The Grace Game

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The concept of grace alone plays down the need to restore the fallen. One can fall from grace, says Paul (Gal. 5: 4). In fact, one must take heed lest one fall (I Cor. 10: 12). Consider the teaching of the Spirit led James:

"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins" (Jas. 5: 19, 20).

Again, if salvation is by grace alone, how can James' teaching be explained and what duty would others have to attempt to restore the fallen?

Make no mistake, this author believes in salvation by grace. he marvels at how God could even love man as he does and extend to man the necessary help (grace). As seen, just left to our own obedience, we are in trouble (Lk. 17: 10). However, our implicit obedience coupled with God's grace to address any shortcomings is the message of salvation (Eph. 2: 8-10). He emphasizes grace in his teaching and preaching. Nonetheless, if in attempting to accent God's grace we use the expression, "grace alone," we have conveyed an anti-biblical concept. The essential nature of grace must be understood. For instance, grace itself teaches the Christian how to live (Tit. 2: 11-14).

Let us realize that God's grace can be "received in vain" (2 Cor. 6: 1). Hence, man does have responsibility in the matter of receiving and treating grace.

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What Is Grace?
In the Old Testament, it means graciousness, kindness, and favor. It is derived from a word that means to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior, with the purpose of bestowing favor.
In the New Testament, this kindness is stressed with having only one motivation—love. It is clearly unearned and unmerited favor, and it causes joy, pleasure, gratification, favor, benefit, thanks, and gratitude.

Eph 2:4,5, 8-10 (NIV) But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

F.B. Meyer illustrated the free gift of of God's grace to a woman he visited who wanted to know the Lord, but didn't know how. He asked for a cup of tea, and when it was brought, he ignored it and asked again. Four or five times he asked for the tea he already had. Finally, she saw it—the Lord's favor, eternal life, and the power to live that life right now is already ours—it has already been given. That was God's part; our part is to repent, surrender, and reach out and take it unto ourselves.

If you belong to Him by faith in His Son and His shed blood, His everlasting arms are beneath you. Soar in His grace, allowing it to be the wind that fills your wings. The grace is there, it is up to you, if you are not saved, to repent, turn from sin, and let His resurrected life live in you.

Some think that grace implies that God will just wink at sin and ignore it. That cannot be farther from the truth. Grace is unfair. It is staggeringly unfair. Jesus takes my sin and pays for it on the cross and I, a sinner, in return receive his righteousness and life. Extremely unfair! However unfair it may be, it is absolutely just.

Matthew describes Jesus as the fulfillment and the fulfiller of the law. God did and does not ignore sin. His Son paid for sin. The crucifixion was the fulfillment of the requirements of the law against sin. There are many theological words to describe what took place: expiation, propitiation, reconciliation, and redemption. God’s wrath is appeased. There is nothing more any of us can do to pay for sin. Jesus did it all. What could you or I possibly add to the cross? Nothing! The price was paid in full on Calvary.

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God's Preparing, Accepting, and Sustaining Grace

God's grace is a wonderful gift to humankind. Grace is God's love freely offered to us. We do not do anything to "earn" it. Take a moment and reflect upon how you have experienced God's grace in your life. Jot some notes down, if you like, before reading the next paragraph.

Did you know that John Wesley believed that God provides us with three kinds of grace? He believed in:

prevenient (preparing) grace
accepting (justifying) grace
sustaining (sanctifying) grace

God's prevenient grace is with us from birth, preparing us for new life in Christ. "Prevenient" means "comes before." Wesley did not believe that humanity was totally "depraved" but rather God places a little spark of divine grace within us which enables us to recognize and accept God's justifying grace. Preparing grace is "free in all for all," as Wesley used to say.

Today some call God's justifying grace "conversion" or being "born again." When we experience God's justifying grace, we come into that new life in Christ. Wesley believed that people have freedom of choice. We are free to accept or reject God's justifying grace. Wesley emphasized "Free Grace" saying:

The grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is FREE IN ALL, and FREE FOR ALL ... It is free in all to whom it is given. It does not depend on any power or merit in man; no, not in any degree, neither in whole, nor in part. It does not in anywise depend either on the good works or righteousness of the receiver; not on anything he has done, or anything he is. It does not depend on his endeavors. It does not depend on his good tempers, or good desires, or good purposes and intentions; for all these flow from the free grace of God; they are the streams only, not the fountain. They are the fruits of free grace, and not the root. They are not the cause, but the effects of it.

Wesley believed that, after we have accepted God's grace, we are to move on in God's sustaining grace toward perfection.Wesley believed the people could "fall from grace" or "backslide." We cannot just sit on our laurels, so to speak, and claim God's salvation and then do nothing. We are to participate in the what Wesley called "the means of grace" and to continue to grow in Christian life.

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Some Christians tend to focus on God's justifying grace, but Wesley asserted that the Christian walk does not stop with acceptance of new life in Christ. Wesley said in his sermon, "On Repentance of Believers":

It is generally supposed, that repentance and faith are only the gate of religion; that they are necessary only at the beginning of our Christian course, when we are setting out in the way to the kingdom ... And this is undoubtedly true, that there is a repentance and a faith, which are, more especially, necessary at the beginning: a repentance, which is a conviction of our utter sinfulness, and guiltiness, and helplessness ... But, notwithstanding this, there is also a repentance and a faith (taking the words in another sense, a sense not quite the same, nor yet entirely different) which are requisite after we have "believed the gospel;" yea, and in every subsequent stage of our Christian course, or we cannot "run the race which is set before us." And this repentance and faith are full as necessary, in order to our continuance and growth in grace, as the former faith and repentance were, in order to our entering into the kingdom of God.

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Don't tell me our God isn't an awesome God!!!!

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Would you look at this picture? It reminds me of that song "He's got the whole world in his hands." He is definitely in control. I needed this today more than ever. Enjoy and pass it along.

Photo taken in Missouri



I hope it is an inspiration to you. It just goes to show what
we already know.... We have a God and he's watching over us.

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Dear God, Bless All Mothers...
In this intense nine months, when mothers-to-be are realizing that their life is about to change forever, bless them God, because they feel alternately elated and alarmed. Help each mother-in-waiting to understand that she has been carefully chosen, by both you and by her baby, to guide it through its early years on planet Earth. Let her know that she will never be alone in the process. Help her to remember that her baby is your own perfect creation, just as she, herself, is your own perfect creation. Thank you God, for making each of your creations uniquely perfect in its own way. Amen.