�The amazing thing for us, non-Christians, is that some of you (Christians) believe that no matter what level of sin or inhumane act you commit in this life, God will still reward you rather than punish you for your disobedience.�
I like that comment. It is a good observation of the Christian doctrine that states,
�Jesus Christ paid for sins once and for all.�
What is Grace � Grace of God�?
The father faced three choices:
(1) He could go out into the dark streets and back allies, and find the murderers of his son, and kills them. That would be �revenge�.
(2) He could be content, sits back, and let the laws of the land handle the case of his dead son. The authorities would search for the murderers of his son, bringing them to justice, finding them guilty, and execute them for capital crime. That will not �revenge�. It will be �justice�.
(3) On the other hand, the father could go out into the dark streets and back allies, find the murderers of his son, invites them to his home, adopts them as sons, sends them to schools, and give them all the material possessions that would have otherwise gone to his dead son.
That would be �Grace� � not justice, and certainly not revenge. It would not be compassion, or mercy; and not definitely forgiveness. It would be �Grace� � �The Grace of God�. The Father is God. The Son is Jesus Christ. And the murderers are us, mankind. God is walking the back streets and dark allies of the earth searching for the murderers of His Son; and He is reaching unto us and inviting us unto adaption as sons so that we can go from murderers to becoming �sons of God.� That is �grace� � �The Grace of God�. Of the three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) Christianity is the only one that presents to the world a �Searching God� � searching to adapt as sons for those who have wronged Him and are hiding from Him.
John 1:11: �He came to His own, but His own received Him not�
Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us:
Salvation (going to Heaven) is a free gift from God given to man through Jesus Christ. Going to Heaven has absolutely nothing to do with doing good things or bad things. Doing good deeds simply serves two purposes (1) it allows for others to know you are a child of God, and (2) it allows for you not to bring dishonor to the Name of God. All those who accept Jesus� Death on the Cross as a payment for their sins are saved forever unto God; for God is not unjust as to demand two payments for one debt (sin).
At this point I can hear the question: Are you saying that because Christ paid for your sins, you are free to commit sins without any punishment?
The Christian is told to obey the laws of man as long as those laws do not come in conflict with the Word of God. To obey the laws of man is to be subjected to the consequences (penalty, punishments) of the laws of man. The Christian will be punished for breaking the laws of man, but as for spending eternal life with God, the Christian is already saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
At the heart of Judaism is �A Chosen People� � God saves man because he is born a Jew. At the heart of Islam is �Justice� � God saves man because man�s good deeds outweigh his bad deeds in the �Scale for Balance�. At the heart of Christianity is �Grace� � God saves man because man is totally unable to save himself. That is �Grace� � �The Grace of God�.
If you remove �A Chosen People� from the heart of Judaism, Judaism falls apart. If you remove �Justice� from the heart of Islam, Islam falls apart. If you remove �Grace� from the heart of Christianity, Christianity falls apart.
�. In the above story the Father is God. The Son is Jesus Christ. And the murderers are us, mankind. God is walking the back streets and dark allies of the earth searching and reaching out to us, the murderers of His Son; so as to bring us unto adaption as �sons of God.�
Christian faith is not based upon Grace,but rather upon Christ Himself.
Without Christ there is no Christians.
Judaism,Islam,and all the religions of this world would continue ,even after the person who started the religion dies;for they are based upon keeping someones teachings,and not the person themselves.
Without Christ there is nothing,for eveything in this life is by Him.
John 15:5
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 1:3
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Grace is not just inmerited favor,but rather GODS power to be doing things GODS way.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8
Thus, grace is God's unmerited favor. It is kindness from God we don't deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor can ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift from God. Grace is divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration (rebirth for a new life with God. Jesus said that to get to the Kingdom of Heaven we all need to be born of God!) or sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine favor.
Look another verse:
Romans 3:24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
Simply put, saving grace is a grace that saves us, and the only grace that can save anybody is the grace which is applied to the soul through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8).
Ephesians 2:8
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
So, we all need to be born of God. God showed us His grace- gift of salvation through our FAITH in God Jesus- who died on the cross and took the sin of the world to His HOLY body to forgive us of our sin and impute us His righteousness. By this grace we are saved THROUGH our FAITH in God Jesus. It is not the result of our self-righteousness but it is the gift of God!!!
Good post as always, Bahira... and I would like to add that grace is not only an act of God which secures all Christian believers eternal salvation and is our ticket to heaven by faith, but God's grace also maintians us while we are here on earth to live healthy christian lives.
As one minister said, God's grace is our token or proof of our salvation which should bring all believers joy, pleasrue and delight in knowing that had it not been for the Lord's grace on our sides, by in showing us much undeserving favor, we would not even have an opportunity for deliverance of any kind, and would be doom for hell...Thanks the Lord for His AMAZING GRACE! for God is GRACE AMAZING:applause::glow:
