Articles
Grace and Obedience
Yes, Jesus is our savior. We praise Him for that. He loves us, cares for us, died for us, and rose again conquering death and satan. Probably every person who attended a church services yesterday heard that in one way or another. It is true, absolutely. But some sermons start and stop there. In fact, that's all some preachers ever preach.
“For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22). Many people today are all about Jesus' love and the salvation He offers. But they stop short of the rest of the story.
As Judge, God has authority to decide our fate on that day that only He has the authority to appoint for judging men's righteousness (or lack of it). As Lawgiver, He has the authority to make the law that He has the authority as Judge to apply. As King, all that authority is His, and He commands compliance to His laws, which is where we fail, miserably! But as Isaiah said, "He will save us", because He also has the capacity to be merciful. Through His grace, He can show us mercy and offer forgiveness where we don't deserve it, and He is willing to do that.
He has established some requirements (laws) to get that grace, and if you have been taught that all you have to do is ask for it, you are not reading the same Bible as I am. It is free, a gift, and available to anyone who seeks it on God's terms. Scripture contains these words ..."and having been made perfect, He became unto ALL THOSE WHO OBEY HIM the author of eternal salvation." (Heb 5:9) Failure to obey, disqualifies us from obtaining His saving grace! We can never be perfect, never "good enough". If we could, grace would not be necessary.
Romans 3:23-24 Romans 6:23
Acts 4:12 2 Corinthians 5:15
Matthew 28:18-20 Ephesians 2:8
Hebrews 7:25 Romans 5:1-2
Romans 10:12-14 Ephesians 1:3-7
Galatians 3:27 John 3:16
Romans 10:9 Romans 4:25
Acts 2:38 1 Peter 3:21
Ephesians 2:5-6 Rom 6:3-10
and many many many more!
By faith, through our obedience, we get into Christ. Once "In Him" (Galatians 3:26-27), we become His children, where we receive his Grace with mercy and forgiveness, freely and lovingly, not because we earned it, but because we are in Him and we belong to Him (vs-29). As heirs in His family, we qualify for the inheritance that He offers.
