Note: This is one sermon from a multi-message series. The various parts are at the following links:

The first part of the book of Romans is the "doctrinal" part. The last four chapters constitute a very practical and concrete application of the doctrinal, an infusion of the effects of the truth into the life. So what about grace?

We've been chasing this word "grace" down through the book of Romans. Where do we finally come out as the book reaches its last chapters?

Grace to Transform the Mind

In Romans 12:1-3 Paul pleads "through the grace given unto" him, that his Roman readers will present their bodies as living sacrifices to the Father, "holy, acceptable unto God." How is this holiness to be manifested? Verse two answers: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Paul pleads for holiness. He makes this call "through the grace" given unto him. I want you to notice that grace is much more than "unmerited favor." We take nothing away from that. But consider this. All the evangelical world understands grace as being "unmerited favor," but the same teachers would suggest that because of our fallen natures, anything approaching real holiness is unavailable this side of the grave.

Real grace is so much more than this. Real grace calls people to real holiness. It calls people to rise above the bankrupt possibilities able to be generated apart from God, coming closer to Jesus than ever before. "Prove" the Bible says, "what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." That is, live it out, put it to the test, test the mettle of what God is willing to do through you. It's not our will we are proving, but God's will. Under the Holy Spirit's power Paul presents three ideas about the experience we ought to be living.

By grace we live an experience that is "good."

But so many who claim to be living under grace aren't living an experience that is good; they are living an experience that is marginal. That is, as Christians so many are living beneath their privileges. Why settle for an enhanced experience of death, when we can live an exchanged experience of life? The Christian life, you see, is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of what we are. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life (DA 172).

And with the new life in us we find Paul's next statement to be true; namely that our lives under the influence of His real grace become "acceptable" to our Father.

How in the world can we live lives that could ever be called "acceptable" to God? Don't look at me--Paul said it by the Holy Spirit! Take it up with the Holy Spirit!

I think that we have been led to think, for so long now, that obedience somehow is a bad thing, that we've virtually become brainwashed into thinking that even when we cooperate with the working of the Holy Spirit, nothing good can come out. But such is to condemn God. Is God such a weakling, is He so indifferent to our plight, is He so unmindful of Satan's charges that no one can obey, no one can do what He asks, that nothing we can do would be acceptable to Him? If so, then the words of Paul must be condemned.

But what does the Bible say? Romans 5:1 says that "therefore being justified by faith, we have [we have what?] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." How could we have peace with Him unless the impact of justification by faith was such that it changed our lives and rendered them acceptable through the Spirit of God?

But Paul doesn't stop there. He goes one more step; he uses the "P" word. "Perfect."

Someone had better come out from the Seminary and help poor Paul; calm him down a little bit. Someone needs to help him with his theology. Doesn't he know that we can't begin to obey, let alone live lives acceptable to God, let alone do the will of God perfectly? But friends, what have we here? What shall we do with the Scriptures? Do they offend? Then pluck out the bad theology from your mind! Don't look nervously both ways and then set aside God's promise as a lie. Paul says, "through the grace given unto" him, "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

We venture. We go forward. We live the experience God intends. We set aside notions of failure, the half-true crumbs of an unbiblical theology we've been seeking to sustain ourselves on -- throw that aside and take in in great droughts the truth of real grace: a grace that renews the mind and makes holy people who do God's will, here, now, "perfectly."

Now how do we do that? Pick up some insights here you may not have considered before. For example . . .

Consider Romans 12:6, the next use of the word "grace:" "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given unto us," let us prophecy, or minister, or teach, or exhort, or give, etc. The first verses of chapter twelve tell us to make our bodies, even our very minds, living sacrifices to God. The plea goes out through the grace Paul has been granted to exercise. We are then told that we may live lives that are good, acceptable, even perfectly in God's will.

Then we are warned (Romans 12:3) not to become lifted up because of the moral beauty of the lives God's people can live under His Spirit, but to recognize our necessity of faith in common with our fellow believers. Our gifts differ according to the grace we've been given. Not in quantity, some obtaining larger gifts of grace and some getting smaller gifts, but in quality, for each gift of grace has its own facets, sparkles with its own luster. How important to our personal journey and character growth is our exercising the gifts granted us by God just as Paul exercised his gifts. And how was that? "Through the grace" given unto him.

Grace is much more than unmerited favor. It includes also the follow-through. Grace has an end result as we act "through the grace" given unto us. In the flat sort of understanding of Christianity that sees only the very narrow and partial ideas of salvation, we hear of this one facet of grace. Quite assuredly, it is of intense importance. But isn't it also important to see it in its fuller sense? Shall we not praise God both, for grace as unmerited favor but also for grace that transforms, grace that manifests itself in the lives of fallen humans in the line of Adam who through it live "good, and acceptable, and perfect" reflections of the will of God? God receives the greater glory when we take the broader view of grace. So let's take it. Why shouldn't our praise to our Father be yet louder, yet prouder of His strength and His love for His needy people.

We have to mention at least in passing Romans 15:15-16, the next reference to grace in Romans. The text reads, "Nevertheless brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given me of God, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost."

Paul here echoes much of what he has already said in Romans 12:1-6 that we've just looked at. Paul says he has written to them strongly "because of the grace" that is given him by God. He points out that the purpose, the reason that God manifest His grace through Paul in this manner is so that through the gospel the gentiles will be strengthened, living real Christian lives before God and man.

Mark this point then. Real grace transforms the minds of those who let it into their minds. Real grace will really change you. Otherwise it is no real grace.

Is that the kind of grace you've been taught? The kind you've been experiencing?

Grace to Crush the Serpent

The last two references to grace in the book of Romans come in Romans 16:20, 24. Let's take a moment first with verses 24-27:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

It's worth pointing out that Paul closes the book of Romans on a very high, even doxological note. Immediately after his request that God's grace be with all his readers, he speaks of the One who "is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ." What power is this? "Dunamis in the Greek, where we get the words dynamo and dynamite; that kind of power. Jesus has dunamis power to establish us according to the gospel that Paul preached, for Paul preached the gospel of Christ, the same that Christ preached. And by the way, does this verse sound familiar? Like you've heard it before? Perhaps you have, over in Ephesians 3:20-21: "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power [dunamis] that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

Let us pause for a moment and consider: what is this "mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest"? Is it not the life-changing power of the gospel of God? Is it not the truth about grace -- grace that changes people? All the universe has been watching to see whether Satan's charges would stick, whether God could or would produce a people who would truly obey His law. Notice, the mystery "now is made manifest." Again, let us turn and see this mystery focused up on with clarity. Find it with me in Colossians 1:26-29:

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: hereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily.

Hear the similarities? What is this mystery? "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Surely you realize that what has come to be considered "classical Protestantism" focuses almost exclusively on Christ outside of us as the hope of glory. They want to keep the work of Christ on the cross for our salvation untainted by even the slightest whiff of human works. And well might we join them in their crusade but for the fact that while indeed, our human works do not save us at all, still we cannot deny the mystery that has been made manifest-- that we have experienced in our own lives -- Christ indwelling us, living in us, working in us, and producing what not we but what God has called "the hope of glory" for us!

No wonder Paul closes the book of Romans speaking so pointedly of how the mystery is now on display in God's people, "made known unto all nations for the obedience of faith." Impossible without Christ; impossible not to be present if Christ be present; and by God's real grace such is as it is for us. Unworthy, undeserving, stinking to high heaven when we try to do good on our own apart from Jesus, but glorifying our Father in heaven when we let Him work in us mightily, He reveals to the universe His mystery through His people. How will people deny that and cover over the light of God and hide it under a bushel?

But now let's drop back to our last section. Let's look into God's ultimate goal and plan for the gospel and for His mystery being revealed and for His people. Turn back to Romans 16:20 with me.

Here it is, all packed into practically one little verse; the power of the gospel. Listen:

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Here is the ultimate plan of God for His gospel. Let's be clear on this: Christ is the one who crushed the serpent's head at the cross. But the power of the cross is being applied by the same Christ who still lives today. Satan went to make war against the followers of Jesus when He left, when the Man Child was caught up to heaven (Revelation 12:5). So he went to make war against those who keep the commandments and still have the testimony of Jesus. Again, what did Jesus say in Matthew 25? If you have done something to one of the least of these, you have done it to Him, Jesus. Now we saw above that Jesus dwells in His people. Paul said it in Galatians 2:20 like this: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

You see, when Christ lives in us, we live in Him. Jesus crushed the head of the serpent at the cross, but now at the very end of time He is going to trample him into nothingness through our feet. And how is that? By means of grace applied in the lives of His people.

Look back just one verse. What do we find there? "Your obedience." And what do we find in verse twenty? "Your feet." And what are those feet doing? Bruising Satan.

Really bad.

We call this the great controversy war. And it is about over. And Jesus is going to end it by bruising Satan at last under our feet too.

Are you game?

Conclusion

There are a lot of cheap, unbiblical substitutes for real grace being pitched round about us right now. And of all people on the planet, Seventh-day Adventists, being a biblical people, a people of the Word, are utterly, totally, entirely without excuse. We are called to live and give the third angel's message, this very message which is righteousness by faith in verity; this very message which brings sin to an end in this universe.

You see, in the end, God does persuade a people to obey Him, He does present to the universe a group of changed humans who follow His Son the Lamb right through every thick persecution and sorrow and pitiless trial they are blasted with in the end-time. You wonder why we are seeing sorrows now? It is to prepare us to be that people who, finally go through it in all its grim, unwordable reality and are translated not seeing death. God's final generation is now being prepared. So when we hear the cheap grace, do not fear. It is just one more sign that the true is about to be manifested by a people enmasse and in living color, because we serve the living God.

Bring it on! By God's real grace we are well able to overcome. (Numbers 13:30).