Grace is God's unmerited favor — His attribute that saves undeserving sinners who believe the Gospel plus nothing.
God justifies the believer freely, declaring him just as if he had never sinned. Les shows this through Saul's conversion: Saul deserved destruction, yet God saved him. Grace takes the fallen creature under sin and condemnation and saves him on the basis of believing the Gospel plus nothing.
Romans 3:24 — This is the key verse Les uses to show that justification is freely given by God's grace, not earned.
Romans 6:14 — This verse connects grace with freedom from sin's dominion — the believer is not under law but under grace.
Acts 9:4 — This verse records the Lord's gracious confrontation of Saul, the epitome of grace in Les's teaching.
The Bible connects grace directly with justification. Romans 3:24 declares that believers are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Grace is also tied to freedom from sin's rule: Romans 6:14 says, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." The book of Acts shows grace in action when the risen Lord confronted Saul on the Damascus road: "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:4). Rather than judgment, Saul received a confrontation that would lead to his salvation.
Les Feldick teaches that grace is an attribute of God — unmerited favor that reaches down to save the fallen creature. He defines grace as what God does for the person who realizes he is nothing more than a fallen creature under sin and condemnation, with nothing he can do to save himself. God saves that person on the basis of believing the Gospel plus nothing (Clip 5). Les calls Saul of Tarsus the epitome and apostle of grace. God had every right to destroy Saul, a rebel who persecuted believers, but instead God saved him — Saul did not deserve it, did not work for it, and did nothing for it (Clips 1, 2, 3). Les also teaches that grace was not unknown before Paul. It was evident in the Garden, when Israel worshiped the golden calf, and when they crucified the Messiah. God's grace is why He has not destroyed humanity. Ultimately, grace is the Creator willingly going to the cross to pour out salvation to the whole human race (Clips 6, 7). Beginning with Paul, the word grace takes preeminence, and Les observes that a true preacher of God's grace will likely be accused of teaching that people can do as they please (Clip 4).
Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest followers of Christ and bring them back to Jerusalem for prison or death. While he was carrying out that dirty work, God confronted him: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" Instead of destroying him, God saved him. Les says Saul did not deserve it, did not work for it, and did nothing for it — he simply responded to the Lord. That is the epitome of grace.
Les teaches that justification is the judicial act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner just as if he had never sinned. Romans 3:24 says believers are justified freely, without a cause. God sees the justified believer as He saw Adam before the fall — a truth Les admits is hard for the human mind to comprehend, but is biblical.
Les says few people understand God's grace and that grace takes preeminence beginning with Paul's writings. He makes a pointed test: if you are not accused of teaching a Gospel that gives people the idea they can do as they please because they are under the grace of God, you are probably not preaching the Gospel of the grace of God.
Although the age of grace is associated with Paul, Les teaches that grace was already evident in the Garden. When Israel went after the golden calf, God's mercy and grace kept Him from destroying them. When they rejected and crucified the Messiah, God again had every right to wipe Israel off the map but did not. Today, the whole human race deserves judgment, but God's grace withholds it.
Freely Justified Without a Cause
Les teaches that justification is God's judicial act declaring the believing sinner just as if he had never sinned — freely, without a cause.
Saul, the Epitome of Grace
Les contrasts human reaction — we would have zapped Saul — with God's response: He saved him. That is grace.
Grace With No Merit
Saul did not deserve salvation, did not work for it, and did nothing for it; he simply asked what the Lord would have him do.
Grace Interrupts the Persecutor
Saul was on his way to carry out his dirty work when God knocked him off his horse and saved him — grace.
Grace Takes Preeminence With Paul
Les notes the word grace appears a couple hundred times from Paul onward and that a grace preacher will likely be accused of teaching license.
Grace Defined
Les defines grace as the attribute of God that reaches down and saves the fallen creature on the basis of believing the Gospel plus nothing.
Grace Evident Throughout History
Grace was evident in the Garden, at the golden calf, after the crucifixion, and in God's continued restraint toward sinful humanity.
Grace at the Cross
Les identifies grace with the Creator voluntarily going to the cross to pour out salvation to the whole human race.
Romans 3:24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Les uses this verse to show that justification is given freely, without a cause, by God's grace.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Les connects grace with freedom from sin's dominion because the believer is not under law.
Acts 9:4: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
This is the moment of grace in Saul's life — God confronted the persecutor and saved him.
Grace is God's unmerited favor. Les defines it as the attribute of God that saves the fallen creature who believes the Gospel plus nothing, declaring him just as if he had never sinned.
Saul deserved punishment for persecuting believers, yet God saved him. He did not deserve it, work for it, or do anything for it — that is the essence of grace.
No. Les teaches that salvation comes by believing the Gospel plus nothing. Saul's conversion shows grace is given to the undeserving, not earned.
Yes. Les teaches grace was evident in the Garden, with Israel at the golden calf, and in God withholding judgment from humanity throughout history.
Watch the Teaching: Romans 3: Why No One Can Be Saved by the Law