Why did God want to give us grace? Paul says that God "has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace." God's will is to dispense His grace, and this grace saves us. He saved us and called us with a holy calling so that we may enjoy His glory. This is what God's grace is doing. He desired to save us and to call us with a holy calling according to His purpose, according to what He plans to do. Here Paul was very careful; he added a phrase to show us whether the law is according to God's purpose. He says, "Not according to our works." God's salvation is not according to how much we can do for God; it is not according to how much responsibility we can bear before Him. Rather, it is God coming to accomplish something for us, and it is God giving us His grace. This grace was always related to His plan. So let us remember that before the times of the ages, God's thought was grace, not works or the law.

Paul continues, "Which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the times of the ages but now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus." This grace has not been manifested until now. Hence, you see that though this grace was planned long ago, it was not until the Lord Jesus came that we knew what grace really was. What does this grace do for us? Let us read on: "Who nullified death and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel." When the Lord Jesus was manifested, He abolished works as well as the result of works. The result of evil works is death. Even if you have done the worst works, the most that the law can do is require your death. After you die, the law cannot do anything else.

You may ask, "What happens if my works have not violated the law? Do I still need to die?" Yes. But the Lord has also nullified death. The Lord has done away with works, and He has done away with death. This is our gospel, which was planned before the times of the ages, even though it was not manifested until the appearing of the Lord Jesus. Hence, the basic thought with God was grace.

After man was created, both Adam and Eve sinned and rebelled. Sin entered into the world through one man. But God did not give man the law at that time. For a period of about 1600 years after man sinned, God did not give man the law. God had no demands on man during that period of time. God allowed history to take its natural course. Then one day, four hundred and thirty years before Moses instituted the law, God spoke to Abraham, the father of faith, and chose him to be the one through whom Christ would come into the world. God chose Abraham and gave him the great promise that all the nations would be blessed through his seed (Gen. 12:3; 22:18). Notice that the seed is singular, not plural; it is one seed, not many seeds. Paul explained in the book of Galatians that this seed refers to the Lord Jesus (Gal. 3:16). When God spoke to Abraham, it was the first time God revealed His purpose that had been planned before the times of the ages. God told him that His purpose, from before the times of the ages, was that through his seed, Jesus Christ, the nations would be blessed. Abraham was an idol worshipper, yet God chose him and gave him a promise. He was the first one to be without works; he was a person of faith. Hence, God unfolded His purpose before him.