A Grace Literalist

By Tom Gilbreath

Are you concerned about people who take grace “too literally” — people who claim Christ, but intentionally stand as far from Him as they think they can get away with? We should feel concern for such behavior. It can be a symptom of some bad stuff. But we must not let such concerns diminish the centrality of God’s grace in the Christian life. 

When it comes to salvation, grace isn’t just all we need; grace is all we get. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

The New Testament uses the phrase “in Christ” in several different contexts. It is most moving when it speaks of people “in Christ.” We usually call them Christians. It’s first used this way in Romans 8:1. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Grace is the deciding factor in our lives — not works, even excellent ones like praying, studying God’s Word, and witnessing for Christ. Grace does not diminish good works. It makes them possible. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

We need to draw close to Jesus. We need regular communion with Him like a man walking through the desert needs water. In John 4:14, Jesus told the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 

This describes a changed life, ever-renewing. What Jesus called “living water” is not a description of our good works. It is God’s grace flowing in our lives in countless ways. Just to stand in His presence and pray is a gift of grace. Psalms 100:2 and 4 say, “Come before His presence with singing…. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise.” How can sinners enter the presence of the perfect and holy God with singing, thanksgiving, and praise?

Hebrews 4:16 explains. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We enter His presence with joyful singing and bold confidence because His is the “throne of grace.” God calls us to serve Him, to avoid sin, and to thirst after righteousness. But those things do not save. We do not earn even a smidgeon of the salvation Jesus fully purchased for us and gives to us freely.

We should examine our own lives even at the risk of being disgusted by what we see. But we must not question the efficacy of Christ’s death on the cross on our behalf. If you are “in Christ,” then I can adapt the words of John Newton, and can say to you, “Grace has brought you safe thus far, and grace — the unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor of God — will lead you home.”