Grace isn't an ALLOWABLE means to do [whatever], but a REDEEMABLE means...by which God redeems, reveals and refreshes His servants from what the law condemns and the flesh corrupts.
We don't ever have to worry about GRACE doing right. Now you or me, that's a different story... that is, unless GRACE is involved. When God’s REDEEMING GRACE gets involved, in our wrongness, it redeems us from a wrong and restores us from our waywardness.
Redeeming grace has an agenda to reach, impeach and teach. Grace reaches sinners in their sin and rebellion, impeaches them off of their self-centered, self-reliant and self-righteous throne and teaches them how love Jesus and live in the light of His promises.
There you have it! Grace REACHES us in our wrongness, IMPEACHES us in our self-centeredness and TEACHES us in our newness of life how to love, live and look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our King and Savior, who gave Himself for us that He might forgive and free us for His service (Titus 2:11-14).
Glory...
My flesh corrupts me, and the law condemns me in my corruption but His redeeming grace covers me in His compassion and crowns me with His righteousness.
Answering an invitation to trust, follow and honor Jesus.
Man, left to himself, gropes, like a blind man in the dark, to find God in his own ways. Which has only led to frustration and futility... and more darkness than light. But the wonder of it all, God came to us, as a man, to find man in his darkest and most desperate position of sin and shame to rescue us from ourselves and sin and all our futility.
In Acts 17:24-31 Paul illustrates this to some very smart but blind men. He tells them that men have made a mess of trying to know God on their own... and though He gives us our next breath and our life He can be found or known by our efforts. He uses words like "grope or feel" and "find" in a way that it wasn't possible no matter how hard they try. But He overlooked their futile efforts and ignorance and came to us. Lived a sinless life and died as God's own sacrifice and our substitute. And God will judge every man according to the sinless and sacrificial life of Jesus. And ONLY those who trust Him (God's ONLY answer) with their life will be covered in the righteousness of Jesus.
The grace in Christ REACHES us where we are as sinners, living in sin and rebellion, enjoying our darkness and claiming the right to do our own thing. But His grace IMPEACHES us from our self centered throne and put Jesus on the throne of our lives as Lord and Redeemer over us and a the we are. And it TEACHES us to say NO to ourselves and YES to His life and love. It teaches us to trust Him and agree with His teachings and purpose and that we now belong to Him. It teaches us that we're not perfect... we've been declared perfect because of Jesus perfect life and because He has paid the ransom for our sins, we owe Him our lives. So we answer the invitation to follow Him into the new life He's chosen for us to live.
Salvation is relational... it's about knowing Jesus and the Father. It's trusting Him that He loves us, in spite of us, as He said, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVES in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life. It's always relational... He gives life... He is life, and the way and the truth. No one can go to the Father except through Him. See, it's relational... through Him—to Him. Not a plan or a place, but through and to a Person. And the only way through and to Him is by believing. God's grace reaches us and brings with it the faith needed to trust our love and lives to Jesus.
People ask me if there's another way... no there is no other way. And the amazing thing about it all, is that there is a way. The fact that there is a way, though it be the only way, God made it possible for us, who have tried so many other ways, doing it our way, proves His great love for us and His grace that covers the believers life. Glory
Grace reaches, impeaches and teaches... in the best kind of way (Titus 2:11-14)!
It REACHES us in our sin and rebellion, it IMPEACHES us for our self centered misconduct and agenda and it TEACHES us how to LIVE in the light of His return and how to LOVE Jesus and serve Him with passion and purpose.
Blessings to each of you... I pray your day, and the days ahead, will be filled with His redeeming grace....
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