Boundaries of God’s Grace
If we are saved by grace alone, then all men would be saved, for His saving grace for all mankind had appeared to all men by the time Paul wrote to Titus (Tit. 2:11). If grace immediately covers all sin, then there is no reality to sin, for it would be impossible for sin to separate us from God (Isa. 59:2). It is vital that we understand the boundaries of God’s grace.
The previous paragraph shows that while His grace is infinite, it does have boundaries. The first time the word “grace” is found in the Bible is when God was about to bring judgment on a world filled with corruption. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8). His grace is truly “amazing grace,” but it does have boundaries.
Grace originates in the heart of God and He is the one who sets its limit. Because He is sovereign, He could destroy hell and send no one there, but that is not His nature. We are the ones who have wronged Him by our rebellion, and we humbly ask Him, “How can I make it right again?” It is not our right! He is the one to answer that question. Micah speaks directly to this. “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? …Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? … He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:6-8).
Christendom has moved that boundary in two opposing directions. The idea fostered by wrongly defining predestination, which was adopted centuries ago by the Protestants who taught that atonement was specifically set so firmly that the number in heaven cannot be increased or decreased at all, denies the closing words of the Bible. “Whosever will, let Him come.” The same is true of those who have set the number at 144,000. When men move the boundaries in either direction, the result is religious division.
The boundaries of grace are clearly fixed and revealed in the Bible. We must never ignore the words of God about any matter by adding anything to these words or by removing anything from them (Rev. 22:18-19). There is no mortal who has ever lived who has been given this right. The words of God are so fixed that on the final day we all will be judged by the words He has given to us (John 12:48).
Think about how God set the boundaries for the tribes of Israel as they settled in the Promised Land. They were fixed by God and defined by Him. Think about these words from Solomon: “Do not remove the ancient landmarks set by your fathers” (Prov. 22:28). We cannot remove the ancient landmarks set by our Father.