Saved By Grace

The grace of God is essential to experiencing salvation at any level, from our initially being born again, to the redemption of our bodies. Ephesians 1:5-7 states, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”.

Teaching that salvation is by grace, is the sincere milk of the word. It is primary and essential for giving all glory to God. Any doctrine that teaches grace plus works builds on another foundation than Jesus Christ. If our salvation does not begin by grace, through faith and that not of ourselves, we will not grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. We may become religious and have some limited knowledge of God but do not know the true God of our complete deliverance from sin and its effect through the law. For sin will continue, to take occasion by the commandment, deceiving and slaying us, even as the Apostle Paul taught in Romans chapter seven. If we labor under the delusion, that somehow we earned the right to be called the children of God, through any works of righteousness we may have done, we receive the wages of sin. Salvation is by grace, it is not earned, it is freely given and undeserved, it is the gift of God.

Those who believe that by the works of law, they can please God, are deceived and walk after the flesh and do despite to the Spirit of grace. One can, as the pharisees, even so as a member of the church, keep the letter of the law and miss the intent of the law, which remains a school- master to bring us unto Christ, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness”. “For now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe”. Christ is the fulfillment of the law, and it was said of Him, that he was full of grace and truth. It was also said of Him, by the Father, “this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. If we have the Son, we have life and it is through the life of the Son, that we are pleasing to God. It is not the result of our accomplishments. This is not to say that we shall not accomplish, or overcome in Christ, but it will be by the grace of God, and through his life in us.

Most who call themselves by the name of the Lord, labor under a religious system of works in an effort to approach God. They hope that through faithful church attendance, fasting and praying and serving in their church established programs, they will be pleasing to God and will win His favor. We desire a system of law, that requires works to be performed, as a means to approach God our Father, even though we are instructed in Hebrews chapter ten: “Having therefore, brethern, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say His flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)”. And in another place, it is said, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I fear that God’s people walk in great deception with regard to grace verses works, not heeding the Apostle Paul’s warning about the flesh warring against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. We can only approach God through the work of Christ and we cannot truly worship Him through religious ritual. They who worship the Lord, must worship him in Spirit and in truth.

However, If we believe our salvation began as a result of our decision to chose Jesus Christ as our personal savior, then we believe we are saved by the work of our personal choice. We credit this “freewill” decision for our being saved, rather than God, through the Spirit making us willing. Immediately salvation, by grace becomes tainted with an attempt at self-righteousness. This is the wide gate of a great deception through which one enters into a system of religious works. Have we not heard Paul’s statement, “The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them for they are Spiritually discerned”. As our Lord stated, “No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him”. And again, in Johns gospel, “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”. The “As many as received Him”, spoken of , were born of God! It should be obvious to those who have been enlightened that or salvation is not a matter of free will but a matter of God, through His infinite grace, bringing us to a place of willingness.

God help us to understand that we were a slaves to sin and in need of a redeemer, with no hope of deliverance and I will add, no real desire to be delivered. Man was in darkness and loved darkness more than light and his darkness was not going to opt for light. It required God quickening us, by the Spirit before we could even see the Kingdom of Heaven, just as Peter could not be called Blessed, without the Spirit of the Father enlightening him as to who Jesus was. It was upon this rock (God built foundation) He would build His Church, “A city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God”!
The old Testament states, that they shall be all taught of God.

Brothers and sisters in the Lord, it is by grace we are saved through faith, and that not of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. If our being born from above requires anything of us, then it is not a virgin birth and does not fit the pattern of Christ’s birth. Just as fallen man could not have a part in the birth of the Savior, neither can man claim to contribute anything but thanks unto God for his salvation. When Mary said, “how can this be Lord, me not knowing a man”, it was a statement of great significance, pertaining to our own salvation. Fallen man cannot have a part in what God does in redemption, not even the work of our “so called” free will decision. The Father must draw us to Christ, according to John chapter six. The Greek word used here for drew, is actually a word that means “to drag”. “No man comes unto Christ unless the Father drags him”. The evil of this world, to which we have become enslaved is used in the dragging process. The Father’s goodness, the glory of His grace, in contrast to the evil of the world, leads us unto repentance. God uses everything at His disposal to turn our hearts to him, bringing us to a place of willingness to believe. It is all part of the birthing process. Only God can bring life from out of death. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new, and it is all by the grace of God, who when it pleased Him, separated us from our mother’s womb, that he might reveal His Son in us.

At the risk of repeating myself, to think this occurred as a result of our freewill decision and not purely the grace of God, is the height of arrogance and opens the door of self-righteousness rather than imputed righteousness. It starts us down the road of works, building the city of spiritual Babylon, where one can only receive the wages of sin. If we are not hearing the gospel of grace, we are not hearing the gospel. If it is not a free-gift, it is not the gift of God.

Many will make the argument, “yes the gift is free, but you must accept it. I would agree, but would respond, could I, who am dead in trespasses and sin, in the kingdom of darkness, with only my carnal nature and the spirit of a man to aide me, come to a decision for the things of God? When scripture clearly teaches that the things of God are foolishness unto me and they are Spiritually discerned, how can I discern them without the Spirit of God? At this point the argument is made, that is true, but “God has dealt to every man the measure of faith”. This is a verse that is taken out of the context in which it is written, in Romans chapter 12, because it is written to those already in the Body of Christ and is misapplied to the unsaved. Why do we try so to eliminate the grace of God from the gospel? Why is it so hard for us to believe that God is gracious enough to save us inspite of ourselves, or that He could love us enough to look beyond our faults and see our need? My friend, this is the Glory of God!

Those who would teach that God will not violate our freewill are in deception and continue to walk in the flesh, because salvation was a result of a fleshly decision. This deception results in a religion of works and ritual, and not a life lived in the power of the Spirit. Pride and self-righteousness are at the heart of this teaching. It is just another attempt, through law, to build a tower to heaven and God has scattered and confused our language. Christ’s blood, which was shed for us, is being trodden under foot and counted an unholy thing and we are doing despite to the spirit of grace. We crucify to ourselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame, by desiring outward laws and rituals to keep, a system of works, rather than the rest of God in Christ. We are predestinated unto good works, but good works are God works. We must remember, “we are crucified in Christ never-the-less we live, yet not us but Christ lives in us, and the life we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us. We do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness came by the law, then Christ is dead in vain”. Salvation is by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves.

Art Groesbeck