Do Not Receive the Grace of God in Vain

Wesley Wright

Lighthouse Bible Church

Sunday, March 15, 2026

 

Do Not Receive the Grace of God in Vain

 

2CO 6:1-2

 

We are co-laborers with God, Paul writes (2 Corinthians 6:1). We are working together with Him. Sound familiar?

1CO 3:1-11

 

Grace is by definition undeserved. You can’t do anything to justify what God has done for us. What you can do is point the salvation we have now in Christ alone.

 

 

What does it mean to possibly receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:2)? Instead of enjoying reconciliation in Christ, you seek to adhere to the old law or your works, or anything else.

 

Paul mentioned this concept before:

1CO 3:3-11

 

Paul and Barnabas dealt with people who refused to believe in Christ:

ACT 13:36-46

 

The grace of God is tied directly in our context to that reconciliation that all believers enjoy, but some in the Corinthian church apparently did not fully grasp that.

 

Paul talked about not receiving the grace of God and other concepts in vain.

 

1CO 15:7-10

PHI 2:12-16

 

Paul had to battle Judaizers preaching a gospel of works:

2CO 11:1-4, GAL 5:1-4

 

Paul’s point is that the day of salvation in upon us by quoting an Old Testament passage in

1CO 6:2. Praise God that it is!

 

The time (day) of salvation has arrived, and those hearing should heed:

ISA 49:8

 

The time (day) of salvation has arrived, and those hearing should heed:

LUK 4:16-21, LUK 19:37-44

 

Our plea should be as Paul’s was: that people believe on the Lord Jesus Christ now. They should not wait, because the time is short.

 

We should pray that people not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. They should instead be partakers of Christ:

PSA 95:1-11; HEB 3:7-15

 

God has a certain amount of grace on those who are alive. He overlooked to an extent past ignorance: ACT 17:29-32

 

*Jesus Christ is coming back

 

Does the Lord’s grace run out? No, but a person’s life will come to an end. We don’t know when it will, so they should not wait and we should not either.

 

There’s a precedent, of course: JER 7:16-20; HOS 5:6-15

 

The people of the Earth were wicked such that the Lord destroyed all but a few: GEN 6:1-11

 

The day of salvation is here, which should compel us to be forthright in sharing the gospel. Life is fleeting, after all, and once it ends, an unbeliever does not have the same opportunity.

 

Take the opportunities we have, while we have them. The field is ripe, per se, for harvest: JOH 4:34-39

 

Take the opportunities we have, while we have them. Night is coming when no man can work: JOH 9:1-4

 

Take the opportunities we have, while we have them. Our lives present an opportunity for us to do good to all people:

GAL 6:7-10

 

The author of Hebrews understood the weight of disobedience where the gospel is concerned. Do not neglect such a great salvation: HEB 2:1-4

 

God was graceful in providing His Son who reconciled us to Him. To receive that grace in vain is to cling to anything else other than His Son.

 

We and all people should compel others to respond to God’s grace while they still have the chance. Now is the day of salvation — let us rejoice and be glad in it.