Kurieuo wrote: Grace is certainly God's part, and faith ours. However, this does not necessarily mean "grace" (God's part) is conditioned on "faith" (our part) which could contradict the meaning of grace.
Rather, I find it more coherent to believe "grace" does not apply to salvation broadly speaking, but rather only applies to the "issue which separates us from God". That is, it is by God's grace that the issue which separates us from God (sin) is no longer an issue, thanks be to Christ and the forgiveness and mercy offered because of His work. Thus, we are able to enter into relationship with God through faith in Christ (our part)…
….Grace is certainly God's part, and faith ours. However, this does not necessarily mean "grace" (God's part) is conditioned on "faith" (our part) which could contradict the meaning of grace.
Rather, I find it more coherent to believe "grace" does not apply to salvation broadly speaking, but rather only applies to the "issue which separates us from God". That is, it is by God's grace that the issue which separates us from God (sin) is no longer an issue, thanks be to Christ and the forgiveness and mercy offered because of His work. Thus, we are able to enter into relationship with God through faith in Christ (our part).
I only posted two quotes from a more Wesleyan point of view and I forgot to post the Calvinian point of view to balance. My error. Both Wesleyan and Calvinian points of view indeed blend together; however, both sides will deny that they can to the death. I was attempting to show how these blend but forgot to post John Gill. My error - So here goes…
John Gill writes in his commentary on Eph 2:8
...through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; salvation is through faith, not as a cause or condition of salvation, or as what adds anything to the blessing itself; but it is the way, or means, or instrument, which God has appointed, for the receiving and enjoying it, that so it might appear to be all of grace; and this faith is not the produce of man's free will and power, but it is the free gift of God; and therefore salvation through it is consistent with salvation by grace; since that itself is of grace, lies entirely in receiving grace and gives all the glory to the grace of God: the sense of this last clause may be, that salvation is not of ourselves; it is not of our desiring nor of our deserving, nor of our performing, but is of the free grace of God: though faith is elsewhere represented as the gift of God, John 6:65 and it is called the special gift of faith, in the Apocrypha:
"And blessed is the eunuch, which with his hands hath wrought no iniquity, nor imagined wicked things against God: for unto him shall be given the "special gift of faith", and an inheritance in the temple of the Lord more acceptable to his mind.'' (Wisdom 3:14)
The term I use "
Lazy Grace" is something I use wake people up a bit to the work of the Holy Spirit within a believer – hence – it
is people that are Lazy about Grace (Titus 2:11, 12, 13, 14). The good works are defined within the bible and involve first,
change of heart i.e. character. Paul wrote much on this in Eph 5:8,9,10 and Eph 4:20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 . Also in the anti legalism book of Galatians 5:16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25 and Gal 6:8, 9.
When character is being changed by the Lord – a person will live according to their character. They cannot hide it. It will show. When we call this legalism we make people lazy towards the grace that instructs us to recognize sin when it is exposed in many living diverse ways, then confess it, and learn to say
No to it. Soon, after time, a person can conquer that particular sin,
often they have to do battle against it but the good news –
we can overcome!
You and I can overcome because of the shed blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit within us. Peoples faith are weak in this area – or lazy- lazy faith. I wrote a few key bible verse regarding this about knowing the hope of our calling. Don’t believe me on this matter – believe God who put his promises in the bible. Become strong in your faith. Live like a believer. Hear His word...
This does not mean we can reach a state or moral perfection in this mortal life, on the contrary – other areas of sin are exposed and dealt with until the Lord calls us home. If we teach hard against sin, we are call legalist but rather we teach liberty in Christ instead. This Grace instructing us, teaches us that we can say
NO to sins.
Ever thought you could? This is but one part of the process that changes ones character out of darkness to live according to light of God’s love.
When a person’s character changes, so does what they do and how they live. We make fun of this often and tell people that such change is not evidence that you are believer. People become lazy about grace again hearing the
no change possibly shown ‘new convert’ who dies milliseconds after coming to Christ argument. How do we know that conversion doesn’t change one inwardly in ways not seen for such? We do not. God knows. He's a better Judge than I.
The results of this are people becoming more lazy about the grace and living miserably for a time until the Lord wakes them up. Yes, They can go into an all works mentally and burn out, or all grace mode that they do nothing but pew. Then suddenly they wonder –
is there all there is? Why am I doing this? And not growing in my personal faith except further away from God and more cynical – then the Lord exposes the sins of selfish pride and love for stupid things that robs them of the relationship and liberty God promises to them and his people.
They then do and confess as 1 John 1:8, 9, 10 says and learn to say
NO to ungodliness. As Christian thru the finished work of Christ, that right was purchased by the blood of Christ so we as believers can now say
No to sins and thus our character changed out of darkness into his marvelous light. We need to be awaked to have faith in the Lord that He gave us the right to be transformed and changed.
This is the work of God’s Spirit.
No one can stop it. It can be delayed, but not stopped. People bound by Lazy Grace don't know what to do. They can be either so confused by being told they can do nothing - they do nothing. The Lord still begins the change of their character but is as slow as molasses on a cold wintery day being poured outside.
The results is that of a changed character, overtime, will beam outward and show - made manifest. These manifestations are done because one Loves God and others in a manner that shapes how each governs their own affairs of life. If they fall in some sin, they run to the Lord, confess (owe up to it) and submit to the cleansing work of the Lord on the soul and life. This is something the bible teaches but again it is people that make grace lazy.
Faith is a gift from God - that's what the bible says. No debate needed here.
Question -
how does God awaken faith in us so we can really have Faith in Him?
People living by lazy grace are like the person suddenly woken from a deep sleep, but not fully awake yet. They drift back to take a few extra winks, set the snooze alarm for 5 minutes longer, then another, and another 5 minutes. Much of what we teach fortifies snoozing and not faith that changes character out of darkness into God’s glorious light.
Let me end and again stated loudly: THIS IS NOT - NOT - NOT –NOT- WORKS BASED SALVATION. Christian People who go in that direction will burn out in due time and become discouraged. Jesus the Good Shepherd will go to that straying hurting sheep who lost his or her way and then gently bears them upon his shoulders and carries them back into the Fold. If anyone reading this is one tired of the rote of men's works and strayed away - be lifted up on the shoulders of Grace again!
The bible in both the Old and New Testament testifies in too many places that the Lord changes our character. His methods are his own and omni-personal to each Christian individual. Sometimes He uses us to check and waken a works based Christian to return to grace or shock another from the slumber of lazy grace…
Again: Do we have Faith?
Romans 8:29, 31 -
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.... 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" ESV
Listen to the Word:
Eph 1:15. “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
“17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power...
“20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be
head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. ESV
How can God's Grace remain lazy within our hearts - may it be unleashed...Amen
Eph 2:10, "
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." ESV
Do you Hear – dear reader?
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