The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.
Psalm 145:9
Common Grace is when God pours out his grace on sinners regardless if they are believers in the Gospel or not. The doctrine of Common Grace teaches that God shows His sovereign grace to all mankind in all places of the earth at all times. Common Grace can be summed up in three points. Firstly, pertaining to the attitude of God towards His creation. Secondly, in the restraint of sin, and thirdly, in connection to righteousness and good deeds done for the benefit of society.
The first point we are going to look at is God’s grace towards sinners. God displays His grace to the ungodly and the godly. Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.” Matthew 5:45 says, “so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Luke 6:35 says, ““But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.” Every breath that the ungodly takes is an example of God’s grace. God is longsuffering towards all His creation. God gives both the wicked and the righteous blessings such as a family, health, a place to call home, and a place of employment. It is evident from Scripture that God does not only bless His people. He blesses all of His creation, but not all the same. There are blessings that are only for those who believe in the Gospel. For example, the blessing of salvation is only for those who believe in the finished work of Christ. Salvation is not given to those who reject the Gospel.
The second point is regarding how God is at work in the restraint of sin in the lives of people and in society in general. Some examples from Scripture are the story of Joseph and the wife of Potiphar in the Book of Genesis. Another example is how God protected the land of Israel against wicked and pagan nations. Exodus 34:24 says, ““For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord your God.” This ensured the protection and safety of the land of Israel. God also uses the restraining of evil for His purposes. For example, in His punishment of Israel for their rebellion, God gave them over to their own stubborn hearts to follow after their own devices (See Psalm 81:11-12). God does act to restrain people from committing sin and doing evil. However, God does also give people over to their sins for His purposes. His main purpose for giving them over to sin is that the wickedness of man may be an example to others to avoid and that when sinners understand their wickedness it might draw them to the Saviour. A good example of this can be found in Romans 1:28. The Bible says, “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.”
The third and final point to be made is God’s dealing with the ungodly in relation to their deeds for the good of society. Romans 2:14 says, “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves.” God has placed His perfect moral and holy law upon the hearts of all mankind. He has given us a conscience that bears witness to that law of God. This is one of the graces of God. By doing this God has created within us all a restraint.
The ungodly do good deeds towards each other for the greater good of society and the benefit of the nation in which they dwell. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” As a result of sin the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked. God does intervene in the affairs of nations and people to stop man from being as wicked and sinful as he could be. Common Grace means that God’s sovereign plan is done, His people are blessed, and He alone is glorified.
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