LIVING IN THE BALANCE OF GRACE AND FAITH In the body of Christ, there has been two kinds of teachings; those who emphasize grace and those who emphasize faith. But the Bible clearly teaches a balance between grace and faith. One thing we need to know is that grace is God’s part and faith is our part. Both must work together to bring salvation. Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of Gods favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. (AMP). The word Grace means unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor. Therefore, the good news is, grace has nothing to do with you. Grace existed before you ever came to be. Grace is God’s part. Ephesians 2:5-8, show that we are saved by grace and not of any of our works, it is the free gift of God. God has done His part by giving His Son, Jesus. His grace has provided everything through the sacrifice of Jesus. This is nearly too good to be true because there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn it and nothing we can do to lose it. God’s grace has provided not only for salvation but also for every need of your life. That provision is not based on whether you are reading the Bible enough, praying enough, going to church, or even paying your tithes. Before you ever had a financial need, God created the provision. Before you were sick, God, through grace, provided your healing 1 Pet. 2:24. Before you ever became discouraged, God blessed you with all spiritual blessings Eph. 1:3 and John 1:16. God anticipated every need you could ever have and has met those needs through Jesus before you existed. That’s grace. Faith is a positive response to what God has already provided by grace. In other words, faith is your positive response to God’s grace, or faith only appropriates what God has already provided for you. Therefore, faith is your part. Hebrews 11:1. And the truth is that you need to put your faith in what God has already done, not in what you do. God, by His grace, has already provided healing, prosperity, forgiveness for sin, and much more. However, it must be appropriated by faith. Our part is simple: We respond to His grace by faith and appropriate what has already been accomplished. James 2:14 Dear friends, do you think youll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?(MSG). This shows us that we must put faith into action to make what God has done for us come into manifestation.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 03:36:49 +0000