1. What is common grace?
Simply put, common grace is the grace that God gives all people in which he bestows many blessings which are not apart of salvation.
Think about it this way: When Adam and Eve sinned, they ruined it for the rest of us. From then on, it was a guarantee that you and I would act on our sinful natures and violate the Law of God as revealed in our conscience and in the Ten Commandments. When Adam sinned, God could have left the entire human race over to damnation and sin, just as he did the angels who sinned (2 Peter 2:4) God promised Adam and Eve that they would die when they disobeyed, and though they died spiritually, their physical death was postponed. In the same way, when their decedents sin, we do not immediately die. Therefore, the question remains, "How can God continue to give great blessings to great sinners who deserve only death?" Not only to those who will be saved, but to those who are outside the covenant and will never be saved and whose sin will never be forgiven?
Enter the doctrine of common grace. In this doctrine, the word "common" is meant to refer to that which is common to all people, regardless to their relation to God and involvement in his covenant. In essence, it is those blessings that God bestows on all people, even those who are not a part of the covenant of salvation in Christ. Thus, it is a benevolent, undeserved giving of gifts to all people, whether they are God's elect or not.
2. What is the difference between common grace and covenantal grace? These two graces are different in their results, recipients, and source. However before we begin it must be noted that these are not two different graces in God, but it is that God manifests his grace in the world in two different ways. Covenantal grace (or saving grace- as we will discuss later posts) is the grace of God towards his elect in which he grants salvation and all the benefits along with it (faith, repentance, justification, glorification, conformity to Christ, eternal life, etc.).
With this said, now lets look at the difference in result: Common grace does not bring about salvation. Even though it is a manifestation of grace, it is not of the kind that brings about faith and repentance. Rather, common grace is of the sort that restrains evil and keeps man from being as wicked as he could be. Furthermore, common grace is a benefit poured out upon all people in which God sends his rain and feeds the just and the unjust.
Common grace also differs in its recipients. All of humanity receives common grace. It is given to believers and unbelievers alike. This is different than saving grace, which is only given to the elect of God.
Finally, common grace is different from saving grace in its source. Saving grace flows directly from the atoning work of Christ, common grace does not. Saving grace did not earn any type of forgiveness for unbelievers and therefore does not merit any sort of covenantal blessing for them. However, with this being said, it must be noted that while common grace is not a direct result of the atonement, it is an indirect result. This is seen in the fact that God did not judge the world at once with destruction as soon as human sin entered into it. The reason being is that eventually, God planned to save some sinners through the death and resurrection of his Son
At this point, let's turn our attention to how this common grace is extended to all people.
One place in which we see God's common grace is in how he deals with his creation. The earth still produces for humanity, and we are able to still have dominion over it. We also see that God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt. 5:44-45). Paul also echoes this belief in Acts 14:16-17. The Old Testament also speaks along these same lines. Psalm 145:9, 15-16 speak of how "The Lord is good to all, and has compassion over all he has made" and "the eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season."
Evidence of God's common grace is also seen in the intellect of humanity. Though humanity is given over to sin in all his faculties, we are not as depraved as we could be. This means that God has been gracious to humanity in leaving within us a capacity to be able to investigate our universe using the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood in the intellectual realm. All of our scientific and developmental progress is a result of God's common grace.
God's common grace is also seen in the moral realm of humanity. Though our union in Adam's sin left us all with a will that is in bondage to sin and unable to turn itself towards God, a heart that is deceitfully wicked, and a mind that is spiritually ignorant, the Creator did not leave humanity without an inward voice. This inward voice, or conscience, is a result of God having written his law upon humanities heart. This law is a result of being made in the image of God. Though the fall was devastating, it did not totally eradicate the image of God within us. By his grace, God left us vestiges of his image so that our conscience bears witness to the sinful things we do (Rom. 2:14-15).
Then, there is the religious realm. God's common grace, through his people, brings blessings upon unbelievers. Jesus tells us to love our enemeis and pray for those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44). Paul tells us to pray for all those who are in authority over us (1 Tim. 2:1-2). The command to pray for these people insinuates God's desire to answer these prayers.
There are more examples, but at this point I want us to look at the reasons God gives common grace. One reason for common grace is that it is God's forbearance with the world while he accomplishes his plan of saving his elect. 2 Peter 3:9-10 says, "The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance..."
Another reason God gives common grace is to show forth his goodness and mercy. This part of God is not only seen in how he saves people, but in how he gives blessings to unrepentant sinners. God's glory is seen in his goodness to the ungrateful and the selfish (Luke 6:35; Psalm 145:9). This then brings us to another reason, namely, to bring himself glory. God's glory is seen through the many activities of humanity in areas in which common grace is operative. One of these areas is the advancement of science. As our scientific knowledge of how the world increases, we are able to stand in awe of God more and more.
Finally, God gives common grace to demonstrate his justice. God's justice will be sin in the final day, in which sinners will be judge for rejecting the light of God given to them through conscience and creation. They will he judged for never turning and acknowledging the one who fed them, clothed them, and allowed them to live upon his earth.
As we bring this post to a close, I want to share a few things about how we as Christians should respond to this doctrine. First, we must realize that there is a distinction between saving grace and common grace. Just because a person receives common grace, does not mean they will receive saving grace. As Wayne Grudem states, "Even exceptionally large amounts of common grace do not imply that those who receive it will be saved. Even the most skilled, most intelligent, most wealthy, and most powerful people in the world still need the gospel of Jesus Christ or they will be condemned for eternity!"
The doctrine of common grace should cause us to be very careful about not rejecting the good things unbelievers do. Common grace ensures that unbelievers will still do "good" things. Though they may do acts of kindness for the wrong reason, the fact that a "good" act is being done should not go unrecognized We should see this as the operation of God's common grace. This also means that we should not reject technological and scientific advancement just because the discovery is by an unbeliever. Common grace also seen in art, entertainment, and music. Unbelievers can produce great art, entertainment, and music, and we as Christians should appreciate that and thank God for it.
Finally, the doctrine of common grace should cause us to be more thankful to God. As we gaze upon creation, do business in the marketplace, listen good music, enjoy great movies, benefit from technology, or stand in awe of scientific discoveries, we should immediately praise God and thank him for his grace and mercy that have allowed these things to be.