Category: Theology 101
Doctrine of Man
Anyone who believes in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and who understands his own sinfulness and need of forgiveness, knows the grace of God. However, the Scripture teaches that God’s blessings, at least those of an earthly nature, are not exclusive to the household of faith. Or to put it another way, God gives good things to the elect and the reprobate during the days of their lives. This beneficence is sometimes called common grace.
During the so-called Sermon on the Mount, the Lord taught His disciples to become like their Father in heaven. They could accomplish this by loving their enemies and praying for those who persecuted them. The reason that this would be like the Father is because He causes His sun to rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain for the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:44, 45). Although unjust men who commit evil deeds are at enmity with God, He, nevertheless, gives them rain and sunshine for their enjoyment and crop growth.
Another example of God’s grace which benefits all men is civil authority. The Apostle Paul affirms that the magistrate is a means, given by God, to punish evildoers (Rom. 13:1-6). In fact, he refers to the governmental authorities as God’s servant. Since all men experience blessing when political bodies exercise their offices rightly, this too is an example of common grace.