Gospel Grace

    What are God's ends in revealing gospel grace to us?

    To lead us thereby unto repentance. When God sends the gospel among a people, it is with a design to bring them to repentance, Acts xvii. 30. Every impenitent sinner receives gospel grace in vain. The riches of God's grace in giving a Saviour is the best argument to engage us both to sorrow for sin past, and to sin no more, Zech. xii. 10.

    To endear the hearts of the children of men to himself. A word made us, but blood redeemed us. And God took this way to convince us that he has loved us. Herein "God commendeth his love to us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." And he courts your love. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, he receives gospel grace "in vain."

    To hide pride from us; to lay us low; and make us humble; and keep us so in all our walkings. The gospel is a humbling gospel, not only as it sets before us the example of a humble Saviour, but as it reveals such a way of salvation as carries in it nothing of man; but only free grace. Boasting is excluded by the law of faith.

    To meeken our spirits. To mortify passion in us, that we might forbear and forgive as God has forgiven us. Those that are of a forgiving spirit are of a gospel spirit; see Tit. iii. 3, 4. Nothing is more likely than this "grace" to tame the roughness and ruggedness of our spirits.

    To take our hearts off from the world. In order to this it sets before us the example of Christ, who was perfectly dead to this world and all its glories. It reveals unto us better things. The gospel spirit is the heavenly spirit: "Set your affections on things above."

    To promote and further our spiritual joy— by covenant relations of God to us, precious promises, access to the throne of grace. There are fountains of joy. They are enough to keep the heart in a cheerful frame. Consider gospel grace—how rich, how free it is.