SAVED BY GRACE AND POWER
Andrew Burr
1 Kings 19: 9-16; Ephesians 2: 4,5; 1 Peter 1: 3-5
This scripture in Kings has been in my mind since the earthquake last week. We have heard of fire, wind and earthquake in recent weeks. There have been occasions when God was in such things. Mount Sinai is an example. Exodus 19: 18,20 says there was a tempest and "smoke ascended"; "the whole mountain shook" and "Jehovah came down on mount Sinai". One could say that God was manifested in those elements. Here in Kings we have the same elements – the wind, the earthquake and the fire and it says very expressly that Jehovah was not in them. But He was in the "soft gentle voice". It is natural to us all to believe that people can be driven into the presence of God by a manifestation of great power. The children of Israel at Sinai show that that is not true, because it says that, while in the presence of God manifested in that fearful way, they "declined the word being addressed to them any more", Heb 12: 19. Far from being driven in godly fear to heed the word of God, they disbelieved, and they turned to idolatry.
Here in Kings we have one of the greatest prophets that there has ever been. God in faithful grace shows us that Elijah was unchanged by the manifestation of divine power on its own. He observed the wind, the earthquake and the fire and he has to say exactly the same thing afterwards as he did before. This manifestation of divine power was calculated, as I hope to show, to reassure him, but his heart of unbelief was untouched. It is very interesting that a man like Elijah should be used to portray such a remarkable thing. Of course, one might say he was disobedient. God told him to come and stand on the mountain – to expose himself, so to say, to this manifestation of divine power – but he appears to have stood still in the cave. One might say that he took refuge in circumstances: instead of casting himself upon the power of God he chose to make circumstances his refuge. Imagine even such an arch-prophet as Elijah marked by doubt and unbelief in relation to the power of God! What more could God have done to prove his power to Elijah? And yet Elijah is unchanged. He is not like Job, who says in the presence of the power of God: "I will lay my hand upon my mouth", Job 40: 4. Elijah appears not even to acknowledge what he has just experienced.
These observations bring me to the scripture in Ephesians which states a wonderful principle – "ye are saved by grace". It does not say Ye are saved by power, although God has the power to save, but "ye are saved by grace". The note says that it is not exactly that we are saved on the principle of grace – we are saved on the principle of faith – but the passage says "ye are saved by grace". It is as if grace is the agency that God uses for salvation. I remember a brother who often used to tell us here that "the hardest thing for the heart of man to accept is divine grace". How true that is! Yet, beloved, every one of us has been saved by that very means – the display of divine grace. "The grace of God which carries with it salvation for all men has appeared", Tit 2: 11. That is, it has taken form and expressed itself. It has been embodied in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe it is represented by the "soft gentle voice". Another brother recently said that he was sometimes led to wonder just how hard his heart could be. I echo that, and yet, beloved, it is grace that has won my heart. Grace brought me to Christ and, so far as I am anything in God's things, grace has done it. l believe, beloved, that God would give us a fresh impression of the saving power of His grace. It would help us with one another and with souls generally to remember that it is not the force of anything, such as argument or the telling points that we can put across; it is not the ability to convict and condemn in the presence of the truth, but it is by grace that we are saved. How inadequate an expresser of divine grace I feel! How cast upon God Himself we are to bring in that element that is able to save, not only for the unbeliever but also even for those who already know and stand in relation to God. I believe it would help us to be patient. God was very patient with Elijah. He was very gracious with him, and very tender; He waited on him. He does not dismiss him or condemn Elijah although he was astray. God was true to Himself and worked on the principle of grace. We all have opportunities to express grace in dealing with one another and other people whom we meet. How much easier it is to try and convey an impression of divine power, or divine authority, or divine conviction! These things are right, of course, but Paul says "ye are saved by grace". Would that all of us had the skill to give grace room to save! I believe that the Lord might help us.
Now, all this leaves the question, why was it that God manifested His power so wonderfully? Was it for nothing? Was it simply to teach the negative lesson that He was not in those things? It says, "Jehovah was not in the earthquake". Consider what has just happened in America – the earthquake and the wind too, the damage caused and so on. Everybody gets very occupied with these things. But maybe God allows the disaster to pass before He speaks. He may not necessarily speak to people in the disaster but He might speak to somebody after the disaster. People are so taken up with the disaster itself; then the soft gentle voice of divine grace speaks afterwards and they miss it. The noise of the world and its Babylonish system comes back into their lives, and God's speaking to them – not in power but in His grace – is missed. Thus people go on without learning the lesson.
These things have a lesson: the display of divine power has lessons. That is why I read this passage in Peter, because it says "who are kept guarded by the power of God". It does not exactly say that we are saved by the power of God but we "are kept guarded by the power of God through faith for salvation". That scripture takes nothing away from the verse in Ephesians. Ye are saved by grace stands by itself. Peter is writing to people who are already saved by grace and he brings in divine power in its place – we "are kept guarded by the power of God... for salvation". If we are to walk in the present enjoyment of what grace has secured for us and secured us for, then we need the power of God. It is expressed to us in the person of the Holy Spirit, but it is also expressed to us in all manner of other ways. The power that raised Christ from among the dead is towards us who believe. The "us" are those who are already saved by grace; but then the wonderful experience we can have of the power of God keeps us guarded so that what we have by grace we may walk in and stand in the enjoyment of. I believe that was the lesson that God was teaching Elijah. It was not a question of his salvation; that was secure. He was in God's hands but was worried about the course of the testimony. He was anxious about his own safety. He was concerned about how he would fare if he stepped out of the cave and God was trying to show him that He would keep him guarded by His power for salvation.
These are simple thoughts, beloved, about topical occurrences as you will see. I am greatly impressed by the need in my own heart, in my own life, to give grace its place; and then also to learn to confide in the God of all grace, that His power will keep me guarded unto salvation.
LONDON
24 October 1989