Salvation By Grace Through Faith
 

I'm thankful for God's grace. I'm thankful I didn't have to jump through hoops to earn the privilege to be saved. I'm thankful I don't have to live with fear that I'm constantly on thin ice, with my salvation so fragile and so tenuous that I have to tip toe on eggshells worried about the rejection of God. I'm thankful that God loves me simply because He chooses to.

I am a piece of work. I am defective. I have plenty of flaws, cracks, fissures, deficiencies, glitches, and weaknesses in my life. Yet He keeps loving me. He doesn't give up on me. He doesn't throw up His hands and declares that I'm a hopeless cause. I'm thankful He doesn't nit pick my life, obsessing over what my hair looks like, what my clothes look like, that I watch sports, or see a movie, or have a beard. I'm thankful He isn't my Divine Bookkeeper, my spiritual CPA, writing everything down, keeping a record of wrongs. I'm thankful that He is holy, and in His eyes I am holy because I am filled with His Holy Spirit. I'm thankful He is righteous, and in His eyes I'm righteous because Jesus Christ is righteous and when I believed, God imputed the righteousness of Jesus to me. He credited me His righteousness. I'm thankful He's perfect and in His eyes I'm perfect.

God's grace is not my excuse to live anyway I want. I want to change, I want to live better, I want to say no to temptation BECAUSE of His grace. I love Him because He first loved me. I am far from what I want to be. But I'm not what I used to be.

I think about Him day and night. I wake up at 4AM and a gospel song is on my mind. I have a mental image of Jesus on the cross that God gave me a few years ago when I was at a very low moment and a very sad time. Sometimes when I'm distressed, when I'm anxious, when things get chaotic I close my eyes and visualize that picture of God's love for me. His Word is a part of my daily life, whether my scripture of the day from Biblegateway.com, teaching and preaching 4 times a week or more, listening to preaching on the radio, or engaging in a daily devotional. I talk to Him while I shower to begin my day. I talk to Him sitting in a parking lot in my car because I'm 15 minutes early for an appointment. I talk to Him over the phone with a man who has called me for counsel to ask for wisdom and direction for my friend. I talk to Him with my kids as I put them to bed. Day or night, His grace is a common thread interwoven throughout my existence.

He didn't have to love me. He didn't have to give His only begotten Son that I might believe on Him and have everlasting life. He didn't have to right what was wrong in my life. He didn't have to make crooked paths straight. He didn't have to restore what had been stolen. He didn't have to give me a second chance. He didn't have to give me the multiple chances He has given me over my lifetime.

I don't know why He loves me. I don't deserve it. I deserve harsh judgment, punishment, and destruction. Instead He loves me. He makes a way for me. He offers me a free gift---salvation. He offers it with no strings attached, no conditions, no addendums, no fine print, no disclaimers. He gives it to me freely. All I have to do is believe. As preposterous as that sounds---that's it. It's that easy because He did the hard part. Being betrayed, arrested, falsely accused, brutalized, beaten, spat upon, tortured, mocked, crucified, and taking on the sins of all humanity was the hard part. He simply calls me to believe on Him, to receive Him. It sounds too good to be true. But it's true. We can become sons of God, children of God, simply by calling on the name of the Lord.

I have peace in my soul. I am not insecure. I am loved by God. I am forgiven. I am accepted. I belong. I am a son of God. I am His and He is mine.

I am thankful for salvation by grace through faith.

Re: Salvation By Grace Through Faith
 

DB I'm sure sorry that your experience in the Apostolic movement was so blown out. We all know about the saving grace of the cross, while we may not have a picture of a clean white Jesus with loin cloth hanging on a cross to keep us moving forward, we do know the power of the sacrifice of the Lamb. We don't do things to be saved, but the fruit of the tree shows the health of the tree.

The Lord bless you on your journey and may you be able to forgive past offenses.

Re: Salvation By Grace Through Faith
 

So is what your believing in compatible with the wider counsel of God? As in:

Rev 3:1-5


1And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Re: Salvation By Grace Through Faith
 

Michael, I understand where Deacon Blues is in life. Sometimes we just settle in and ride the wave of grace, been there, done that.

ANYONE has the ability to fall from His grace though.

The Holy Ghost is in CONSTANT, correction mode.(not merely comforting us).

The passage you posted is what stands out to me as a challenge to do my very best to please God daily.

My concern is coming up short at the end of my life and thinking I was right with God, when I was not.

What was the Lord really telling the Church here?

Many folks really do not want to hear it, because it challenges their lifestyles.

If a saint adopts a "worldly" lifestyle, then the Holy Ghost will begin to work on them to rid them of this worldliness.

I have come to the conclusion in life, to God, it is ALL OR NOTHING.:nod

Re: Salvation By Grace Through Faith
 

nice! :)

Re: Salvation By Grace Through Faith
 

I love this particular scripture about grace, and it sums up pretty well how grace needs to work in our lives:

Titus 2:10-15 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

The grace of God is given to us to teach us! What is it teaching us? How to deny ungodliness, wordly lusts, live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. Jesus gave himself for us, and redeemed us to purify us from ALL iniquity, and purity unto a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

This sums up eloquently the work of grace in our lives... it is not a ticket to sin - but a teacher to purify us, and redeem us from the work of iniquity in our lives.