Let us remember God’s loving kindness to us.

Psalm 48:14 “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.”

As the recipients of God’s love, mercy, grace, we must never forget what God has done for us. We should wake every morning, go to bed every night and if it were possible dream every night of the blessings God hath shown to us. We must praise Him for the love He gave us in sending His own Son through the womb of Mary to be born to secure our gift of salvation. We must also remember the mercy He has given to every saved sinner in redeeming us through the sacrifice and blood that Jesus secured. We must also remember the promise to never give up on us, even though we remain sinners on this earth. While there is no excuse for sin, we will all die active sinners as long as we remain to have one single ounce of the old nature. It is only when we fly away in death that we shall be free from sin and death for eternity. Paul wrote in referring to God’s law and our sin these words, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”  Romans 7:24 – 25 We sometimes forget who we are in this flesh, we sometimes forget the battle between our old and new natures and their conflict even as much as a painful conflict it may be. Sometimes life for a Christian can be an agonizing struggle between good and evil for us. This affects us all; every single believer is affected by this struggle, some more than others but all are affected. No believer, no not one single believer is beyond sin in their life, but we are also not without the love and grace of our God our Saviour. We are not without the love of our Saviour in Jesus Christ who both has promised us “he will be our guide even unto death.” Praise God! We do not have to rely on ourselves to fight the battle from within, we have the power of God to help us fight to do good, to do right, to walk in godliness, in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we walk on this earth and eventually walk into our graves we never walk alone. “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalms 23:3 - 24 Through God’s loving kindness to us, “He quickened us,” that means He causes all believers to live when we were dead, He made us all as a vessel of honor when He could have very well made us a vessel of dishonor. But His love did not stop there, He caused our redemption through Jesus, and “he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake”. The Psalmist Asaph wrote in the Psalms these words “Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.” Psalms 73:21 Asaph was grieved at his heart because of envy toward the wealthy, it is amazing how small sins make us realize our lack of faith in God’s love and grace. The Psalmist went on to write, “Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.” Psalms 73:21 For failing to remember the love and grace of God toward us. Let me ask, would it be better to be the richest lost soul on earth or the poorest believer in Jesus Christ? We must always remember “For in him we live, and move, and have our being...” Acts 17:28. Therefore, we must ever be content for the grace that God used to bless us with so many blessings. Life-eternal is not what we have but rather the grace, and lovingkindness of our Lord and Master. The gifts that he has given to us, and the blessings that are too numinous to even count.   

Works and Salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

The debate from the beginning of salvation has been about whether human work is in any way part of the salvation of the human soul. God answers that question and settles the whole debate in these two scriptures. Salvation is by grace and not by work because grace is a gift. God goes farther to say that grace and works cancel each other out. “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” Romans 11:6 God just declared that salvation is by His gift of grace and are in any way of works. God gives us His love, His mercy, His Son, His Spirit, His faith, and many other things in giving us His gift of salvation. God said in Romans 3:28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” If justification comes by faith, then how could human works be involved? Paul also wrote in Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” This one single part of this verse defines the role of the law in our salvation, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” We see in God’s book of law called the bible that once we reach the point of understanding Gods law then we recognize our failure and are brought to the point of repentance. God called the law a “schoolmaster” to us. Gal. 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” The word “schoolmaster” shows us the rebuking of God; it is not actually teaching us not is it an instructor word but rather showing us our condemnation through sin. The only teacher or instructor we have is Christ not the law. Paul went on to say in verse 25 “But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” If the word “schoolmaster” meant the law was our teacher then why does it end once faith comes, it is because as Christians Christ is our teacher bringing our sins to light, not the law. Verse 26 shows us why we no longer need a schoolmaster or the law, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Since we are “all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Why do we need the law? Everything we are as children of God we are “in Christ Jesus.” And as we saw in Eph. 2:8 “and that not of yourselves”. The gift of God explains to us that salvation is only in Jesus Christ and by His works and power of God. The Holy Spirit brings to us “faith” therefore we do not need works for salvation because Jesus Christ is our salvation. Once saved the meaning of works changes for us, it is no longer a schoolmaster, because remember it ended once faith came, therefore, to the believer works means a labor for God. Our faith produces our labor for the Lord and if you have no works then how we say we have faith. “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:18 Our works are not for our salvation but rather a show of our love to God who saved us and Jesus who redeemed us. If works were in any way a part included in our salvation, then where does that leave Jesus? Our salvation and labor must be separated to give Jesus due respect for His work and sacrifice to redeem us. How can Jesus have preeminence in salvation if He shares it with our works, what kind of glory is that for Jesus. Jesus does not destroy the law; He just changed the meaning from condemning us to His glory through us. God said of Abraham, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” James 2:21 The word “justified” means a rendering or a show of His faith, he obeyed God because he was righteous, he did not become righteous because of his work. Verse 23 explains this, “Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness” His faith had already made him righteous, and that is why he was ready to offer “Isaac his son upon the altar”. People cannot have true faith, God given faith, saving faith, and not have works that show their salvation, this is called letting your light shine in this world, your works of faith is your glorious light.    

Does God Truly Elect People to Salvation?

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

The question is not can God elect people to salvation but does He. This has been a debated question since Jesus was on this earth and even longer. To get a better understanding to arrive at a right answer everything starts with God. Most Christians or those that claim Christianity fail to understand that God is Sovereign. God created everyone and everything that exist outside of Himself and He is eternally self-existent. Therefore, God owns everything that exist because He created it. Everything in existence is under the rule and power of our Sovereign God. From the heavens to the very plants on the earth. In the beginning after God created Adam he sinned against God, therefore separating himself from God along with his wife who ate of the forbidden fruit through the slyness of Satan. When Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, he not only became a sinner separating himself from God he became a spiritually dead soul. With him being spiritually dead Adam could no longer have fellowship nor communication with God unless God came and personally communicated with him. Adam and all his descendants which includes all of mankind are born with dead spirits, and sinner bounded to sin in their natural state. Paul said of all mankind, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing…” Rom. 7:18a meaning there is nothing good in an unregenerated soul, nothing, not one good thing. Therefore, there is no possibility that an unregenerated soul can ever “make a decision” of any sort to change what they are by nature. Therefore, without the election of God to save a remnant no human soul would have ever come to know Jesus Christ. God said in Rom. 3:11b “…there is none that seeketh after God.” because there is no want nor ability in the depraved heart to ever be saved because of sin they hate God. Oh, there a love in their heart for “a god” just not the very God that condemned them because of sin. God is Sovereign and nothing can save a dead spirit unless God quickens it to a living state. But it takes God’s Sovereign Power to quicken a dead spirit. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;” Ephesians 2:1 There is nothing in the scriptures that tells a dead spirit to quicken itself, nor does it say to “make a decision”, nor does it say that “God cannot change the human will”. In fact, without the Sovereign Power of God a sinner will never truly turn to Christ. Now we must ask this question, does God choose His children by election, yes, and without question. This is why salvation is “not of yourself but a gift from God,” through His electing you. So, it is these elect that are given the gift of salvation of God. Paul wrote in 2Thess. 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:” So, these unlearned preachers want people to believe that “God cannot change the human will”. But the Apostle Paul wrote in Php. 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” How does God “work in us to will and to do His good pleasure” if He does not change our will? And why would a lost, spiritually dead sinner who is born at enmity toward God, ever want God’s salvation? He does not, therefore he goes about to create his own salvation opposite of God’s giving of salvation. Their salvation is humanistic at its base, decision, choices, and all sorts of works, which eliminates the power and work of God, including election. The Jews also had this ungodly thought about salvation when Paul wrote “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Rom. 10:3 More than 2,000 years later they still do not know who Jesus Christ is. Neither do most of what call themselves “Christians,” and neither are they saved except in their own sinful heart and by their ungodly thinking. People misuse the scriptures to eliminate God from saving sinners, but only to their own destruction. Salvation is a gift of God, He has the power to give salvation to one vessel and not another, Rom. 9. The word grace in Eph. 2:9 means - the divine influence upon the heart – meaning that God influences the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit once the spirit is quickened to come to Christ. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14 But only as many as God has chosen. Everyone needs to stop believing everything some man says and believe God.  

Understanding Grace.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Ephesians 2:8

Without a proper understanding of what grace means, why God gave us grace, and how God continually uses grace in our everyday life, we will never have a proper appreciation to God for His gift of grace. Without God’s grace toward us, God would have never saved one sinful soul. Sin is an abomination to God, He hates sin, therefore, the thought must be, how could God ever save one single soul? After the sin of Adam and the fall of mankind, man became an abomination to God. God said in the flood of the earth, “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth…” Gen. 6:6a. The repenting of God here is the punishment that God was inserting toward mankind. When God said “…it grieved him at his heart.” it is to show us the amount of anger that God had toward the sinful sinner. How did God truly feel about sin, “…the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…” Gen. 6:7. This anger was not only toward Adam but the entire human race, we were all condemned. We must understand God’s anger, not only toward sin but also the sinner. While Noah was a “just man”, he was also a sinner and had committed the same abomination against God that everyone else, but “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” and it is this grace that caused Noah to be a just man. God’s repentance is His grace, not giving some sinners their just due, which is the wrath of God. Any goodness man has toward God is God’s grace toward us. None of mankind should ever have an imaginary thought that we are the source of anything good toward God, because we are not. One of the greatest and most godly men of the New Testament was the Apostle Paul, but toward the end of his life, after all the good he did he said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am…” 1 Cor. 15:10a, because he was unworthy to be who God made him by grace. Paul never forgot his greatest abomination against God, “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” V. 11. Paul was not devaluing his works as a servant of God, he was being grateful for God’s grace to have elected such an unworthy worm to be what he was. I believe the greatest blessing to us as Christians is to remind ourselves of our own sins and to remember the grace that made us what we are as Christians. I believe, in our time now, many Christians and even churches have forgotten the true meaning of God’s gift of grace in our life that has made us what we are. When a believer loses the true meaning of grace, we turn weak toward God’s grace and gather more pride. We never need pride because a proud heart is a sinful heart. “An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.” Pro. 21:4. Every good thing we do in the Lord is by God’s grace, and if we fail to credit God, then we are sinning. God’s love toward, even a remnant of sinners is a very large gift of grace. God’s love, even toward one sinner is grace, His dispatching His very own Son, Jesus Christ to do the acts He did for our redemption is grace. And it goes deeper, the very act of our spirits being quickened, our believing, our repentance toward God, and our life and works in the Lord are all God’s wonderful grace. God elected all of this for us, we are not responsible for our Christian life no more than the Apostle Paul was. However, many of us, maybe even all of us at some point have wasted God’s grace. Paul wrote “…his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all…” meaning that some had “wasted” God’s grace by making it “void” or empty. When a believer forgets what grace means, when they grow hardened to God’s grace and stop pleasing the Lord, stop serving God “according to the scriptures”, then they have wasted God’s grace. And on the other hand, when a believer forgets to remember God’s grace in their life and starts thinking that “they” have risen and accomplished much, then they also have wasted God’s grace. The Apostle Paul never forgot nor wasted grace, “…yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Our remembering God’s grace is what make our walk in the Lord stronger, more upright, and more rewarding.