour prayers even for our persecutors with regard to many areas of

life. In fact, Paul specifically commands that we pray for kings andall who are in high positions (1 Tim. 2:12).



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When we seek good for unbelievers it is consistent with Gods ownpractice of granting sunshine and rain on the just and on theunjust (Matt. 5:45) and also consistent with the practice of Jesusduring his earthly ministry when he healed every person who wasbrought to him (Luke 4:40).

There is no indication that he required all of them to believe in himor to agree that he was the Messiah before he granted physicalhealing to them.



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Does God answer the prayers of unbelievers? Although God has not promised to answer the prayers of

unbelievers as he has promised to answer the prayers of those whocome in Jesus name, and although he has no obligation to answerthe prayers of unbelievers, nonetheless, God may out of his

common grace still hear and grant the prayers of unbelievers, thusdemonstrating his mercy and goodness in yet another way (cf. Ps.145:9, 15; Matt. 7:22; Luke 6:3536).

This is apparently the sense of 1 Timothy 4:10, which says that Godis the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. HereSavior cannot be restricted in meaning to one who forgives sinsand gives eternal life, because these things are not given to thosewho do not believe; Savior must have a more general sense here,namely, one who rescues from distress, one who delivers.



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In cases of trouble or distress God often does hear the prayers ofunbelievers, and graciously delivers them from their trouble.

Moreover, even unbelievers often have a sense of gratitude towardGod for the goodness of creation, for deliverance from danger, and

for the blessings of family, home, friendships, and country.

In addition, unbelievers who come in close contact with the churchand perhaps associate with it for a time can have some religious

experiences that seem very close to the experience of those whoare saved (see Heb. 6:46; Matt. 7:2223).4



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Finally, even the proclamation of the gospel to those who do notultimately accept it is a clear declaration of the mercy and grace ofGod, which gives clear witness to the fact that God does not delightin the death or condemnation of any of his creatures (cf. Ezek. 33:11;1 Tim. 2:4).



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B. Examples of Common Grace 7. Common Grace and Special Grace Influence Each Other.

Common grace, of course, influences and enriches the church, sinceapart from Gods common grace given to carpenters and otherkinds of craftsmen, there would be no church buildings; apart from

common grace given to printers and typesetters and bookbinders(and even to those who work in paper mills or cut trees fromforests to make paper), there would be no Bibles.

In countless ways in everyday activities the church benefits from

common grace.


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B. Examples of Common Grace On the other hand, the special grace that God gives to those who

are saved brings more of the blessings of common grace tounbelievers living in the realm of the churchs influence.

Unbelievers benefit from the example of Christian lives that theysee in society, from the prayers and the acts of mercy that

Christians do for the community, from the knowledge of theteachings of Scripture and its wisdom in which they find someintellectual and moral benefit, and from the influence on laws,customs, and beliefs of a society that comes through the social andpolitical activities of Christians.


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B. Examples of Common Grace 8. Common Grace Does Not Save People.

In spite of all of this, we must realize that common grace isdifferent from saving grace.

Common grace does not change the human heart or bring peopleto genuine repentance and faithit cannot and does not save

people (though in the intellectual and moral sphere it can give somepreparation to make people more disposed toward accepting thegospel).

Common grace restrains sin but does not change anyones

foundational disposition to sin, nor does it in any significantmeasure purify fallen human nature


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B. Examples of Common Grace We must also recognize that the actions of unbelievers performed

by virtue of common grace do not in themselves merit Godsapproval or favor.

These actions do not spring from faith (Whatever does notproceed from faith is sin, Rom. 14:23), nor are they motivated by alove for God (Matt. 22:37), but rather love of self in some form oranother.

Therefore, although we may readily say that the works ofunbelievers that externally conform to the laws of God are goodin some sense, they nonetheless are not good in terms of meritingGods approval nor of making God obligated to the sinner in any

way. All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous

acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the windour sins sweep us away. (Is. 64:6)


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B. Examples of Common Grace Finally, we should recognize that unbelievers often receive more

common grace than believersthey may be more skillful, harderworking, more intelligent, more creative, or have more of thematerial benefits of this life to enjoy.

This in no way indicates that they are more favored by God in an

absolute sense or that they will gain any share in eternal salvation,but only that God distributes the blessings of common grace invarious ways, often granting very significant blessings tounbelievers.

In all of this, they should, of course, acknowledge Gods goodness(Acts 14:17), and should recognize that Gods revealed will is thatGods kindness should eventually lead them to repentance(Rom. 2:4).


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common grace part i

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