How We Frustrate God's Grace?
QUESTION: Can you explain how we frustrate God's grace? And what are some examples you know of, if you can share or think of anything. Thanks and God Bless!!! 🙂
ANSWER: I was asking the Lord how to answer your question according to His holy words and He gave me the following:
The phrase “frustrate God’s grace” can be found in Galatians 2:21.
- Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
The word frustrate (Strong's G114) means to set aside, neutralize, cast off, despise, disannul, or reject. While the word grace (Strong's G5485) means benefit, joy liberality, gift or favour.
The other half of the verse says that “if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” This implies that Christ’s death was meaningless IF the law could make men righteous or justified. But NO, the law is not our Saviour; Christ is, and we cannot attain righteousness by our own works or efforts. The law can only point out our sin as noted by Romans 3:20 and 7:7-9, and Christ’s death was absolutely necessary because He is our “righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30 (also see Romans 3:21-26).
- Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. (10) For we are his workman-ship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Yes, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ not through our own efforts, however, though not saved for our good works, yet we are created to perform good works for the glory of God and the benefit of man.
This is backed up by the following passage:
- Romans 1:5 "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name."
So, God's grace help us to obey His law.
The reason Paul said that he “do not frustrate the grace of God,” is because he openly rebuked Peter for hypocrisy and dissimulation by changing his deportment toward the Gentile believers be-cause of fear to certain Jews who were zealous for the ceremonial law, that he walked not upright-ly according to the truth of the gospel.
- Galatians 2:14-16 says, “But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gen-tiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? (15) We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, (16) Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. God offers grace to the unworthy. We did not seek it, but it found us. God grant us grace because we are undeserving. But God does not use this grace to nullify or substitute His law.”
Some examples of frustrating God’s grace:
- By trying to earn salvation through works as implied by Galatians 2:14-16 above.
- By accepting it in vain and not benefited by it which means that hearing the offers of mercy or the plan of salvation may have no effect on the heart because the gift of God must be accepted and applied to transform the heart as per 2 Corinthians 6:1.
- By being stubborn and rebellious and a perverse will.
- Proverbs 29:1 “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
- Acts 7:51 “Ye stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
In summary, to frustrate God’s grace is to reject the favour or gift of God, to neutralize the offers of mercy and the plan of salvation, and to set aside the Gospel that brings salvation to all men.
- Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, (12) Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; (13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
I hope you and pray these answers your question. God bless! :)
