GRACE-COMMON
In concise
terms common grace may be defined as “the unmerited favor of God toward all men
displayed in His general care for them” (Ryrie). An expanded definition of
common grace is “(a) those general operations of the Holy Spirit whereby He,
without renewing the heart, exercises such a moral influence on man through His
general or special revelation, that sin is restrained, order is maintained in social
life, and civil righteousness is promoted; or, (b) those general blessings,
such as rain and sunshine, food and drink, clothing and shelter, which God
imparts to all men indiscriminately where and in what measure it seems good to
Him.”
Systematic Theology, Banner of Truth, p. 436.
To some
measure even unbelievers benefit from God’s grace. Theologians call that
“common grace” because it is common to all mankind. Common grace is God’s
continual care for all creation, providing for His creatures’ needs. Through
common grace God restrains humanity from utter debauchery and maintains order
and some sense of beauty, morality, and goodness in society’s consciousness.
John MacArthur
Sufficient
Grace from Our Sufficiency in Christ, 1991, Crossway Books, a division of Good
News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org.
p. 243.
Without a
doubt, common grace that is mocked will result in uncommon judgment.
Burk Parsons
Uncommon Justice, Tabletalk, Nov. 2004, p.
12, Used by Permission.
Despite the
fact that God’s unmerited favor is extended to all mankind, this common grace
must not be confused with special grace (that is, saving grace). God’s common
grace leaves man with no excuse (Rom. 1:20), but common grace alone is not salvific. It does not and cannot save. Salvation is found
exclusively in Jesus Christ (Ac. 4:12)… In order for man to be saved, the
special of grace is required.
Keith Mathison
The Heavens Declare, Tabletalk, Nov. 2004, p.
18, Used by Permission.
Unlike common
grace, which extends to all mankind, the special grace of God is the unmerited
favor that God extends to His people. By means of common grace, God restrains
sin in the world. By means of special grace, Jesus Christ bears the curse and
penalty of sin for His people. In common grace, God gives good things to all
men. In special grace, God gives the very righteousness of Jesus Christ to His
people. Through common grace, God provides unmerited favor to all mankind for a
time. Through special grace, God provides unmerited favor to His people for all
eternity.
Keith Mathison
The Heavens Declare, Tabletalk, Nov. 2004, p.
18, Used by Permission.
So few
believe in common grace, because the human heart will not admit that a world
without common grace is what we deserve.
Jeff Hutchinson
Uncommon Belief, Tabletalk, Nov. 2004, p. 54,
Used by Permission.
The goal of common grace is not to perfect
nature, but to restrain sin and animate civic virtues and arts, so that culture
may fulfill its own important but limited, temporal, and secular ends, while
God simultaneously pursues the redemptive aims of His everlasting city.
Michael Horton
A Tale of
Two Kingdoms, September 2008, Tabletalk, p. 12. Used by Permission.
The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth, of holiness, and
of life in all its forms, is present with every human mind, enforcing truth,
restraining from evil, exciting to good, and imparting wisdom or strength,
when, where, and in what measure seems to Him good… This is what in theology is
called common grace.
Charles Hodge
Systematic Theology, II:667.
[Common grace is] that act of God by which negatively He
curbs the operations of Satan, death, and sin, and by which positively He
creates an intermediate state for this cosmos, as well as for our human race,
which is and continues to be deeply and radically sinful, but in which sin
cannot work out its end.
Abraham Kuyper
Quoted in: Freedom and Depravity – Part I by Sam Storms, November 6, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com.
Used by Permission.
Common grace [means] God
not only restrains the full manifestation of the evil tendencies of the human
heart but also, on a more positive note, enables the non-Christian to perform
deeds of relative “good”.
Sam Storms
Freedom and Depravity – Part I, November 6, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com. Used by Permission.
The first aspect of common grace is what we might call
negative or preventative. Its essential
characteristic is that of restraint.
Although the restraint that God places upon sin and its effects is neither
complete (else no sin would exist at all) nor uniform (else all men would be
equally evil or good), it is of such a nature that the expression and effects
of human depravity are not permitted to reach the maximum height of which they
are capable.
Sam Storms
Freedom and Depravity – Part I, November 6, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com. Used by Permission.
The second aspect of common grace is more positive in
thrust. God not only restrains the sinful operations and effects of the human
heart, He also bestows upon both nature and humanity manifold blessings both
physical and spiritual. These
blessings, however, fall short of redemption itself. The grace of God
displayed throughout the created order is marvelous indeed (Psm. 65:9-13;
104:10-30; 130:25; 145:1-16).
Sam Storms
Freedom and Depravity – Part I, November 6, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com. Used by Permission.