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02-23-12 - God's Grace

  • 15 months ago · Quote · #1

    BirdBrain

    02-23-12 - God's Grace

    http://godtalklouisvilleky.blogspot.com/2012/02/02-23-12-gods-grace.html 


    Romans 5:20 - "...But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:"



    "HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR ME" by the Booth Brothers

    Lyrics to "HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR ME" by the Booth Brothers

    I think of God's grace kind of like a bridge - an expanding bridge!  Or another way to describe it is kind of like a swimming pool - please let me try to explain, as it makes more sense in my head!  

    When you first get saved, your sins are forgiven.  However, this does not mean that you are perfect!  Rather, you have just begun your Christian walk.  Just as a baby does not immediately come out of the womb driving a car to work and paying house payments, neither does a beginning Christian immediately walk in the "stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).  As a matter of fact, a person that is just saved is still spiritually in the womb - they are not born again until they are "born of water and of the Spirit" (John 3:5). This is in reference to being baptized in water, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  This is not the same thing as being saved - that begins with confession (Romans 10:9).  Some dispute that you must also be baptized, referencing Acts 2:38 - "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."  However, this negates the fact that salvation BEGINS at confession.  

    Let's take a good look at Romans 10:9 - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."  We see here that salvation BEGINS with confession!  From there, a person begins to OBEY GOD'S WORD - the next step is getting baptized in water, which is a testimony to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-5).

    Some even go so far as to say you are not saved until you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, once again referencing John 3 - they say that being "born again" is reference to salvation, and that without the Holy Ghost baptism, there is no salvation.  However, God does not instill His spirit into that which is dead, but that which is living!  You gain new life through confession, and then you take on the name of Jesus Christ in water baptism, and God fills you with the Holy Ghost - then you are born again!  

    With that being said, this is an important message for all Christians, but ESPECIALLY important for brand new Christians.  When we first get saved, we feel like everything is brand new - we have a new start, and it is almost like a diamond that has been freshly polished, shining beautifully and brilliant.  For a moment, we feel like nothing will ever go wrong again - yet inevitably it does.

    It would be unrealistic to expect God to take away every obstacle.  If He did that, everyone would become a Christian - NO QUESTIONS ASKED!  What He did promise was written in 1 Corinthians 10:31 - "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."  In modern English - God will always help you through these obstacles if you will put your trust in Him.

    God knew that when He saved you, you had sin in your life, and He forgave all of that.  He also knows that as you walk daily, you will sin.  We read in 1 John 1:8 - "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  This scripture has a nugget of comfort within it.  It states that God already knows that we will never be able to live up to the level of perfection that He requires.  However, His grace abounds above and beyond the level of sin in our lives.  He knows that we, in our best efforts, cannot achieve that high level, and so when we do sin, He has grace that is MORE than sufficient to make up the difference.   

    This does not mean that God wants us to continue in sin (Romans 6:1-2)!  His desire is to produce spiritual growth in our lives (i.e. fruit - see John 15:1-8).  As we spend time in God's Word, and walk according to His Will, it will transform our nature.

    This is most confusing for a new Christian.  When the moment of their first trial comes, they may feel like they are not saved anymore.  The "honeymoon" period has come to a close, and they are brought into their first valley of trials and tests.  For a new Christian, they feel like they never were saved in the first place, or that they have done something wrong, or that they just didn't have it figured out in the first place.  

    God's Word is a surefire way to help us through these dark moments of confusion in life.  His Word promises inJoshua 1:5, "...I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."  When we understand that God's promise is to help us overcome these obstacles in our life, we are less unsure about our relationship with Him.  We understand that He paid a HUGE price to let us be saved - therefore, He is willing to do what He can to help us grow along the way.  REMEMBER - WE ARE WORTH A LOT TO GOD!!!

    In short, to try to get back on topic, God's grace is a NECESSARY part of our spiritual growth.  Even if we try our best, it will never be enough for God's real standard.  If we pictured God's standard as a 10 on a 0-10 chart, when we first start, we are maybe at less than 1.  We are trying our best, and God knows that.  Therefore, for us to make the "10", He has to make up the difference.  This is where grace comes into play.  If we make it up as high as a 1, He makes up the other 9 via grace.  

    As we grow, we eventually hit a 2, or a 3, on our way up.  His aim is to help us grow up in the "stature of the fullness of Christ", and along the way, He makes up the difference of what is needed.  Remember - God is for you, not against you!

    God bless!

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