As I read the bible and hear Christians talk Grace comes up a lot. I have been thinking a lot about it today. What is Grace? I know there's the usual definition of unmerited favour. But the more I thought about it this morning the more excited I got. What have I done to deserve grace? Nothing. What can I do to be more righteous in God's eyes? Nothing. Because our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah), and all we like sheep have gone astray, there is no one who does good, not even one (Rom.1). My righteousness can never ever ever be pleasing enough to get me accepted in God's sight. I will never pray enough, witness enough or worship enough. So that's pretty much the worst thing ever, we have sinned against God and 100% deserve judgment and punishment and there is no way we can be acceptable to God by what we do. All that's basic theology and we are used to it, but how often in our practical day to day lives do we live in disbelief to that. How many times do we feel far away from God? Well listening to that feeling is practical unbelief in the justification for our sins.
Anytime we feel far from God, or not in his good graces, or needing to pray more to be accepting you can be 100% sure that this is not from God but the devil (unless of course you aren't a christian). The veil has been torn and all of our sins have been covered by his blood. When God looks to us he sees the righteous blood of his son. There is no blemish and anything we can do to be more righteous in his sight. The first thing I felt like when I heard that was to just go and sin honestly because God will still see me as righteous as Jesus. But that is what the whole book of romans is about. A righteousness apart from the law, but how we cannot use that grace as a license to sin. If that is our first thought to see how we can take advantage of the deal, and we continually practice sin habitually because of the way we view grace then there is a very good chance that we were never really saved in the first place.
A good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit. The true Christian will have his life built on the rock of Jesus and will not be told at the last day "I never knew you, away from me you who practice lawlessness". If indeed we are a totally new creature 2 Cor. 5:17(I think). Then we will act differently, we will live differently. I have a friend who thought he was a christian his whole life and it wasn't until he got to Bible college that he really got saved. It isn't the works that save us but they prove that we are saved.
Think of the most Godly person you know or you have heard about, did you know that you are exactly as justified before God as they are. He sees you in the same righteousness as he sees them. So there is no more room for excuses for me, that maybe God likes them better or they were created to walk holier than me. God doesn't create superhero christians and normal ones. We are all meant to walk in power and holiness, to walk in faith that we are justified completely before God and walk like it.
I just think of all the times that I've prayed "Oh God crucify my flesh anew today", but a teacher corrected me on that in Mexico. "Paul said 'I have been crucified with Christ' I have been baptized into his death (rom 6), it was a one time thing. Then he said 'count yourselves dead to sin'. You already are pure, you already are dead to sin, now take it by faith. When Paul said 'I die daily' the context shows he was talking about his daily persecutions and floggins and insults and troubles. Not about his dying daily to sin. There is no room for striving in the Christian life, just learning how to walk as we really are. Learning how to enter his rest and abide in him."
This is the most freeing thing ever, when we sin we don't need to go through a bit ordeal and not mess up again for a couple weeks until God will accept us again. He already accepts us. He just wants us to get back up and run after him all the more. "Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again." That's why the doctrine of Grace brought the most sweeping reformation the world has ever seen. We are justified by faith and not our works. That is how John Wesley got saved after being a missionary to America he listened to Luthers commentary on Romans 1 and his brother got saved listening to a commentary on Galatians on the same topic.
As I've looked into Cults this is ALWAYS the main thing they attack. None really hold salvation by grace alone because then they can't add the works that they want to have people get saved. They can't really control their people. Even some like JW's say that it is only by grace through faith that we are saved but then they go on to say how baptism and witnessing and stuff is necessary to get saved. So look at your church, if they add anything to salvation by grace through faith alone then it is a cult. Maybe in a smallscale way or maybe in a large scale way. But this is I believe the single most important doctrine in the bible. It is shown throughout the old and new testament and is central. We can't take any confidence in our flesh, just the promise and provision of God.
Anytime we feel far from God, or not in his good graces, or needing to pray more to be accepting you can be 100% sure that this is not from God but the devil (unless of course you aren't a christian). The veil has been torn and all of our sins have been covered by his blood. When God looks to us he sees the righteous blood of his son. There is no blemish and anything we can do to be more righteous in his sight. The first thing I felt like when I heard that was to just go and sin honestly because God will still see me as righteous as Jesus. But that is what the whole book of romans is about. A righteousness apart from the law, but how we cannot use that grace as a license to sin. If that is our first thought to see how we can take advantage of the deal, and we continually practice sin habitually because of the way we view grace then there is a very good chance that we were never really saved in the first place.
A good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit. The true Christian will have his life built on the rock of Jesus and will not be told at the last day "I never knew you, away from me you who practice lawlessness". If indeed we are a totally new creature 2 Cor. 5:17(I think). Then we will act differently, we will live differently. I have a friend who thought he was a christian his whole life and it wasn't until he got to Bible college that he really got saved. It isn't the works that save us but they prove that we are saved.
Think of the most Godly person you know or you have heard about, did you know that you are exactly as justified before God as they are. He sees you in the same righteousness as he sees them. So there is no more room for excuses for me, that maybe God likes them better or they were created to walk holier than me. God doesn't create superhero christians and normal ones. We are all meant to walk in power and holiness, to walk in faith that we are justified completely before God and walk like it.
I just think of all the times that I've prayed "Oh God crucify my flesh anew today", but a teacher corrected me on that in Mexico. "Paul said 'I have been crucified with Christ' I have been baptized into his death (rom 6), it was a one time thing. Then he said 'count yourselves dead to sin'. You already are pure, you already are dead to sin, now take it by faith. When Paul said 'I die daily' the context shows he was talking about his daily persecutions and floggins and insults and troubles. Not about his dying daily to sin. There is no room for striving in the Christian life, just learning how to walk as we really are. Learning how to enter his rest and abide in him."
This is the most freeing thing ever, when we sin we don't need to go through a bit ordeal and not mess up again for a couple weeks until God will accept us again. He already accepts us. He just wants us to get back up and run after him all the more. "Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again." That's why the doctrine of Grace brought the most sweeping reformation the world has ever seen. We are justified by faith and not our works. That is how John Wesley got saved after being a missionary to America he listened to Luthers commentary on Romans 1 and his brother got saved listening to a commentary on Galatians on the same topic.
As I've looked into Cults this is ALWAYS the main thing they attack. None really hold salvation by grace alone because then they can't add the works that they want to have people get saved. They can't really control their people. Even some like JW's say that it is only by grace through faith that we are saved but then they go on to say how baptism and witnessing and stuff is necessary to get saved. So look at your church, if they add anything to salvation by grace through faith alone then it is a cult. Maybe in a smallscale way or maybe in a large scale way. But this is I believe the single most important doctrine in the bible. It is shown throughout the old and new testament and is central. We can't take any confidence in our flesh, just the promise and provision of God.
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