THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE

By Gary Ray Branscome

Those who lack understanding sometimes scoff at the means of grace. Since they do not see the phrase “means of grace” in Scripture, they either ignore the phrase entirely, or call certain works the “means of grace,” even though the Bible plainly tells us that, “If it is by works, then it is no longer by grace” (Romans 11:6). In contrast, the following passages plainly tell us that the gospel is the means of grace.

The words, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, that lives and abides for ever,” for “The seed is the word of God” tell us that the “word of God” is the means by which we are “born again” (1Peter 1:23, Luke 8:11). And, the words, “My message and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power: That your faith should not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God,” tell us that the power of God works through His Word to produce faith in formerly unbelieving hearts (1Corinthinas 2:4-5). That is why the Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Now does that mean that deaf people cannot be saved? Of course not! The words, “These are written, that you might believe” tell us that the Word of God is the means of grace, irregardless of whether it is written or spoken (John 20:31). And, that brings us to the ceremonies of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which God has connected to the gospel.

I previously quoted Philip Melanchthon as saying, “These signs [baptism and the Lord’s Supper] remind us of the [gospel] promises and are sure testimonies of the divine will toward us. They also bear witness that of a certainty we will receive what God has promised unto us”. (“The Loci Communes,” 1521 edition.) Now the reason he calls baptism and the Lord’s Supper “signs” is because; just as “The sign of circumcision” was “a seal of the righteousness of the faith” under the Old Covenant, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper are seals “of the righteousness of the faith” under the New Covenant (Romans 4:11).

Therefore, to understand the role that God intends for baptism and the Lord’s Supper to play in bringing people to Christ, you need to realize that many people have no idea of what faith actually is. Our culture conditions people to think of faith as “believing something without evidence” when that is not at all what the Bible means by “faith”. To have faith in Christ is to rely on Him, to believe that we have forgiveness through His death on the cross.

That being understood, visualize yourself in the place of Peter on the day of Pentecost. After your sermon a man comes to you who has no idea of what faith is. However, having heard you preach, he feels condemned and wants assurance of forgiveness. You say to him, “Repent, and be baptized… in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins,” so he is baptized (Acts 2:38). He still has no idea of what faith is, but after being baptized he believes that when he accepted Jesus as the Messiah his sins were washed away, and that is faith. It was not the ceremony that washed his sins away, but his faith in Christ. And, baptism gave him that faith by convincing him that when he accepted Jesus as the Messiah his sins were washed away. Understood this way you can see how important baptism is, and the role God intended it to play.

Now, don’t react to what I have just said by saying “I do not need baptism to believe”. Perhaps that is the case. Philip Melanchthon went on to say, “Hezekiah could have been restored to his health even without a sign had he been willing only to believe the bare promise. Likewise Gideon would have been victorious without a sign, if he had believed. So you can be justified without a sign provided you believe.” (“The Loci Communes,” 1521 edition.) However, don’t hinder the work of salvation by assuming that because you understand what faith in Christ is, that signs have no purpose. God instituted them for a reason, and He expects us to use them.

The words, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be damned,” tell us that salvation comes to those who believe the gospel [the means of grace], and baptism follows faith as evidence that one has accepted the gospel (Mark 16:15-16). In contrast, a refusal to be baptized can be evidence of unbelief. As it is written, “The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, by refusing to be baptized by him” (Luke 7:30).

The words, “The preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish; but it is the power of God to us who are saved,” tells us that preaching [the Word of God] has power as the means of grace (1Corinthians 1:18). The words, “Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold, and said, We had to speak the word of God to you first: but seeing that you reject it, and do not consider yourselves worthy of everlasting life, we turn to the Gentiles,” tell us that those who reject the Word of God [means of grace] reject salvation (Acts 13:46). And, the words, “If anyone does not receive you, or hear your words, leave that house or town, and shake the dust off of your feet. I tell you truly, It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than for that city,” warn of the danger of rejecting the means of grace [the gospel] (Matthew 10:14-15).