The
Grace of God
3Concerning his Son
Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh;
4And declared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5By whom we have received grace and
apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his
name:
6Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus
Christ:
It is common knowledge that most professing Christians believe we are
saved by grace defined as pardon ONLY. The definitions of grace as provided in
this document, demonstrate the uncommonly known knowledge that grace is also
the Holy Spirit power of Jesus Christ, by which we may overcome every besetting
sin, just as Christ did. Foolish virgin professing “christians”
don’t seem to desire this knowledge, for they love their sins more than they
love Jesus. They teach a false gospel of grace as pardon only, to appease their
conscience. But what will they do in the end thereof?
When Paul says we are saved by grace and not of works, lest any man
should boast, he means grace as power as well as pardon. Is there Bible proof
of this? Yes! All of the following Bible verses by Paul (and Peter) prove “the
rest of the story” as to what Paul means by being saved by grace and not of
works lest any man should boast:
1Cr 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, [even]
your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
1Th 4:4 That every one of you should know how
to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway
to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth:
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Hbr 5:9 And
being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Salvation is not of works because no man can keep the commandments of
God because of 4,000 years of degradation in sin. But the Spirit of Christ can
indwell us if we consent, and it is He who keeps the commandments in and through
us, and then imputes His obedience to our account, just as He did in the case
of Abraham. So we cannot boast of works we cannot do on our own power, for our
own strength is insufficient to perform the works required of the law. And we
cannot boast of the works that Christ does within us when we are in Him and He
is in us.—rwb
“They must have His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot form a Christian character.
Jesus loves to have us come to Him, just as we are—sinful, helpless, dependent.” Faith and
Works, p. 38.
How many professing Christians, when asked for their definition of
grace, would answer that grace is the Spirit of Christ?
“There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before man can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace [the Spirit of Christ] alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.” (ST, May 28, 1902, par. 3).
By Mrs.
E. G. White.
“The grace of God is the chief theme of the Gospel. God's
grace is the manifestation of His love—a
love that makes it possible, thru Christ, for fallen man to be saved, makes
possible the union and cooperation of humanity with divinity.
Not because we first loved Him did Christ love us; but
"while we were yet sinners," He died for us. He does not treat us
according to our desert. Altho our sins have merited
condemnation, He does not condemn us. Year
after year He has borne with our weakness and ignorance, with our ingratitude
and waywardness; notwithstanding our wanderings, our hardness of heart, our neglect of His Holy word, His hand is stretched out
still.
At what infinite cost to the Father and to the Son was
the merciful, wondrous provision made for our redemption! Christ stepped down
from His high estate as Commander in the heavenly courts; and laying aside His
royal robe and kingly crown, clothed his divinity with humanity, and came to
this earth, that He might dwell with us and give to men and women
grace to overcome as He overcame. The
disobedience of Adam in believing the falsehood of Satan cost the life of the
Son of God; but notwithstanding the great and immeasurable cost, the love and
goodness of God shine forth brighter than even at the first creation. "Where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound."
The Lord God thru Jesus Christ holds out His hand all the
day long in invitation to the sinful and the fallen.
He will receive all. He welcomes all. It is His glory to pardon the chief of
sinners. He will take the prey from the
mighty; He will deliver the captive; He will pluck the brand from the burning; He will lower
the golden chain of His mercy to the lowest depths of human wretchedness and
woe, and lift up the debased soul defiled with sin.
Every human being is the object of loving
interest to Him who gave His life that He might bring men back to God. Souls guilty and helpless, liable to be destroyed by the
arts and snares of Satan, are cared for as a shepherd cares for the sheep of
his flock.
The Saviour's example is to be the standard of our
service for the tempted and the erring. The same
interest and tenderness and long-suffering that He has manifested toward us, we
are to manifest toward others. "As I have loved you," He says,
"that ye also love one another."
If Christ dwells in us, we shall reveal His
unselfish love toward all with whom we have to do. As we see men and women in
need of sympathy and help, we shall not ask, "Are they worthy?"
but "How can I benefit them?"
The wonderful example of the life of Christ, the
matchless tenderness with which He entered into the feelings of the oppressed,
His joy over those who rejoiced in His love, can not fail to have a
deep influence upon the character of all who follow Him in sincerity. Learning of Him, they will give their sympathy, not
grudgingly, but liberally; by kindly words and acts they will try to make the path
easy for weary feet. By the grace of God revealed in human kindness and love,
many things that appear formidable will be overcome. Self-renunciation will be
the law of the life.
It is Christ's desire that His children shall reach this
place. He longs to reveal thru them the treasure of His
grace. He says to them, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect." And He says this because He knows
that it is possible for them to reach perfection. The life that He lived in this world, they can live. He met the foe single-handed, as they must meet him. He
asked for and received power to enable Him to overcome in conflict. And those who walk in
God's way have the same power. The same angels
that ministered to Christ minister to those also who shall be heirs of
salvation.
It is our own character and experience that determine our
influence upon others. In order to convince others of the power of Christ's
grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives. The Gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the
Gospel by which our own souls are saved.
Only thru a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour is it possible to make
our influence felt in a skeptical world.
If we would draw sinners out of the swift-running current, our own feet must be
firmly set on the Rock, Christ Jesus.
The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the
wearing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man with God. By the power of His grace manifested in the
transformation of character the world is to be convinced that God has sent His
Son as its Redeemer. No other influence that
can surround the human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish
life. The strongest argument in favor of the Gospel is a loving and lovable
Christian.
To every one who becomes a
partaker of His grace, the Lord appoints a work for others; and the grace of
God in all its fulness and efficiency is promised to
those who engage in His service. The love that is bestowed by the Holy One is
to be manifested by them to others. As we
study the life of Christ, talk of Him, become more and more able to behold Him;
as we avail ourselves of His grace, and receive the blessings He proffers us,
we shall have something with which to help others. That which is good in the
world will be stronger for our words and our presence, while evil will be made
to appear as it is.” End of Article