Grace

Over the past year and a half, God has really been showing me just how Amazing His Grace truly is. I have found that many people today are blinded from the truth of God's grace and what it means to be saved by grace.

Often, I run across people who feel that the way to eternal life is through good works and though many believers do not believe this (because we know that it is only through Christ, John 14:6) they often live their lives as though we have to keep ourselves "saved" by good works. This mindset will keep a person chained up and living under condmnation because we will never be able to do enough. It is as though we are constantly running on a spirtual treadmill. This is what living under the Old Testament Law does to people. Let me remind you that Jesus came to fullfill the Law on our behalf because we will never be able to keep it ourselves. Living this way focuses on our behavior rather than our position in Christ. When we are "in Christ," (have been born again) we are in right standing with God. Our relationship/position is not determined on our behavior/works but rather on the finished work of Christ! Because of our position we are seen as pure, holy, and righteous sons of God.

The point is that we don't practice "correct behavior" in order to earn God's approval, but it happens spontaneously as a result of us falling more in love with Jesus and becoming more and more aware of how wonderfully we have been saved. (Merwe, Andre van der. Grace: The Forbidden Gospel. 195). This means that our lives will be changed and we will be fruit producers because of our love for the King, not because we are trying ourselves to please God, but because He is already pleased with us because of Jesus' finished work!