THE GOD OF ALL GRACE
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” — I Peter 5:10-11
The Lord Jesus Christ advised His disciples, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” He made no suggestion that the life of the believer would be trouble free this side of heaven. No sooner than the church was born did the truth of His statement begin to be evident. There were assaults from within and without. Paul and Peter, among others, confronted false teachers who would have scattered the flock, and the church suffered persecution at the hands of opponents to the truth that threatened the faith of many. In addressing the problems the apostles consistently did two things. They reminded believers that at the root of every adversity is the “adversary the devil.” And, they directed suffering saints to God Himself as the resource essential to sustained faith in the face of the various trials we may face. The battle is essentially spiritual in nature and only spiritual resources will be sufficient to achieve victory when we are under attack, whether individually or corporately. That is the general context of the details of this epistle, and out of it emerges this encouraging “nugget.”
Observe first how God is characterized: He is “the God of all grace.” His grace is the source of our salvation and the secret of its security. The word “grace” has a variety of meaning, but its general signification will be apprehended by most true believers. Grace, may I suggest, is that quality in the divine nature that motivates God to restrain His wrath, reveal His love, redeem the lost and render the saved able to endure unto the end.
His grace is a cornucopia of blessings. Because of His grace He is also the God of “patience and consolation,” or perseverance and encouragement, enabling us to persevere in faith in the face of life’s challenges. He is “the God of hope,” a hope that is “stedfast and sure, anchored” in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is “the God of peace,” imparting peace to those who seek Him in time of trouble. And He is “the God of all comfort” when life threatens to become intolerable, or heartbreak enters in.
God’s grace is the reason for our hope. It is not because of our goodness, but out of His grace that we are saved. He took the initiative and “called us” out of darkness into His marvelous light, and sustains us from day to day. Grace has established not only our beginning, but the end. He has called us not in a probationary way, but to a sure destiny—”unto His eternal glory;” “to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven“ for us.
And, His grace is the ground of our assurance and the source of our victory over all that the “adversary” may direct our way. It is His grace that will “perfect” us, that is, bring the work to completion. We are sometimes discouraged not so much by the problems we face, but by the evidence of our own frailty and fickleness. How wonderful to know that His grace is able to secure not only the destiny, but the journey: to establish us, keeping us from falling; to strengthen us, for His strength is made perfect in weakness; to settle us in quietness and confidence when we face unsettling circumstances along life’s way.
Nevertheless we must not take that grace for granted, but make application for its realization in our lives by prayer and supplication. Well said the poet, “Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be; let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.” “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.”
This little gem of truth reminds us that our redemption, from start to finish, is all of grace, the grace of the God of all grace. And it should give rise in our hearts to the benediction of the apostle here, “To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
“Praise is comely for the upright!”
For the assurance of faith,
"Pastor" Frasier
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