Almost everyone in religion today claims to believe in some kind of salvation by grace. Most preachers and religious leaders talk about grace in general terms and because of that, both they themselves and their messages are widely received and accepted.
This general grace is presented as a sentimental attitude in God toward men or they tell us that grace is simply the plan by which men are saved who will of their own free wills respond to God's offer.
Generally accepted as these ideas are, this is not the grace of the God of the Bible. It leaves God as a mere well-wisher, trying, begging, pleading, and yet salvation is said to be ultimately up to sinful man to either accept or reject. Good intentions will not raise a dead man and neither will such grace raise a dead sinner to spiritual life.
Had Christ preached such a "grace," He too would have met with no opposition like the great majority in our day who proclaim such a message. But the Lord Jesus Christ preached salvation by the grace of God as it is – particular, not general! God is an absolute Sovereign (doing what He will for whom He will) and His grace must necessarily be sovereign grace.
When Christ returned to the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth, He stood and read the scriptures as many others before Him had done and they had offended no one. But Christ then proceeded to illustrate to these people who had been taught and believed that God was obligated to be gracious to them that God's grace was not that way at all.
In Luke 4:16-30 where this account is recorded, we have the illustration of grace He used and the response of the people. The first one was the widow to whom Elisha was sent. This is how Christ illustrated God's particular and distinguishing grace: "But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias ... but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow." (vs. 25,26). Then, so as not to be misunderstood, He reemphasized His doctrine of discriminating grace with a second illustration: "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisius the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." (vs. 27).
Their response reveals that they understood exactly what He meant. He said that the scriptures say throughout, that God will be gracious to whom He will be gracious! This makes man to be the beggar, not God! (Exodus 33:19, Romans 9:9-24). "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong." (Luke 4:28,29).
The response is still the same today when a true servant of God dares proclaim the distinguishing, sovereign grace of God. God did not send either of these prophets with deliverance to all in Israel but to the two in particular. It is not God's desire nor purpose to save everyone and His desire and purpose are the same.
Christ did not die to make salvation possible to all in general but to secure it for His elect in particular. He laid down His life for the sheep and purchased the church with His own blood. These through the gospel of sovereign grace in Christ will hear His voice and follow Him. Men today find no offense in hearing messages or reading articles that speak of grace in general, man's so-called free will, man’s ability to limit and resist God, moral lessons or any brand of salvation based upon human works of general grace.
God's grace, like God Himself, is Omnipotent, Sovereign free grace that was purposed toward its objects before the foundation of the world, purchased by Christ on the cross and produced in the hearts of God's elect by the Almighty Spirit. The gospel of God's sovereign grace is the only message of salvation and the only message that the people of God will hear. They will not hear the voice of a stranger who makes God's grace general, not actually saving anyone. We are commanded to preach this gospel to every creature not knowing who the sheep are but knowing that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.
The true message of God's grace comes to the sinner's ears as disturbing at first, but delivering the false message of general grace comes not disturbing but is eternally damning. Let us be of those who hear Christ and His message of grace and then bow to Him as undeserving, hell-deserving sinners crying,