Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Sola Fide And Justification

Receiving the Grace of God in Vain

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2019-09-06

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver expounds 2 Corinthians 6:1, arguing that the grace of God which can be received in vain is not the effectual call of regeneration but the common or external call—the preaching and teaching of God's Word. He explains that ministers are ambassadors for Christ, speaking in His stead, and that hearers must not receive this grace worthlessly by failing to believe, embrace, and apply the truth. The sermon emphasizes the urgency of responding now and warns that even Christians can receive God's grace in vain when they hear Scripture without acting upon it.

[John Weaver] 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 and we're just going to read verse 1 right now. We will come back and read other verses. The title of the message is receiving the grace of God in vain. Receiving the grace of God in vain. So if you'll look in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 verse 1 The Apostle Paul says we then as workers together with him Beseech you that you received up the grace of God in vain if you are a Christian You are one only by the grace of God Grace is God's gift Grace is not just simply unmerited favor Grace is something that is given unmerited, of course, but to those who are positively Undeserving and deserving only of judgment a practically everyone can quote Ephesians 2 8 and 9 For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. So it's only by God's grace that God gives us faith in order to believe, to repent, and to turn from our sins, and to come savingly to Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] No one comes to God savingly except by his grace through the faith that he gives. In light of that Paul makes an astonishing statement in verse 1 of 2 Corinthians 6. He says, we then as workers together with him beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. So he is beseeching the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain. And the implication is that the grace of God can be received in vain.

[John Weaver] Now the word vain is the Greek word kenos, and it literally means that which is vain, that which is in vain, that which is empty, fruitless, without effect, and has no purpose. So he is beseeching them to receive the Word of God not in vain, that is not worthlessly, uselessly, without fruit and without purpose. Now, I don't know if a thought has ever occurred to you, But is it possible that there are people who receive the grace of God in vain? Is it possible that we as Christians commit this sin regularly and do not even realize it? So you have to ask what does it mean to receive the grace of God in vain?

[John Weaver] Now, obviously, scriptures that I'm going to share with you here relate in one sense the word of salvation. For look at verse 1 again, he says, We then as workers together with him beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is When you get to the book of Hebrews chapter 2 and especially verse 3 we are admonished and we are said and told this, how then shall we escape if we neglect this so great of salvation? Now, you have to determine and you have to decide what grace is being spoken of in verse 1. when he said, we then as workers together with him beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. Let me just point out, when you read the grace of God in verse one, and I shall demonstrate it to you from scripture, the apostle is not talking about the grace in regeneration. He is not talking about the grace in what you and I would call effectual calling, where God sovereignly and powerfully calls sinners unto himself. Let me give you just several verses to consider.

[John Weaver] First of all Romans 1 and verse 6 the Bible says, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. It may surprise you that one of the names for saints in the Bible happens to be the called ones. You remember in Revelation 17 the Lord comes back on that horse and He's got the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Bible says those that are with Him are called chosen, and faithful." So, many times in Scripture saints are just simply referred to as the called ones. When you get to 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 9 the Bible says, but God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ. So, here is a calling then that actually results in the fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] So, this is what you and I would call an effectual call. If you would hold 2 Corinthians 6, but turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1, and I want you to see there is a calling here that is equated with being saved. So, you have it in 2 Timothy chapter 1, look in verse 8, Paul tells Timothy, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. Now look what God has done according to His power, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling. Not according to our works, not anything that we've done, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But note the first part of verse 9, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling. So here's a holy calling that actually results in salvation. So when you talk about effectual calling, effectual calling in Christian soteriology, and soteriology just refers to the doctrine of salvation.

[John Weaver] Soteriology not only refers to the doctrine of salvation, but effectual calling then is a stage in what is known as the ordo salutis, that is the order of salvation where God does for us each thing that is needed and necessary to draw us unto saving faith. And just out of curiosity When I was studying and preparing this message, I just wanted to see what a dictionary would say on effectual calling. And I was absolutely surprised when I looked up Merriam-Webster dictionary, and here's the definition that it gives. action of the Holy Spirit in producing conviction of sin, and bestowing the gift of faith in Christ." I thought, well that is an accurate definition. Then they went on to say, according to Calvinistic theology, but it was still an accurate definition.

[John Weaver] So, one quick passage that I want you to look at will show you what I'm going to distinguish for you today, that there is a difference between what you and I would refer to as the common call, or the general call, and and the effectual call. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8 verses 29 and 30. Romans 8 verses 29 and 30. Look at it very carefully. Romans 8 beginning there with verse 29. To show you there has to be a distinction between what is known as the common call and the effectual call. Verse 29 of Romans 8.

[John Weaver] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Now watch verse 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, and only them, he also called. Now watch, at whom he also called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified. The order in verse 30 is those whom God predestinated he called. Those whom He called, He justified. Those whom He justified, He glorified. So obviously, not everyone who is called, quote-unquote, externally, generally, in a common sense, ends up justified and glorified. So when you look at verse 30, verse 30 has to do with what you and I would refer to as the effectual call, that God Calls us unto himself in such a way that he justifies us and he talks about our being glorified already in a past tense sense now I want to

[John Weaver] give you a couple of quotes the first one is from the Philadelphia Baptist Confession of Faith. You have to understand the Old London Confession of Faith was developed in 1689. In actuality it is almost word for word with the Westminster Confession from 1644 and 1648. With the exception, of course it differs as it relates to ecclesiology, the doctrine of church, and also in relationship to baptism. So the Old London Confession of Faith was in 1689, and in 1744 100 Philadelphia, well I don't know if they were all from Philadelphia, but 100 Baptist pastors met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and adopted the Old London Confession 1689 as their Confession of Faith. And this quote comes from that 1689-1744 Confession of Faith. Listen carefully.

[John Weaver] Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of the state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ, enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh, renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ, yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace. So effectual call is not something that God does.

[John Weaver] He reaches over and grabs Gary and says, boy, you're going to be saved whether you like it or not, and drags him over into Heaven, kicking and screaming. No. What God does, He sovereignly and powerfully works in his heart so that Gary is willing and wants and longs and loves to come. One of my favorite illustrations is About the two women who were sitting on their front porch conversing and one was the mother of a young man And the next lady was the next-door neighbor pretty soon the young man came out in a suit shirt and tie shoes polished hair combed Fingernails clean and he leaned over to kiss his mother on the cheek and said well mother I'll see you about 11 11 30 and Then he got in the car and drove off The mother looked at her neighbor later and said, isn't that absolutely disgusting? The neighbor lady said, wow, I'd give anything if my son dressed like that and acted like that. No, no, no.

[John Weaver] She said, that's not what I'm talking about. She said, what I'm trying to say is it took a little blonde headed, blue eyed girl, five foot two to do in a week what I couldn't get him to do in 14 years. Well, was something that made Him willing to do all that and to change. And that is what God does to us. God makes us willing.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you a couple of quotes just to show you what I'm about to tell you today is not something that I came up with. This is something that has been taught down through the ages. I'm going to give you two quotes. The first one is by John Gill. I'm going to interrupt first the quote. say something and then go back to the quote. But John Gill is making a comment on 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1 and he says this, by the grace of God, talking about receiving not the grace of God in vain. He says, by the grace of God is not meant the grace of God in regeneration and effectual calling which can never be received in vain, For the grace of God never fails of producing a thorough work of conversion, nor is it ever lost, but is strictly connected with eternal glory." Well, if receiving the grace of God in vain is not connected to regeneration, and is not connected to effectual calling, what is it? Well, I've already mentioned that there is indeed a common call, or a general call, or if you want to refer to it as an external call.

[John Weaver] The general call, the common call, or the external call is merely connected with the preaching and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's telling men that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord, that He is indeed Savior. that He is indeed the substitute, and the surety, and the sacrifice, and that there is no salvation apart from Him. So when I preach, when I teach it is basically what you and I would refer to as a general, common, or an external call. Even our Lord Himself in Matthew 22 and verse 14 said, for many are called, but few are chosen. So John Gill has already said, now this has nothing to do with regeneration or the effectual call.

[John Weaver] Here let me pick him back up again. He goes on to say this, by it is meant either the doctrine of grace, the Gospel of Christ so called because it is a declaration of the love and grace of God to sinners, ascribed salvation in part and in whole to the free grace of God, and is a means of implanting and increasing grace in the hearts of men.

[John Weaver] Now this may be received in vain by ministers and people, when it is but notionally received, or received in word only, when it is abused and perverted to vile purposes, and when men drop, denied, and fall off from it." So what is he saying? Actually he is saying receiving the means of God, or receiving the grace of God in vain is relating to the preaching and the declaration of the truth of God. That's what he's saying.

[John Weaver] It has nothing to do with regeneration. It has nothing to do with effectual calling. But it does have to do with the declaration and the preaching and the teaching of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, the second quote I want to give you is by Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry, everybody loves him. Matthew Henry has some great commentaries and they're usually very succinct. But what many people do not know is a lot of Matthew Henry's commentaries were written as he took notes from his father at family worship. That's how a lot of his commentaries became written. So his father was a very Excellent theologian that is for sure. But here is what Matthew Henry says, the Gospel is a word of grace sounding in our ears. The gospel day is a day of salvation the means of grace the means of salvation the offers of the gospel and the offers of salvation And the present time the proper time to accept these offers tomorrow is not ours We do not know what will be tomorrow nor where we shall be. We now enjoy a day of grace Then let us all be careful not to neglect it ministers of the gospel should look upon themselves as god's servants act in everything agreeable to that character.

[John Weaver] The Apostle did so much by patience and afflictions, by acting from good principles, and by due restraint in behavior. Believers in this world need the grace of God to arm them against temptations in order to bear the good report of men without pride, and in order to bear their reproaches with patience. They have nothing in themselves but possess all things in Christ. Of such differences is a Christian's life made up, and through such a variety of conditions and reports is our way to Heaven, and we should be careful in all things to approve ourselves to God.

[John Weaver] The gospel, when faithfully preached, and fully received, betters the condition even of the poorest. They save that which they righteously spent, and diligently employ their time for useful purposes. They save and gain by religion, and are so much made rich, both for the world to come and for this, when compared with their sinful state, before they receive the gospel."

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing again Henry is saying that once again receiving the grace in God in vain really and truly has to do with the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. So let me show you the context. I want you to look in your Bibles if you would please to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 since that precedes chapter 6. Let's read verses 18-21, okay? 2nd Corinthians 5 beginning there with verse 18 and we'll read through verse 21 The Apostle Paul says all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ Hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation To wit that God was in Christ Reconciling the world unto himself Not imputing their trespasses unto them. I and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead be you reconciled to God. For He, that is God the Father, hath made Him Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

[John Weaver] Now if you go back to verse 18 the Apostle Paul says, all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ. Christ. So, reconciliation is an act of God. It is something that God does and has done through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But note if you would the latter part of verse 18, Paul said,"...and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." Now, if God has accomplished reconciliation in Christ the only thing we can do is proclaim that reconciliation. Therefore if you would look in verse 19 He says, to wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. So in verse 18, it's called the Ministry of Reconciliation. Now in verse 19, it is called the Word of Reconciliation. Why is it called the Word?

[John Weaver] Because it involves preaching and teaching and speaking. The doctrine of reconciliation in Jesus Christ is being taught and proclaimed. So, what God has done in verse 18 is called the Ministry of Reconciliation and the Word of Reconciliation. Now, if you look at verse 20, verse 20 should be the absolute clincher. He says, Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead be reconciled unto God. Now, first of all, look in verse 20, now then we, who are the we? First of all, it would be the apostles, obviously. Secondly, it would be ministers and preachers that Christ has called according to Ephesians chapter four. These men that Christ called and appointed and sent referred to as his ambassadors.

[John Weaver] Now, an ambassador is a diplomat. An ambassador is someone with authority and that ambassador has the authority to speak on behalf of the one who sent him.

[John Weaver] Now, we use the word ambassador very loosely. We don't really comprehend the impact of it. For instance, let's suppose that we all took a trip and we went over to England. And we're all American citizens. And we go to Windsor Castle and we walk up to one of the guards and we say, we would like to have a meeting with the queen. And the guard would look at us and say, who are you? Well, we're ambassadors. Really? Where are your credentials? No, you don't understand. We just represent the American people and we just want to convey goodwill to the queen. And that's all we want. The guard would say, look, You probably need to leave right now before I call some additional help and have you kicked out. You have no authority to be here and request a meeting with the queen. Because, but we say, but we're ambassadors. Well, ambassadors are goodwill, but we have no diplomatic papers. We have no authority.

[John Weaver] You see what I'm saying? However, if the president or even Congress appointed someone as an ambassador, represent this country before the Queen of England the ambassador could petition the Queen and said look there's a problem between America and England and we need to resolve this thing and we need to sit down together and discuss this thing. So the Queen would probably say yes you're speaking for America I'm speaking for England or the Prime Minister is going to be there. In other words someone with real authority that's been appointed.

[John Weaver] Now, this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is pointing out. He says, now then we are ambassadors for Christ. I remember when I was a boy the Southern Baptist Convention had a group called the Royal Ambassadors and little boys where they taught them. Well, that's a very loose term because here it is applied primarily to preachers.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to watch this. Look in verse 20. He says now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us. As though God did beseech you by us. In other words, the ambassador that the Apostle Paul is talking about here is a representative of God. The voice of the ambassador in proclaiming the message that has been given to him is the voice of God Did you hear that the voice of the ambassador in proclaiming the message That his sovereign has given him is the voice of the sovereign Wow If you understood that it would under you would undertake preaching more seriously. Now watch it again, we're not through. Watch carefully. He says, now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us.

[John Weaver] Then he makes this statement, we pray you in Christ's stead be reconciled unto God. We pray you in Christ's stead.

[John Weaver] Now the word stead is a little Greek word, huper. And that little word is translated, in the place of, on behalf of, and for the sake of. He says, we're here in Christ's stead. Let me ask you a question. Where's Jesus Christ right now? He's seated at the right hand of God the Father. He is no longer physically on this earth. But he has appointed ambassadors who are here on earth in his stead. Now, let me tell you how this word is used.

[John Weaver] You remember in the book of Philemon, it is, Onesimus was a runaway slave. Ha! He ran away from Philemon. He not only ran away from Philemon, stole from Philemon. And if you will remember a message I preached a while back, Onesimus and Philemon were brothers. You say, well how in the world can a brother hold his brother as a slave? Well you have to go back and listen to the message because I explain all that and there are reasons why he was a slave. Obviously one of the reasons was he was a thief, and that he indolent he ran away he ran away to Rome and he got arrested and thrown in a dungeon and that happens to be where the Apostle Paul was and he was converted under Paul's ministry and when you read the book of Philemon Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon and he says this in verse 13 listen carefully whom Would have retained with me that in thy stead He might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel Whom I would have retained Paul said I would love to have kept Onesimus here so

[John Weaver] that he could have ministered me in your place instead of you now Philemon evidently had ministered to Paul many times and then Paul went on to say, without your knowledge I would do nothing. And so he sent him back. But he says, I would keep him here in your stead.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5 and look if you would please at verse 8. Romans 5 and verse 8. Romans 5 and verse 8. Look what the Bible says. Here's another verse that a lot of people can quote. It's a very beautiful verse Romans 5 verse 8 But God committed his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us But God committed his love toward us and while we were yet sinners Christ died for us You know what that little word for is in the Greek It's the word Hupear. What does it say? Watch it. But God committed his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died in our stead. He died for our sake. He died in our place.

[John Weaver] Now, go back to 2 Corinthians 5. Look, if you would, please, at verse 20. Paul says now that we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us We pray you in Christ's dead Just like Jesus Christ was our substitute To die in our place before God the Father now, we're his substitute to preach and proclaim his truth Since he's seated at the right hand of God the Father So he says as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead be reconciled unto God. Now, listen to me. Those who preach the truth of God. Who are truly called by Jesus Christ. representatives and ambassadors for God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And when they preach and teach the Word of God it is though God is beseeching you through that ambassador, through that preacher. And that preacher is there in the stead of Christ as they expound and explain and apply the Scriptures.

[John Weaver] Now I realize not every preacher expounds and explains and applies a scripture. That's why I said You know, you can preach and say a lot of good things. Whatever really preaching the Bible you understand that I Was talking to a brother yesterday and we were talking about preachers and I said, you know I've always thought that a preacher who did not really preach the scripture and Who really did not want to offend anyone or upset anyone? I? He had to do an awful lot of work just to come up with a sermon that you didn't mention God or Christ or not upset anyone. Can you imagine how much work that would involve? Wow. But anyhow, he's not an ambassador of God. He's not a representative of God. It's only as we expound and explain and apply the scripture. If we understood this, would make us look more earnestly upon and listen more intently to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Because it is not just the preacher that is doing the preaching, it is God beseeching you through the voice of the preacher.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you this. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, and I want you to look there at verse 13. Paul nailed this in praising the Thessalonians. So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 look in verse 13 at what the Apostle Paul says, For this cause also thank we God without ceasing. Isn't that amazing? Already he says we continually praise God for this. What is it? Because when you receive the Word of God which you heard of us received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." So Paul said when he and Silas, or he and Barnabas, or whoever he was with, when they preached these Thessalonians, these Thessalonians did not say, that's just what Paul says. That's Paul's opinion. That's what Paul thinks.

[John Weaver] No, no, no, no, no. He said, when you heard us, you did not receive it as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. So there is a way to hear the word of God that is very blessed. There is a way to hear the word of God that is very cursed. So if you just take the Word that is being preached and taught as the Word of Man it profits you nothing. But if you take it as the Word of God then it does indeed profit you greatly.

[John Weaver] Now let me tell you our Lord basically said the same thing. You remember in Matthew chapter 10 in verse 40 when our Lord sent His disciples out He said this, He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. So our Lord put it to you like this, if you receive the one that I send, that is my representative, my ambassador, if you receive him you receive me. If you receive me you receive the Father. Now, he said the same thing again in John 13 in verse 20. He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. So, if you receive the one that Jesus Christ sends, you receive Jesus Christ. If you receive Jesus Christ, you receive the Father who sent Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, the opposite is also true. If you refuse the one that Jesus Christ sends, you refuse Jesus Christ. And if you refuse Jesus Christ, you refuse the Father who sent Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you this in the Old Testament as well. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 36. 2 Chronicles chapter 36. 2 Chronicles 36. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. Let's read it first and then I will go back and show you some things 2nd Chronicles 36 Verse 15 and we'll just read through verse 17. Okay, watch very carefully and the Lord God of their father sent to them by his messengers rising up the times and sending Because he had compassion on his people on his dwelling place but they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

[John Weaver] Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with a sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young men or maiden, or old men, or him that stooped for age. He gave them all into his hand."

[John Weaver] Now go back to verse 15, Now, the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, that is plural, He sent more than one prophet, more than one preacher, rising up at times and sending. Why did God send the preachers? Verse 15 says, because He had compassion on His people in the dwelling place. When God is ready to have compassion upon someone He always sends a preacher. He sends someone that will declare His Word and His truth. Now watch if you would verse 16 But they mocked the messengers of God The word messengers is plural. There was more than one. That's why in verse 15 He says God rising up at times and sending he sent different men at different times verse 16, but they mocked the messengers of God and despised his singular his words That is God's words the representatives that God sent the preachers that God sent were preaching his word He sent multiple preachers, but the word was one the word was God's the word was from him the evidence that they despised God's word is that mocked the messengers of God.

[John Weaver] How did they mock them? They mocked them. They ridiculed them. They refused to listen to them. They beat them. They slew them. They killed them. They murdered them until the wrath of God arose against His people until there was no remedy. So God sent His preachers and they refused to hear the preachers and they were accused of despising God and And his word now, I want you to go back in your bibles to second corinthians second corinthians And I want you to look at this again first of all In chapter 5 look in verse 18 i'm fixing to tie this together for you, hopefully Second corinthians 5 verse 18 and all things are of god who has reconciled us to himself by jesus christ hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."

[John Weaver] So we're talking about preaching. "...to wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, hath committed to us the word of reconciliation." Preaching. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you by us preaching, we pray you in Christ's stead preaching. Be ye reconciled unto God. Here's what God has done to reconcile us. For he, God the Father, hath made him, God the Son, to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So we're talking about preaching. Verse one of chapter six, we then as workers together with him, Beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain what grace of God the grace of God Which is the common call the external call the general call the preaching of God's Word the truth of God's Word And here's why he said in verse 2 For he saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I suckered thee Because now he is it now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation now listen The grace of God in this instance is

[John Weaver] the blessing that each one of us has in order to be alive and to hear and to be present under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. We take so many things for granted. Have you ever stopped to think of the multitudinous grace God has given you and you've not even paid any attention to it. I Remember years ago And some of you are quite familiar with this but I taught a class All day on Friday all day on Saturday Never had a bit of problem Woke up Sunday morning could not even use this left hand. It was totally dead.

[John Weaver] I couldn't move it was worthless. Thankfully by God's grace I got most of the use of that hand back. What if you woke up in the morning and you had lost your hearing, or you lost your sight? You see what I'm saying? It is only the grace of God that allows us to be alive and to hear and to be present under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to turn to James 4 let me show you. This ought to emphasize it even more strongly in your life Hebrews James look in James chapter 4 beginning there were verse 13 James 4 verse 13 He says go to now ye that say today or tomorrow We will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain really Mm-hmm. Watch whereas, you know, not what shall be on the morrow for what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanish of the way For that you ought to say if the Lord will We shall live and do this or that You've been driving down the road a highway and you look up ahead and you see all of the the heat rising. It's like a vapor and you get there and it's gone. And this is what he says your life is like. It's here and then it's gone. It's over with.

[John Weaver] And so it's the grace of God that gives us the blessed opportunity of hearing the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. Now, let me give you a quote by Albert Barnes. I want you to listen carefully. He said this, He's talking about 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1. He says, the sense is that it was possible that this offer, we're talking about preaching, this offer might be made to them and they might hear of a Savior, be told of reconciliation, and have the offers of mercy pressed on their attention and acceptance, and yet all be in vain. They might not withstanding all this be lost, For simply to hear of a plan of salvation or the offers of mercy will no more save a sinner than to hear of medicine will save the sick. It must be embraced and applied or we'll all be in vain. And that's true. That's why when there's preaching and teaching the truth of God, if the Holy Spirit of God does not make it effectual, No one profits from it.

[John Weaver] You might think it's a good sermon. You might say, I enjoyed it. But if you do not hear it, believe it, embrace it, and apply it, it does you absolutely no good at all.

[John Weaver] Now, look if you would at verse three. Watch carefully. He says, giving no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed. Now, the word for offense here is the Greek word Proscope a which means an offense or an occasion of stumbling or Something that would lead someone else to stumble or to fall into sin So he says giving no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed now the word blamed means to

[John Weaver] find fault with to give grounds to mock or ridicule and So what he is saying is that the ambassador that is sent by Jesus Christ, that represents Jesus Christ, that stands in the place of Jesus Christ, that that man must have purity, sincerity, genuineness, and holiness in his life. So if someone does not receive the preaching and the teaching of the Word of God, the blame cannot be placed upon the ministry, or the minister. The blame would be solely upon those who heard and walked away and did absolutely nothing.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make some applications. I want to tie this together for you. First of all, the gospel is a word of grace sounding in our ears and it will be in vain for us to hear it unless we believe it and comply with it and obey it. My duty as a preacher, my duty as an ambassador, my duty as a representative is to proclaim the message that God has given. Your duty, your obligation, your responsibility as a hearer is to hear and obey. apply. If I have a duty to teach, you have a duty to listen. If I have a duty to preach, you have a duty to listen, to hear, and obey.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something else out. This is astounding to me. If you look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1, look what the Apostle Paul says concerning those who represent Jesus Christ. stand in His place. He says, we then as workers together with Him. Have you ever stopped to think about that? Working together with God. Working together with Christ. In fact in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 9 Paul says, for we are laborers together with God. We work with Him. How do we work with Him?

[John Weaver] By simply preaching and teaching that which is given to His Word. Okay, here's the second one. We must learn that the present time is the only proper time to apply the truth of God. Suppose you said to yourself, well boy, that was a very interesting message. I'm going to think more on it next week and Maybe the week after I'm gonna start trying to work it out and apply it Really? Well, what if you died tonight? You follow what I'm saying the only proper time that we have is right now Because we don't know what is going to be tomorrow. We don't even know what's going to be the next minute.

[John Weaver] I Just read Where this young couple Childhood sweethearts Got married. There's a picture of him in his Black suit and her and her white wedding gown. They had just gotten married by justice of the peace Got in their car and pulled out in the highway and a truck hit them and killed both of them instantly One was 19 and the other was 20 I mean you know, I'm just simply saying no one knows what the future holds.

[John Weaver] And so now is the only time that we can apply the truth of God. You remember what Jesus Christ told those Pharisees? Of course the Pharisees did not believe. But He told them this, He said, I therefore said unto you, you shall die in your sins. If you believe not that I am Him, you shall die in your sins. So obviously We have an opportunity now, that's why he says, for he saith, I've heard thee in a time except in the day of salvation of a suckered they behold. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. I read one time where one man said most people who plan to be saved at 12 o'clock died 1159. Well, that's true.

[John Weaver] You have no idea now. One last thing, how does this apply to Christians? Do you realize whatever is taught from the Word of God, I do not care if we're talking about salvation, I don't care if we're talking about economics, I don't care if we're talking about education, Don't care what we're talking about as long as it is from the Word of God and the Word of God is being expounded and explained and applied if you hear it and Do not act upon it and Do not embrace it I Do not apply it to you It was in vain You've received the grace of God foolishly worthlessly uselessly because God allowed you to live and God allowed you to hear and You took the truth and walked away from it So Christians Can commit this sin of Receiving the grace of God in vain when we do not take his words seriously and apply it as we should.

[John Weaver] We need to learn to think whenever any situation comes up, any circumstance, what does Scripture say? How am I to act? How am I to apply this? What am I to learn from this? And how may I serve and honor the Lord Jesus Christ in this circumstance or in this situation? Do not receive the grace of God in vain. Apply the word and bring your life into greater conformity to Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Father, we bow to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your life. We thank you, Father, for that which you've taught us. Lord, I pray that you would help us to hear your word, but not in vain. Do you hear it, Lord, fruitfully? Do you hear it, believingly? Do you hear it, Lord, and apply it to our lives so that we may be holy and be made conformable to the image of Jesus Christ? We commit our works unto thee and ask you to establish our thoughts. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. you

Receiving the Grace of God in Vain

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	XeDMKyGzaOw
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Sola Fide And Justification
Genre	Sermon
Date	2019-09-06
Dictation Name
Book	Book 131: Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness — Chapter 17
Source Timed Segments	61

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Text

Reading of 2 Corinthians 6:1 and introduction of the topic: receiving the grace of God in vain. Grace is defined as God's unmerited gift to the undeserving.

2 Corinthians chapter 6, and we're just going to read verse 1 right now. We will come back and read other verses. The title of the message is

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 6:1

"Receiving the Grace of God in Vain."

Receiving the grace of God in vain. So if you'll look in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 1, the Apostle Paul says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 6:1

"We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."

If you are a Christian, you are one only by the grace of God. Grace is God's gift. Grace is not just simply unmerited favor; grace is something that is given unmerited, of course, but to those who are positively undeserving and deserving only of judgment. Practically everyone can quote Ephesians 2:8 and 9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." So it's only by God's grace that God gives us faith in order to believe, to repent, and to turn from our sins, and to come savingly to Jesus Christ.

The Astonishing Statement

Paul beseeches believers not to receive God's grace in vain, implying it is possible. The Greek word kenos means empty, fruitless, without effect.

No one comes to God savingly except by His grace through the faith that He gives. In light of that, Paul makes an astonishing statement in verse 1 of 2 Corinthians 6. He says, "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." So he is beseeching the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain. And the implication is that the grace of God can be received in vain.

Now the word "vain" is the Greek word kenos, and it literally means that which is vain, that which is in vain, that which is empty, fruitless, without effect, and has no purpose. So he is beseeching them to receive the Word of God not in vain, that is not worthlessly, uselessly, without fruit and without purpose. Now, I don't know if a thought has ever occurred to you, but is it possible that there are people who receive the grace of God in vain? Is it possible that we as Christians commit this sin regularly and do not even realize it? So you have to ask, what does it mean to receive the grace of God in vain?

Distinguishing Effectual Calling from Common Calling

The grace in view is not regeneration or effectual calling, which never fails. Scripture distinguishes a general, common call (preaching) from the effectual call that results in salvation.

Now, obviously, scriptures that I'm going to share with you here relate in one sense to the word of salvation. For look at verse 1 again, he says, "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Now, the interesting thing is, when you get to the book of Hebrews chapter 2 and especially verse 3, we are admonished and we are told this:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 2:3

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?"

Now, you have to determine and you have to decide what grace is being spoken of in verse 1 when he said, "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." Let me just point out, when you read "the grace of God" in verse one, and I shall demonstrate it to you from scripture, the apostle is not talking about the grace in regeneration. He is not talking about the grace in what you and I would call effectual calling, where God sovereignly and powerfully calls sinners unto Himself. Let me give you just several verses to consider.

First of all, Romans 1 and verse 6, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:6

"Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ."

It may surprise you that one of the names for saints in the Bible happens to be "the called ones." You remember in Revelation 17, the Lord comes back on that horse and He's got the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Bible says those that are with Him are "called, chosen, and faithful." So, many times in Scripture saints are just simply referred to as the called ones. When you get to 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 9, the Bible says, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." So, here is a calling then that actually results in the fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 1:9

So, this is what you and I would call an effectual call. If you would hold 2 Corinthians 6, but turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1, and I want you to see there is a calling here that is equated with being saved. So, you have it in 2 Timothy chapter 1, look in verse 8. Paul tells Timothy, "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." Now look what God has done according to His power, "who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." But note the first part of verse 9, "who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling." So here's a holy calling that actually results in salvation. So when you talk about effectual calling, effectual calling in Christian soteriology—and soteriology just refers to the doctrine of salvation.

Soteriology not only refers to the doctrine of salvation, but effectual calling then is a stage in what is known as the ordo salutis, that is the order of salvation, where God does for us each thing that is needed and necessary to draw us unto saving faith. And just out of curiosity, when I was studying and preparing this message, I just wanted to see what a dictionary would say on effectual calling. And I was absolutely surprised when I looked up Merriam-Webster dictionary, and here's the definition that it gives: "action of the Holy Spirit in producing conviction of sin, and bestowing the gift of faith in Christ." I thought, well that is an accurate definition. Then they went on to say, "according to Calvinistic theology," but it was still an accurate definition.

So, one quick passage that I want you to look at will show you what I'm going to distinguish for you today, that there is a difference between what you and I would refer to as the common call, or the general call, and the effectual call. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8 verses 29 and 30. Romans 8 verses 29 and 30. Look at it very carefully. Romans 8 beginning there with verse 29, to show you there has to be a distinction between what is known as the common call and the effectual call. Verse 29 of Romans 8.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:29-30

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Now watch verse 30.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:29-30

"Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

The order in verse 30 is those whom God predestinated He called. Those whom He called, He justified. Those whom He justified, He glorified. So obviously, not everyone who is called, quote-unquote, externally, generally, in a common sense, ends up justified and glorified. So when you look at verse 30, verse 30 has to do with what you and I would refer to as the effectual call, that God calls us unto Himself in such a way that He justifies us and He talks about our being glorified already in a past tense sense. Now I want to

give you a couple of quotes. The first one is from the Philadelphia Baptist Confession of Faith. You have to understand the Old London Confession of Faith was developed in 1689. In actuality it is almost word for word with the Westminster Confession from 1644 and 1648, with the exception, of course, it differs as it relates to ecclesiology, the doctrine of church, and also in relationship to baptism. So the Old London Confession of Faith was in 1689, and in 1744, 100—well, I don't know if they were all from Philadelphia—but 100 Baptist pastors met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and adopted the Old London Confession of 1689 as their Confession of Faith. And this quote comes from that 1689-1744 Confession of Faith. Listen carefully.

Historical Confessional Support

Quotes from the Philadelphia Baptist Confession and John Gill affirm that effectual grace cannot be received in vain; the passage refers to the doctrine of grace proclaimed.

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Now watch verse 30. "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." The order in verse 30 is those whom God predestinated He called. Those whom He called, He justified. Those whom He justified, He glorified. So obviously, not everyone who is called, quote-unquote, externally, generally, in a common sense, ends up justified and glorified. So when you look at verse 30, verse 30 has to do with what you and I would refer to as the effectual call, that God calls us unto Himself in such a way that He justifies us and He talks about our being glorified already in a past tense sense. Now I want to

"Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of the state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ, yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace." So effectual call is not something that God does— He reaches over and grabs Gary and says, "Boy, you're going to be saved whether you like it or not," and drags him over into Heaven, kicking and screaming. No. What God does, He sovereignly and powerfully works in his heart so that Gary is willing and wants and longs and loves to come. One of my favorite illustrations is about the two women who were sitting on their front porch conversing, and one was the mother of a young man, and the next lady was the next-door neighbor. Pretty soon the young man came out in a suit, shirt and tie, shoes polished, hair combed, fingernails clean, and he leaned over to kiss his mother on the cheek and said, "Well, Mother, I'll see you about 11, 11:30." And then he got in the car and drove off. The mother looked at her neighbor later and said, "Isn't that absolutely disgusting?" The neighbor lady said, "Wow, I'd give anything if my son dressed like that and acted like that." "No, no, no."

She said, "That's not what I'm talking about." She said, "What I'm trying to say is it took a little blonde-headed, blue-eyed girl, five foot two, to do in a week what I couldn't get him to do in 14 years." Well, it was something that made him willing to do all that and to change. And that is what God does to us. God makes us willing. Now, I want to give you a couple of quotes just to show you what I'm about to tell you today is not something that I came up with. This is something that has been taught down through the ages. I'm going to give you two quotes. The first one is by John Gill. I'm going to interrupt first the quote, say something, and then go back to the quote. But John Gill is making a comment on 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1 and he says this, "By the grace of God," talking about receiving not the grace of God in vain, he says, "by the grace of God is not meant the grace of God in regeneration and effectual calling which can never be received in vain, for the grace of God never fails of producing a thorough work of conversion, nor is it ever lost, but is strictly connected with eternal glory." Well, if receiving the grace of God in vain is not connected to regeneration, and is not connected to effectual calling, what is it? Well, I've already mentioned that there is indeed a common call, or a general call, or if you want to refer to it as an external call.

The general call, the common call, or the external call is merely connected with the preaching and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's telling men that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord, that He is indeed Savior, that He is indeed the substitute, and the surety, and the sacrifice, and that there is no salvation apart from Him. So when I preach, when I teach, it is basically what you and I would refer to as a general, common, or an external call. Even our Lord Himself in Matthew 22 and verse 14 said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 22:14

"For many are called, but few are chosen."

So John Gill has already said, now this has nothing to do with regeneration or the effectual call. Here let me pick him back up again. He goes on to say this: "By it is meant either the doctrine of grace, the Gospel of Christ so called because it is a declaration of the love and grace of God to sinners, ascribes salvation in part and in whole to the free grace of God, and is a means of implanting and increasing grace in the hearts of men."

"Now this may be received in vain by ministers and people, when it is but notionally received, or received in word only, when it is abused and perverted to vile purposes, and when men drop, deny, and fall off from it." So what is he saying? Actually he is saying receiving the means of God, or receiving the grace of God in vain, is relating to the preaching and the declaration of the truth of God. That's what he's saying.

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Matthew Henry interprets the grace as the gospel message and means of grace, emphasizing the present time as the day of salvation.

Now, the second quote I want to give you is by Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry, everybody loves him. Matthew Henry has some great commentaries and they're usually very succinct. But what many people do not know is a lot of Matthew Henry's commentaries were written as he took notes from his father at family worship. That's how a lot of his commentaries became written. So his father was a very excellent theologian, that is for sure. But here is what Matthew Henry says: "The Gospel is a word of grace sounding in our ears. The gospel day is a day of salvation, the means of grace, the means of salvation, the offers of the gospel and the offers of salvation. And the present time the proper time to accept these offers. Tomorrow is not ours; we do not know what will be tomorrow nor where we shall be. We now enjoy a day of grace; then let us all be careful not to neglect it. Ministers of the gospel should look upon themselves as God's servants, act in everything agreeable to that character."

"The Apostle did so much by patience and afflictions, by acting from good principles, and by due restraint in behavior. Believers in this world need the grace of God to arm them against temptations in order to bear the good report of men without pride, and in order to bear their reproaches with patience. They have nothing in themselves but possess all things in Christ. Of such differences is a Christian's life made up, and through such a variety of conditions and reports is our way to Heaven, and we should be careful in all things to approve ourselves to God." "The gospel, when faithfully preached, and fully received, betters the condition even of the poorest. They save that which they righteously spent, and diligently employ their time for useful purposes. They save and gain by religion, and are so much made rich, both for the world to come and for this, when compared with their sinful state, before they receive the gospel."

Now, the interesting thing again, Henry is saying that once again receiving the grace of God in vain really and truly has to do with the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. So let me show you the context. I want you to look in your Bibles if you would please to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 since that precedes chapter 6. Let's read verses 18-21, okay? 2 Corinthians 5 beginning there with verse 18 and we'll read through verse 21. The Apostle Paul says, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

The Ministry of Reconciliation and Ambassadorship

From 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Paul describes ministers as ambassadors for Christ, speaking in His stead with divine authority. Rejecting the messenger is rejecting God.

Now if you go back to verse 18, the Apostle Paul says, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ." So, reconciliation is an act of God. It is something that God does and has done through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But note if you would the latter part of verse 18, Paul said, "...and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." Now, if God has accomplished reconciliation in Christ, the only thing we can do is proclaim that reconciliation. Therefore if you would look in verse 19, he says, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." So in verse 18, it's called the ministry of reconciliation. Now in verse 19, it is called the word of reconciliation. Why is it called the word?

Because it involves preaching and teaching and speaking. The doctrine of reconciliation in Jesus Christ is being taught and proclaimed. So, what God has done in verse 18 is called the ministry of reconciliation and the word of reconciliation. Now, if you look at verse 20, verse 20 should be the absolute clincher. He says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Now, first of all, look in verse 20, "now then we"—who are the "we"? First of all, it would be the apostles, obviously. Secondly, it would be ministers and preachers that Christ has called according to Ephesians chapter 4. These men that Christ called and appointed and sent are referred to as His ambassadors.

Now, an ambassador is a diplomat. An ambassador is someone with authority, and that ambassador has the authority to speak on behalf of the one who sent him. Now, we use the word "ambassador" very loosely. We don't really comprehend the impact of it. For instance, let's suppose that we all took a trip and we went over to England. And we're all American citizens. And we go to Windsor Castle and we walk up to one of the guards and we say, "We would like to have a meeting with the queen." And the guard would look at us and say, "Who are you?" "Well, we're ambassadors." "Really? Where are your credentials?" "No, you don't understand. We just represent the American people and we just want to convey goodwill to the queen. And that's all we want." The guard would say, "Look, you probably need to leave right now before I call some additional help and have you kicked out. You have no authority to be here and request a meeting with the queen." Because—but we say, "But we're ambassadors." Well, ambassadors are goodwill, but we have no diplomatic papers. We have no authority.

You see what I'm saying? However, if the president or even Congress appointed someone as an ambassador to represent this country before the Queen of England, the ambassador could petition the Queen and say, "Look, there's a problem between America and England and we need to resolve this thing and we need to sit down together and discuss this thing." So the Queen would probably say, "Yes, you're speaking for America, I'm speaking for England," or the Prime Minister is going to be there. In other words, someone with real authority that's been appointed. Now, this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is pointing out. He says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ." I remember when I was a boy the Southern Baptist Convention had a group called the Royal Ambassadors, and little boys where they taught them. Well, that's a very loose term because here it is applied primarily to preachers.

Now, I want you to watch this. Look in verse 20. He says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us." As though God did beseech you by us. In other words, the ambassador that the Apostle Paul is talking about here is a representative of God. The voice of the ambassador in proclaiming the message that has been given to him is the voice of God. Did you hear that? The voice of the ambassador in proclaiming the message that his sovereign has given him is the voice of the sovereign. Wow. If you understood that, it would make you undertake preaching more seriously. Now watch it again, we're not through. Watch carefully. He says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us."

Then he makes this statement, "We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." We pray you in Christ's stead. Now the word "stead" is a little Greek word, huper. And that little word is translated "in the place of," "on behalf of," and "for the sake of." He says, "We're here in Christ's stead." Let me ask you a question. Where's Jesus Christ right now? He's seated at the right hand of God the Father. He is no longer physically on this earth. But He has appointed ambassadors who are here on earth in His stead. Now, let me tell you how this word is used.

You remember in the book of Philemon, it is, Onesimus was a runaway slave. He ran away from Philemon. He not only ran away from Philemon, he stole from Philemon. And if you will remember a message I preached a while back, Onesimus and Philemon were brothers. You say, "Well how in the world can a brother hold his brother as a slave?" Well you have to go back and listen to the message because I explain all that and there are reasons why he was a slave. Obviously one of the reasons was he was a thief, and that he was indolent. He ran away, he ran away to Rome and he got arrested and thrown in a dungeon, and that happens to be where the Apostle Paul was, and he was converted under Paul's ministry. And when you read the book of Philemon, Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon and he says this in verse 13, listen carefully:

Scripture Reading — Philemon 1:13

"Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel."

Whom I would have retained—Paul said, "I would love to have kept Onesimus here so

that he could have ministered to me in your place, instead of you." Now Philemon evidently had ministered to Paul many times, and then Paul went on to say, "Without your knowledge I would do nothing." And so he sent him back. But he says, "I would keep him here in your stead." Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5 and look if you would please at verse 8. Romans 5 and verse 8. Romans 5 and verse 8. Look what the Bible says. Here's another verse that a lot of people can quote. It's a very beautiful verse. Romans 5 verse 8: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:8

" But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You know what that little word "

for" is in the Greek? It's the word huper. What does it say? Watch it. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died in our stead. He died for our sake. He died in our place."

Now, go back to 2 Corinthians 5. Look, if you would, please, at verse 20. Paul says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead." Just like Jesus Christ was our substitute to die in our place before God the Father, now we're His substitute to preach and proclaim His truth since He's seated at the right hand of God the Father. So he says, "As though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Now, listen to me. Those who preach the truth of God, who are truly called by Jesus Christ, are representatives and ambassadors for God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And when they preach and teach the Word of God, it is as though God is beseeching you through that ambassador, through that preacher. And that preacher is there in the stead of Christ as they expound and explain and apply the Scriptures.

Receiving the Word as God's Word

Using 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and Matthew 10:40, Weaver shows that hearing the preached word as merely human renders it profitless; receiving it as God's Word brings blessing.

Now I realize not every preacher expounds and explains and applies the Scripture. That's why I said, you know, you can preach and say a lot of good things. Whatever—really preaching the Bible, you understand that? I was talking to a brother yesterday and we were talking about preachers and I said, "You know, I've always thought that a preacher who did not really preach the Scripture and who really did not want to offend anyone or upset anyone, I think he had to do an awful lot of work just to come up with a sermon that didn't mention God or Christ or not upset anyone." Can you imagine how much work that would involve? Wow. But anyhow, he's not an ambassador of God. He's not a representative of God. It's only as we expound and explain and apply the Scripture. If we understood this, it would make us look more earnestly upon and listen more intently to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Because it is not just the preacher that is doing the preaching, it is God beseeching you through the voice of the preacher.

Now, let me show you this. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, and I want you to look there at verse 13. Paul nailed this in praising the Thessalonians. So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 look in verse 13 at what the Apostle Paul says:

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 2:13

"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing."

Isn't that amazing? Already he says we continually praise God for this. What is it?

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 2:13

"Because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."

So Paul said when he and Silas, or he and Barnabas, or whoever he was with, when they preached to these Thessalonians, these Thessalonians did not say, "That's just what Paul says. That's Paul's opinion. That's what Paul thinks."

No, no, no, no, no. He said, "When ye heard us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." So there is a way to hear the word of God that is very blessed. There is a way to hear the word of God that is very cursed. So if you just take the Word that is being preached and taught as the word of men, it profits you nothing. But if you take it as the Word of God, then it does indeed profit you greatly.

Now let me tell you, our Lord basically said the same thing. You remember in Matthew chapter 10 in verse 40 when our Lord sent His disciples out, He said this:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:40

"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."

So our Lord put it to you like this: if you receive the one that I send, that is my representative, my ambassador, if you receive him you receive me. If you receive me you receive the Father. Now, He said the same thing again in John 13 in verse 20. He said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:40

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."

So, if you receive the one that Jesus Christ sends, you receive Jesus Christ. If you receive Jesus Christ, you receive the Father who sent Jesus Christ.

Now, the opposite is also true. If you refuse the one that Jesus Christ sends, you refuse Jesus Christ. And if you refuse Jesus Christ, you refuse the Father who sent Christ.

Old Testament Example and Urgency

2 Chronicles 36:15-17 illustrates that mocking God's messengers is despising His word. James 4:13-15 underscores life's brevity, making now the only time to respond.

Now, I want to show you this in the Old Testament as well. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 36. 2 Chronicles chapter 36. 2 Chronicles 36. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. Let's read it first and then I will go back and show you some things. 2 Chronicles 36 verse 15 and we'll just read through verse 17. Okay, watch very carefully: "And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy."

"Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand." Now go back to verse 15. "And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers"—that is plural, He sent more than one prophet, more than one preacher—"rising up betimes, and sending." Why did God send the preachers? Verse 15 says, "because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place." When God is ready to have compassion upon someone, He always sends a preacher. He sends someone that will declare His Word and His truth. Now watch if you would verse 16: "But they mocked the messengers of God." The word "messengers" is plural. There was more than one. That's why in verse 15 He says God "rising up betimes, and sending"—He sent different men at different times. Verse 16, "but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words"—singular, "his words," that is God's words. The representatives that God sent, the preachers that God sent, were preaching His word. He sent multiple preachers, but the word was one; the word was God's; the word was from Him. The evidence that they despised God's word is that they mocked the messengers of God.

How did they mock them? They mocked them. They ridiculed them. They refused to listen to them. They beat them. They slew them. They killed them. They murdered them, until the wrath of God arose against His people until there was no remedy. So God sent His preachers and they refused to hear the preachers, and they were accused of despising God and His word. Now, I want you to go back in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians. And I want you to look at this again. First of all, in chapter 5 look in verse 18. I'm fixing to tie this together for you, hopefully. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 18: "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."

So we're talking about preaching. "...to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." Preaching. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us"—preaching—"we pray you in Christ's stead"—preaching—"be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." So we're talking about preaching. Verse one of chapter six: "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." What grace of God? The grace of God which is the common call, the external call, the general call, the preaching of God's Word, the truth of God's Word. And here's why he said in verse 2: "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Now listen. The grace of God in this instance is

the blessing that each one of us has in order to be alive and to hear and to be present under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. We take so many things for granted. Have you ever stopped to think of the multitudinous grace God has given you and you've not even paid any attention to it? I remember years ago—and some of you are quite familiar with this—but I taught a class all day on Friday, all day on Saturday. Never had a bit of problem. Woke up Sunday morning, could not even use this left hand. It was totally dead.

I couldn't move it; it was worthless. Thankfully, by God's grace I got most of the use of that hand back. What if you woke up in the morning and you had lost your hearing, or you lost your sight? You see what I'm saying? It is only the grace of God that allows us to be alive and to hear and to be present under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.

Now I want you to turn to James 4, let me show you. This ought to emphasize it even more strongly in your life. Hebrews, James, look in James chapter 4 beginning there with verse 13. James 4 verse 13. He says,

Scripture Reading — James 4:13-15

"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

You've been driving down the road, a highway, and you look up ahead and you see all of the heat rising. It's like a vapor and you get there and it's gone. And this is what he says your life is like. It's here and then it's gone. It's over with.

Applications for Believers

Christians can receive grace in vain by hearing Scripture without applying it. The duty is to hear, believe, and obey immediately, bringing life into conformity to Christ.

Now, let me make some applications. I want to tie this together for you. First of all, the gospel is a word of grace sounding in our ears and it will be in vain for us to hear it unless we believe it and comply with it and obey it. My duty as a preacher, my duty as an ambassador, my duty as a representative is to proclaim the message that God has given. Your duty, your obligation, your responsibility as a hearer is to hear and obey, apply. If I have a duty to teach, you have a duty to listen. If I have a duty to preach, you have a duty to listen, to hear, and obey.

Now, let me point something else out. This is astounding to me. If you look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1, look what the Apostle Paul says concerning those who represent Jesus Christ, stand in His place. He says, "We then, as workers together with him." Have you ever stopped to think about that? Working together with God. Working together with Christ. In fact, in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 9 Paul says, "For we are labourers together with God." We work with Him. How do we work with Him?

By simply preaching and teaching that which is given in His Word. Okay, here's the second one. We must learn that the present time is the only proper time to apply the truth of God. Suppose you said to yourself, "Well, boy, that was a very interesting message. I'm going to think more on it next week and maybe the week after I'm going to start trying to work it out and apply it." Really? Well, what if you died tonight? You follow what I'm saying? The only proper time that we have is right now. Because we don't know what is going to be tomorrow. We don't even know what's going to be the next minute.

I just read where this young couple, childhood sweethearts, got married. There's a picture of him in his black suit and her in her white wedding gown. They had just gotten married by a justice of the peace. Got in their car and pulled out on the highway and a truck hit them and killed both of them instantly. One was 19 and the other was 20. I mean, you know, I'm just simply saying no one knows what the future holds. And so now is the only time that we can apply the truth of God. You remember what Jesus Christ told those Pharisees? Of course the Pharisees did not believe. But He told them this, He said, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." So obviously we have an opportunity now. That's why he says, "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." I read one time where one man said most people who plan to be saved at 12 o'clock died at 11:59. Well, that's true.

You have no idea. Now, one last thing. How does this apply to Christians? Do you realize whatever is taught from the Word of God—I do not care if we're talking about salvation, I don't care if we're talking about economics, I don't care if we're talking about education, don't care what we're talking about—as long as it is from the Word of God and the Word of God is being expounded and explained and applied, if you hear it and do not act upon it and do not embrace it and do not apply it to you, it was in vain. You've received the grace of God foolishly, worthlessly, uselessly, because God allowed you to live and God allowed you to hear and you took the truth and walked away from it. So Christians can commit this sin of receiving the grace of God in vain when we do not take His words seriously and apply it as we should.

We need to learn to think whenever any situation comes up, any circumstance, what does Scripture say? How am I to act? How am I to apply this? What am I to learn from this? And how may I serve and honor the Lord Jesus Christ in this circumstance or in this situation? Do not receive the grace of God in vain. Apply the word and bring your life into greater conformity to Jesus Christ.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Distinction between effectual and common grace

Summary: The grace that can be received in vain is not the saving, effectual call but the external proclamation of the gospel.

Evidence: Weaver cites Romans 8:29-30 to show that effectual calling leads to justification and glorification, and quotes John Gill stating that regeneration cannot be received in vain.

Ministers as ambassadors of Christ

Summary: Preachers are appointed representatives who speak in Christ's stead, and their message carries divine authority.

Evidence: From 2 Corinthians 5:20, Weaver explains that 'we pray you in Christ's stead' uses the Greek huper, meaning 'in place of,' and that rejecting the ambassador is rejecting Christ.

Urgency of responding to God's Word

Summary: The present moment is the only guaranteed opportunity to hear and apply the truth; delay is dangerous.

Evidence: Weaver references 2 Corinthians 6:2 ('now is the accepted time') and James 4:13-15 on life's brevity, and tells of a couple killed immediately after their wedding.

Hearing without application is vain

Summary: Simply listening to sermons without believing, embracing, and obeying renders the grace of hearing worthless.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'if you hear it and do not act upon it... it was in vain,' and quotes Albert Barnes comparing hearing to hearing of medicine without taking it.

Key Arguments

The grace in 2 Corinthians 6:1 is the preached Word, not regeneration

Summary: Context and theological distinctions show Paul refers to the ministry of reconciliation, not the inward work of salvation.

Evidence: Weaver traces the context from 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, where 'ministry of reconciliation' and 'word of reconciliation' refer to preaching, and cites John Gill and Matthew Henry.

Rejecting God's messengers is rejecting God Himself

Summary: Because ambassadors speak for Christ, to mock or ignore them is to despise God's word and invite judgment.

Evidence: 2 Chronicles 36:15-17 shows that mocking the prophets was despising God's words, leading to wrath until there was no remedy.

Christians can receive grace in vain by not applying Scripture

Summary: The warning applies to believers who hear biblical teaching but fail to act on it, making their hearing fruitless.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Christians can commit this sin of receiving the grace of God in vain when we do not take His words seriously and apply it as we should.'

Scripture References

2 Corinthians 6:1

Context: Primary text: Paul beseeches believers not to receive the grace of God in vain.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Context: Cited to define grace as God's gift through faith, not of works.

2 Corinthians 6:2

Context: Quoted to emphasize the present time as the day of salvation.

Hebrews 2:3

Context: Referenced to warn against neglecting so great salvation.

Romans 1:6

Context: Shows believers are called 'the called of Jesus Christ.'

1 Corinthians 1:9

Context: God calls believers into fellowship with His Son.

2 Timothy 1:8-9

Context: Effectual calling is linked to salvation and God's purpose.

Romans 8:29-30

Context: The golden chain of salvation shows effectual calling leads to justification and glorification.

Matthew 22:14

Context: Many are called, but few are chosen, illustrating the general call.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Context: The ministry and word of reconciliation; believers are ambassadors for Christ.

Philemon 1:13

Context: Uses 'in thy stead' (huper) to illustrate substitutionary representation.

Romans 5:8

Context: Christ died for us (huper) in our place, paralleling the ambassador's role.

1 Thessalonians 2:13

Context: The Thessalonians received the preached word as God's Word, not man's.

Matthew 10:40

Context: Receiving Christ's sent ones is receiving Christ and the Father.

John 13:20

Context: Reinforces the principle of receiving the sent one as receiving the sender.

2 Chronicles 36:15-17

Context: God sent messengers; mocking them was despising His words, leading to judgment.

James 4:13-15

Context: Life is a vapor; we should say 'If the Lord will,' emphasizing present urgency.

1 Corinthians 3:9

Context: Believers are laborers together with God.

John 8:24

Context: Jesus warned that those who do not believe will die in their sins.

Historical References

Philadelphia Baptist Confession of Faith (1744)

Context: Quoted to define effectual calling as God's sovereign work in renewing the will.

John Gill (1697-1771)

Context: Cited to support that the grace in 2 Corinthians 6:1 is the doctrine of grace, not regeneration.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

Context: Quoted to affirm that the gospel is a word of grace and the present time is the day of salvation.

Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

Context: Quoted to illustrate that hearing the gospel without embracing it is like hearing of medicine without taking it.

Important Quotes

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Significance: The foundational text of the sermon, introducing the warning against receiving grace worthlessly.

By the grace of God is not meant the grace of God in regeneration and effectual calling which can never be received in vain, for the grace of God never fails of producing a thorough work of conversion, nor is it ever lost, but is strictly connected with eternal glory.

Significance: John Gill's quote clarifying that the grace in view is not saving grace but the proclaimed word.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Significance: Key verse establishing the preacher's role as Christ's representative with divine authority.

When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Significance: Shows the proper reception of preaching as God's Word, leading to effective work in believers.

But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

Significance: Old Testament warning that rejecting God's messengers is rejecting God and invites judgment.

For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Significance: Emphasizes the urgency of responding to God's grace in the present moment.

Christians can commit this sin of receiving the grace of God in vain when we do not take His words seriously and apply it as we should.

Significance: Direct application that even believers are guilty when they hear without obeying.

Discussion Questions

What is the difference between the 'common call' and the 'effectual call,' and why does it matter for understanding 2 Corinthians 6:1?

Context: Weaver spends significant time distinguishing these concepts using Romans 8:29-30 and historical confessions.

In what ways might we be guilty of receiving the preached Word as merely the word of men rather than as the Word of God?

Context: Based on 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Weaver challenges hearers to examine their attitude toward preaching.

How does the concept of being an 'ambassador for Christ' affect the way we view the authority and responsibility of preachers?

Context: Weaver explains the diplomatic role of ambassadors and the weight of speaking in Christ's stead.

Why is 'now' the only proper time to apply the truth of God, and what practical steps can we take to avoid delay?

Context: Using James 4 and the example of sudden death, Weaver stresses the urgency of immediate obedience.

What are some specific areas in our lives where we might be hearing Scripture but failing to apply it, thus receiving grace in vain?

Context: Weaver concludes with the application that Christians must bring every area of life into conformity to Christ.

Applications

Hear the Word as God's Word, not man's

Summary: Approach preaching and teaching with reverence, recognizing it as God beseeching you through His ambassador.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you just take the Word that is being preached and taught as the word of men, it profits you nothing. But if you take it as the Word of God, then it does indeed profit you greatly.'

Respond immediately to truth

Summary: Do not postpone obedience or application; the present moment is the only guaranteed opportunity.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'The only proper time that we have is right now. Because we don't know what is going to be tomorrow.'

Apply all Scripture to life

Summary: Whatever is taught from the Word—whether salvation, economics, or education—must be embraced and acted upon to avoid receiving grace in vain.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'as long as it is from the Word of God... if you hear it and do not act upon it... it was in vain.'

Examine your reception of preaching

Summary: Evaluate whether you merely enjoy sermons or truly believe, embrace, and apply them.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'You might think it's a good sermon... But if you do not hear it, believe it, embrace it, and apply it, it does you absolutely no good at all.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T13:21:30Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T00:16:30Z

Clean Transcript

Receiving the Grace of God in Vain

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

2 Corinthians chapter 6, and we're just going to read verse 1 right now. We will come back and read other verses. The title of the message is "Receiving the Grace of God in Vain." Receiving the grace of God in vain. So if you'll look in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 1, the Apostle Paul says, "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." If you are a Christian, you are one only by the grace of God. Grace is God's gift. Grace is not just simply unmerited favor; grace is something that is given unmerited, of course, but to those who are positively undeserving and deserving only of judgment. Practically everyone can quote Ephesians 2:8 and 9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." So it's only by God's grace that God gives us faith in order to believe, to repent, and to turn from our sins, and to come savingly to Jesus Christ.
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No one comes to God savingly except by His grace through the faith that He gives. In light of that, Paul makes an astonishing statement in verse 1 of 2 Corinthians 6. He says, "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." So he is beseeching the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain. And the implication is that the grace of God can be received in vain.
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Now the word "vain" is the Greek word kenos, and it literally means that which is vain, that which is in vain, that which is empty, fruitless, without effect, and has no purpose. So he is beseeching them to receive the Word of God not in vain, that is not worthlessly, uselessly, without fruit and without purpose. Now, I don't know if a thought has ever occurred to you, but is it possible that there are people who receive the grace of God in vain? Is it possible that we as Christians commit this sin regularly and do not even realize it? So you have to ask, what does it mean to receive the grace of God in vain?
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Now, obviously, scriptures that I'm going to share with you here relate in one sense to the word of salvation. For look at verse 1 again, he says, "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
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Now, the interesting thing is, when you get to the book of Hebrews chapter 2 and especially verse 3, we are admonished and we are told this: "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" Now, you have to determine and you have to decide what grace is being spoken of in verse 1 when he said, "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." Let me just point out, when you read "the grace of God" in verse one, and I shall demonstrate it to you from scripture, the apostle is not talking about the grace in regeneration. He is not talking about the grace in what you and I would call effectual calling, where God sovereignly and powerfully calls sinners unto Himself. Let me give you just several verses to consider.
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First of all, Romans 1 and verse 6, the Bible says, "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ." It may surprise you that one of the names for saints in the Bible happens to be "the called ones." You remember in Revelation 17, the Lord comes back on that horse and He's got the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Bible says those that are with Him are "called, chosen, and faithful." So, many times in Scripture saints are just simply referred to as the called ones. When you get to 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 9, the Bible says, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." So, here is a calling then that actually results in the fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So, this is what you and I would call an effectual call. If you would hold 2 Corinthians 6, but turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1, and I want you to see there is a calling here that is equated with being saved. So, you have it in 2 Timothy chapter 1, look in verse 8. Paul tells Timothy, "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." Now look what God has done according to His power, "who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." But note the first part of verse 9, "who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling." So here's a holy calling that actually results in salvation. So when you talk about effectual calling, effectual calling in Christian soteriology—and soteriology just refers to the doctrine of salvation.
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Soteriology not only refers to the doctrine of salvation, but effectual calling then is a stage in what is known as the ordo salutis, that is the order of salvation, where God does for us each thing that is needed and necessary to draw us unto saving faith. And just out of curiosity, when I was studying and preparing this message, I just wanted to see what a dictionary would say on effectual calling. And I was absolutely surprised when I looked up Merriam-Webster dictionary, and here's the definition that it gives: "action of the Holy Spirit in producing conviction of sin, and bestowing the gift of faith in Christ." I thought, well that is an accurate definition. Then they went on to say, "according to Calvinistic theology," but it was still an accurate definition.
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So, one quick passage that I want you to look at will show you what I'm going to distinguish for you today, that there is a difference between what you and I would refer to as the common call, or the general call, and the effectual call. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8 verses 29 and 30. Romans 8 verses 29 and 30. Look at it very carefully. Romans 8 beginning there with verse 29, to show you there has to be a distinction between what is known as the common call and the effectual call. Verse 29 of Romans 8.
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"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Now watch verse 30. "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." The order in verse 30 is those whom God predestinated He called. Those whom He called, He justified. Those whom He justified, He glorified. So obviously, not everyone who is called, quote-unquote, externally, generally, in a common sense, ends up justified and glorified. So when you look at verse 30, verse 30 has to do with what you and I would refer to as the effectual call, that God calls us unto Himself in such a way that He justifies us and He talks about our being glorified already in a past tense sense. Now I want to
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give you a couple of quotes. The first one is from the Philadelphia Baptist Confession of Faith. You have to understand the Old London Confession of Faith was developed in 1689. In actuality it is almost word for word with the Westminster Confession from 1644 and 1648, with the exception, of course, it differs as it relates to ecclesiology, the doctrine of church, and also in relationship to baptism. So the Old London Confession of Faith was in 1689, and in 1744, 100—well, I don't know if they were all from Philadelphia—but 100 Baptist pastors met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and adopted the Old London Confession of 1689 as their Confession of Faith. And this quote comes from that 1689-1744 Confession of Faith. Listen carefully.
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"Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of the state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ, yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace." So effectual call is not something that God does—
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He reaches over and grabs Gary and says, "Boy, you're going to be saved whether you like it or not," and drags him over into Heaven, kicking and screaming. No. What God does, He sovereignly and powerfully works in his heart so that Gary is willing and wants and longs and loves to come. One of my favorite illustrations is about the two women who were sitting on their front porch conversing, and one was the mother of a young man, and the next lady was the next-door neighbor. Pretty soon the young man came out in a suit, shirt and tie, shoes polished, hair combed, fingernails clean, and he leaned over to kiss his mother on the cheek and said, "Well, Mother, I'll see you about 11, 11:30." And then he got in the car and drove off. The mother looked at her neighbor later and said, "Isn't that absolutely disgusting?" The neighbor lady said, "Wow, I'd give anything if my son dressed like that and acted like that." "No, no, no."
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She said, "That's not what I'm talking about." She said, "What I'm trying to say is it took a little blonde-headed, blue-eyed girl, five foot two, to do in a week what I couldn't get him to do in 14 years." Well, it was something that made him willing to do all that and to change. And that is what God does to us. God makes us willing.
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Now, I want to give you a couple of quotes just to show you what I'm about to tell you today is not something that I came up with. This is something that has been taught down through the ages. I'm going to give you two quotes. The first one is by John Gill. I'm going to interrupt first the quote, say something, and then go back to the quote. But John Gill is making a comment on 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1 and he says this, "By the grace of God," talking about receiving not the grace of God in vain, he says, "by the grace of God is not meant the grace of God in regeneration and effectual calling which can never be received in vain, for the grace of God never fails of producing a thorough work of conversion, nor is it ever lost, but is strictly connected with eternal glory." Well, if receiving the grace of God in vain is not connected to regeneration, and is not connected to effectual calling, what is it? Well, I've already mentioned that there is indeed a common call, or a general call, or if you want to refer to it as an external call.
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The general call, the common call, or the external call is merely connected with the preaching and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's telling men that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord, that He is indeed Savior, that He is indeed the substitute, and the surety, and the sacrifice, and that there is no salvation apart from Him. So when I preach, when I teach, it is basically what you and I would refer to as a general, common, or an external call. Even our Lord Himself in Matthew 22 and verse 14 said, "For many are called, but few are chosen." So John Gill has already said, now this has nothing to do with regeneration or the effectual call.
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Here let me pick him back up again. He goes on to say this: "By it is meant either the doctrine of grace, the Gospel of Christ so called because it is a declaration of the love and grace of God to sinners, ascribes salvation in part and in whole to the free grace of God, and is a means of implanting and increasing grace in the hearts of men."
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"Now this may be received in vain by ministers and people, when it is but notionally received, or received in word only, when it is abused and perverted to vile purposes, and when men drop, deny, and fall off from it." So what is he saying? Actually he is saying receiving the means of God, or receiving the grace of God in vain, is relating to the preaching and the declaration of the truth of God. That's what he's saying.
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It has nothing to do with regeneration. It has nothing to do with effectual calling. But it does have to do with the declaration and the preaching and the teaching of the Word of God.
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Now, the second quote I want to give you is by Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry, everybody loves him. Matthew Henry has some great commentaries and they're usually very succinct. But what many people do not know is a lot of Matthew Henry's commentaries were written as he took notes from his father at family worship. That's how a lot of his commentaries became written. So his father was a very excellent theologian, that is for sure. But here is what Matthew Henry says: "The Gospel is a word of grace sounding in our ears. The gospel day is a day of salvation, the means of grace, the means of salvation, the offers of the gospel and the offers of salvation. And the present time the proper time to accept these offers. Tomorrow is not ours; we do not know what will be tomorrow nor where we shall be. We now enjoy a day of grace; then let us all be careful not to neglect it. Ministers of the gospel should look upon themselves as God's servants, act in everything agreeable to that character."
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"The Apostle did so much by patience and afflictions, by acting from good principles, and by due restraint in behavior. Believers in this world need the grace of God to arm them against temptations in order to bear the good report of men without pride, and in order to bear their reproaches with patience. They have nothing in themselves but possess all things in Christ. Of such differences is a Christian's life made up, and through such a variety of conditions and reports is our way to Heaven, and we should be careful in all things to approve ourselves to God."
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"The gospel, when faithfully preached, and fully received, betters the condition even of the poorest. They save that which they righteously spent, and diligently employ their time for useful purposes. They save and gain by religion, and are so much made rich, both for the world to come and for this, when compared with their sinful state, before they receive the gospel."
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Now, the interesting thing again, Henry is saying that once again receiving the grace of God in vain really and truly has to do with the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. So let me show you the context. I want you to look in your Bibles if you would please to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 since that precedes chapter 6. Let's read verses 18-21, okay? 2 Corinthians 5 beginning there with verse 18 and we'll read through verse 21. The Apostle Paul says, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
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Now if you go back to verse 18, the Apostle Paul says, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ." So, reconciliation is an act of God. It is something that God does and has done through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But note if you would the latter part of verse 18, Paul said, "...and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." Now, if God has accomplished reconciliation in Christ, the only thing we can do is proclaim that reconciliation. Therefore if you would look in verse 19, he says, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." So in verse 18, it's called the ministry of reconciliation. Now in verse 19, it is called the word of reconciliation. Why is it called the word?
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Because it involves preaching and teaching and speaking. The doctrine of reconciliation in Jesus Christ is being taught and proclaimed. So, what God has done in verse 18 is called the ministry of reconciliation and the word of reconciliation. Now, if you look at verse 20, verse 20 should be the absolute clincher. He says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Now, first of all, look in verse 20, "now then we"—who are the "we"? First of all, it would be the apostles, obviously. Secondly, it would be ministers and preachers that Christ has called according to Ephesians chapter 4. These men that Christ called and appointed and sent are referred to as His ambassadors.
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Now, an ambassador is a diplomat. An ambassador is someone with authority, and that ambassador has the authority to speak on behalf of the one who sent him.
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Now, we use the word "ambassador" very loosely. We don't really comprehend the impact of it. For instance, let's suppose that we all took a trip and we went over to England. And we're all American citizens. And we go to Windsor Castle and we walk up to one of the guards and we say, "We would like to have a meeting with the queen." And the guard would look at us and say, "Who are you?" "Well, we're ambassadors." "Really? Where are your credentials?" "No, you don't understand. We just represent the American people and we just want to convey goodwill to the queen. And that's all we want." The guard would say, "Look, you probably need to leave right now before I call some additional help and have you kicked out. You have no authority to be here and request a meeting with the queen." Because—but we say, "But we're ambassadors." Well, ambassadors are goodwill, but we have no diplomatic papers. We have no authority.
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You see what I'm saying? However, if the president or even Congress appointed someone as an ambassador to represent this country before the Queen of England, the ambassador could petition the Queen and say, "Look, there's a problem between America and England and we need to resolve this thing and we need to sit down together and discuss this thing." So the Queen would probably say, "Yes, you're speaking for America, I'm speaking for England," or the Prime Minister is going to be there. In other words, someone with real authority that's been appointed.
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Now, this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is pointing out. He says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ." I remember when I was a boy the Southern Baptist Convention had a group called the Royal Ambassadors, and little boys where they taught them. Well, that's a very loose term because here it is applied primarily to preachers.
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Now, I want you to watch this. Look in verse 20. He says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us." As though God did beseech you by us. In other words, the ambassador that the Apostle Paul is talking about here is a representative of God. The voice of the ambassador in proclaiming the message that has been given to him is the voice of God. Did you hear that? The voice of the ambassador in proclaiming the message that his sovereign has given him is the voice of the sovereign. Wow. If you understood that, it would make you undertake preaching more seriously. Now watch it again, we're not through. Watch carefully. He says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us."
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Then he makes this statement, "We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." We pray you in Christ's stead.
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Now the word "stead" is a little Greek word, huper. And that little word is translated "in the place of," "on behalf of," and "for the sake of." He says, "We're here in Christ's stead." Let me ask you a question. Where's Jesus Christ right now? He's seated at the right hand of God the Father. He is no longer physically on this earth. But He has appointed ambassadors who are here on earth in His stead. Now, let me tell you how this word is used.
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You remember in the book of Philemon, it is, Onesimus was a runaway slave. He ran away from Philemon. He not only ran away from Philemon, he stole from Philemon. And if you will remember a message I preached a while back, Onesimus and Philemon were brothers. You say, "Well how in the world can a brother hold his brother as a slave?" Well you have to go back and listen to the message because I explain all that and there are reasons why he was a slave. Obviously one of the reasons was he was a thief, and that he was indolent. He ran away, he ran away to Rome and he got arrested and thrown in a dungeon, and that happens to be where the Apostle Paul was, and he was converted under Paul's ministry. And when you read the book of Philemon, Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon and he says this in verse 13, listen carefully: "Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel." Whom I would have retained—Paul said, "I would love to have kept Onesimus here so
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that he could have ministered to me in your place, instead of you." Now Philemon evidently had ministered to Paul many times, and then Paul went on to say, "Without your knowledge I would do nothing." And so he sent him back. But he says, "I would keep him here in your stead."
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5 and look if you would please at verse 8. Romans 5 and verse 8. Romans 5 and verse 8. Look what the Bible says. Here's another verse that a lot of people can quote. It's a very beautiful verse. Romans 5 verse 8: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You know what that little word "for" is in the Greek? It's the word huper. What does it say? Watch it. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died in our stead. He died for our sake. He died in our place."
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Now, go back to 2 Corinthians 5. Look, if you would, please, at verse 20. Paul says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead." Just like Jesus Christ was our substitute to die in our place before God the Father, now we're His substitute to preach and proclaim His truth since He's seated at the right hand of God the Father. So he says, "As though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Now, listen to me. Those who preach the truth of God, who are truly called by Jesus Christ, are representatives and ambassadors for God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And when they preach and teach the Word of God, it is as though God is beseeching you through that ambassador, through that preacher. And that preacher is there in the stead of Christ as they expound and explain and apply the Scriptures.
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Now I realize not every preacher expounds and explains and applies the Scripture. That's why I said, you know, you can preach and say a lot of good things. Whatever—really preaching the Bible, you understand that? I was talking to a brother yesterday and we were talking about preachers and I said, "You know, I've always thought that a preacher who did not really preach the Scripture and who really did not want to offend anyone or upset anyone, I think he had to do an awful lot of work just to come up with a sermon that didn't mention God or Christ or not upset anyone." Can you imagine how much work that would involve? Wow. But anyhow, he's not an ambassador of God. He's not a representative of God. It's only as we expound and explain and apply the Scripture. If we understood this, it would make us look more earnestly upon and listen more intently to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Because it is not just the preacher that is doing the preaching, it is God beseeching you through the voice of the preacher.
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Now, let me show you this. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, and I want you to look there at verse 13. Paul nailed this in praising the Thessalonians. So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 look in verse 13 at what the Apostle Paul says: "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing." Isn't that amazing? Already he says we continually praise God for this. What is it? "Because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." So Paul said when he and Silas, or he and Barnabas, or whoever he was with, when they preached to these Thessalonians, these Thessalonians did not say, "That's just what Paul says. That's Paul's opinion. That's what Paul thinks."
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No, no, no, no, no. He said, "When ye heard us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." So there is a way to hear the word of God that is very blessed. There is a way to hear the word of God that is very cursed. So if you just take the Word that is being preached and taught as the word of men, it profits you nothing. But if you take it as the Word of God, then it does indeed profit you greatly.
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Now let me tell you, our Lord basically said the same thing. You remember in Matthew chapter 10 in verse 40 when our Lord sent His disciples out, He said this: "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." So our Lord put it to you like this: if you receive the one that I send, that is my representative, my ambassador, if you receive him you receive me. If you receive me you receive the Father. Now, He said the same thing again in John 13 in verse 20. He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." So, if you receive the one that Jesus Christ sends, you receive Jesus Christ. If you receive Jesus Christ, you receive the Father who sent Jesus Christ.
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Now, the opposite is also true. If you refuse the one that Jesus Christ sends, you refuse Jesus Christ. And if you refuse Jesus Christ, you refuse the Father who sent Christ.
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Now, I want to show you this in the Old Testament as well. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 36. 2 Chronicles chapter 36. 2 Chronicles 36. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. Let's read it first and then I will go back and show you some things. 2 Chronicles 36 verse 15 and we'll just read through verse 17. Okay, watch very carefully: "And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy."
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"Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand."
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Now go back to verse 15. "And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers"—that is plural, He sent more than one prophet, more than one preacher—"rising up betimes, and sending." Why did God send the preachers? Verse 15 says, "because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place." When God is ready to have compassion upon someone, He always sends a preacher. He sends someone that will declare His Word and His truth. Now watch if you would verse 16: "But they mocked the messengers of God." The word "messengers" is plural. There was more than one. That's why in verse 15 He says God "rising up betimes, and sending"—He sent different men at different times. Verse 16, "but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words"—singular, "his words," that is God's words. The representatives that God sent, the preachers that God sent, were preaching His word. He sent multiple preachers, but the word was one; the word was God's; the word was from Him. The evidence that they despised God's word is that they mocked the messengers of God.
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How did they mock them? They mocked them. They ridiculed them. They refused to listen to them. They beat them. They slew them. They killed them. They murdered them, until the wrath of God arose against His people until there was no remedy. So God sent His preachers and they refused to hear the preachers, and they were accused of despising God and His word. Now, I want you to go back in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians. And I want you to look at this again. First of all, in chapter 5 look in verse 18. I'm fixing to tie this together for you, hopefully. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 18: "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."
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So we're talking about preaching. "...to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." Preaching. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us"—preaching—"we pray you in Christ's stead"—preaching—"be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." So we're talking about preaching. Verse one of chapter six: "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." What grace of God? The grace of God which is the common call, the external call, the general call, the preaching of God's Word, the truth of God's Word. And here's why he said in verse 2: "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Now listen. The grace of God in this instance is
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the blessing that each one of us has in order to be alive and to hear and to be present under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. We take so many things for granted. Have you ever stopped to think of the multitudinous grace God has given you and you've not even paid any attention to it? I remember years ago—and some of you are quite familiar with this—but I taught a class all day on Friday, all day on Saturday. Never had a bit of problem. Woke up Sunday morning, could not even use this left hand. It was totally dead.
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I couldn't move it; it was worthless. Thankfully, by God's grace I got most of the use of that hand back. What if you woke up in the morning and you had lost your hearing, or you lost your sight? You see what I'm saying? It is only the grace of God that allows us to be alive and to hear and to be present under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.
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Now I want you to turn to James 4, let me show you. This ought to emphasize it even more strongly in your life. Hebrews, James, look in James chapter 4 beginning there with verse 13. James 4 verse 13. He says, "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." You've been driving down the road, a highway, and you look up ahead and you see all of the heat rising. It's like a vapor and you get there and it's gone. And this is what he says your life is like. It's here and then it's gone. It's over with.
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And so it's the grace of God that gives us the blessed opportunity of hearing the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. Now, let me give you a quote by Albert Barnes. I want you to listen carefully. He said this—he's talking about 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1. He says, "The sense is that it was possible that this offer"—we're talking about preaching—"this offer might be made to them and they might hear of a Savior, be told of reconciliation, and have the offers of mercy pressed on their attention and acceptance, and yet all be in vain. They might notwithstanding all this be lost. For simply to hear of a plan of salvation or the offers of mercy will no more save a sinner than to hear of medicine will save the sick. It must be embraced and applied or it will all be in vain." And that's true. That's why when there's preaching and teaching the truth of God, if the Holy Spirit of God does not make it effectual, no one profits from it.
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You might think it's a good sermon. You might say, "I enjoyed it." But if you do not hear it, believe it, embrace it, and apply it, it does you absolutely no good at all.
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Now, look if you would at verse three. Watch carefully. He says, "Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed." Now, the word for "offence" here is the Greek word proskope, which means an offense or an occasion of stumbling or something that would lead someone else to stumble or to fall into sin. So he says, "Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed." Now the word "blamed" means to
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find fault with, to give grounds to mock or ridicule. And so what he is saying is that the ambassador that is sent by Jesus Christ, that represents Jesus Christ, that stands in the place of Jesus Christ, that that man must have purity, sincerity, genuineness, and holiness in his life. So if someone does not receive the preaching and the teaching of the Word of God, the blame cannot be placed upon the ministry, or the minister. The blame would be solely upon those who heard and walked away and did absolutely nothing.
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Now, let me make some applications. I want to tie this together for you. First of all, the gospel is a word of grace sounding in our ears and it will be in vain for us to hear it unless we believe it and comply with it and obey it. My duty as a preacher, my duty as an ambassador, my duty as a representative is to proclaim the message that God has given. Your duty, your obligation, your responsibility as a hearer is to hear and obey, apply. If I have a duty to teach, you have a duty to listen. If I have a duty to preach, you have a duty to listen, to hear, and obey.
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Now, let me point something else out. This is astounding to me. If you look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1, look what the Apostle Paul says concerning those who represent Jesus Christ, stand in His place. He says, "We then, as workers together with him." Have you ever stopped to think about that? Working together with God. Working together with Christ. In fact, in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 9 Paul says, "For we are labourers together with God." We work with Him. How do we work with Him?
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By simply preaching and teaching that which is given in His Word. Okay, here's the second one. We must learn that the present time is the only proper time to apply the truth of God. Suppose you said to yourself, "Well, boy, that was a very interesting message. I'm going to think more on it next week and maybe the week after I'm going to start trying to work it out and apply it." Really? Well, what if you died tonight? You follow what I'm saying? The only proper time that we have is right now. Because we don't know what is going to be tomorrow. We don't even know what's going to be the next minute.
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I just read where this young couple, childhood sweethearts, got married. There's a picture of him in his black suit and her in her white wedding gown. They had just gotten married by a justice of the peace. Got in their car and pulled out on the highway and a truck hit them and killed both of them instantly. One was 19 and the other was 20. I mean, you know, I'm just simply saying no one knows what the future holds.
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And so now is the only time that we can apply the truth of God. You remember what Jesus Christ told those Pharisees? Of course the Pharisees did not believe. But He told them this, He said, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." So obviously we have an opportunity now. That's why he says, "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." I read one time where one man said most people who plan to be saved at 12 o'clock died at 11:59. Well, that's true.
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You have no idea. Now, one last thing. How does this apply to Christians? Do you realize whatever is taught from the Word of God—I do not care if we're talking about salvation, I don't care if we're talking about economics, I don't care if we're talking about education, don't care what we're talking about—as long as it is from the Word of God and the Word of God is being expounded and explained and applied, if you hear it and do not act upon it and do not embrace it and do not apply it to you, it was in vain. You've received the grace of God foolishly, worthlessly, uselessly, because God allowed you to live and God allowed you to hear and you took the truth and walked away from it. So Christians can commit this sin of receiving the grace of God in vain when we do not take His words seriously and apply it as we should.
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We need to learn to think whenever any situation comes up, any circumstance, what does Scripture say? How am I to act? How am I to apply this? What am I to learn from this? And how may I serve and honor the Lord Jesus Christ in this circumstance or in this situation? Do not receive the grace of God in vain. Apply the word and bring your life into greater conformity to Jesus Christ.
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Father, we bow to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your life. We thank you, Father, for that which you've taught us. Lord, I pray that you would help us to hear your word, but not in vain. Do you hear it, Lord, fruitfully? Do you hear it, believingly? Do you hear it, Lord, and apply it to our lives so that we may be holy and be made conformable to the image of Jesus Christ? We commit our works unto thee and ask you to establish our thoughts. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T13:21:30Z

Receiving the Grace of God in Vain

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver expounds 2 Corinthians 6:1, arguing that the grace of God which can be received in vain is not the effectual call of regeneration but the common or external call—the preaching and teaching of God's Word. He explains that ministers are ambassadors for Christ, speaking in His stead, and that hearers must not receive this grace worthlessly by failing to believe, embrace, and apply the truth. The sermon emphasizes the urgency of responding now and warns that even Christians can receive God's grace in vain when they hear Scripture without acting upon it.

Introduction and Text

Reading of 2 Corinthians 6:1 and introduction of the topic: receiving the grace of God in vain. Grace is defined as God's unmerited gift to the undeserving.

2 Corinthians chapter 6, and we're just going to read verse 1 right now. We will come back and read other verses. The title of the message is

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 6:1

"Receiving the Grace of God in Vain."

Receiving the grace of God in vain. So if you'll look in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 1, the Apostle Paul says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 6:1

"We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."

The Astonishing Statement

Paul beseeches believers not to receive God's grace in vain, implying it is possible. The Greek word kenos means empty, fruitless, without effect.

Distinguishing Effectual Calling from Common Calling

The grace in view is not regeneration or effectual calling, which never fails. Scripture distinguishes a general, common call (preaching) from the effectual call that results in salvation.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 2:3

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?"

First of all, Romans 1 and verse 6, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:6

"Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ."

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 1:9

So, this is what you and I would call an effectual call. If you would hold 2 Corinthians 6, but turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1, and I want you to see there is a calling here that is equated with being saved. So, you have it in 2 Timothy chapter 1, look in verse 8. Paul tells Timothy, "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." Now look what God has done according to His power, "who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." But note the first part of verse 9, "who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling." So here's a holy calling that actually results in salvation. So when you talk about effectual calling, effectual calling in Christian soteriology—and soteriology just refers to the doctrine of salvation.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:29-30

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Now watch verse 30.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:29-30

"Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

Historical Confessional Support

Quotes from the Philadelphia Baptist Confession and John Gill affirm that effectual grace cannot be received in vain; the passage refers to the doctrine of grace proclaimed.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 22:14

"For many are called, but few are chosen."

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Matthew Henry interprets the grace as the gospel message and means of grace, emphasizing the present time as the day of salvation.

The Ministry of Reconciliation and Ambassadorship

From 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Paul describes ministers as ambassadors for Christ, speaking in His stead with divine authority. Rejecting the messenger is rejecting God.

Scripture Reading — Philemon 1:13

"Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel."

Whom I would have retained—Paul said, "I would love to have kept Onesimus here so

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:8

" But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You know what that little word "

Receiving the Word as God's Word

Using 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and Matthew 10:40, Weaver shows that hearing the preached word as merely human renders it profitless; receiving it as God's Word brings blessing.

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 2:13

"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing."

Isn't that amazing? Already he says we continually praise God for this. What is it?

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 2:13

"Because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."

Now let me tell you, our Lord basically said the same thing. You remember in Matthew chapter 10 in verse 40 when our Lord sent His disciples out, He said this:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:40

"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:40

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."

So, if you receive the one that Jesus Christ sends, you receive Jesus Christ. If you receive Jesus Christ, you receive the Father who sent Jesus Christ.

Now, the opposite is also true. If you refuse the one that Jesus Christ sends, you refuse Jesus Christ. And if you refuse Jesus Christ, you refuse the Father who sent Christ.

Old Testament Example and Urgency

2 Chronicles 36:15-17 illustrates that mocking God's messengers is despising His word. James 4:13-15 underscores life's brevity, making now the only time to respond.

Scripture Reading — James 4:13-15

"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

Applications for Believers

Christians can receive grace in vain by hearing Scripture without applying it. The duty is to hear, believe, and obey immediately, bringing life into conformity to Christ.

Receiving the Grace of God in Vain

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	XeDMKyGzaOw
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Sola Fide And Justification
Genre	Sermon
Date	2019-09-06
Dictation Name
Book	Book 131: Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness — Chapter 17
Source Timed Segments	61

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Text: Reading of 2 Corinthians 6:1 and introduction of the topic: receiving the grace of God in vain. Grace is defined as God's unmerited gift to the undeserving.
The Astonishing Statement: Paul beseeches believers not to receive God's grace in vain, implying it is possible. The Greek word kenos means empty, fruitless, without effect.
Distinguishing Effectual Calling from Common Calling: The grace in view is not regeneration or effectual calling, which never fails. Scripture distinguishes a general, common call (preaching) from the effectual call that results in salvation.
Historical Confessional Support: Quotes from the Philadelphia Baptist Confession and John Gill affirm that effectual grace cannot be received in vain; the passage refers to the doctrine of grace proclaimed.
Matthew Henry's Commentary: Matthew Henry interprets the grace as the gospel message and means of grace, emphasizing the present time as the day of salvation.
The Ministry of Reconciliation and Ambassadorship: From 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Paul describes ministers as ambassadors for Christ, speaking in His stead with divine authority. Rejecting the messenger is rejecting God.
Receiving the Word as God's Word: Using 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and Matthew 10:40, Weaver shows that hearing the preached word as merely human renders it profitless; receiving it as God's Word brings blessing.
Old Testament Example and Urgency: 2 Chronicles 36:15-17 illustrates that mocking God's messengers is despising His word. James 4:13-15 underscores life's brevity, making now the only time to respond.
Applications for Believers: Christians can receive grace in vain by hearing Scripture without applying it. The duty is to hear, believe, and obey immediately, bringing life into conformity to Christ.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The grace in 2 Corinthians 6:1 is the preached Word, not regeneration

Context and theological distinctions show Paul refers to the ministry of reconciliation, not the inward work of salvation.

Weaver traces the context from 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, where 'ministry of reconciliation' and 'word of reconciliation' refer to preaching, and cites John Gill and Matthew Henry.

Rejecting God's messengers is rejecting God Himself

Because ambassadors speak for Christ, to mock or ignore them is to despise God's word and invite judgment.

2 Chronicles 36:15-17 shows that mocking the prophets was despising God's words, leading to wrath until there was no remedy.

Christians can receive grace in vain by not applying Scripture

The warning applies to believers who hear biblical teaching but fail to act on it, making their hearing fruitless.

Weaver says, 'Christians can commit this sin of receiving the grace of God in vain when we do not take His words seriously and apply it as we should.'

Scripture References

2 Corinthians 6:1: Primary text: Paul beseeches believers not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Ephesians 2:8-9: Cited to define grace as God's gift through faith, not of works.
2 Corinthians 6:2: Quoted to emphasize the present time as the day of salvation.
Hebrews 2:3: Referenced to warn against neglecting so great salvation.
Romans 1:6: Shows believers are called 'the called of Jesus Christ.'
1 Corinthians 1:9: God calls believers into fellowship with His Son.
2 Timothy 1:8-9: Effectual calling is linked to salvation and God's purpose.
Romans 8:29-30: The golden chain of salvation shows effectual calling leads to justification and glorification.
Matthew 22:14: Many are called, but few are chosen, illustrating the general call.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21: The ministry and word of reconciliation; believers are ambassadors for Christ.
Philemon 1:13: Uses 'in thy stead' (huper) to illustrate substitutionary representation.
Romans 5:8: Christ died for us (huper) in our place, paralleling the ambassador's role.
1 Thessalonians 2:13: The Thessalonians received the preached word as God's Word, not man's.
Matthew 10:40: Receiving Christ's sent ones is receiving Christ and the Father.
John 13:20: Reinforces the principle of receiving the sent one as receiving the sender.
2 Chronicles 36:15-17: God sent messengers; mocking them was despising His words, leading to judgment.
James 4:13-15: Life is a vapor; we should say 'If the Lord will,' emphasizing present urgency.
1 Corinthians 3:9: Believers are laborers together with God.
John 8:24: Jesus warned that those who do not believe will die in their sins.

Historical References

Philadelphia Baptist Confession of Faith (1744): Quoted to define effectual calling as God's sovereign work in renewing the will.
John Gill (1697-1771): Cited to support that the grace in 2 Corinthians 6:1 is the doctrine of grace, not regeneration.
Matthew Henry (1662-1714): Quoted to affirm that the gospel is a word of grace and the present time is the day of salvation.
Albert Barnes (1798-1870): Quoted to illustrate that hearing the gospel without embracing it is like hearing of medicine without taking it.

Important Quotes

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

The foundational text of the sermon, introducing the warning against receiving grace worthlessly.

By the grace of God is not meant the grace of God in regeneration and effectual calling which can never be received in vain, for the grace of God never fails of producing a thorough work of conversion, nor is it ever lost, but is strictly connected with eternal glory.

John Gill's quote clarifying that the grace in view is not saving grace but the proclaimed word.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Key verse establishing the preacher's role as Christ's representative with divine authority.

When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Shows the proper reception of preaching as God's Word, leading to effective work in believers.

But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

Old Testament warning that rejecting God's messengers is rejecting God and invites judgment.

For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Emphasizes the urgency of responding to God's grace in the present moment.

Christians can commit this sin of receiving the grace of God in vain when we do not take His words seriously and apply it as we should.

Direct application that even believers are guilty when they hear without obeying.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What is the difference between the 'common call' and the 'effectual call,' and why does it matter for understanding 2 Corinthians 6:1?

[Context]

Weaver spends significant time distinguishing these concepts using Romans 8:29-30 and historical confessions.

[Question]

In what ways might we be guilty of receiving the preached Word as merely the word of men rather than as the Word of God?

[Context]

Based on 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Weaver challenges hearers to examine their attitude toward preaching.

[Question]

How does the concept of being an 'ambassador for Christ' affect the way we view the authority and responsibility of preachers?

[Context]

Weaver explains the diplomatic role of ambassadors and the weight of speaking in Christ's stead.

[Question]

Why is 'now' the only proper time to apply the truth of God, and what practical steps can we take to avoid delay?

[Context]

Using James 4 and the example of sudden death, Weaver stresses the urgency of immediate obedience.

[Question]

What are some specific areas in our lives where we might be hearing Scripture but failing to apply it, thus receiving grace in vain?

[Context]

Weaver concludes with the application that Christians must bring every area of life into conformity to Christ.

Applications

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