Theologian Vernon Grounds states,
“Behind, beneath, beyond and yet within the evanescent phenomena of space-time, we Christians believe, is God, the ultimate reality, the eternal, infinite, perfect, self-subsistent being, a trinity of persons all three of whom cohere in an indivisible unity of essence and purpose. God, we believe, is the source and sustainer of whatever exists, the life in all life, the truth in all truth, the goodness in all goodness, the beauty in all beauty, the love in all love. For in that corpus of writings which we call Holy Scripture and which we hold to be God’s medium of self-revelation, this being behind and beneath and beyond and yet within all being defines himself as love. We believe, moreover, that, because he is love, God freely chooses to expand the orbit of beatitude by creating persons like himself, centers of consciousness and choice whom he wills to share his own eternal fellowship of love according to their finite capacity. This purpose, inexplicable except on the ground of God’s free decision, is announced by Paul at the beginning of the Ephesian letter…This purpose, explicable solely on the inexplicable ground of God’s grace and focusing in Jesus Christ, is the raison d’etre of everything in nature and history…Motivated by grace, then, freely electing to share his experience of infinite love with finite experients, God has created ex nihilo all that is. Grace is thus the revealed explanation of the whole space-time complex. The act of creation, like everything the triune God does…has grace as its dynamic.”[21]
Most Calvinists would agree with Vernon Ground’s description that what God has done in all of creation comes by way of his grace and reveals his grace. Theologians on both sides call this “common grace.” Yet, note that Grounds highlights God’s love, and because he is love, “he freely chooses to expand the orbit of beatitude by creating persons like himself, centers of consciousness and choice whom he wills to share his own eternal fellowship of love according to their finite capacity.” He talks about that “purpose” as “God’s free decision” and “explicable solely on the inexplicable ground of God’s grace.” Moreover, that purpose of God to share his own eternal purpose of love, has as its focus Jesus Christ. This plan and purpose of God “is the raison d’etre of everything in nature and history.” In creating all things, God freely elected “to share his experience of infinite love with finite experients…” All this is “motivated by grace.” All that God does “has grace as it dynamic.”
What Vernon Grounds observes is that God’s gracious purposes have Jesus Christ as their focal point. This is an important observation. The Bible tells us that the grace of God is found “in Christ.” (cf. Eph. 1:1-14) This is the thrust of Paul’s Ephesians letter – especially mentioning in the Greek text “in Him,” “Christ Jesus,” “the Beloved One,” “in Christ,” “in whom,” “of him” – and other various forms – seventeen times in the first thirteen verses! And in these verses, Paul writes of the grace of God, beginning with “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (v. 2) In verse 6, he speaks of God’s “glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One” (i.e., Jesus). Note that grace is “lavished” upon us. He then expands on the nature of this grace in verses 8 and 9, pointing out that “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ…” (CSB) Note that this grace is “richly poured out” and has reference to the “mystery of his [God’s] will” which is now made known to us and was “purposed in Christ.” The good news that “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” is God’s grace to us, disclosing in Christ any mystery that was involved in his plan of salvation. Calvinists will stress and define the concepts of “elect” and “predestine” in this passage. But they fail to take into consideration the presence and nature of faith, as linked with God’s grace, as the required human response to appropriate God’s work of salvation. God’s grace, which is expressed through the gospel, is for all to believe. Those who do believe are described here by Paul from God’s eternal perspective. Paul speaks about “we who had already put our hope in Christ.” (v. 12) and “since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus” (v. 15), and again “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” (v. 19) He also makes clear in verse 13 that “In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.” (CSB)
A non-Calvinist soteriology acknowledges and celebrates a distinctive and meaningful Christological point of reference that is fully revelatory of the salvific grace, will, and purposes of God. Granted, as Vernon Grounds pointed out, the biblical concept of the grace of God encompasses more than the salvific sense. God’s grace is the “explanation of the whole space-time complex.” Every human being benefits from God’s grace every day. His rain falls on the just and the unjust (Mt, 5:43-48). But if that is so, then grace is also provided for all human beings in Christ. God’s grace, with respect to his saving activity, has its focal point and revelation in Jesus Christ. Scripture speaks of a full-orbed Christological point of reference for God’s grace. This reference point for grace, having been revealed in Christ Jesus, is one aspect that gives divine grace its nature of universality. This saving work in Jesus Christ springs from the grace of God and is uniquely God’s doing from start to finish. All other aspects of divine grace find their center “in Christ.” “In him” is found the gracious purpose of God to save us from our sin. Hence, God’s “grace” is the undeserved favor of God, but not in the sense of God choosing upon which particular individuals he will bestow saving grace out of all who are undeserving of salvation, but in the sense of him providing a perfect salvation that mankind could never provide for themselves. And in God’s gracious plan that salvation is offered freely to all undeserving, lost sinners to be received simply by faith.
So, the very fact that Jesus came in the flesh and dwelt among us, that is, that his person and work were made public and were universally proclaimed to both Jew and Gentile without distinction or exclusion, speaks to the fact that he brought divine grace to us all. Divine grace is made known in Jesus – and that grace upon grace! In the public coming and life and ministry of Jesus and subsequent spread of the gospel to all people – both Jew and Gentile – as testified to in the book of Acts, we have weighty scriptural warrant to conclude that God’s grace is universal in scope and applicability.
Once we understand that God’s grace is to be found in Christ, Calvinists Robert Peterson and Michael Williams should no longer say “no human being…may assume [grace] is a given.” Whereas once we could not assume it as a given, we now know it is a given! Indeed, we cannot presume upon the grace of God, that is, that it comes only from him, based on his own character as gracious and loving, not based on anything we are or do. But once we learn that it is in the very character of God to be gracious, having revealed himself to all men as gracious in Jesus Christ, and that he has extended that grace to all of us as sinners in the gospel message of Jesus Christ, we can be assured that God’s grace is therefore “a given.” Hence, God’s saving grace applies to all and is extended to all. We humbly stand and rest in that fact.
Go to the next section: Titus 2:11 and 3:4: The Grace of God Has Appeared
Chapter 14 – The Nature of Grace in Scripture
The Truth of the Gospel 