All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
Living by the Grace of God, Part 1
Galatians 2:20-21: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Living by the grace of God is living in absolute dependence on God. It is Christ living His life fully in us, and not us trying to imitate the life of Christ. And as humbling as this may seem to man because of his self reliant tendency it is actually his only hope of glory.
And so, living by the grace of God is not an excuse for or compromise with human failures due to human weaknesses and infirmities. Rather it is God's answer for the possible triumph and excellence of all who will rely on Him in spite of their human infirmities.
The fall of man in the Garden of Eden brought humanity down into a chronic nature of spiritual death and helplessness. Therefore, the introduction of the grace of God through Jesus Christ to mankind provides God's solution to the bankruptcy of the spiritual resources of fallen humanity. Grace makes available to man God’s resources without any contribution of human inputs or works.
According to the Scriptures, works or human efforts contribute nothing to grace. Grace and works are completely incompatible. We cannot mix them. “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work” (Romans 11:6).
Since grace excludes all human works, it provides man the opportunity to set aside the deficiencies of his own fallen nature and efforts and find the infinite power of God to live and function in the grace of God. What a glorious hope and opportunity grace brings to fallen man!
We begin true spiritual living by the grace of God. Born in a state of spiritual death and under the bondage of sin, a man can do absolutely nothing of himself to enter into spiritual life. Grace, God fully working in us, is the only means by which God could have quickened and raised us from spiritual death into life.
We read in Ephesians 2:4-9: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
So our very birth into Christian living was brought about by the grace of God. In other words, we made absolutely no contribution to our salvation. And this is wonderful because we know the work of our salvation is completely a work of God's excellence with no possible flaw introduced by any input of fallen humanity. Moreover, our salvation is intended by God to demonstrate the wonder of His grace: “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” And so, our salvation by the grace of God essentially glorifies God and excludes all human efforts or works, lest anyone should boast of making a contribution to it.
The grace of God in Christ is therefore the foundation of our salvation. It is the fountain source of the birth or beginning of our Christian living. It means that salvation is the product of God’s work and not the work of man. So we can trust the excellence of our salvation because we can rely on the excellence of God’s work.
Living by the grace of God is living in absolute dependence on God. It is Christ living His life fully in us, and not us trying to imitate the life of Christ. And as humbling as this may seem to man because of his self reliant tendency it is actually his only hope of glory.
And so, living by the grace of God is not an excuse for or compromise with human failures due to human weaknesses and infirmities. Rather it is God's answer for the possible triumph and excellence of all who will rely on Him in spite of their human infirmities.
The fall of man in the Garden of Eden brought humanity down into a chronic nature of spiritual death and helplessness. Therefore, the introduction of the grace of God through Jesus Christ to mankind provides God's solution to the bankruptcy of the spiritual resources of fallen humanity. Grace makes available to man God’s resources without any contribution of human inputs or works.
According to the Scriptures, works or human efforts contribute nothing to grace. Grace and works are completely incompatible. We cannot mix them. “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work” (Romans 11:6).
Since grace excludes all human works, it provides man the opportunity to set aside the deficiencies of his own fallen nature and efforts and find the infinite power of God to live and function in the grace of God. What a glorious hope and opportunity grace brings to fallen man!
We begin true spiritual living by the grace of God. Born in a state of spiritual death and under the bondage of sin, a man can do absolutely nothing of himself to enter into spiritual life. Grace, God fully working in us, is the only means by which God could have quickened and raised us from spiritual death into life.
We read in Ephesians 2:4-9: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
So our very birth into Christian living was brought about by the grace of God. In other words, we made absolutely no contribution to our salvation. And this is wonderful because we know the work of our salvation is completely a work of God's excellence with no possible flaw introduced by any input of fallen humanity. Moreover, our salvation is intended by God to demonstrate the wonder of His grace: “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” And so, our salvation by the grace of God essentially glorifies God and excludes all human efforts or works, lest anyone should boast of making a contribution to it.
The grace of God in Christ is therefore the foundation of our salvation. It is the fountain source of the birth or beginning of our Christian living. It means that salvation is the product of God’s work and not the work of man. So we can trust the excellence of our salvation because we can rely on the excellence of God’s work.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Opal Lewis on
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Permalink Reply by Alliah Seri on
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i loved that, really, have a nice day!!!
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Permalink Reply by PoiemaDei on
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Alliah, thanks so much. I am glad the Lord is ministering to you through these things.
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yes, indeed, Charles. Oh how amazing is the grace of God. Thanks for your inspiring comments. May God continue to bless you and lead you to explore and experience the wondes of the power of His gace.
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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Your post reminded me of what I shared on another discussions, which goes perfectly with what you are conveying up above.
The credit of our entire redemption goes to God, God is showing his supremacy. God does not have to save anyone from His wrath, but He chooses to give some grace, this sounds unjust in the surface, but is not. It’s fair, the others get justice. No one receives injustice.
God choice is made looking at us as a fallen human race. If God gave all of us justice, then we will all perish, but He chooses to give some Grace. We say that is not fair, no, what it is not , is equal. God is not obligated to give grace or mercy both are actions that we do not deserve and unmerited by us.
If God allowed all of us to do our evil desires as lost and blind people we would all go to hell, is God unjust then/ No – we get what we deserve. Our so called Free will is only free to sin before the Spirit quickens it.
When Nicodemus asked Jesus how a man is born again in John 3, Jesus states 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." Jesus does not tell Nicodemus pray this way or is according to your will and decision but leaves us to ask, what in the world is He talking about - 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." What He is telling Nic is, look being born again is not up to you, but up to the Spirit that goes and comes as He pleases. -
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