The Tried and Tested Way

• Tweet
• 
  

• [pinit]

(study – 21)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

There are two paths believers can follow in their Christian life

either   Grace  or Law
either   Faith or  Works
either   Promise  or Merit

GRACE – sanctification – is founded on God’s grace alone (Grace-Promise-Faith)
GRACE – is God’s work – founded on the Promises of God and accessed by Faith

GRACE – is described in Scripture as a ministry of life = the law of the Spirit of Life
The believer that chooses this path is free from the law of sin and death.

The believer who Lives Under Grace – is not under condemnation,
The one who Lives Under Grace – is not under any man-made regulation.

LAW – is sanctification founded on man’s effort to please God (works-merit -law)
LAW – is man’s work – founded on Man’s Merit and is accessed through law.

LAW – is called in scripture a ministry of death =  the law of sin and death
The believer that chooses this path – is a debtor to keep the whole Law. Gal.5:3

The believer who Lives Under Merit – is under condemnation,
The believer who Lives Under Law – has placed themselves under regulation,
For whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one [point]
- is guilty of all. James.2:10

The shocking part of the works-merit-law way is – outlined by Paul in Galatians 5.
Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law;
ye are fallen from grace. Gal.5:4

A Christian living the works-merit-law-way –will find death, failure and misery,
A Christian living the grace-promise-faith way – will be given life more abundantly.

There are God-Given Principles for the ‘normal’ Christian life – in Scripture,
There are fundamental teachings on GRACE – in the Word of God.

Paul more than any apostle sets out the GRACE walk logically – in his epistles,
And descriptors of the failed Works-Merit –Law way – are outlined in Galatians.

But many were never taught the principles of Grace in their early Christian Life,
– often resulting in the Word of God being set aside for the Meritorious route,
– the effect being that the Christian life is approached through ones own thinking,
And sadly that Believer eventually realises their Christian life is just not right.

This is the teaching of Galatians.
This is the effect that Paul was seeking to get across to the Galatian believers,
This it the approach that we as believers’ must search out – if our life is failing.

Paul explains in Galatians 2 – what happens in the Grace-Promise-Faith walk..
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
not I, but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God…
who loved me, and gave Himself for me. Gal.2:2ff

Once this astonishing principle is embraced – God can work in a believer’s life,
Once the Grace-Promise-Faith truth is understood – the believer is free from law.
Once this is grasped – the Believer is free to walk by means of the Spirit of God,
Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Gal.5:16

Some erroneously think that the lust of the flesh means overt sinning – wrong
Some think the lust of the flesh means the physical act of sinning – wrong
For out of the heart ( the inner man – the old sin nature) proceed:-
– evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications,
- thefts, false witness, blasphemies Matt.15:19

The lust of the flesh find their source in the hear – the inner man…
the lust of the flesh – is the inward sin Nature – in the inner being of a man,
the physical acts of sin – is the outward bodily expression of the inner lusts….
So fornication or bitter words are the outward expression of the inner lusting ‘flesh’
The sinful performance of the physical ‘flesh’- results from inner lust of the ‘flesh’

The sin nature – that lusts against the spirit comes from Adam – via procreation,
The life in Christ – the new nature sits alongside the original sin nature.
It is the old sin nature received from Adam – that lusts against the new life in Christ.

1 The Works-Merit–Law route stems from the old Sin nature – the Flesh
2 The Grace-Promise-Faith route stems from the new Christ nature – The Spirit

Reading through Galatians prayerfully will highlight the contrasting Christian ways,
The Works-Merit-Law route as opposed The Grace-Promise-Faith route.

1 Sanctification thru LAW- is founded on man’s effort to please God,
2 Sanctification by GRACE – is founded on God’s grace alone.

Law is man’s work – founded on the Merit of Man and accessed through Law,
Grace is GOD work – founded on the Promises of GOD and access by Faith.

1 LAW is called in scripture a ministry of death
- and it’s source is the old Sin nature – the Flesh

2 GRACE is described in Scripture as a ministry of Life
- and it’s source is the Spirit of Life in Christ

1 The believer that chooses Self-Merit – is a debtor to keep the whole Law
2 The believer that chooses God’s Grace is free from the law of sin and death.

1 The believer who Lives Under Law – is under condemnation
2 The believer who Lives Under Grace – is Not under condemnation

[There is] therefore now no condemnation….
NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom.8:1

A Christian living the works-merit –law way –will bring death, failure and misery.
A Christian living the grace-promise-faith way – will be given life more abundantly.

The believer relying on self-merit and works – is under the law of sin and death,
BUT – that same believer has a option to transfer to the way of Grace.

A believer living under the law’s self-merit – is still a child of God,
He may be fallen from grace for a time – but He can be restored by the Father.
For this my son was dead, and is alive again;
he was lost, and is found. Luke 15:24

Every born again believer has access back to throne of God – via 1John.1:9
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight,
and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Luke 15:21

Once a sinner has believed in the Lord Jesus – he is forever in a child of God…
So the father said to his servants,
Bring forth the best robe, and put [it] on him,
and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on His feet,
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill [it]; and let us eat, and be merry Luke 15:23

Any believer who walked the path to death can be restored to the life of Grace

For this my son was dead, and is alive again;
he was lost, and is found. Luke 15:24
Remember – His mercies are new every morning..
Remember – Great is His faithfulness Lam.3:23
And – Remember he is never far from you.. ever.. Acts.17:27

Listen to the Audio

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Audio

The Tried and Tested Way  - part 21

Full Study Index for ‘A Study on GROWING in GRACE’

A Study : GROWING in GRACE

• Bio
• Google+
• Latest Posts

Elizabeth Haworth

+Elizabeth Haworth

Latest posts by Elizabeth Haworth (see all)

• The Besetting Sin – May 25, 2013
• -1John 5:21 (ESV) Credits SEO – May 25, 2013
• Stripping Off Hindrances – May 24, 2013
• -Romans 14:17 (Holman) – May 24, 2013
• A Great Cloud of Witnesses – May 23, 2013

SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts WHERE wp_posts.post_status = 'publish' AND wp_posts.post_type = 'post' AND wp_posts.post_date < NOW() AND wp_posts.ID != 8669 AND(wp_posts.post_title LIKE '%Tried%' OR wp_posts.post_title LIKE '%Tested%' OR wp_posts.post_title LIKE '%Way%') ORDER BY RAND() DESC LIMIT 5

Daily Devotional direct to your Inbox!