GRACE AND GLORY
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and
glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
--Psalm 84:11
What is heaven? Do God’s saints go to heaven
immediately when they leave this world? What is the condition, or state, of the
saints’ existence in heaven? Who shall enter into heaven’s glory? Upon what
grounds do the saints enter into heaven?
These are the questions I
hope to answer in this study. I realize at the outset that I can do no more
than scratch the surface of this great subject. The glory that awaits God’s
saints in heaven and the vastness of our inheritance with Christ is light years
beyond the scope of our puny brains. I have no hope of exhausting this subject.
I have purposefully avoided all matters of vain curiosity and speculation. It
is my purpose to set forth some of those things which are plainly taught in the
Word of God about the glorious state of God’s saints in heaven.
Psalm 84
is described in the title as “A Marching Song.” In the eleventh verse God’s
pilgrims are inspired in their march through this world with these words of
promise: “The Lord will give grace and glory.” The Psalmist takes our
minds away from ourselves and calls our attention to “The Lord,” Jehovah,
our great God and Savior. We must not
look to ourselves in any measure for either grace here or glory hereafter. Be sure you understand this. -- We must not look to ourselves in any measure
for either grace here or glory hereafter. The source of grace and glory
is the Lord. The security of
grace and glory is the Lord.
Christ alone is the Rock of our salvation. To him alone we must look for grace
and glory.
Gifts
“The Lord will give grace and glory.” -- The word “give”
declares that neither grace nor glory can be earned, merited, or purchased by
man in anyway. This text, like all the Word of God, puts us upon the footing of
grace. God cannot be obliged by man to bestow his grace; and he cannot be
obliged by man to bestow glory. Both grace and glory are free gifts of God; and
where he gives one he is sure to give the other.
Inseparable Gifts
Grace and glory are inseparable gifts. They are
really the same thing. Grace is glory in the seed. Glory is grace in full
bloom. Glory begins in grace; and grace is completed in glory. Someone said,
“Grace is glory begun, and glory is grace consummated. Grace is glory in the
bud, and glory is grace in the fruits. Grace is the lowest degree of glory, and
glory is the highest degree of grace.” These
are two great and marvelous gifts, which God bestows upon the fallen sons and
daughters of Adam in Christ, grace and glory. The first thing he gives is
grace. The last thing he gives is glory. These two gifts comprehend all others.
Grace
“The Lord will give grace.”
-- How we
love that word “grace.” Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense. In the life,
experience, and hope of the believer everything is of grace, from the beginning
to the end. Every believer gladly confesses, “By the grace of God I am what I am.”
“Oh, to grace
how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that
grace, LORD, like a fetter, Bind
my wandering heart to Thee.”
Read this promise in the boldest letters imaginable
and rejoice. “The Lord will give grace!” The promise comes from God the
Lord. The Lord God Almighty, the great Jehovah, the triune God will most
certainly, by his own irresistible power, according to his own sovereign will,
give grace, freely and irreversibly.
To Whom?
To whom will the Lord give grace? We know that he will give
grace. It is asserted plainly. Someone is going to get grace from God; but who?
The Lord
God will give grace to his own elect (Rom. 9:15-16). Grace belongs to
God. It is his sovereign prerogative to give it to whom he will. And there are
some among the fallen sons of men whom God has chosen to be the recipients of
his grace (John 15:16; Matt. 11:25-27). Not one of those chosen in electing
love, before the foundation of the world, to be a vessel of mercy shall fail to
receive that grace before passing out of this world.
The
Lord will give grace to every
sinner redeemed by Christ’s precious blood. Every sinner redeemed and purchased by Christ shall
be his and shall obtain grace. Christ did not die for nothing! All whom he redeemed by blood shall have the
grace of forgiveness (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14). All whom he purchased shall
have the grace of reconciliation (Col. 1:20). All for whom Christ was made a
curse shall have the grace of free justification (Rom. 8:34; Gal. 3:13). All
for whom Christ was made to be sin shall have the grace of righteousness (2
Cor. 5:21). All for whom he died shall have the grace of eternal life (John
10:8, 27).
The
redemption Christ accomplished in his death is an effectual redemption, which
infallibly secures grace for all his redeemed ones. Not one of those whom
Christ has redeemed from among men shall perish. Not one of his blood bought
sheep shall be lost. Not one member of his body shall be ruined. Not one part
of his bride, the church, shall be destroyed. Those whom Christ has redeemed
shall most assuredly obtain grace (Eph. 5:25-27; John 10:16). God’s sovereign
election and Christ’s effectual redemption inspire us to preach the gospel
fervently to every creature, because we know that “the LORD will give
grace” to his chosen, blood bought people (Isa. 53:9-11).
The
Lord will give grace to every
believing sinner. We
do not know who God’s elect are, or whom Christ has redeemed, except as they
believe the gospel. Yet we are assured by God that every believer is both elect
and redeemed, because God promises grace to all who believe (Mk. 16:16; John
1:12-13; 3:14, 15, 36; Rom. 10:9-13). Indeed,
if you and I believe on the Son of God, the Lord
has given us grace already. That faith by which we believe is itself the gift
and operation of God’s grace (Eph. 2:8; Col. 2:12).
The long and short of the gospel is this:
If you believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, if you trust his precious blood alone for your salvation and eternal
acceptance with God, he will give you grace. I know that a sinner cannot
believe unless he has grace. But I also know that you cannot have grace unless
you believe. And to every believing sinner it is promised, “The LORD will give
grace.”
What Grace?
What is this grace, which
God promises to give? The psalmist does not say, “The Lord
will give some grace,” “graces,” or “a grace.” The text reads, “The Lord
will give grace.” The implication is that wherever the Lord gives any grace, he gives all
grace. “The Lord will give” Regenerating Grace (Eph. 2:1-5), --
Justifying Grace (Rom. 5:1-11), -- Sanctifying Grace (Heb. 10:10-14), --
Preserving Grace (Phil. 1:6), -- Instructing Grace (John 16:13), -- Directing
Grace (Pro. 3:5-6), -- Comforting Grace (John 16:7; Lam. 3:21-26), -- Reviving
Grace (Isa. 57:15), -- and Sufficient Grace (2 Cor. 12:9).
“He giveth more grace when the burdens grow
greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added
affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied
trials His multiplied peace.”
How?
How does the Lord give us his grace? God gives his grace to
sinners mediatorially, through Christ our Mediator, through
the use of the means he has ordained. Without question, God’s saving grace
comes to chosen sinners before they seek it (Isa. 65:1). Yet, those who are
sought of God are caused by grace to seek him; and he promises that all who
earnestly seek him shall find him (Jer. 29:13-14).
Believers are people who
seek the Lord and seek his grace
in Christ continually. He gives grace to those who seek it by prayer, through
his Word, and in the keeping of his ordinances. These are the means by which
God’s grace is constantly bestowed upon his saints in this world.
God gives us his grace seasonably. As our days demand, his
grace is given. The Lord our God
gives us his grace readily. He is
always ready to be gracious. The Lord
our God gives us his grace constantly.
“At home, or
abroad, on the land and the sea,
As thy days
shall demand shall thy strength ever be!”
Read this
promise as broadly as you will. It is to you, child of God, in every condition
and circumstance of life, “The LORD will give grace”. He will give
you grace to serve Him (2 Cor. 12:9). He will give you grace to suffer for him
(Phil. 4:13). He will give you grace to endure temptations (1 Cor. 10:13). And
he will give you grace to die in him (2 Tim. 4:6-8).
Who?
Who is it that will give
grace? “The Lord
will give grace!” Grace is the gift of God alone. You will not get grace from yourself,
from the church, from some imaginary priest, at some imaginary altar, or from
the law of God. If we would get grace, we must get it from God alone. And the
only way God gives grace is through Christ (John 1:16-17). Look to Christ!
Trust Christ! Believe Christ! Cling to Christ! As we do, “The Lord, will give
grace!”
Glory
“The Lord will give glory.”
The
psalmist says, “The Lord will give grace and glory.” That
little connecting word, “and,” is
more precious than gold. It is an indestructible rivet, forever uniting grace
and glory. There are many who seem determined to take the rivet out; but they
cannot. The text does not say, “The Lord
will give grace and perdition,” or “grace and purgatory,” but “The Lord
will give grace and glory.” The
text does not promise glory without grace. You can no more have glory without
grace than you can have grace without glory. The two are riveted together. What
God has joined together let no man put asunder.
If we
have grace, we shall have glory, too. God will not give one without the other.
Grace is the bud. Glory is the flower. Grace is the fountain. Glory is the
river. Grace is the first fruit. Glory is the full harvest. If we have grace,
we shall never perish. We shall have glory. But those who do not have grace
here shall never have glory hereafter. It is not possible for any to be
glorified who have not first been justified. You cannot reign with Christ in
glory if Christ does not reign in you by grace. Grace and glory are inseparable
gifts of God. “The Lord will give grace and glory.”
What
is the glory that he shall give? I am fully aware that no puny, earthly brain can
comprehend it (1 Cor. 2:9). But God has revealed something of the glory that
awaits us, that our hearts may be drawn to it (1 Cor. 2:10).
The Glory of
Heaven
The glory we are to
receive is the glory of heaven. Whatever heaven is, God will give. It is a place of
indescribable beauty. It is a state of indescribable bliss. Whatever may be
meant, by the figurative language that describes it,[1]
all of heaven shall be ours forever. The Lord
will give the perfection of glory without measure to all to whom he has given
grace without measure. You and I who trust Christ shall sit down with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob at the throne of Christ the Lamb in the kingdom of God.
The Glory of Eternity
The glory God will give is
the glory of eternity. Eternity! Who can define it? No one on earth can fathom the meaning of
the word “eternity.” We always confound eternity with time. We speak of the
“endless ages of eternity.” But there are no ages in eternity. Eternity will
never pause, decline, or draw near to a conclusion. We will never grow weary of
eternity. And we will never grow weary in eternity. Eternity is unchanging,
unending bliss.
The Glory of Christ
Moreover, the glory God
will give his saints is the glory of Christ, our Mediator, Surety, and Covenant
Head (Rom.
8:17; John 17:5, 22). Whatever that glory is which Christ has as our Mediator,
as the reward of his perfect obedience to God, we shall have when we see him as
he is in heaven. My heart pants to know, by actual experience, the meaning of
what I have just written. Oh, to know the glory that awaits us! Now we look
through a glass darkly. But we long to see him face to face, to have the clouds
of darkness swept away, that we might know and enter into his glory! In the
serene atmosphere of heaven, we shall not only see the King in his beauty, but
also possess his glory!
The Glory of Victory
This glory will be the
glory of total victory. We are more than conquerors through Christ our Lord (Rom. 8:32-39). By the grace of God and the blood of the
Lamb, we shall yet be victorious over the world, the flesh, and the devil (Rom.
16:20). Death shall do us no harm, sin shall bring us no more grief, Satan
shall tempt us no more, when the Lord gives us glory.
The Glory of a
Perfect Nature
The glory the Lord will
give us is the glory of a perfect nature (Eph. 5:25-27; Jude 24-25). This was and is the
purpose and goal of God in predestination, election, redemption, and
regeneration. And God’s work will not fail to accomplish his purpose. In heaven
we shall have a perfect nature, spotless, sinless, incorruptible; -- bodies
without weakness, sickness, decay, or death; -- souls incapable of temptation,
sin, care, or trouble; -- hearts free of unbelief, sorrow, and pain; -- and
wills in complete harmony with God’s will. Imagine that! In glory we will
possess perfect natures! Holiness, perfect holiness shall be ours!
The Glory of Perfect Rest
The glory promised in our
text is the glory of perfect rest (Heb. 4:9-11). Heaven’s glory shall be a perpetual sabbath,
an endless day of perfect peace, perfect happiness, perfect security. “It shall not be possible for a man to have a
wish ungratified, nor a desire unfulfilled.Every power shall find ample
employment without weariness. And every passion shall have full indulgence,
without so much as a fear of sin” (C. H. Spurgeon). This is rest! This
is glory! We shall want what our Savior wants, do what our Savior wills, love
what our Savior loves, and live for our Savior’s glory perfectly.
This
glory is a gift of God’s rich, free, abundant grace in Christ. “The LORD will give grace
and glory.” There
is not a soul in heaven that came there by his own merit. There is not a crown
in heaven earned by the works of men. There is not a note of self-righteousness
to mar the song of the redeemed. Glory is the gift of God.
When?
When will the Lord give us this glory? Some will receive glory very
soon. For some it will, perhaps, be a while yet. But of this we can be
absolutely sure. -- “The Lord will give glory” as soon as our
work here is done, no sooner and no later. And “the Lord will give
glory” at the hour he has purposed from eternity, no sooner and no later.
Let us ever comfort one another with these words - “The Lord will give grace
and glory.” Our trials and troubles here are not worthy to be compared with
the glory that awaits us (Rom. 8:18).
[1] The streets of pure gold,
the gates of pearl, the walls of jasper, the crowns, the palms, the harps, the
songs, the river of the water of life, the trees bearing fruit, the tree of
life, all that these things describe heaven is.