(4) Grace is not a matter of giving less because man does not deserve it. (This is in contrast to the second point.) God has not overlooked the problem of man’s sin. In dealing with sin, God is very strict, definite, and thorough. Through His Son, He has thoroughly dealt with this problem. Therefore, how can any questions related to man’s worthiness or the degree of his worthiness remain? God’s grace is not concerned with man’s unworthiness. Since all men are equal before God, all men can obtain God’s grace.

God does not withhold His grace because of man’s unworthiness; instead, He bestows grace because of his unworthiness. God does not differentiate among the unworthy, according to who is more unworthy and who is less unworthy. God does not enable the less unworthy to receive more grace and the more unworthy to receive less grace.

God cannot bestow less grace to those who have greater sins and more grace to those who have less sins. Grace is never used by God to patch up sinners’ flaws. The condition of the sinner, his works, and his merits (both great and small) are completely put aside.

Since grace is grace, it is not related to the recipient’s condition at all. The recipient does not need to have any qualification to receive grace, since grace is given to those who do not deserve it and is not related to the recipient’s condition. Therefore, grace is not giving less to those who are less deserving. Otherwise, man’s condition once again becomes the prerequisite of receiving grace. The bestowing of grace is neither according to a person’s condition nor the result of comparing one person to another. God’s grace is vast, expansive, and intended for all kinds of sinners. Those who think they are all right need God’s grace as much as those who regard themselves as great sinners.

Some may think that a better person deserves more grace. But from God’s viewpoint, everyone is the same. Suppose several plates fall to the ground. Some may break in half, some into five pieces, and others into fragments. Although they may break in different ways, they are all broken. Whether you are a “better” sinner or a “worse” sinner, you are still a sinner. The Bible says that all men are sinners. God sent the Lord Jesus to die for sinners, thereby affording every sinner an opportunity to be saved. If only one sinner in the world needed to be saved, God would have still sent His Son to die for him. In the parable of the shepherd seeking the lost sheep, the shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep to seek the one lost sheep (Luke 15:3-4). Whether you are a great sinner or a small sinner, as long as you are a lost sheep, you need the Lord Jesus to die for you.

(5) Grace does not make the recipient of grace a debtor. A debt means that you have been loaned a sum of money, which allows you to enjoy it for the present, but that you will later pay it back. Wages are given according to one’s labor. Grace is neither the giving of wages according to one’s labor, nor a temporary borrowing of something which one has to repay. God saves us by grace; therefore, our salvation is not loaned to us by God. If it were a loan, which we would have to pay back, it would not be grace. Grace does not mean that God sees a current lack of merit in our work for our salvation and then loans salvation to us so that we would eventually apply its merit to our works in order to maintain our salvation. Grace is free in the past, free in the present, and free in the future. If God gives us something and expects us to repay it in the future, it is a debt and not grace. God’s grace is freely given to all who are unworthy. There is no price to it in the past and present, and there is no need to repay it in the future.

Men have a wrong concept: we think that salvation is by grace, but that maintaining our salvation depends upon our own selves. This is wrong. The Bible never says that God’s grace makes us debtors. Romans 6:23 says, “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What is the characteristic of eternal life? It is a gift. Gift can also be translated “present.” In other words, a gift is given by God. Does a gift need to be returned? We must be clear that grace is not a loan. It does not need to be paid back now; it does not need to be paid back no matter how many days go by. This does not mean that Christians do not need to have good works or to serve God faithfully. After we are saved, we should have good works and serve God faithfully. But the motive behind these should be the Lord’s love; the energy for these should be the Holy Spirit. Having good works and serving the Lord faithfully are neither for obtaining salvation nor for maintaining salvation. The works of Christians are not for the purpose of repaying a debt of the salvation. Just as God saved us out of His love for us, we should serve God out of our love for Him. Just as His salvation is not a loan to us, our faithful service to God is not a repayment of a debt.

Many do not understand God’s grace. They think that grace means that God is willing to save a person, in spite of his unworthiness, but that God will withdraw his salvation, after he is saved, if he does not do good. This is like buying goods by installment. The goods can be delivered, but the loan has to be paid back by making regular payments. If you cannot make the payments on time, the lender will repossess the goods. This clearly twists the meaning of God’s grace. The eternal life that God gave when you were saved does not require any installment payments. God will not take back the eternal life even if you do not have good works after experiencing salvation.

Moreover, since eternal life is a gift, there is no such thing as paying it back. The phrase paying back is wrong. We serve God out of love. If your father gives you a present and, day after day and month after month, you repay him until you reach the same amount as the gift he gave, is this not the same as buying the present yourself? Grace never has a price; otherwise, it is not grace.
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