The Gift Of GOD
"But GOD, Being Rich In Mercy, Because Of HIS Great Love With Which HE Loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, Made us alive together in CHRIST (By Grace you have been Saved ), and Raised us up with HIM, and Seated us With HIM In The Heavenly Places, in CHRIST JESUS, in order that in the ages to come HE might Show The Surpassing Riches Of HIS Grace In 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 as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are HIS Workmanship, Created In CHRIST JESUS for good works, Which GOD Prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:4-10.
It is by nothing that the believer has within himself, that is, his flesh, that he may be changed, conformed to The Image Of JESUS CHRIST. Nor is it, as the above Scripture States, by anything of 'works' that we may 'earn' our Salvation. It Is By Grace through faith that all are Saved; The Gift Of GOD.
Gift; 1 something given; a present 2 a special aptitude, ability, or power; talent 3 the power or right to give or bestow.
And, as with All Matters Of GOD, It Is All By The Empowering Of The HOLY SPIRIT, HIS Work in our hearts Which Comes as a result of the believers faith in JESUS.
JESUS Says, "It Is The SPIRIT WHO Gives Life; the flesh profits nothing; The Words that I Have Spoken To you are Spirit And Are Life..." John 6:63.
And as The Words Of GOD Are Spirit And Are Life, it is only those who are Spiritual; those who have been born again, who begin, in CHRIST, to learn The Mystery Of GOD'S WORD. The confession of faith comes first, then GOD'S Work begins, and also the day by day renewing of our inner man. Apart from being born again none can begin to understand, to perceive The Hidden Wisdom,
JESUS Says, ..."Truly, truly, I Say To you, unless one is born again, he cannot see The Kingdom Of GOD." John 3:3.
"For The Word Of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being Saved It Is The Power Of GOD..." 1 Corinthians 1:18.
"...Now we have Received, not the spirit of the world, but The SPIRIT WHO Is From GOD, Which Things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in Those Taught By The SPIRIT, Combining Spiritual Thoughts with Spiritual Words ( Spiritual with Spiritual, & not flesh with Spiritual nor vice versa ). But a natural man does not accept The Things Of The SPIRIT Of GOD; for They are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are Spiritually Appraised. But he who is Spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For who has known The Mind Of The LORD, that he should instruct HIM? But we have The Mind Of CHRIST. 1 Corinthians 2:12-16.
JESUS Says, ..."I Am The Way And The Truth And The Life; no one comes to The FATHER, but through ME." John 14:6.
It Is Only By GOD'S Work in us that we may obey JESUS CHRIST ( obedience of faith ) and be Sprinkled With HIS Blood ( so have the Forgivness of sins ) ( 1 Peter 1:2 ).
And JESUS Says, "This Is The Work Of GOD, that you believe in HIM WHOM HE Has Sent." John 6:29.
To believe in JESUS CHRIST means to both hear and do HIS Words. To be effectual doers and not forgetful hearers who delude themselves ( James 1:21-27 ). And the ability to do this, By The Power Of The HOLY SPIRIT, Which is Stated throughout The Scriptures, comes when the believer keeps fixing his eyes on JESUS, The Author And Perfecter Of faith. And as those who are born again are now living under Grace, when they stumble and fall ( sin ), through confessing from a repentant heart to The FATHER through The ADVOCATE JESUS CHRIST, they are forgiven.
This does not mean that one can carry on living in sin because he is now under Grace. As we are warned,
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that Grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been Baptized into CHRIST JESUS have been Baptized into HIS death? Therefore we have been buried with HIM through Baptism into death, in order that as CHRIST Was Raised from the dead Through The Glory Of The FATHER so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with HIM in the likeness of HIS death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness Of HIS Resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with HIM, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should be no longer slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with CHRIST, we believe that we shall also live with HIM, knowing that CHRIST, having Been Raised from the dead, is never to die again; death is no longer master over HIM. For the death that HE died, HE died to sin, Once For All; but The Life that HE Lives, HE Lives To GOD. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but Alive to GOD In CHRIST JESUS... ...Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in Righteouness... Romans 6:1-11 & v 16.
"Therefore, since CHRIST has Suffered in the flesh ( death ), arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh ( death of the deeds of flesh ) has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for The Will Of GOD. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries..." 1 Peter 4:1-3.
JESUS Says, "...I Am The Resurrection And The Life; he who believes in ME Shall Live even if he dies. and everyone who lives and believes in ME shall never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26.
