Grace by Faith, A Much Needed Study

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Discussion Forum : General Topics : Grace by Faith, A Much Needed Study

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Grace by Faith, A Much Needed Study

Excuse me, but can we begin afresh to learn what Grace and faith are. When I say learn, I mean establish in our thinking; cement it. Too much is posited here with wrong understanding based on wrong teaching concerning God's Grace and our faith.

An example:

"I am increasingly growing sick and tired of the Body of Christ masking complacency with a false notion of "grace and love". Grace is God's supernatural enabling that makes it possible to be saved,.............And agape love requires absolute honesty, and therefore is conditional."

That thinking is totally false, that is unless it can be supported by a non-twisting of scripture.

My hope is that in the end of such a study at least some will come away with a better understanding of the scriptures because they will have a better understanding of God's Grace and our part; our faith.

I'll begin with some of my findings based on scripture:
God's Grace is a gift to all mankind especially made alive in Jesus Christ...."A better thing preserved for us".

Our faith is the enablement to believe in something by a creative act of God from the beginning, since before Adam. Unless man is reprobate he has the ability to have faith.

All men believe in something/someone, history bares this out. God's Grace is received through believing the testimony of Jesus Christ, thus re-directing our faith towards Him. "If I be lifted up I will draw all men...".

However, if a false Christ is offered and the Grace of God is neglected how shall the one who is neglectful escape the snare, after his salvation, why even the elect are capable of being snared.---- Any argument, so far? ---- Hence, God's Grace is the gift not to be rejected by the unrepentent and certainly not to be neglected after his receiving it. It will produce the needed rectification and sanctification that our souls be purified to become the purposed son's of God....purposed before the foundation of the world.

Orm

2007/1/14 6:45

ginnyrose
Member

Joined: 2004/7/7
Posts: 7534
Mississippi

Re: Grace by Faith, A Much Needed Study

Orm,

How do you define grace? Is it divine enablement? Is it mercy? Or what is it?

ginnyrose

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Sandra Miller

2007/1/14 9:12

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Re:
I see it as the presence of God in the Earth....Made manifest in the flesh of Jesus, now manfested in the saints....if indeed they are saints. This opens up all kinds of thinking and expectation. More later.. off to classes. Orm

2007/1/14 9:17

ginnyrose
Member

Joined: 2004/7/7
Posts: 7534
Mississippi

Re:

Orm wrote:
,

Quote:

I see it as the presence of God in the Earth....Made manifest in the flesh of Jesus, now manfested in the saints....if indeed they are saints. This opens up all kinds of thinking and expectation.

You can be more specific then that!

ginnyrose

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Sandra Miller

2007/1/14 19:31

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crsschk
Member

Joined: 2003/6/11
Posts: 9192
Santa Clara, CA

Re: Grace by Faith, A Much Needed Study

Quote:

That thinking is totally false, that is unless it can be supported by a non-twisting of scripture.

How so? If that is to be your example Orm, wouldn't it be helpful to state [i]why[/i] you think it to be false? Before this get's off the ground and get's boged down out of the gate.

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Mike Balog

2007/1/14 19:47

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hisremnant
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Joined: 2006/2/2
Posts: 55
North Central Indiana

Re:
Praise Jesus!! Lion of Judah!! Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, Tit 2:12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, Blessings Hisservant rich Matthew 4:17

2007/1/14 20:39

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Re:

Quote:

crsschk wrote:
Quote:
That thinking is totally false, that is unless it can be supported by a non-twisting of scripture.

How so? If that is to be your example Orm, wouldn't it be helpful to state [i]why[/i] you think it to be false? Before this get's off the ground and get's boged down out of the gate.

This is what I quoted:

"I am increasingly growing sick and tired of the Body of Christ masking complacency with a false notion of "grace and love". Grace is God's supernatural enabling that makes it possible to be saved,.............And agape love requires absolute honesty, and therefore is conditional."

Two things: Grace is a gift of God to man that reveals Himself. ".....My Grace is sufficient for you...that the power of Christ may rest upon me" 2 Cor. 12:9 (KJV)
.
2. Agape is unconditional; God's Grace attests to that because it is given to all to [spiritually] profit withal. To the sinner: reject it and be damned. To the Christian: violate it or neglect it at your peril.

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men" Tit 2:11

Distinction time. Note that the above verse does NOT say that faith has appeared but God's Grace, has appeared, to all men.

I asked this to be s study, not an argument. There should be no "bogging down", but a challenge to anyone to search the scriptures and make better distinctions.

As our previous poster posted, "faith is the substance of things hoped for...". [Note] I don't violate that by stating, everyone has faith .... in something/someone. Correctly directed/properly placed faith is what matters that someone can be saved and kept. God's Grace is what all faith should embrace.

[I sometimes use the word "distinction" when perhaps "perspective" might be a better choice.]

2007/1/14 21:15

crsschk
Member

Joined: 2003/6/11
Posts: 9192
Santa Clara, CA

Re:

Quote:

I asked this to be s study, not an argument. There should be no "bogging down", but a challenge to anyone to search the scriptures and make better distinctions.

That's fine brother. Seems that the original excerpted comment ought to be quantified from the context it was taken from and addressed to the writer by a link. I do recall it, but it would be much more helpful to take in all the surrounding context.

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Mike Balog

2007/1/14 23:53

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rookie
Member

Joined: 2003/6/3
Posts: 4821
Savannah TN

Re:

Brother Ormly wrote:

Quote:

Grace is a gift of God to man that reveals Himself.

Would you illustrate by the use of Scripture examples where God reveals Himself to those who are acted upon by His grace.

In Christ
Jeff

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Jeff Marshalek

2007/1/15 0:24

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roadsign
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Joined: 2005/5/2
Posts: 3777

Re: How does one best explain grace

Quote:

Grace is a gift of God to man that reveals Himself.

Yesterday I encountered Gods grace through two preachers at a gospel meeting. Then later I saw this thread. Thats when something clicked in my mind: Grace is a concept you help another understand, not merely by attempting to define it, but by having it real in yourself and exuding it! Let me explain more:

This meeting was put on by a Christian group that normally meets in homes, but periodically holds gospel meetings in rented spaces. Their itinerant pastors (whom they call workers) own no property and few worldly possessions. They receive no income other than unsolicited love offerings. The priority of their lives, even as they travel from community to community, is to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from him. Their goal is to be transformed by him, and through their communion with Jesus and his word, they receive their message for the people.

Yesterdays meeting was held in a Catholic School Gym. The ladies all wore skirts and had their long hair in buns. They sang old hymns, unaccompanied. Yet, in this environment I met the grace of Jesus. Two ladies (workers) each preached a pure and beautiful message from the Word. Grace oozed from them. My heart was stirred, not merely because of the words that were spoken, but because I saw the grace of God in those women, even when shaking their hands afterwards, Last night I came to know a deeper measure of Gods unmerited love and favor for me. I knew God would be with me and would enable me to live for him.

Ormly, I realize that we need to rescue words from the fate of sloppy usage, yet I fear that we risk killing a word in the relentless process of defining it. Conversely, we make its meaning come alive best when it is alive in our own hearts and others experience the real thing through us.

Surely, Ormly, you best ensure that SIers understand grace, not merely by trying to get them to define it correctly, but letting them experience it as it emanates from you, as the outcome of your own communion with the Master. You define it by being a living illustration. Surely the more you know his abounding grace towards you, the more your words will radiate with grace. Then others could sense it for real, and be strengthened by it, and be drawn to the Giver of grace. Isnt that actually what you would wish?

" 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved.."
John Newton (Amazing Grace)

Diane

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Diane

2007/1/15 2:29

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