Monday, August 07, 2006
"Saved by Grace" by John Bunyan
"I COME now to answer the fifth question; namely, to show why God saveth those that he saveth by grace, rather than by any other means.
First. God saveth us by grace, because since sin is in the world, he can save us no other way; sin and transgression cannot be removed but by the grace of God through Christ; sin is the transgression of the law of God, who is perfectly just. Infinite justice cannot be satisfied with the recompense that man can make; for if it could, Christ Jesus himself needed not to have died; besides, man having sinned, and defiled himself thereby, all his acts are the acts of a defiled man; nay, further, the best of his performances are also defiled by his hands; these performances, therefore,
cannot be a recompense for sin. Besides, to affirm that God saveth defiled man for the sake of his defiled duties — for so, I say, is every work of his hand — what is it but to say, God accepteth of one sinful act as a recompense and satisfaction for another? (Haggai 2:14). But God, even of old, hath declared how he abominates imperfect sacrifices, therefore we can by no means be saved from sin but by grace (4>
Romans 3:24).
Second. To assert that we may be saved any other way than by the grace of God, what is it but to object against the wisdom and prudence of God, wherein he aboundeth towards them whom he hath saved by grace? (Ephesians 1:5-8). His wisdom and prudence found out no other way, therefore he chooseth to save us by grace.
Third. We must be saved by grace, because else it follows that God is mutable in his decrees, for so hath he determined before the foundation of the world; therefore he saveth us not, nor chooseth to save us by any other way, than by grace (Ephesians 1:3,4; Ephesians 3:8-11; Romans 9:23)."
Related Tags: John Bunyan, Saved by Grace, Salvation, God, sin, grace
First. God saveth us by grace, because since sin is in the world, he can save us no other way; sin and transgression cannot be removed but by the grace of God through Christ; sin is the transgression of the law of God, who is perfectly just. Infinite justice cannot be satisfied with the recompense that man can make; for if it could, Christ Jesus himself needed not to have died; besides, man having sinned, and defiled himself thereby, all his acts are the acts of a defiled man; nay, further, the best of his performances are also defiled by his hands; these performances, therefore,
cannot be a recompense for sin. Besides, to affirm that God saveth defiled man for the sake of his defiled duties — for so, I say, is every work of his hand — what is it but to say, God accepteth of one sinful act as a recompense and satisfaction for another? (Haggai 2:14). But God, even of old, hath declared how he abominates imperfect sacrifices, therefore we can by no means be saved from sin but by grace (4>
Romans 3:24).
Second. To assert that we may be saved any other way than by the grace of God, what is it but to object against the wisdom and prudence of God, wherein he aboundeth towards them whom he hath saved by grace? (Ephesians 1:5-8). His wisdom and prudence found out no other way, therefore he chooseth to save us by grace.
Third. We must be saved by grace, because else it follows that God is mutable in his decrees, for so hath he determined before the foundation of the world; therefore he saveth us not, nor chooseth to save us by any other way, than by grace (Ephesians 1:3,4; Ephesians 3:8-11; Romans 9:23)."
Related Tags: John Bunyan, Saved by Grace, Salvation, God, sin, grace
