John 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing, and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Many view the Gospel of Grace, as being different from The Gospel, when the Truth is that God has always dealt with mankind in His Grace. From the first, God's Grace provided everything needed to Bless mankind on this earth. God's will, intent and purpose from before the foundation of the earth, was unearned, undeserved, Spiritual Blessing for His family.
If you look at the Creation from God's viewpoint, you'll see how the heavens and earth were placed here for His family and everything placed here was done so as an act of His Grace through Love. God's Grace allowed for and accepted the sacrifice of goats and bulls to cover mankind, when God could have destroyed man. Adam's transgression resulted in the loss of Spiritual Blessing that had been man's from the time God breathed the Breath of Life in them.
God's Grace continued from the first Adam to the Last Adam, Jesus. The restoration of the fullness of Grace and Truth is manifest in Jesus, for all who will receive it. This unearned, unmerited favor and Spiritual Blessing must be received through faith in Jesus. Grace was limited under the Law, but it allowed mankind into the limited favor of God.
God never had to make covenant with man, but because of His Great Love and Grace, He did so anyway. Grace allowed man into God's Blessing, even though it had to be earned by the limits of the Law. If man walked in the Law, then God could have some access into His creation, but if man broke the Law, then death resulted. Grace made it possible for men to sacrifice bulls and goats if he violated the Law and resulted in God's covering them, instead of destroying them.
The Israelites in the Wilderness were finally destroyed, because they wanted to be their own gods and refused to received deliverance by God's Grace. Paul makes a very serious statement, when addressing a Christian group of believers in Galatians 5:4 (Amplified), "If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so severed (separated) from Christ. You have fallen away from Grace (from God's Gracious Favor and unmerited Blessing)."
Through man's religion and carnal minded ways of thinking, we're allowed ourselves to be brought again into a state of Law. We observe such religious laws of man as worshiping, dressing and even praying in certain ways and because of this, Grace doesn't flourish or flow in our lives, like it was meant to. We've been taught that healing and Blessing cannot "come upon us, because we're still sinners and unworthy of God's Goodness." The more we try to become worthy, the more we remove ourselves from Grace.
I'm not saying we shouldn't try living right and cut off the works of the flesh, but that we're not to rely on our good works for God to Bless us. Salvation is an act of Grace and it must be received by faith. If we needed faith for Grace, when we were still in our sin, then how can we not rely on Grace for continued Blessing, if we maintain our faith in it?
Everything we receive and will ever receive from our Heavenly Father, is given by an act of His Grace through Love. We can learn how certain Kingdom Principles work, but they work by faith in the Grace that gave these principles. Learning to walk in these Kingdom Principles, comes from studying the Word. Seeing what is ours through the Word, is the result of Wisdom. Receiving these great Promises is an act of faith and all is by Grace.
I have two options, when reading in the Word that, "I've been created in righteousness." By faith, I can believe what Grace has done for me. Or, I can use man's religious laws and believe that, "None are righteous" and try become righteous by works. It sounds boastful and self-righteous to man's religious ears, if I receive my right standing by faith in God's Grace. If I try becoming righteous by man's ideas of righteousness, I've fallen from Grace and continue in my own strength, which is of no avail.
We've failed to receive so many things Grace has provided for us through faith in God's finished Word in Jesus, because our faith in His Grace doesn't seem to be enough to "make it true." We continue thinking "There must be something I can do, to deserve it." We're still seeing the results of the Curse in our lives, because we won't allow Grace to flow to the Blessing. Why do we have trouble believing that Grace has delivered us from the Curse of the Law?
How many Christians do you know who believe God deals with His people, through sickness and disease? Jesus bore the Curse of the Law for us, so we could inherit the Blessing of Abraham by faith. This is Grace, not works and must be received by simple faith in Him. We know that "Faith comes by hearing" and we've heard how "God uses sickness and disease to deal with His people," that we've placed our faith in the wrong thing. Adhering to the teachings that "God makes us sick," puts fear into our spirit, instead of faith in Truth. People say, "That's how God dealt with David, Solomon and other old covenant people." Those people were under the Law and in order to have Grace provide for them, they needed to keep the Law. If they violated the Law, then Grace couldn't work for them. We're now under Grace. Returning under the Law, means we violate the faith of Grace and prevents it from working on our behalf.
We're required to obey the Spirit, not the Law. Those under the old covenant, couldn't obey the Spirit like we can, because their spirits were dead within them. God's Grace by His Law, could discipline the flesh and give Grace a place to work for the old covenant people. We're made alive in the Spirit and our flesh was crucified with Christ. This is God's Grace in action. God can now deal with us by His Spirit, in our spirit. Grace can flow again in our lives, like it did in Jesus. Jesus never lacked anything for Himself or others, because He put His faith in the Father and the Father's Grace.
Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. When you accept Grace, make sure you accept Truth, because one cannot work without the other. Having Truth, reveals Grace and that is by faith. We must revise our thinking about faith and believe in Grace, so the Blessing will flow in our lives. Don't make it work, but allow it to work. This is Grace. This is God's will.
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