Intro: I have been moved to talk about the grace of God. It proceeds from His great heart of love for us. What God has done is so tremendous for us all. His work is perfect and complete. Jesus came to bring us back from our certain destruction. We were separated from God’s eternal life. My friend, it was a miraculous display of His overcoming completely the power of sin and death. It was, grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than ALL our sin.
I trust that these upcoming articles will inspire you to consider again deeply what God has done in us through Christ.
God’s Grace Overcomes Sin Part 1
“It’s God’s grace plus nothing, my friend! It’s our faith in Jesus plus nothing! It’s all about Jesus plus no one! Or, to some believers, it’s faith in what Jesus did PLUS us injecting ourselves in as partial saviors of ourselves because of how good we can perform. Which, of course, is crazy! We cannot add to God’s perfect work of redemption!
If we are only qualified to enter in to the redemption of God by how good we are able to perform, then no one can qualify! Because, even with the most holy saint of God, sin is present every day in this life on earth. The flesh itself is sinful and cannot survive a millisecond in God’s presence! I don’t care how good you and I act, it doesn’t add up in the equation of reality with God. Only through faith in God’s operation and plan of redemption can we be saved. Plus nothing!
It’s God grace through our faith that we are saved. Not by works (or what we can do) so that no one can boast. It’s always and forever ALL ABOUT JESUS! Simple faith in His blood that was shed for us and that God raised Him from the dead ALL for our justification! Jesus was our substitute!
We could not, but He could, and did, and is! Our right standing with God is only because we’re justified in Christ! How did we get there? Only by believing in the message of the good news of Jesus! We are included simply because we believed what He did for us and the reasons that He did them.
We believe that He brought to us eternal life that we could not ever obtain because we could not keep God’s laws! Jesus fulfilled all of them perfectly for us! And Jesus now is the Lord of the New Covenant between God and Himself. It can never be broken. It’s an everlasting covenant! That’s what we entered into when we were born again. Everyone who believes in Jesus shall be saved. Everyone!
Now, some people have put a lot of requirements for believers to be right with God and be able to enter into heaven, etc. Their extra requirements mean nothing to God! But, I want you to know, that there are many more believers who have received Jesus than we think. Oh, yes there are! We may never know from the outward. Should it come out that they are a believer? Of course. But, sometimes it does not appear for various reasons.
Maybe their life doesn’t look like they are believers on the outside. But, I am so thankful that God looks upon the heart! He sees the real of us inside completely! Understand, God knows who are His because we have His own Spirit within us!
The free gift of salvation in Christ is for EVERYONE who believes anywhere anytime! A free gift cannot be worked for. It can only be received. I’m telling you this mixing of grace and performance crap is garbage! It’s religion! We are born again right with God when we received Jesus! Not by our works but by His grace and our faith in His own sacrifice that HE provided. We could not provide diddly! Praise God for His grace which is the proceeds of His great and everlasting love for us!
Works (or good performance) can never save you and make you right with God. Nor can your good performance keep you right with God. If you have thought that your good deeds are the reason you will be able to get into heaven, you’re greatly mistaken!
Good deeds cannot be the basis for our salvation. After one becomes a believer, good works or deeds are done because of who we are. They turn into rewards from the Lord later. We’re doing them for Jesus! But they can never save us!
Everyone in heaven knows WHY they are there! As we should also know! It’s ALL about Jesus! It’s ALL about the grace of God! When folks start talking about sin and focusing on that part that is earthly, inevitably, performance will come to the surface. If a person is sinning, it is bad. We all know that! There are always negative consequences that come from sinning!
Someone may say I am giving people a license to sin. Well, I have found over the years people are going to sin with or without a license! They are going to make stupid and foolish choices. Does Jesus cast them away because they get caught up in sin?
Well, I am glad that my salvation has not been based upon my performance in this life. Because, I have missed God plenty! And, even if no body else ever knows, you know in your heart, that you have missed God plenty too! Had it not been for Jesus staying with me in those times of immaturity and failure, I would not be writing you today. But, by His grace, He never left. More about that later in these articles.
That’s why God does not want us to sin–it’s simply because He knows it will hurt US! He is not intimidated by anyone’s sin! It disintegrates in His presence! And, my friend, if indeed we are disqualified and rejected by God because of our sins, we’re ALL toast! Do you understand? It is truth!
Our outer man and mind of the flesh is utterly sinful and death doomed. It must be dominated by us, the new creature in Christ inside. Listen, all believers are greatly relieved when they exit their earthly body when they pass away. All believers! No more sin! No more death! No more sickness or decay! No more fear and worry. No more financial pressures. No more negatives!
A great burden is lifted from the believer at departure! Great joy floods each and every soul who belong to God when they leave here! It’s true! Grace completely overcomes sin, my dear friend! Love completely swallows up sin! God’s power and grace completely overpowers the old man of sin who was separated from God. When WE believe! When we choose Jesus!
We ARE created like Jesus is in our inner man instantly at the new birth. We have His Spirit blended with our spirit. We have His likeness. We are Father’s children because we are in Christ! Not because of what we have done to get ourselves in this place with Him!
Even the thought of us trying to work our way to Him is ridiculous. God initiated our redemption because of His love. Exactly what we needed, we could not do. Never! Ever! We were helpless slaves to separation and death. Our redemption was an act of God not based upon our goodness or performance. But, only by His grace are we saved plus nothing! All completely paid for by Jesus!
