No.2 Grace that Superabounds.


At first thought one might say when dealing with such solemn truth as that which pertains to sin and salvation, no flights of fancy can be tolerated, nothing but the plainest of statements can be permissible. Yet experience will prove otherwise.

The very immensity of the subject, either of human guilt or of Divine grace, makes such demands upon the resources and powers of language that one has to adopt the words of Scripture and confess:

“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man,”

and the only recourse is to figurative language, and figurative language in its very essence is an exaggeration allowed and acknowledged owing to the paucity of every day speech to express adequately all that the hearts feels.

This series aims primarily at ministering comfort to the believer in these troublous times. That presupposes that he is redeemed and that he knows it. It will, however, be wise if we look “to the hole of the pit whence we are digged” and open this series with a meditation upon

SUPERABOUNDING REDEEMING GRACE.

There are two passages to which we must turn for light upon this blessed theme, Rom. v. and Eph. i. Grace is revealed in the opening section of Romans (i. - v. 11) as the only “cause”:

“Being justified freely (without a cause) by (because of) His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (iii. 24).

The plan of salvation was thus ordained: “Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace” (iv. 16) and into this grace we have both access and standing (v. 2).

The argument of the apostle up to this point has revolved around human responsibility, he has been concerned with “sins” rather than “sin”. He has had Moses in view rather than Adam, individual and personal transgressions rather than the ruin of the creature as such, what a man has DONE rather than what he IS.

With the twelfth verse of Rom. v. however a change appears. Moses recedes, Adam comes forward, “sins” give place to “sin” and here we meet with “superabounding grace”. Judgment came upon all men by reason of one act of sin, but the free gift of salvation takes into account not only that one federal act of our racial head, but of the “many offences” that have sprung from it ever since (v. 16).

“Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (v. 20).

(From The Berean Exxpositor Volume 36, page 147).

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