Grace Change from the Inside Out – Common Grace versus Special Grace 

Acts 17:16-23 (NIV)

     While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? ²⁰You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." ²¹(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)  

²²Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.  

Matthew 5:45-46 (NLT)

     … For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. ⁴⁶ If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 

1. Common grace is any good that God bestows to all of His creation, such that any good that we receive, possess or accomplish is not possible without Him 

The starting point for any morality is common grace morality 

Common grace is necessary because the material conditions for existence, survival and flourishing are the same for all of us at a general and basic level 

A Common Condition 

A Common Moral Conscience 

Cultivate common grace values, habits and beliefs excellently  

Honor those with common grace virtues, even if they are not Christians because God honors them too 

Acts 17:16, 22-23 (NIV)

     While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols… ²²Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.  

Luke 7:9 (NIV)

      When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." 

Common grace is very important for the short term 

Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)

     For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹²It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 

2. Special grace is when God supernaturally tells us things we do not know, or cannot know; does things for us that we cannot do or have difficulties doing   

1. The Bible is God’s special revelation

2. We have supernatural guidance by the Holy Spirit

3. We need special grace to help us come to our senses

4. We ask for grace and favor to lead the random circumstance of our lives

5. We ask for God’s grace to empower us to do what we are powerless to do

      f. We need God’s special grace to cultivate common grace because even

     cultivating common grace values, habits and beliefs are difficult for most of us 

7. We need special to continuously live under the covering of God’s grace

In other words, special grace helps us to live supernaturally in common grace virtues and to rest naturally on God’s supernatural favor and grace 
 

Natural Attitudes of Special Grace 

Not superior but Humbler  

Not better but Very Graced  

Not Bad News but Good News 

How Hard Do We Work? The Christian Paradox of Grace 

1 Cor. 15:10 (NIV)

     But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 

Hebrews 4:11 (NIV)

     …Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest 

Work and make every effort to learn about grace, stay on grace and remain focused on grace