What do you see when you look at the world? Do you see only liars and cheats? People who will take advantage of any opportunity to get ahead, no matter whom they hurt? Is there only war and disaster and pain and suffering and sin? In The Happy Christian David Murray advises: “Seriously ask yourself, challenge yourself, are you seeing the whole picture? Or are you overlooking a number of God-given benefits and blessings…?” I think that we would do well to follow Murray’s advice and take another look at the world around us and the grace which God has given to all men.
EVERYWHERE GRACE > EVERYWHERE SIN = POSITIVE+
The term “everywhere grace” is one that Murray coined to replace “common grace,” a term that has been used by Christian theologians for a long time. Common grace refers to all of the good gifts that God has given to humankind, even the sinful and lost. Murray’s concern is that the term “common” could be read in a demeaning way, so instead he prefers to speak of God’s “everywhere grace” to emphasize that this grace is not cheap or worthless but rather is to be found in all places and among all people. And his contention is that we need to learn to see this grace for what it is: God’s good gift given to mankind and to his people in the church.
Everywhere Grace is for All
The first point about this grace is that it is found among both the evil and the good, among Christians and pagans alike. Murray says, “God’s grace is everywhere and experienced by everyone. Or to put it negatively, there is no one and no place on earth that is devoid of everywhere grace.” As Jesus said in Matthew 5:45, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
But the problem is that sometimes this everywhere grace is very hard to see. “The evil is so thick and dark that it almost envelops everything else–but awful though these places and people are, none of them are as bad as they could possibly be.” God’s grace may only exist in traces and vapors, but we can see it if we look, especially in our workplaces and homes.
Everywhere Grace is Motivated by Love
Some Christians think that God’s grace is only extended toward believers, and that he does not love the lost who reject him and his word. But Murray reminds us that “Just because God has a special saving love for His people does not mean that He has no love of any kind or degree for unbelievers. I don’t believe the Bible supports this idea of God coldly and callously feeding unbelievers simply to fatten them for slaughter. No, His acts of kindness and compassion toward them are motivated by a loving desire to do them good, demonstrate His goodness to them, and call them to Himself.”
Everywhere Grace Does Not Save
While it is true that God’s everywhere grace is given to all mankind and that it is a genuine expression of divine love, it is important to understand that this grace alone does not bring salvation. Instead, Murray notes that “Everywhere grace imparts and stores up human virtues such as generosity, patience, and parental love. It exerts a moral influence, giving consciences a sense of right and wrong and stirring up guilt to restrain further sin. It works on the heart, although it does not renew or regenerate it.”
Everywhere Grace Produces Worship
For those of us who know God, the glimpses of his grace that are evident in the world around us ought to cause our hearts to be lifted up in worship and praise. While these things do not bring salvation, they should bring to mind God’s own glorious attributes. For instance, when we see beauty in a painting by an unsaved artist or in the face of a model, we trace that beauty to the One who is the very definition of beauty (Ps. 96:6). Or when we see love demonstrated by an unsaved husband for his wife or a soldier who sacrifices his life for his comrades, we ought to trace it back to the One who demonstrated his love for us by sending his Son to die for us, while we were still sinners. All of these graces including power, wisdom, loyalty, patience, humility, mercy, truthfulness, creativity, diligence, and many others are from God and ought to lead us back to their source and cause us to worship him.
Everywhere Grace Is for the Good of the Church
Sometimes Christians get the idea that this everywhere grace is essentially wasted in the hands of the lost, but that is not true. God has given the world many wonderful blessings through the minds and hands and voices of unbelievers, and those gifts are also blessings to the church. As Murray states, “His multiple varied blessings of industry, business, government, science, friendship, art, food, music, water, seasons, talents and gifts, conscience, courts, medication, air conditioning, and more are ultimately working together for the good of those who love Him.” This means that we can enjoy these benefits even if they come from the hands of unsaved men. What is more, we would be wrong to prefer a lesser product or service just because it comes from a fellow believer. To do so would be to despise the everywhere grace of God.
Everywhere Grace Usually Uses Means
Finally, we need to recognize that the good gifts that God bestows on the world, he usually does through secondary or providential means rather than miracles. God uses natural events such as storms and earthquakes to remind us of the coming judgment. He uses civil government to punish evil and reward good. He uses the internal motivation of altruism to stir up people to do good and help their fellow man. Our happiness would definitely increase if we took note of the means of God’s everywhere grace all around us.