The following is Bible passages regarding God's grace:
IS DESCRIBED AS.
Rich. Ephes. 1:7; Ephes. 2:7
Exceeding. 2 Cor. 9:14
All-sufficient. 2 Cor. 12:9
All-abundant. Romans 5:15, 17, 20
IS THE SOURCE OF.
Election. Romans 11:5
The call of God. Galatians 1:15
Justification. Romans 3:24; Titus 3:7
Faith. Acts 18:27
Forgiveness of sins. Ephes. 1:7
Salvation. Acts 15:11; Ephes. 2:5, 8
Consolation. 2 Thes. 2:16
Hope. 2 Thes. 2:16
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Too many times Christians only see grace as the means of salvation. God's grace for the Christian is much more than that. In this study it will also become very clear that grace is not for the purpose of covering up or the condoning of sin.
Powerful proclaiming of the Gospel because of grace
Acts 6:8 (NASB)
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.
Acts 4:33 (NASB)
And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
There is authority and power that comes with grace. The purpose of this authority and power, is for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel.
Acts 11:21-23 (NASB)
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. [22] And the news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. [23] Then when he had come and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;
What did Barnabas see when he arrived? Did he see new believers living like sinners? He would not have been rejoicing. It says he encouraged them to remain true.
Grace
Hebrew-Khane
Vine's Words: Gracious (To Be), Show Favor
English Words used in KJV:
grace 38
favour 26
gracious 2
pleasant 1
precious 1
wellfavoured 1
[Total Count: 69]
from (chanan); graciousness, i.e. subjectively(kindness, favor) or objective (beauty) :- favour, grace (-ious), pleasant, precious, [well-] favoured.
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What is God's Grace?
What is the Purpose of God's Grace?
Is God's Grace Just Unmerited Favor?
What about God's Mercy?
Is there such a thing as a Christian being lucky?
Is God Holy?
Does God Judge Christians?
Does God's Grace Cover a Multitude of Sin?
Does God's Grace Excuse Sin?
Does God's Grace Run Out?
We will be covering these topics and more in this new study.
Our recent studies have been on the subject of walking in victory. We are going to show that it is God's grace that gives us the ability to walk in victory. We are going to show that a Christian has no excuse or justification to walk in ongoing, willful sin. In the midst of this study we are going to address the topic of holiness. Grace and holiness go together. Too many times Christians associate God's grace as an excuse to walk in sin. Too many times Christians confuse God's mercy with His grace. Others assume that if you have God's grace in your life, you will not have any troubles, sickness, or disappointments-that you will have 'good luck'-just name it and claim it.
As a follower of Jesus Christ we can live life as an overcomer because of what Jesus has done.
John 16:33
33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
How do we live as overcomers? By walking in faith-trusting in the finished work of Christ.
1 John 5:4
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
God has given us the ability to live a life of victory, but the devil wants to overtake us, there are warnings in Scripture.
Romans 12:21
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
If there is a warning to not be overcome by evil, this would mean there is the potential for believers to become overcome with evil. We need to be on guard-sober and alert to the attacks of the enemy of our soul.
2 Peter 2:20
20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
So, it is dangerous for followers of Christ, to fall back into the sin that so easily entangles them.
As a believer are you struggling to keep the victory? Ask God to give you the strength to be an overcomer-He will do it. His strength comes in the form of His grace. His grace is more than unmerited favor-it is the power to do His will. In our next article we will talk about grace.
The Anchor for our Souls
Hebrews 6:16-20 (NLT)
16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.
17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.
18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
The anchor for our souls is hope. It is the hope of spending eternity with God-salvation. Because of what Jesus has done, we can have this hope.
When a boat is tossed around in the sea it can throw out an anchor to keep it at one place. But as good as an anchor can be for stability, there are times that the anchor can't find anything to grab hold of in a big storm. The boat needs to get close to shore so it can be roped up to a dock. We need more than the hope of salvation. We need to get connected with Jesus when we encounter the storms of life.
What does it mean to you to live a victorious life? Does it mean that you never sin? Does it mean you never are sick? Does it mean you never experience hardships? Does it mean you never are discouraged? Does that mean you will never lack financially? Or does it mean that you are living as an overcomer?
Never Sin-If your definition of living a victorious life is to never sin, then there is a real problem since everyone sins-even followers of Jesus Christ. But there is a difference between ongoing willful sin and stumbling at times. There is a difference between sinning and sincere repentance and sinning with no remorse. All of us are going to fall short, however someone living a victorious life will repent quickly and are always checking their heart and motives. They will overcome the sin that tries to easily entangle them.
Never Sick-If your definition of living a victorious life means never being sick, then that would mean that you believe having sickness is a sin, or that a person is falling short if they are sick. Some measure good health as representing holiness. That is a false hold. Should we strive to live a life of good health-absolutely! But can we not live a victorious life even in the midst of sickness-absolutely! Can we be effective for the kingdom even if we are sick-absolutely! However, if we are living a life of bitterness, anger, fear, worry, doubt, that opens the door to sickness and disease, that is not living a victorious life-that is living a life of defeat. But when I am sick and I don't let the sickness control me, I live as a victorious overcomer.
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