The Lord told me some time ago that "Grace has provided much more than faith has obtained."
As I thought on that and began studying about grace, I began seeing what God was telling me. Under the Law, it was all about faith in our own selves to meet the requirements of the covenant. Grace covered what man couldn't do on his own and God kept them from being destroyed when He accepted their sacrifice on a daily basis. Even then, no man could keep the Law and obtain right standing with God on any permanent basis.
When Jesus came, He brought grace and truth and more according to John 1:17 (Amplified) which says, "For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ." Jesus is grace and truth because, "He is the Word of God in the flesh."
There's been much debate through the years among God's people about His Word. Some say that this means only spiritual blessings that only available after we die and enter the spiritual realm. The problem with this is that we are already spirit beings who are living in a flesh and blood body like Jesus did.
The other problem with this is that, because we still make mistakes in this body, our salvation isn't complete until we die. Either way, we've put off what grace came to do in our lives while we remain here on earth.
Grace without faith doesn't do you much good on earth. God has already provided salvation to the whole earth by Jesus' sacrifice. John 3:16 (Amplified) says, "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life."
Grace provided a way of salvation for the entire world if they will believe. Grace has come, but we see so many people who haven't received the salvation offered to them. Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) says, "For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgement 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."
Faith to come to God, without grace, becomes works of the flesh and not a gift and is no no avail. Grace, without faith, is no good to those who won't accept the free gift by their faith and try obtaining salvation through their own means.
We hear various doctrines about faith and we hear all kinds of different doctrines about grace. One without the other will not bring salvation to a person. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out)."
God has a prescribed way to approach Him and no other way is acceptable to Him. We must, by faith, believe that by His grace, He has provided a way of approaching Him through faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. There is no other way to have the right standing with Him. Grace has provided the way and faith must follow the path of righteousness for His Name's sake. Psalm 23:3 (Amplified) tells us that, "He refreshes and restores my life ( my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness (uprightness and right standing with Him-not for my earning it, but) for His Name's sake."
We have to come to a portion of understanding about this, but not according to His Word. By faith, we have believed (to some extent) that our sins are forgiven by God's grace through Jesus. However, we continue struggling with our past and doubt our righteousness. Our faith remains so immature in this area that it prevents us from being able to walk in constant fellowship with Him. We still see ourselves like we were more than who we are now in Jesus. Our faith has been hindered by the lies of the adversary to the point where we are resisting and frustrating the grace of God. Galatians 2:21 (Amplified) says, "(Therefore, I do not treat God's gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose) I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (unmerited favor) of God."
When we put aside grace and replace it with works, we nullify and frustrate God's grace and separate ourselves from His blessings that are provided by grace. We mean well and try doing good. I'm not saying that we shouldn't do good things, but we shouldn't try obtaining favor and God's blessings by what we do. We should receive them because of what Jesus did.
We've put off much of what God intended us to have through salvation until after we've left this earth. God intended for us to have them now by His grace and favor. We continue walking in the old teachings of the past. This has been a way to get men born again, but it was never God's best for us.
We just read in Ephesians 2:8 that we are saved by grace through our faith. We've placed faith in our forgiveness of sin (to some degree), but we haven't extended our faith into what grace has provided. The word "saved," according to Strong's Concordance (#4982, 83,84 and 91) means, "to save, i.e. deliver or protect (lit. or fig.) heal, preserve, save (self) do well, be (made) whole, the body (as a sound whole)used in a very wide application (lit. or fig.) bodily, body, corporal or physical-bodily, rescue or safety (phys. or morally) deliver, health, salvation, save, saving."
This is the salvation that grace has now provided through faith. How much faith have we applied to this salvation other than forgiveness or our sins and going to heaven when we die? Grace has provided all these things for us, but each one must be appropriated by our faith in them. They are already ours, just like salvation is already provided for the entire world, but without believing and receiving them, they lay dormant in our lives. We've sold short the glory of what God's grace has done for those who will put their faith in His grace. Ephesians 3:20-21 (Amplified) says, "Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the (action of His) power that is at work within us, is able to (carry out His purpose and) do super abundantly, far over and above all that we (dare) ask or think (infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams) to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever Amen (so be it)."
Grace has provided us with more than we can think, ask, pray or even imagine, in our salvation in Jesus. We've limited grace to only the forgiveness of sin and the reward of heaven when we die. God wants us to extend our faith to receive His grace and favor here in this life as well as the next. I'm not talking about a "get rich scheme" or some other kind of foolishness. I'm talking about what our Father has made available to us by faith in His abundant grace and favor.
Please, don't sell God short in His complete sacrifice on our behalf. Everything that we can even ask for or think has been already provided by our faith in Jesus. We've put faith in Him for our forgiveness of sin, so why not put faith in Him for all the rest He has provided? We are saved by grace through faith. Without faith in God's grace, we would still be dead in trespass and sin. We must learn to trust in His grace for our complete salvation. We have to learn to grow from faith to faith and from glory to glory.
We've been taught in error about our Heavenly Father for centuries. It's difficult to unlearn some things in order to learn them correctly. We need to get back into God's Word and allow the real teacher of the Church to teach us correctly. When we see Jesus, we see the truth about our Father. Jesus said that, "I only do what the Father does, He and I are One. When you see Me, you have seen the Father." Jesus never turned anyone away or failed to heal all who came to Him. Hebrews 1:1-3 (Amplified) says, "In many separate revelations (each of which set forth, a portion of the truth) And in different ways, God spoke of old to (our) forefathers in and by the prophets." Verse 2 says, "(But) in these last days He has spoken to us in (the person of a) Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time (He made, produced, built, operated and arranged them in order)." Verse 3 goes on, "He is the sole expression of the glory of God (the Tight being, the out raying of radiance of the divine) He is the perfect imprint and very Image of (God's) nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty Word of power, When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on High."
He is the One we put our faith in for grace. If Jesus did it, then it is done. Grace has provided.
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