Eph.2:8'For by grace are ye saved through faith ,and that not of yourselves ,it is a gift of God.'
This is quoted so often but we miss the meaning ! Saved by grace but saved from what ?
Well ,we are saved from the guilt of sin,the penalty of sin and the power of sin and one day from the very presence of sin ! Now that's amazing grace not cheap grace.
Amazing grace gives us a new life in Christ and transforms us. Grace is costly not cheap ! It cost Jesus the spotless perfect Son of God his life on the cross . Matt.1:21 says He saves us 'from' our sins not 'in' our sins and that is a big difference ! We are not just forgiven sinners we are forgiven and set free from sin's power.Romans 6:22 says we are set free from sin and that now we serve God not sin and that we will produce the 'fruit of holiness."Holiness ,now that's a word we rarely hear in today's church !
Rom.6:14 says we are no longer under the control of sin because we are under the rule of divine grace ! Sin is not our Master !
Counterfeit grace leaves you in sin's bondage ! If God's divine grace has not produced in you a deep desire to live holy then you have a religious experience but not a true conversion!
Grace is never a license to sin.Grace is never a permit to sin !
Rom.6:1-2'What shall we say then?Shall we continue to sin ,that grace may abound? God forbid.How shall we ,that are dead to sin,live any longer therein?'The old life of sin has passed away !
Divine grace will never allow you to live for self and indulge your lusts !
Titus 2:12 says that the grace of God 'teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly ,righteously and godly in the present world.'
We need to preach Titus 2:12 as much as Ephesians 2:8-9 !!!
"Grace instructs believers to decisively reject the ungodly passions ,pleasures and values of this world and regard them as abominable.Grace commands and empowers us to live 'righteously and godly' while we wait for the Blessed Hope. "Do we hear this today ? So many are old creatures in Adam confessing to be new creatures in Christ but nothing has changed in them ! They have a confession but not a real conversion ! Old things have not passed away !{2nd Cor.5:17} That is a fake artificial grace that produces false converts still living in sin and they do not live godly.They serve Him with their lips but not their lives !
Titus 1:16'They profess to know God ,but in works deny Him.'False grace allows a person to live for himself and yet confess to be saved without surrender to Christ! Grace teaches holiness and is never soft on sin !The power of grace works in us from start to finish and enables us to please God in daily living !
Jude1:4'For there are certain men crept in unawares ,who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,ungodly men,turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness ,and denying the only Lord God ,and our Lord Jesus Christ.'
BIBLE NOTE:"Jude denounces certain persons who teach that salvation by grace allows professed believers to indulge in serious sins and yet not be judged by God.They preached pardon for sin but not the imperative of holiness."
Friends Christ died for us when we were ungodly {Rom.5:6} but He does not leave us in that condition ! His grace transforms us ! Then we begin to live godly lives in a ungodly world !
Never forget Rom.6:14 that tells us that sin is not our master and cannot control us because we are under the rule of divine life-changing grace !
.Share as the Lord leads you !
