Does Anyone Actually Receive The Grace Of God In Vain?

[Spindle4]

2Co 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Eph 4:17-20 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, (18) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: (19) Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (20) But you have not so learned Christ;

Paul obviously thought some of those coming into fellowship were at risk of receiving the grace of God in vain, whatever that means.

Well yeah, I have been in some rather tense gatherings where transgressors who profess to follow Christ have been pleaded with to mend their ways. In once case this met with blunt refusal and disfellowship resulted.

I guess if you receive the grace of God you need to stand firm in it and not be drawn back into worldly ways so as to deny Christ by the way you live. Paul was really down on anyone doing that.

Tit 1:15-16 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. (16) They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

 

[atpollard]

No.
Philippians 1:6

 

[Spindle4]

No.
Philippians 1:6

Yeah, Paul was happy with this lot, the Philippians, confident they wouldn't fall away. As he said it was right for him to think they would go all the way with God, believing and knowing He is always faithful.

Php 1:3-7 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, (4) always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, (5) for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, (6) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (7) just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

 

[atpollard]

As he said it was right for him to think they would go all the way with God, believing and knowing He is always faithful.

“He who has begun a good work in you” is a reference to GOD … EPH 2 makes it clear that GOD begins the work in us. Thus the same GOD who started, will finish what HE started.

That is also the promise of verses like:
[Romans 8]
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to [His] purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to become] conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

[John 6]
44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 "It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.

[John 10]
25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. 26 "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father's hand. 30 "I and the Father are one."

GOD does not try to save, GOD SAVES.
So there is no “vain” grace, there is only the grace (unmerited favor) of GOD poured out on the undeserving lumps “fore-loved” by HIM to be vessels of honor (Romans 9) for His glory. We are chosen by God to be hated in this world, by this world, and to suffer for His Names sake and to return LOVE for that hatred. None of Jesus’ disciples lived out a “prosperity gospel”. They all knew the joy of being poured out as their (and our) LORD had been poured out … a drink offering to a hate-filled lost world that needs forgiveness, because then and now … “they know not what they do.”

We are the messengers of Romans 10:
6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?' (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)." 8 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same [Lord] is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"

So we are CALLED and CHOSEN and ELECTED, from before the foundation of the world, to be the vessels - abused, hated, and rejected by the world - that carry the divine spark of TRUTH to those whom GOD has predestined to receive HIS Grace (unmerited favor), through a world determined to crush that spark and predestined by the love of GOD to fail to crush it.

 

[Spindle4]

Yeah, God's Foreknowledge results in His Predetermining of the elect to be conformed to the image of Christ, but what of those who fall away?

Who Falls From Grace?

Gal 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

They made a good start but were turning away from God who called them into the grace of Christ:

• Gal 1:6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,

The crucifixion of Christ would be redundant and the grace of God set aside if righteousness came another way.

• Gal 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

Who Falls Short Of Grace?

Heb 12:14-16 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: (15) looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; (16) lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.

They who do not fully receive the unmerited favour of God as a gift made available through faith in Christ for salvation, fall short or fail of the grace of God, and may well trust in good works, or completely apostasise.

• Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
• Heb 10:29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

It is often reported that someone has fallen from grace when they do something sinful and destroy their reputation, but does this mean God's grace is no longer available to them?