Common Grace and Saving Grace¹

Robert Traill

There is a very notable distinction in God’s grace as received by a sinner, between common grace and saving, or special, grace.

First, common grace is so called, not because it is ordinary and usual (for in bad times it is rare enough), but because it is not saving. It is most likely that, in such happy times when saving grace is bestowed on many (which times we cannot now boast of but only hope for), common grace is dispensed more frequently also. That there is such a thing as common grace is as certain as it is that there is such a creature (if I may so call him) as a hypocrite in the church, or in the world. For a hypocrite is nothing but an unrenewed sinner painted over with more or less of common grace. And to men that see only the outside of others, he may appear like a true Christian.

I would give some particular instances of this common grace.

(1.) There is a common enlightening grace, a common illumination (Heb 6:4 and 10:26). The Apostle supposes that there is an enlightening, and a receiving a knowledge of the truth, where a fatal apostasy may follow. The Lord may give the light of His Word and, in and by that light, may dart in some clear beams of gospel truth on such as are led no farther. It is far from

¹An edited extract from a sermon on “The Throne of Grace” (Heb 4:16) in The Works of Robert Traill, vol 1.

being true that all knowing heads have sound hearts. There may be, and often is, much clear light in the mind about points of saving truth when there is no sense, no savour, no faith in the heart.

In Acts 26 we find Paul speaking in the most noble assembly that likely he ever spoke in: a King and a Queen, and a Roman Governor greater than both. In this august assembly, Paul, though a prisoner in bonds, remembers that he is an apostle and preaches Christ, and takes Christ’s grace in converting him for his text (v 14). When he is thus speaking, “Festus said with a loud voice, Paul thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad”. At the same time, “Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (v 28). This was a great deal better than Festus’ word, yet a poor word in itself. It spoke of some glancing of ineffectual light on his mind. An almost Christian, and no more, is but a sinner almost saved, and no more; or one that is no Christian, and never saved at all.

(2.) There is common awakening grace, The Lord sometimes alarms the consciences of the ungodly and may raise a great sense of sin in those that are never forgiven, and fears of hell – indeed a foretaste of hell – in some that never escape it. “I have sinned”, says Pharaoh; “I have sinned”, says Saul; “I have sinned”, says Judas, “in that I have betrayed the innocent blood”. Alas, poor wretch, it had been better to have confessed his sin against his Master to his Master than to his murderers. Felix trembled when Paul preached. It was grace in God to come so near to him, and great power was put forth. What else could make such a great prince as Felix was to tremble at the words of a poor prisoner standing before him in his chains?

Awakening grace is only common grace. The law wounds many a conscience that the gospel does not heal, because it is not applied to. The law can make no wound which the gospel cannot heal. Do not boast of your wounds by the law unless you can tell how you were healed. There is no cure for a conscience wounded by sin and by the law, but the blood of Jesus shed for sin. Did you come to the blood of Jesus? (Heb 12:24). Did He apply it to you? Were you cured of your wounds before you went to Him and before He came to you? Woeful is that cure, and worse than the wound. Many poor creatures are wounded by the law, and to the law they go for healing. But God never appointed the law to heal a wounded conscience; and it never did or can or will, till the end of the world or to eternity. It is Christ’s name and property and glory to be the only physician of souls, and all must die of the disease of sin who are not His blessed patients.

(3.) There is common restraining grace, an act of God’s grace and wisdom, which He often puts forth in ruling this wicked world. How quickly would this earth become a hell, were it not for this restraining grace! If God permitted

all unrenewed men to commit all the sin Satan tempts them to and their natures incline them to, the godly would not be able to live in this world. A heathen had this restraining grace: the Lord said to Abimelech: “I withheld thee from sinning against Me” (Gen 20:6). What is more, we find a great saint praying for it: “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me” (Ps 19:13); that is, Lay a powerful restraint on me by thy grace, so that, when I am tempted, my way may be hedged up and I may be kept from complying with the temptation.

Yet a Christian in a good state of soul does not desire bare restraining grace, but also sanctifying grace. He desires not only a restraint of outward acts of sin, but the removal of inward inclinations to sin; he begs that his heart be renewed and changed. So after David had fallen foully, by the strength of inward corruption when God had left him to himself, he prays like a wise believer, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps 51:10) – when he has been recovered by grace and renewed unto repentance.

(4.) There is common assisting grace. Many a bad man has had good assistance from God in a good work. The Spirit of God has enabled many to do great and good works, by which God gets service and the world gets good, though the doers of it are not accepted. “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? And in Thy name have cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works?” (Mt 7:22) All these were great things, done in Christ’s name, and by His assistance. In casting out devils and in working miracles, there was an exertion of omnipotence, with and by their faith [but not saving faith], which is the greatest divine assistance we can imagine. And no doubt they were assisted by Christ’s Spirit in prophesying in His name. Now such things they thus did. Christ, in His reply, does not deny that they did them and finds no fault with the works in themselves; but all His quarrel is with the workers: “I never knew you”; you are workers of iniquity.

(5.) To common grace belongs some comfort and joy reaching the heart in hearing the word. The Lord expressly explains the stony ground this way: “He that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it” (Mt 13:20).

(6.) There is reforming grace, which belongs to common grace. The power of the Word may so come on natural men’s consciences that they may reform many things; as when Herod heard John the Baptist, “he did many things, and heard [Christ] gladly” (Mk 6:20; so 2 Pet 2:20).

If any say, What, should we come to the throne of grace for common grace? I answer, Not for it alone, but for it and better. It is a mercy to have

common grace; it is grace that is undeserved, but it is a woeful snare to him that rests in it. If the Lord restrains your corruptions; if He enlightens your minds and awakens your consciences; if He assists you with gifts for good works; if He helps you to mend anything that is amiss in your life; bless Him for it all, but do not rest on any of these things. The grace that is saving is higher and better, and you must seek after that.

Second, saving grace, as distinct from and beyond all that is common, takes to do with three things.

1. It works a change in a man’s state, which common grace never does. Saving grace changes a person’s state. By this grace an enemy is reconciled to God, a guilty sinner is justified freely through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, a stranger receives sonship by Christ. Common grace never alters anyone’s state, but it leaves him where it found him. It never takes him out of the old stock of fallen Adam, nor can it; he still lies in that pit and is never translated by it into Christ, or is engrafted in him, as a new Head. But when saving grace comes, it does all (Eph 2:4-18).

2. Saving grace changes man’s sinful nature. And this grace thus working is called the regenerating, sanctifying and renewing of men. Christ calls it, being “born again” (John 3:3) “If any man be in Christ [through this grace], he is a new creature” (2 Cor 5:17). The Apostle describes this: “According to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Ts 3:5).

Natural men are more apt to look to their life than to their nature. They may see many things amiss in their way, but are loath to look into their heart. And if light shines in to discover inward heart-faults, they are still backward to own that all is nought and that there is no good in their hearts. If the light pursues them yet closer and makes them see that there is absolutely nothing within, they are still more backward to own the true source of their disease and the true remedy for it; that all this dominion of sin over them flows from their natural state, as they still stand in and under the first sinful Adam, and can never be altered and mended but by grace putting them into Christ as the root of their new life.

1. Saving grace works on the new nature. Special grace not only changes a man’s state, not only his old corrupt nature, but it works on this new nature, that has been wrought by grace. The special operation of the grace of God, in and from the fountain, is on His own new creation in the hearts of His children. We cannot conceive it fully; our minds are not able to take in these depths of God.

We hear from, and read in, the Word of the intimate correspondence the Lord keeps up with those in whom He dwells. Christ dwells in the heart by

faith (Eph 3:17). His Spirit dwells in His people (Rom 8:9,10,11). But what is it in their hearts that He dwells in? He dwells in His own workmanship in their hearts, in His own new creation, in His own garden that He has planted in them. There His presence is and there His eye is, on that His hand is; this is what He waters and looks after carefully. When a believer comes to the throne of grace for this grace, he comes to beg that the new creation in him may be visited, refreshed, strengthened and brought to perfection. They in whom Christ has not planted anything lack this errand to the throne of grace that believers daily come upon.