Grace Exalted -- Boasting Excluded

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Romans 3:27-30

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? No: but by the law of faith.…

Pride is most obnoxious to God. As a sin, His holiness hates it; as a treason, His sovereignty detests it, and the whole of His attributes stand leagued to put it down. The first transgression had in its essence pride. The ambitious heart of Eve desired to be as God, and Adam followed; and we know the rest. Remember Babel, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, and Herod. God loves His servants, but pride even in them He abhors. Think of David and Hezekiah. And God has uttered the most solemn words as well as issued the most awful judgment against pride. But to put an everlasting stigma upon it He has ordained that the only way in which He will save men shall be a way by which man's pride shall be humbled in the dust. Note here —

I. THE REJECTED PLAN. There are two ways by which a man might have been forever blessed. The one was by works — "This do and thou shalt live; be obedient and receive the reward"; the other plan was — "Receive grace and blessedness as the free gift of God."

1. Now God has not chosen the system of works, because it is impossible for us.

(1) For the law requires of us —

(2) Perfect obedience. One single flaw, one offence, and the law condemns without mercy. And if it were possible to keep the law in its perfection outwardly, it is required to keep it in the heart as well.

(3) Because if up to this moment your heart and life have been altogether without offence, yet it is required that it should be so even to your dying day. But think of the temptations to which you will be subject!

(4) Remember, too, that we are not sure that even this life would end that probation, for long as thou shouldst live duty would still be due, and the law still thine insatiable creditor. Now in the face of all this, will any of you prefer to be saved by your works? Or, rather, will you prefer to be damned by your works? for that will certainly be the issue, let you hope what you may.

2. Now I suppose that very few indulge a hope of being saved by the law in itself; but there is a delusion abroad that perhaps God will modify the law.

(1) That He will accept a sincere obedience even if it be imperfect. Now against this Paul declares, "By the works of the law shall no flesh living be justified," so that that is answered at once. But more than this, God's law cannot alter, it can never be content to take less than it demands. God, therefore, cannot accept anything but a perfect obedience.

(2) But some say, "could it not be partly by grace and partly by works?" No. The apostle says that boasting is excluded; but if we let in the law of works, then man has an opportunity for self-gratification as having saved himself.

(3) "Well," says another, "I don't expect to be saved by my morality; but then, I have been baptized; I receive the Lord's Supper; I go to church." These ordinances are blessed means of grace to saved souls; but to the unsaved they can have no avail for good, but may increase their sin, because they touch unworthily the holy things of God.

(4) Others suppose that at least their feelings, which are only their works in another shape, may help to save them; but if you rely upon what you feel, you shall as certainly perish as if you trust to what you do.

(5) There are others who rely upon their knowledge. They have a sound creed, and hold the theory of justification by faith and exult over their fellow professors because they hold the truth. Now this is nothing but salvation by works, only they are works performed by the head instead of by the hand.

II. BOASTING IS EXCLUDED — GOD HAS ACCEPTED THE SECOND PLAN, namely, the way of salvation by faith through grace. The first man that entered heaven entered by faith. "By faith Abel," etc. Over the tombs of all the godly who were accepted of God you may read the epitaph — "These all died by faith." By faith they received the promise; and among all yonder bright and shining throng, there is not one who does not confess, "We have washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." As Calvin says, "Not a particle of boasting can be admitted, because not a particle of work is admitted into the covenant of grace"; it is not of man nor by man, not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy, and, therefore, boasting is excluded by the law of faith.

III. Have no merits of their own. THE VERY GATE WHICH SHUTS OUT BOASTING SHUTS IN HOPE FOR THE WORST OF SINNERS. You say, "I never attend the house of God, and up to this time I have been a thief and a drunkard." Well, you stand today on the same level as the most moral sinner and the most honest unbeliever in the matter of salvation. They are lost, since they believe not, and so are you. When we come to God the best can bring nothing, and the worst can bring no less. I know some will say, "Then what is the good of morality?" I will tell you. Two men are overboard there; one man has a dirty face, and the other a clean one. There is a rope thrown over from the stern of the vessel, and only that rope will save the sinking men, whether their faces be fair or foul. Do I therefore underrate cleanliness. Certainly not; but it will not save a drowning man, nor will morality save a dying man. Or take this case. Here we have two persons, each with a deadly cancer. One of them is rich and clothed in purple, the other is poor and wrapped about with a few rags; and I say to them, "You are both on a par now, here comes the physician, his touch can heal you both; there is no difference between you whatever." Do I therefore say that the one man's robes are not better than the other's rags? Of course they are better in some respects, but they have nothing to do with the matter of curing disease. So morality is a neat cover for foul venom, but it does not alter the fact that the heart is vile and the man himself under condemnation. Suppose I were an army surgeon. There is one man there — he is a captain, and a brave man — and he is bleeding out his life from a terrible gash. By his side there lies a private, and a great coward too, wounded in the same way. I say to them, "You are both in the same condition, and I can heal you both." But if the captain should say, "I do not want you; I am a captain, go and see to that poor dog yonder." Would his courage and rank save his life? No; they are good things, but not saving things. So it is with good works.

IV. THE SAME PLAN WHICH SHUTS OUT BOASTING LEADS US TO A GRACIOUS GRATITUDE TO CHRIST.

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