*GRACE*

[LittleHamster]

I've been studying Grace....here's what I dug up on the Net...(sorry some of the url-references didn't copy across)

A person is either [ref.]:-

(i) under the law or
(ii) under Grace.


Grace, Definition, [ref.]:-

Unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification, [ref.];
A virtue coming from God;
A state of sanctification enjoyed through divine Grace.


You cannot work for and obtain Grace through your own efforts. "Even our greatest works are like filthy rags to God", (Isa. 64:6).

Grace is sovereign. Christianity is not a religion of discovery, but of revelation, (ref.).
Grace is the very opposite of good works, (ref.).
Grace is also an attribute of God, (Ex. 34:6; 22:27; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). (ref.).
Grace has provided a full redemption for man, (ref.).
Grace cuts both ways: It can neither be earned by your merit nor forfeited by your demerit, (ref.).
Grace is needed by everyone, the saint as well as the sinner, (ref.).
Grace is given freely, but it still involves a choice, (ref.).


A Person is:-

called by Grace, (Gal. 1:15);
saved by Grace, (Eph. 2:8);
forgiven by Grace, (Eph. 1:7);
justified by Grace, (Titus 3:7);
and granted eternal consolation by Grace, (II Thess. 2:16).


The only way to obtain Grace is to have it given to you. We can receive Grace by asking and through our true faith and enduring love in Jesus Christ.

"For the law was given through Moses; Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ", (John 1:17).

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.", (Luke 11:9).

There is no other way for redemption.

Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.", (Matt 19:26).

Why do we need Grace?

There was once a boy who got angry and threw a very old, very valuable vase out of his bedroom window. His father looked outside, saw the broken vase on the floor, and said to him “You deserve to have to pay for that, and buy it back!” But the boy had no money, he couldn’t repay the cost, and so his father chose to demonstrate his love. He said, “If I was to forgive you now, and let you off, that will show you that I have mercy.” “But instead, I’m not only going to forgive you, but give you a treat and take you to McDonald’s as well, so that you know I have Grace.” As humans, we all have a price to pay; God is perfect, we are not, and so we don’t deserve to come into God’s presence. However, God loves us so much, that he was willing to sacrifice himself, to pay the cost, so that we would be able to know him, (ref.).

“You do not understand Grace until you believe that when you sin you are still loved by God.” - Martin Luther, (ref.).

Grace and power flow out of weakness. When God had called Moses to deliver Israel, he argued with God about his weakness. He gave every excuse he could think of. God ended the argument: “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh”, (Exodus 7:1), (ref.).

Your freedom in Christ through Grace is not a license to keep sinning. The more Grace you receive however, the more power you have over sin. Grace gives you the desire and ability to do God’s will. Apart from God’s Grace you don’t even desire to do His will, (Phil. 2:13). With Grace the higher law of love operates. “Love is the fulfillment of the law”, (Rom. 13:10). “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”, (John 14:15), (ref.).

Apostle Paul warns us three times not to take God’s Grace for granted, (ref.):-

Don’t “receive the Grace of God in vain”, (2 Cor. 6:1);
Don’t “frustrate the Grace of God”, (Gal. 2:21);
Don’t “insult the Spirit of Grace”, (Heb. 10:29).


"For it is by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. It is not by works, so that no one can boast.” , (Ephesians 2:8-9)

[B. W.]

Thank you for posting this on Grace!
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[LittleHamster]

bump

[LittleHamster]

F.Y.I....Even more stuff on Grace...... I found the last one interesting. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.



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(source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/jesus-ch ... 3126780143)

Think about it this way; Say you were found guilty of murdering someone, and the law of the land sentenced you to death. Can you "work" your way to freedom? No, because you are under the law and it demands your life. The only way you can be free, is if a judge has compassion on you and pardons you. Let's say that happens; A judge comes along and pardons you. You are now under grace and no longer under the law, which demanded your life. You are free!! Now, do you leave thinking, "I'm free!! I found grace with the judge, I'm free to go and commit more crimes, because I'm now under grace, not under the law!" Of course not. Any person with an ounce of gratitude would now go and KEEP the law the best they could. And anyway, does the law of the land now become void because you found grace from the judge? No, the law still stands. Do you see this truth with regards to being under grace, not under law?

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(source: http://sathyasaimemories.wordpress.com/ ... -devotees/)

"in fact the most important of all – is the Lord’s grace. When the pupil goes on trying and failing over and over again, when all seems quite hopeless, and he fully realises his own utter helplessness, then the divine grace comes, the light shines, the joy flows through him, the miraculous happens. He takes another step forward on the spiritual way."

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(source: http://www.demonbuster.com/redempti.html)

The Difference Between Law And Grace

The difference between the Old Testament law and the New Testament grace is not that grace was absent in the Old Testament, but that the Old Testament emphasis was upon obedience to the law.

Unscriptural Attitudes Toward Law And Grace

Another misconception concerning grace is that sin under the law resulted in punishment or death unless atoned for by a sacrifice; but under grace the once-for-all atoning blood of Jesus automatically cleanses the believer from sin. While it is valid that the Christian under grace can obtain forgiveness without making an animal sacrifice, he is not automatically forgiven.

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(http://www.creationism.org/gospel/english/grace.htm)

Sins Against God's Grace

There are four kinds of sin against God's grace:

1. There are sins which reveal a careless attitude toward grace: indifference, lukewarmness, and sins of the flesh, such as anger, gossip, overeating, lust, and disobedience.

2. There is the sin of legalism (misguided rigour, pride, superficiality, the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God or emphasizing the letter of law over the spirit).

3. There is the sin of the perversion of grace.
Perversions:
- A person must actually perform some religious act or good work as a prerequisite for gaining eternal life.
- Salvation once attained must be maintained by obedience to God's laws.
- Lordship Salvation requires that a person "repent of his sins" or "make Christ the Lord of his life" or "make a personal commitment to Christ" in order to be saved.
- Genuine saving faith will always produce visible results in a person's life. Therefore, serious or habitual sin would constitute proof that true conversion was never experienced - that the person was"never really saved." Since at any moment anyone many backslide into serious or habitual sin, thereby "proving" that he was "never really saved," no one can be absolutely sure that they are saved. Assurance of one's salvation therefore is not derived from one's certainty of his faith in Christ, but circumstantially from evidence of one's changed life. Assurance can never be absolute.

4. There is the sin of apostasy (the rejection of Christianity by someone who formerly was a Christian).


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(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_%28Christianity%29)

In Christian theology, grace can be defined as the love and mercy given to us by God because God wants us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it. [1] It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved"[2] - that takes the form of divine favor, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most manifest in the salvation of sinners. Christian orthodoxy has taught that the initiative in the relationship of grace between God and an individual is always on the side of God. Once God has reached out in this "first grace," however, each person has the option to accept it or reject it, as well as a responsibility to abide in the Messianic covenant. The Calvinist doctrine of irresistible grace, however, states that a person dead in sin cannot resist the efficacious call of God to salvation, and only individuals whom God has predestined to salvation will receive that call.

The concept of grace has been called "the watershed that divides Catholicism from Protestantism, Calvinism from Arminianism, modern [theological] liberalism from [theological] conservatism."[3] The Roman Catholic Church holds that grace is infused in a particular way through sacraments, while Protestantism almost universally does not. Calvinists emphasize "the utter helplessness of man apart from grace." Arminians understand the grace of God as cooperating with one's free will in order to bring an individual to salvation. According to Evangelical theologian Charles C. Ryrie, modern liberal theology "gives an exaggerated place to the abilities of man to decide his own fate and to effect his own salvation entirely apart from God's grace." He writes that theological conservatives maintain God's grace is necessary for salvation.[3]

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(source: http://www.creationism.org/gospel/english/grace.htm)

Four Perversions of Grace

The doctrine of grace demands that God's offer of eternal life is a free gift, based solely on faith in Christ, and apart from any work or the law. (Romans 3:28, 11:6-7, Ephesians 2:8-9) Those who would deny or pervert the doctrine of grace attempt to introduce the performance of works, the promise of works, or the evidence of works into the equation of eternal salvation offered freely through Jesus Christ. There are four perversions of grace whereby works are either overtly or subtly introduced into the question of salvation. They are defined and categorized below in their respective relationship to one another. In Galatians 1:7, St. Paul flatly states that introducing works into the question of eternal salvation is a "perversion" of the Gospel.

Before Salvation

Perversion # 1 - Basic Salvation by Works

FUNDAMENTAL AXIOM:
A person must actually perform some religious act or good work as a prerequisite for gaining eternal life.

COMMON FORMS:

Water baptism as a prerequisite for salvation.
Public confession of Christ as a prerequisite for salvation.

ANALOGY:
This perversion of the gospel would be equivalent to being required to make a cash down payment before being granted the "deed" to your eternal life.
After Salvation

Perversion # 2 - Arminianism

(Denial of eternal security)

FUNDAMENTAL AXIOM:
Salvation once attained must be maintained by obedience to God's laws.


COMMON FORMS:

"Serious" sin (such as sins of sex or violence) will result in loss of eternal life.
Apostasy (departure from the Christian faith) will result in loss of eternal life.


ANALOGY:
This doctrine would be equivalent to requiring the convert to pay a monthly "rent" to retain his deed to salvation. He does not own his salvation outright, he is a renter. If he misses a payment, he loses his deed.

This usually follows basic salvation by works. If works are necessary to get saved, it logically follows that they are necessary to stay saved.
Before Salvation

Perversion # 3 - Lordship Salvation

FUNDAMENTAL AXIOM:
Lordship Salvation requires that a person "repent of his sins" or "make Christ the Lord of his life" or "make a personal commitment to Christ" in order to be saved. Unlike"basic salvation by works," the actual work need not be performed prior to gaining eternal life. However, the intent to perform future good works must be real and genuine.

ANALOGY:
Lordship salvation is equivalent to offering God a late-dated check or "I.O.U." in exchange for salvation. An actual payment in cash is not needed, only a good faith promise or resolution concerning future payment. God is willing to offer eternal life "on credit" as it were so long as the repentant sinner promises a future payment of good works whenever the note comes due.

Lordship salvation redefines the word grace. In the Bible, grace is the disposition of God to offer eternal life freely. In lordship salvation, grace is redefined as a divine substance infused in the sinner to strengthen him or enable him to "repent of his sins" and "follow Christ." This infusion of "grace" (redefined as some mystical empowering substance) is said to be sovereign of God, and not dependent on human works. "Grace" is therefore said to be free, but salvation requires good works! This is theological doublespeak.

After Salvation

Perversion # 4 - The Perseverance of the Saints

FUNDAMENTAL AXIOM:

Genuine saving faith will always produce visible results in a person's life.
Therefore, serious or habitual sin would constitute proof that true conversion was never experienced - that the person was"never really saved."
Since at any moment anyone many backslide into serious or habitual sin, thereby "proving" that he was "never really saved," no one can be absolutely sure that they are saved.
Assurance of one's salvation therefore is not derived from one's certainty of his faith in Christ, but circumstantially from evidence of one's changed life. Assurance can never be absolute.


ANALOGY:
Saving faith is like a "trick ball" put under a magician's magic cup. The magician claims to place a white ball under the cup when one's faith is authentic, and a black ball when it is not. At the end of one's life, the magician lifts up the cup to examine the ball. For those who have persevered in good works, the ball will be white. For those who have not, the ball will be black. Of course, the magician claims that the ball's color was determined at the initial moment of faith. But by some feat of magic, the ball always turns out to be the same color as the works that take place in the months and years following that profession of faith! This is a theological shell game!!

Perseverance and lordship salvation are part of the same system. If a sinner's turning from his sins were truly the result of God's "grace," this change would supposedly continue unabated throughout the believer's lifetime. The redefining of the word "grace" together with the linking of the lordship salvation and perseverance doctrines is drawn directly from Thomas Aquinas'Summa Theologica, Part I of the Second part, Questions 109-114; "Treatise on Grace."Although it is the very essence of Roman Catholic theology, it now flourishes in evangelical Protestantism.

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(source: http://www.holyspiritofgod.net/index.html)

Many times I've invited you to ask your questions so that I would know how to answer you, because I do not know what you know and I do not want to teach you things you already know. I received a question from one of my readers and as I have said I will not divulge e-mail addresses or names but just to answer the questions that you've asked. I will not return any e-mails unless you have invited me to do so.

Here is the question I received::::::Hi there Apostle James,

"I've been reading about God's Grace and found some info that might be worth mentioning. I think it is almost impossible for people not to sin and so they must constantly ask for help (and grace) from God. I hope that you can talk about this on your website one day - see my comments below." (comments omitted - see first article on this page)"

My answer to this question is::: Now about grace, of all the graces and there are many mean nothing but there is one that you must have to inherit the kingdom of heaven and that is sanctifying grace, it overrides all other graces. And this grace of sanctification given by the Holy Spirit of God which is God's grace. You cannot be passed on to Jesus for salvation if you are not in the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit can give this grace, to whoever he wishes, when he wishes, but only he can give it, not God the Father nor God the Son but the Holy Spirit himself which he gives in unity with the Father and Son. Everything that he gives or does not give is in unity with Them as one God. This is why God the father and God the son sent God the Holy Spirit to us in the first place so that he could be with everyone at the same time to guide us, to teach us to comfort us and to heal us which she does for me all the time.

This is your answer on sin:::: anyone can sin but for this sin to be mortal or grave three criteria must be met. 1 you must know that it is evil against God or your brothers and sisters and then. 2 then you must commit it of your own free will. 3 you must know the consequences of that action and the punishment that it will deliver. All mortal or grave sins must be forgiven by Christ's priesthood and granted absolution for them. Now for the meaning of knowledge is that you know the difference between good and evil. If you do not know if it is a sin or not then it probably is not because you must have full knowledge that it is. Now as for the minor sins which go by the name of temporal, venial, and actual sins can be forgiven by saying the nighttime prayer of asking forgiveness from Jesus nightley at the Holy Spirit gave to me for all of you to say. Now both prayers the morning prayer and the nighttime prayer is on my website and in my book the gospel of James so you have no excuse that you have not been given them. Anyone and I repeat anyone who says he does not sin condemns himself or herself. This is referring that Jesus had no business dying on the cross for your salvation as you could be saved without his forgiveness.
Now as I have told you that if you say the morning prayer every morning without missing, and the nighttime prayer every night without missing, and go receive general absolution at Sunday mass you will walk around in this sanctifying grace that I have told you about. If you happen to die while in this sanctifying grace you'll go straight into the kingdom of heaven nonstop.

Apostle James

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[SoCalExile]

https://youtu.be/9BYhVC6wRuA

[LittleHamster]

(source: http://www.kerysso.org/public/undergrace.htm)


What does it mean to be ‘under grace’?


When we speak about being ‘under grace’ we refer to the New Covenant. To understand the necessity for the New Covenant, we must first understand God’s intent in the Old covenant. Let me explain this as simply as possible. God did not give the law to prevent man from sinning, but to make man aware of sin and of God’s perfect righteousness and utter holiness. These standards revealed man’s unrighteousness (sinfulness). Additionally, the stringent requirements towards keeping them showed how utterly impossible it is for anyone to try to attain because the law cannot be kept perfectly. To keep the law meant keeping it in its entirety, without failing in even the tiniest aspect. That is impossible for any sinner to achieve. Yet, that’s exactly what God’s intention was when gave the law! He designed to show through the law, that we are incapable of keeping it perfectly and could never be righteous in his sight by our own effort. That does not sound very encouraging! However, God did that to display his mercy and love towards us. He wanted to give us what we do not deserve and cannot achieve on our own – that very righteousness which he expects of us! He showed us through our inability to keep the law that we are utterly at his mercy. This mercy he displayed by sending his Son, who took God’s wrath against sin upon himself in our place, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but rather be reconciled to God forever in perfect righteousness. The Bible describes this momentous act in these words: “but when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (Gal.4:4). This act by which God freely gives to us what we do not deserve and cannot earn, we call God’s grace. God credited (imputed) Christ’s righteousness to us whilst we were yet sinners, simply based on our faith in Christ’s atonement in our place. This imputed righteousness is all we need to appear before God without any condemnation. In other words we have a legal status of ‘righteous’ conferred on us in place of the status of ‘condemned’. We call this legal status being ‘justified’ (not guilty). God confers this status on the believer immediately, based on faith in Christ alone, and not on any meritorious actions in the keeping of the law. It is a final verdict and irreversible. It is the established starting point in the process of achieving in actual life that righteousness with which he has already been credited. This process of achieving in actuality by the Holy Spirit’s enabling, that righteousness which is ours positionally is called ‘sanctification’. All the while that the believer is being ‘sanctified’ he remains eternally safe and secure from God’s wrath against sin. What I have just set out explains in a nutshell the whole operation of grace in Salvation. To come to Christ (which implies “to be saved’) we must come on these terms and no other. When we do, we are described as being under the ‘Covenant of Grace’ (or the covenant of Promise) as opposed to the ‘Covenant of the Law’. Alternatively, to put it plainly, we are ‘under grace’.

[RickD]

Great post, LittleCricetinae!

[abelcainsbrother]

Ephesians.

https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=HxxfOEW-FGE

[LittleHamster]

I found this (the icing on the holy cake)......

What would "the full rights of sons" (Gal.4:4) be like as given by Grace ?


The 12 rare privileges:

https://transforminggrace.wordpress.com ... en-of-god/

[IceMobster]

A quick question: are all of His creation children of God or are only Christians children of God and others are (just) His creation?

[Jac3510]

A quick question: are all of His creation children of God or are only Christians children of God and others are (just) His creation?

John 1:12

I also deal with that in some here.

[IceMobster]

A quick question: are all of His creation children of God or are only Christians children of God and others are (just) His creation?

John 1:12

I also deal with that in some here.

I believe in His name and therefore I am his child even though I do not believe in Jesus Christ. Correct or not?

[Jac3510]

Incorrect. To believe in His name is to believe that Jesus is the Christ. Here's the full passage -- follow the pronouns:

• In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

You could do a more detailed analysis by looking at other concepts and tracking them--light, God, Son, we/us, etc. But I think this is more than sufficient for you to see the connection. If you receive Jesus--that is, if you believe in His name (which is, to affirm that He is the Christ)--then you receive the right to become God's child. Otherwise, you cannot be His child.

[abelcainsbrother]

Incorrect. To believe in His name is to believe that Jesus is the Christ. Here's the full passage -- follow the pronouns:

• In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

You could do a more detailed analysis by looking at other concepts and tracking them--light, God, Son, we/us, etc. But I think this is more than sufficient for you to see the connection. If you receive Jesus--that is, if you believe in His name (which is, to affirm that He is the Christ)--then you receive the right to become God's child. Otherwise, you cannot be His child.

Goodnews. For you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG0sdjwnsio

[abelcainsbrother]

A quick question: are all of His creation children of God or are only Christians children of God and others are (just) His creation?

John 1:12

I also deal with that in some here.

I believe in His name and therefore I am his child even though I do not believe in Jesus Christ. Correct or not?

Patients. For you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc2WxebeJtA