The greatest frustration in a Christian's life is not being able to get what they believe to work in their lives.
You've got people who have studied and believed that it's God's will to heal them. They know from scripture that Jesus bore our sicknesses and carried their pains and by His stripes they're healed, but they just can't get it to work.
They know they ought to be changing, to be transformed into the image of God but the only image they've become is the image of the person they were before salvation.
20 years later they're still the same; they haven't conquered their thoughts, or their desires that plague them. The same torments and fears are still there. They had a bit of a change after they got saved, but unfortunately the same sins that plague most people before they were saved seem to make their way back to take up residency once again.
Galatians 5:4 says that "You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace."
If you've got something tormenting you and you can't get free of it ? Christ is of no effect to you.
If you've got some sickness you can't shake. If you've got no joy or peace in your life, if you've got some habitual sin you can't get free of, then Christ has become of no effect in your life.
Simply put you no longer have contact with Christ in your heart and His divine nature and power is having no influence upon your life. When it's all of us and none of Christ we loose all connection to the saving power that is resident in our spirits.
Some people think falling from grace means you're not going to heaven, but it's really just reaching the place where Christ is of no effect to you.
In defining grace, we need to find out what grace is not.
1.Grace is not God's ability to overlook sin. Paul refuted that in Romans 6:1-2 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Grace is God's ability to get you out of sin.
2.Grace is not God's ability to accept you where you are, that's God's mercy that makes him able to do that.
The bible says about the New Testament, that mercy and grace have kissed.
While God can accept you as you are, His grace becomes your ability to change.
3.Grace is not unmerited favor. If I were to buy you a car as a gift, you wouldn't tell your friends that I gave you unmerited favor. You'd tell them I bought you a car. Although the gift was unmerited favor, that's not what it is, that's how it came to you.
Grace is the divine influence that works on your heart to conform you to the image of His Son.
Dustin Gray publisher and author of Christian Bible Study Manuals. For free local church publishings please contact dustin@publisherhouse.com or visit dustin@publisherhouse.com or dustin@publisherhouse.com
car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareThere is nothing more valuable to a sentient being then... Read More
Make no mistake about it, change is challenging whether it... Read More
Have you heard the saying that; You have a friend... Read More
One important factor in how we go through life is... Read More
(Channelled)Roy, this morning in "Roy Bits," you tried to write... Read More
What really binds us to any negative emotional state in... Read More
Remember me! It's me! Joseph here in touch with you... Read More
We make sense of our world via the senses. The... Read More
Several years ago after I presented a workshop entitled "Spirituality... Read More
We humans are a funny, funny breed. We spend our... Read More
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.... Read More
When my dad was nearing the end of his life... Read More
We all need space, we all need time to ourselves.In... Read More
I am deeply drawn to the above Irish Blessing.This blessing... Read More
Did we just overlook the amount of love that God... Read More
Imagine for a moment. It's Tuesday night about 7pm. You... Read More
Divining Rods, also known as Dowsing Rods, have been used... Read More
The first gospel written by Matthew,who is Levi, is the... Read More
It is tough being here on this plane. You have... Read More
What's the difference? How are we supposed to tell the... Read More
Many of us are on an inward or outward path-to... Read More
Paul's encouragement to the Philippians is also our encouragement. Consider... Read More
It will all be clear in a minute, but first... Read More
Vanity - it's easy to mask, easy to forget, and... Read More
Are you at a crossroad in your life where you... Read More
Granger limo Chicago .."Spirit is beyond the void of space. This realm, beyond... Read More
1. Raphael means "God heals." Raphael heals physical, emotional and... Read More
The following fragment was found in Qumran along with the... Read More
The essence of the Christian faith is the good news... Read More
We as human beings travelled in small bands for hundreds... Read More
I have a big mouth. If you have read my... Read More
'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom... Read More
Continued from "Origin of Certain Thoughts, Part I"If you haven't... Read More
By invoking an external God to whom we look for... Read More
I seemed to have lost my heart. Now this is... Read More
I once read a story about a Catholic priest who... Read More
In Corrogue I am seeking the source of inner beauty.This... Read More
If I speak in the tongues of men and of... Read More
If we don't behave according to a specific church's doctrine,... Read More
If you would like to learn to read tarot cards,... Read More
Often, in being dishonest about our own faults and failures,... Read More
We'll begin with a question:What is a moral?I'd say it's... Read More
Imagine yourself marooned on a vast deserted island. You have... Read More
A spiritual event is what happens in every moment of... Read More
Why Abandon Religion?It is so commonly believed today that religion... Read More
Whenever we have the opportunity to make human assessments, the... Read More
God, what a wonderful spirit. He, is our ever present... Read More
An Introduction to MatthewSETTINGHave you ever been promised something wonderful,... Read More
An act of selflessness is the highest expression of selfishness... Read More
Hiking is gaining popularity within the African-American community. We're beginning... Read More
Spirituality |