Grace Series

Grace that Works Part 2

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Time and time again I hear people sum up grace as unmerited favour. Somehow, I prefer to refer to grace as Divine Favour. This is because though grace is perceived as being gotten irrespective of our status and acts, this is half the truth. Starting from the first mention of grace in the Holy Scriptures, we can observe that something qualifies people for this Divine Grace. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:8 The proceeding verses explain why Noah stood out of the crowd to enjoy God’s divine favour. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God Genisis 6:9 KJV. Read that again. He was a just man and He walked with God. There are certain qualities that causes us to attract God’s grace. Noah was a just man. Grace is not just flying in the air aimlessly. God’s grace is poured on all who will meet certain conditions. Time and time again the Bible enjoins us to be lowly, humble and ‘play the least’. This is because it is what engenders God’s Divine Grace in our lives. For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalms 84:11 (KJV) Though He scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorners, yet He gives His undeserved favor to the low [in rank], the humble, and the afflicted. Proverbs 3:34 AMP Now in the New Testament, we see over and over again that God reserves His grace to the humble. James 4:6 Amp. But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it). 1 Peter 5:5 (KJV) Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. As spelt out in the above verses, other attributes that qualify for Divine Favour (Grace) are humility, uprightness and integrity. Even the act of getting saved requires that we “do” somethings. Really? Yes! First, you must Believe in God, Accept your sinful state and Acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus and Rejoice in the Covenant Exchange of Jesus’ death as payment for your redemption and life. Salvation may indeed be free in Jesus but it wasn’t cheap. We must play our part in Believing and Repentance. Hebrews 12:28-29 (KJV) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. As we receive this grace, it is now our duty to let that grace work in us through service and worship. Shalom.

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Grace that Works Part 1

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“At the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” So, you can’t work to earn grace. It is free and undeserved. Romans 11:5–6 ESV We have established from God’s word that Grace doesn’t excuse our sinful nature and actions. No! Rather grace empowers us to live the holy and sin-free life. It is essential to stress this because a couple of the teachings on grace and faith have been laced with error. Phrases like “God’s grace covers me” are common statements by people daily toying with sin and excusing wickedness. Grace is NOT a license for sin and lust! Our “works” outside of the redemptive work of Christ are filthy rags before God. Isaiah 64:6 (KJV) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. It is by grace we are saved. It is an act of faith. However, after we come into the faith and are saved the onus is on us to work out that salvation in our lives. Hence why I title this piece, “Grace that Works”. Just like faith which is dead without works according to James 2:20 & 26, grace without appropriation in righteous deeds is simply aweful and has lost its value. Jesus released the woman caught in the act of adultery. He was the sinless one who had the right to stone her and he let her go but not without adding the counsel “Sin No More”. This is Grace that commands work. John 8:11 (KJV) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Here we see how grace demands works of righteousness. I do not assume to be an expert on righteousness. Far from it. I have my frailty. I am simply a person helped by God’s grace. Do you have the Holy Spirit? Then Be Ye Holy. Are you cleansed by the Blood of Jesus? Then Let your hands and heart be clean. Are you Christ’s bride awaiting His return? Then keep yourself spotless and pure. Grace appeared to teach us righteousness and holy living so we can do the good works that please God. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:11-14 (KJV) Grace will NOT continue to be effective if we fail to work it out in Holiness. WHAT SHALL we say [to all this]? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favor and mercy) may multiply and overflow? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Romans 6:1-2 (AMP) Let’s think on this! Selah.

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The Beauty of His Grace Part 2

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The Beauty of His Grace Part 2 What is Grace! The Britannica defines grace this way; Grace, in Christian theology is the spontaneous, unmerited gift of the divine favour in the salvation of sinners, and the divine influence operating in individuals for their regeneration and sanctification. I like that. In grace, God favours the unworthy. While in Mercy God denies us the punishment we deserve, Grace is God granting the blessings we don’t deserve. “At the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” So, you can’t work to earn grace. It is free and undeserved. Romans 11:5–6 ESV Yes, grace may well be defined as unmerited favour but it is a lot much more. Grace is the power of God for living the Christian life. Grace doesn’t excuse our sinful nature and actions. No! Rather grace empowers us to live life at its fullest and righteousness at its peak. Paul rightly opined that He is able to be who he is and do what he does by grace 1 Cor. 15:10, he was strengthened through his weakness 1 Cor. 12:9 and he received power and influence for obedience 2 Cor. 9:8. Grace is so beautiful. It is by His grace that I am standing in the faith. Oh my – the discouraging things I have noticed even in people that ought to be examples. But irrespective of them, I am strong in the faith by grace. There is so much more grace is. And guess what, it is the free gift of God. All we need do is to receive it. Have you received this great gift?

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The Beauty of His Grace Part 1

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The Beauty of His Grace Part 1 John was unarguably the greatest of all prophets under the old Testament. He was perfected even under the Law. Jesus fulfilled the law. He is the bridge that ended the law and started the grace “movement”. The scriptures through Prophet John describe Him as the one that was full of grace and truth. John 1:14-17 (KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Beyond all the beauties that John possessed Jesus added that the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than him. That’s what grace does. Grace took our frailty, failures, faults, falls and fears, swallowed them up in the cross and set us above this greatest prophet of all time. The Beauty of grace is that without dependence on the finished work of Christ our labours at righteousness and godliness are nothing but junk. You CAN NOT be holy without the enabling power of the grace of God accessible in Christ. Look at what the scriptures says of grace in Galatians 5:4 (KJV) Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Ephesians 2:8 We are saved by grace and this sets us above John that’s why Jesus said, the least in the Kingdom surpasses John the Baptizer. For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Luke 7:28 (KJV) Beloved, take a moment to thank God for His immeasurable grace that frees us from sin and it’s consequences. God bless you!

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