Grace-By Means of Faith
(study – 12)
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For by GRACE are ye saved
For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; – i.e.by means of exercising trust,
For by GRACE are ye saved …. and that not of yourselves:
For by GRACE are ye saved …. [it is] the gift of God: Eph.2:8
I guess we are saved by grace–
We only have to believe it to be true – by faith..
But faith in what ? – or by faith in who ?
Well – God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son,
That whosoever believes in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Paul tells us
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ – period..
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ – and thou shall be saved Acts 16:31
For by GRACE are ye saved through faith;
(trusting in CHRIST JESUS – with no add-ons)
and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Eph.2:8
Scripture was written nearly 2000 years ago,
Interpretations of Scripture have flooded the world –
Exegesis and explanation – that range from the excellent to the abysmal….
The Result is a plethora of denominations with their own pet doctrine and exposition,
The Consequence is generations of Christians that have a distorted view of God.
Almost without exception you will discover some little “add-on” to grace….
This deception of the enemy is almost invariably found in most belief systems.
If there is the slightest addition to Grace – it fails to be by grace alone.
Some additions to grace are easily discernible – “you must believe AND……xyz”
Some adjuncts are clearly related to grace + works – which is not grace but law.
Some distortions result from a bias – received from educational ‘indoctrination’
Some inaccuracies are founded on experiences – or treatment received from others.
One problem with a wrong understanding of grace – is a distortion of Scripture,
Another equally problematic result – is a wrong perception of God’s Character
The WORD OF GOD is FROM GOD and HIS WORD is TRUTH and LIFE
God’s method of grace as written in Scripture is perfect -
– but Grace – is frequently distorted by man’s interpretation.
God’s Character as outlined in Scripture is perfect -
– but God’s Character – is frequently distorted by man’s twisted interpretation.
Our understanding of Grace – will influence the way that we live our lives.
And our perceptions of God’s Character – will determine our conduct.
If our understanding of Grace is incorrect – so will be how we perceive God,
If our perception of God’s Character is wrong – so also how we understand Grace.
How Vital that we take time to come to the correct understanding of GRACE,
How Crucial to take time to get a correct understanding of GOD’s CHARACTER.
Sometimes we need to be honest with ourselves – and identify any biases we may have,
Sometimes we need recognize that inevitably – we have built on a wrong foundations.
We need to identify any false perceptions we may have built up in our thinking,
– if we’re to get back to true biblical teaching on Grace and Gods Character.
And this isn’t the problem of the few – this is MY problem and YOUR problem too.
It requires humility of heart toward God – to realize we’ve misrepresented Him for so long
It requires a deep desire in our inner being – to know the God of our salvation.
A wise engineer goes back to the drawing board – when confronted with a problem,
A wise gardener goes to the root of a weed – rather than sniping off the stem,
A wise decorator strips the wood to the bare boards – before applying the paint.
Shouldn’t a Christian check for any false perceptions of God or developed biases?
NOTE
Our concept of God and idea of Grace will always influence how we live,
A man who thinks that God will accept your best efforts – lives that way,
– he will live his life – just trying to do his best….
- but this is a wrong concept of God… For God will not accept your best.
For by GRACE are ye saved
For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; – by exercising trust in Jesus,
For by GRACE are ye saved …. and that not of yourselves:
For by GRACE are ye saved …. [it is] the gift of God: Eph.2:8
Our concept of God and idea of Grace will always influence how we live,
A believer living in worldly carnality – hasn’t understood God’s Grace,
– he hasn’t understood God’s Character.
For by GRACE are ye saved
For by GRACE are ye saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
For by GRACE are ye saved …. and that not of yourselves:
For by GRACE are ye saved …. [it is] the gift of God: Eph.2:8
Our concept of God and understanding of Grace will always influence how we live,
A believer who lives their life in FEAR – has built up their particular concept,
– maybe they’re concerned that God doesn’t love them,
- others are fearful that God has rejected them,
- maybe they fear that God has a big stick to beat them.
But by GRACE are ye saved
For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; – in the Lord Jesus Christ
For by GRACE are ye saved …. and that not of yourselves:
For by GRACE are ye saved …. [it is] the gift of God: Eph.2:8
Our concept of God and idea of Grace will always influence HOW we live
How important to have the correct concept of God.. and His marvelous Grace
The correct concept of GOD is clearly defined in SCRIPTURE,
The correct concept of GRACE is clearly outlined in GOD’S HOLY WORD.
Exegesis and explanation can range from the excellent to the abysmal ….
– but ALL have their imperfections,
The Result – a plethora of denominations with their own pet doctrine and exposition.
Almost without exception you will discover some little ‘add-on” to Grace….
– deceiving many into a life of fear – works – legalism- i.e. grace PLUS..
The Consequence – generations of Christians that have a distorted view of God.
– but God’s Grace and God’s Character is clearly laid out in Scripture
- and we just need to believe what scripture says….
We need to search the scripture to really find what God says about GRACE
We need to search the scripture to really understand GOD’s CHARACTER
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- Grace-By Means of Faith - part 12
- Full Study Index for ‘A Study on GROWING in GRACE’
- A Study : GROWING in GRACE
Elizabeth Haworth
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