In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he gives a heartfelt admonition to the Body of Christ.
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. II Corinthians 6:1
Paul’s beseeching of the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain reminds us of a very important aspect of our salvation. Our salvation frees us from the vain existence of fallen man. Our salvation allows us to live with meaning and purpose instead of the purposelessness of our natural existence.
The Vanity of Man’s Existence
The book of Ecclesiastes gives one of the Bible’s most vivid descriptions of the state of man.
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. . . . And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Ecclesiates 1;1-3,13,14
King Solomon describes in simple, yet powerful, language the despair that many of us feel at one time or another. This despair drives some to the point of taking their own lives and leaves others in a state of permanent depression and apathy.
Just who was this man Solomon and why did he have such a gloomy outlook on life? As we learn who and what Solomon was, his outlook on life makes our existence seem even more depressing and hopeless.
Solomon was the king of God’s chosen nation, Israel. However, his uniqueness did not end there. Solomon was not just another king. He had some very special qualities.
God gave Solomon wisdom that exceeded the wisdom that built the pyramids.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. I Kings 4:29,30
The growth of Solomon’s kingdom made him the world’s most powerful man.
And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. I Kings 4:21-25
Solomon’s wisdom and power combined to make him and his nation fabulously wealthy.
So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the vale, for abundance. I Kings 10:23-27
Solomon was a man that experienced no end of sensual pleasures.
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. I Kings 11:1-3
Solomon was a man who seemingly had no reason to be depressed. He achieved everything a man seeks after for happiness and fulfillment. Why then did he have such a dismal outlook on life as he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes? If a man like Solomon found no meaning in life, what hope do any of us have?
The Cure for Vanity
To understand Solomon’s gloomy portrayal of human existence we must realize that his writings are not simply the ramblings of an old, embittered ruler whose glory days had passed by him. His writings are the objective conclusions of the wisest man that ever lived, looking at his life in relation to the truth of God’s Word.
As Solomon evaluated his life it was clear that all that he or any man could accomplish is meaningless if it is not part of God’s purpose. This lack of meaning and purpose in life, this vain existence, resulted from the entry of sin into the world. When Adam and Eve sinned, it brought a curse to the earth.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Genesis 3:17-19
The curse brought vanity to man, “unto dust shalt thou return.” In spite of all that we can do and accomplish in this life, the ultimate end of all men is the same–death. This relentless, never-ending passing of the generations is one of the vanities that Solomon lamented in Ecclesiastes (quoted above).
Paul explained the vain state of man’s existence in his letter to the Romans.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. Romans 8:19-22
The Psalmist also recognized the vanity of man in his natural state.
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. Surely every man walketh in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. Psalms 39:5,6
Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. Psalms 62:9
Lest we become disheartened by all this talk of vanity, Solomon also reveals the key to giving our otherwise vain lives meaning, value, and purpose.
And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:12,13
The key to deliverance from our vain existence is to hear, understand, and do the will of God. Only God’s purpose will ultimately be fulfilled. The way to have a life that is not vain is to be involved in that purpose. To be involved in God’s purpose we must know that purpose. Apart from God graciously revealing his will and purpose to us we could never leave our vain existence and find meaning and purpose in life.
Since the cure for our existence of vanity is involvement in God’s purpose it is vital that we learn that purpose. There are two times in history when God intervened in the affairs of men and revealed vast amounts of truth that changed the course of history. In these interventions God gave man information that could not be gleaned from natural sources because it is supernatural in its origins.
Moses’ Cure for Vanity
In Genesis 12 God set aside Abraham and promised to make of him a great nation. As part of the blessing that God bestowed on that nation, He eventually gave them the law delivered by Moses. This law allowed them to know and understand how to live a life of meaning and purpose. The law given to Israel was to affect the Gentile nations around them.
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Deuteronomy 4:5-8
The information that God gave Israel in the law allowed them to be different from the other nations of the world. That information brought them deliverance from their otherwise vain existence.
In Romans, Paul reveals the sad truth about Israel’s reception of God’s law. Although they had the means to escape vanity, for the most part they ignored the law and continued in vanity.
Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. Romans 2:17-24
Instead of the Gentiles honoring Israel for their great law, as Deuteronomy 4 offered, the Gentiles ridiculed and blasphemed Israel and their God because they broke their own law. If Israel had kept God’s law they would have had an existence of meaning and value. They could have been a part of God’s purpose. They would have been delivered from the vanity about which Solomon wrote. Israel failed to obey God’s law and consequently continued in their pitiful, vain existence.
Paul’s Cure for Vanity
After Israel chose to continue in vanity God set aside another man and his spiritual descendants to fulfill His purpose. Just as Moses delivered to Israel the key to their delivery from vanity, Paul delivers to us the key to our delivery from vanity. Just as God had supernaturally intervened in Moses’ life to reveal truth, so He supernaturally intervened in Paul’s life to reveal truth.
And I [Paul] said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Acts 26:15-18
And I [Paul] thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. I Timothy 1:12-17
The information revealed to and through Paul allows Gentiles in the Age of Grace to be lifted out of an existence of vanity, and to live a life of meaning and value. God gave Paul a new revelation and commandment, just as He gave Moses a new revelation on Mount Sinai, written by the finger of God.
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. II Corinthians 12:1
If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. I Corinthians 14:37
Just as Israel was able, “to approve the things that are more excellent, instructed from the law,” Gentiles in the Age of Grace are able to “approve things that are excellent” as instructed from Paul’s writings.
For God is my [Paul’s] record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Philippians 1:8-10
In the Age of Grace we are not delivered from vanity by following Israel’s law. We must follow God’s revelation to us as given to Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles.
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: Romans 11:13
Only in following God’s truth for this Age of Grace can we live a life of meaning and value, and be used to fulfill God’s purpose. That purpose begins with following God’s message of salvation given through Paul and receiving the gift of eternal life. It continues with believers living in their bodies of flesh the life of Christ received at salvation.
Are You Making God’s Grace Vain?
Just as wise King Solomon’s life produced vanity when he disobeyed God’s revelation (see I Kings 11:1-3, quoted above), so our lives produce vanity if we disobey God’s revelation to us. God revealed to and through Paul the truth of “the dispensation of the grace of God,” information that brings us deliverance from vanity in the Age of Grace. This is why Paul beseeches us not to receive the grace of God in vain. God delivered this message of grace that we might be saved and delivered from vanity. To fail to live lives based upon the truth delivered by Paul continues the vanity that Solomon described so many years ago. How about you, have you received the grace of God in vain?