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Ask FGBC #31: What is the difference between saving and common grace?

Jim Butler · 2024-12-07 · 1,102 words · 7 min

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Summary

Qa

Common grace and saving grace are distinct operations of God — the former his non-redemptive goodness to all creation, the latter his particular redemptive work through the gospel — and rightly distinguishing them shapes the church's mission and its posture toward the world.

Common grace and saving grace are distinct but related aspects of God's goodness. Common grace is God's non-redemptive kindness extended to all mankind and creation — including the restraint of sin, fruitful seasons, and the capacity for civic good among unbelievers — while saving grace is God's particular redemptive work in the hearts of sinners through the preaching of the gospel. Understanding this distinction shapes how Christians relate to the world, how they pray for unbelievers, and how they understand the church's mission without compromising it.

Key quotes

The fact that God has not obliterated the earth and thrown us all into hell indicates that there's some kind of kindness on the part of God in a benevolent way to his creatures.
Image bearer qua image bearer — he shouldn't be tyrannized by other image bearers. That's just never right.
Having those two terms and understanding those lanes really help us to how we interact with the world, but also what the church is and what our task is as the church.

Applications

  1. Recognise God's common kindness in creation and fruitful seasons without equating it with saving grace or forgoing the call to preach the gospel.
  2. Pray for and desire the civil welfare of non-Christian neighbours as image-bearers, not only for the protection of the church.
  3. Use the distinction between common grace and saving grace to clarify the church's mission: the church proclaims the gospel of saving grace while living as good neighbours in the world sustained by common grace.
  4. Do not stumble, as Asaph nearly did, at the prosperity of the wicked; understand it within the framework of God's common goodness to all creation.

Questions this sermon answers

What is common grace?

Common grace is God's non-redemptive kindness and goodness toward all mankind and creation — including fruitful seasons, the capacity for civic good among unbelievers, and God's restraint of sin so that evil does not run as rampant as it otherwise could.

What is saving grace and how is it different from common grace?

Saving grace is God's particular redemptive work to rescue sinners from their sin through the preaching of the gospel, whereas common grace is God's general benevolence to all people regardless of whether they are saved.

Why does God give good things to people who are not Christians?

The speaker argues that God's common kindness — rain on the just and unjust alike, full bellies, fruitful seasons — reflects his benevolence toward his creatures as creatures, not as a reward for righteousness.

Should Christians care about the civil welfare of unbelievers?

The speaker argues yes: because every person bears the image of God, image bearers should not be tyrannized by other image bearers, and Christians can desire the civil flourishing of non-Christians without compromising the gospel mission of the church.

Does the Bible teach the restraint of sin as part of God's common grace?

The speaker connects God's restraint of sin to Genesis 9 and the Noahic covenant, arguing that the world is not as bad as it could be precisely because God acts to hold sin in check.

Next question is,

Common and Saving Grace

what is the difference between saving and common grace? Common versus true saving faith. I can start with common grace.

Defining Common Grace

Common grace is God's non-redemptive kindness and goodness toward all mankind and all of creation. And so we see that in Jesus does say in Matthew, is it Matthew 5, that the God, the rain falls upon the just and the unjust. In fact, in one of the earlier questions, we talked about the light of nature, but there's also God's goodness to this world and rain falls from heaven. There's fruitful seasons and full bellies.

Paul actually uses the light of nature in Acts 14 as a starting point to get to the gospel. uh also in Acts 17 as well but specifically in Acts 14 does say there have been fruitful seasons and good gifts and things that God has provided and so um so common grace recognizes the the non-redemptive benefits there are things that are regulated, not regulated, but given to this world, but also he does do some things for this world as it's fallen, and namely he does restrain sin as well, which I think is where Genesis chapter 9 comes in as well. So, God's goodness to, common grace is God's goodness to this world that he made, also his restraining of sin as well, it's not as bad as it probably could be, And then also, this all comes from the 1924 Christian Reform Synod that kind of outlines some of these things that are helpful, but sometimes man, a non-believer, can do things that are civically good. They're not doing it to honor God or glorify God or praise God, but they're probably doing it for themselves, but they can still pay their taxes, they can still drive the speed limit and not run someone over. And so they can do those things.

And so that's all what God is doing by way of his common kindness towards the whole world. And so then on the flip side,

Defining Saving Grace

redemptive is God's saving work to save sinners out of this world. And so that only comes by way of the gospel, that comes by way of the saving work of God in the hearts and lives of sinners. It comes by way of the preaching of the gospel. It comes, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

And so we can recognize God's common kindness, but we also recognize that man needs to be saved from his sin. And so we can preach the gospel to them. And I think sometimes people stumble with the terminology, they say, there's no such thing as common grace. And I, whatever you call it,

Terminology and Common Mercies

the fact that God has not obliterated the earth and thrown us all into hell, indicates that there's some kind of kindness on the part of God in a benevolent way to his creatures. So if the terminology common grace is, you know, That's what I have found. What do you prefer? Well, common mercies, okay.

Whatever floats your boat to communicate that the rain falls even on the ungodly and such that Asaph himself almost stumbled when he looked at the prosperity of the wicked and the difficulties of the righteous. The issue, at least in his mind, was it just doesn't seem fair. So, you know, there is a sense where God, and I think, you know, I've thought about this more over the last few years, some exposure to a particular medieval theologian that, you know, it has helped me to pray more for, for instance, during the COVID time.

Common Grace and Civic Sympathy

I want God's people, the church, to be blessed. I do. I want them to be blessed. I don't want them to be oppressed or persecuted by the government.

But I don't want my fellow image-bearer to be oppressed or persecuted by the government either. I don't begrudge a man. I mean, I don't, you know, he's in sin, he needs to repent, he needs to believe. All that's true, but I don't want him to have a miserable life under a wretched government because, you know, well, he's not a Christian, he doesn't deserve it.

Well, in God's world, There's a lot of people who haven't deserved many of the benefits that they've been given. And so I think that when we understand, you know, nature, grace, common grace, special grace, I don't know, I just think it broadens, at least it has for me, my sympathy for and my desire for the prosperity of even the non-Christian citizens here in Canada. They don't deserve to have tyrants lording things over them. They don't deserve to be told that they can't play basketball during a pandemic.

They don't deserve that. And so it really has evoked in me, I think a little bit, well, it's not like I'm Mr. Sympathetic or compassionate, but it's caused me to reflect that, yeah, I want the church protected, but image bearer qua image bearer. That means image bearer as image bearer.

He shouldn't be tyrannized by other image bearers. That's just never right.

Common Grace and Creation

I think it helps us appreciate creation as well in a way that we don't always have to bring it under apologetics. I don't know. Some people always want to, we need to defend creation and it's good to do that. We should defend creation, but we also need to recognize that creation as a subject matter falls under the doctrine of God, that God made this world.

He is the creator. We are the creature and everything, not him is creature. And everything he has made has been called good. You know, certainly sin taints that and corrupts that and makes it low, but, and yeah, just destroys things.

But at the same time, God still called it good. And he has been very good to this world to make it. He's been good to us to give us gifts. And he's also been good to us to restrain evil.

I'd like, to think that he could restrain a little bit more, but I'm not God and he is, but he does do all of those things. And we can recognize that without, you know, forgoing the kingdom or trying to, you know, compromising the kingdom. I think also

Practical Implications for the Church

having those two terms and understanding those lanes, you know, really help us to how we interact with the world, but also what the church is and what our task is as the church. Yep. God is good. Amen.

God is good.

Scripture References

Study notes

Theological terms

  • Common Grace×12
  • Image of God×5
  • Light of Nature×2
  • Restraint of Sin×3
  • Saving Grace×3
  • Special Grace

People cited

  • Asaph