COMMON GRACE BLACK T-Shirt

Romans 1:20 (English Standard Version) 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. In concise terms common grace may be defined as “the unmerited favor of God toward all men displayed in His general care for them” (Ryrie). An expanded definition of common grace is “(a) those general operations of the Holy Spirit whereby He, without renewing the heart, exercises such a moral influence on man through His general or special revelation, that sin is restrained, order is maintained in social life, and civil righteousness is promoted; or, (b) those general blessings, such as rain and sunshine, food and drink, clothing and shelter, which God imparts to all men indiscriminately where and in what measure it seems good to Him.” Louis Berkhof Without a doubt, common grace that is mocked will result in uncommon judgment.Burk Parsons Despite the fact that God’s unmerited favor is extended to all mankind, this common grace must not be confused with special grace (that is, saving grace). God’s common grace leaves man with no excuse (Rom. 1:20), but common grace alone is not salvific. It does not and cannot save. Salvation is found exclusively in Jesus Christ (Ac. 4:12). …In order for man to be saved, the special of grace is required. Keith Mathison Unlike common grace, which extends to all mankind, the special grace of God is the unmerited favor that God extends to His people. By means of common grace, God restrains sin in the world. By means of special grace, Jesus Christ bears the curse and penalty of sin for His people. In common grace, God gives good things to all men. In special grace, God gives the very righteousness of Jesus Christ to His people. Through common grace, God provides unmerited favor to all mankind for a time. Through special grace, God provides unmerited favor to His people for all eternity. Keith Mathison So few believe in common grace, because the human heart will not admit that a world without common grace is what we deserve. Jeff Hutchinson The goal of common grace is not to perfect nature, but to restrain sin and animate civic virtues and arts, so that culture may fulfill its own important but limited, temporal, and secular ends, while God simultaneously pursues the redemptive aims of His everlasting city. Michael Horton