GraceUncovered

Authors home articles Gracelife

GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

527. Is the Law An Expression of God’s Character?

by

It has often been taught that the law that came through Moses is an expression of God's character. We frequently begin to assume such phrases are actually found in the Bible. If this is an accurate statement, we should ask the question as to whether God went through a change or if his character went through some sort of transformation. Of course, we know God doesn't change, but with the New Covenant replacing the first one, we find there was a change of priesthood (Jesus Christ) and therefore a change of law occurred. Although the law was a reflection of God's perfection, we should avoid comparing it with God himself and realize it was Jesus (grace) who was manifested as an expression of God's character.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 11

by

Here are some of the treasures I discovered while reading and studying Romans chapter 11. I hope this blog post brings you encouragement!

Romans 11:6 says,
And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.  (NLT)  

I really like these commentary notes on this verse from Andrew Wommack’s Living Commentary:

“Paul stated the doctrine of justification by grace through faith so clearly in his writings that any person who claims to believe the Bible has to acknowledge this truth. However, one of Satan’s cleverest deceptions is to take a truth and add to it until it is no longer the truth. Lest that happen with this doctrine of grace, Paul stated emphatically that we cannot combine anything with God’s grace as a requirement for salvation.

In the same way that gasoline and water don’t mix, so grace and works will not mix. Justification has to be all works or all grace, but not a combination of the two.

In this epistle, Paul repeatedly made his point of justification by grace through faith. He repeatedly stressed that faith is the only requirement on our part. Here he was repeating that point once again in perhaps his clearest words yet. Still, an abundance of religious people today cannot accept the fact that all we have to do is to believe to receive God’s grace (Romans 5:2). This verse leaves no alternatives.”

Romans 11:8 says, 
As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day He has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.” (NLT)  

Andrew Wommack’s commentary notes:

“2 Peter 3:9 clearly says that the Lord is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” So, we can rest assured that the Lord didn’t prevent these people from being saved. No! They had already rejected God and His wooing, so He just upheld their choice and hardened their hearts even further so that they couldn’t believe. It’s like it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12.“

Now let me suggest you re-read these verses in 2 Thessalonians including the 3 verses preceeding 11&12. Here they are: 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

Did you catch that in the 2nd part of verse 10? “because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” 

Like 2 Peter 3:9 says, “God is not willing that any should perish.”

Romans 11:17 says,
But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.  (NLT) 

Here are Andrew’s Wommack’s Living Commentary notes on this verse:

“The branches that were broken off were the children of Israel who rejected their Messiah. So, they were broken off, and the Christians were grafted in their place. But the roots of Christianity go all the way back to the Old Testament and Abraham as the father of us all (Romans 4:16).”

I also found this scripture reference to Romans 11:17 while using the Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance Online!

Ephesians 2:11-13 (NIV)

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Man that is such good news!

Romans 11:18 says, 
But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. (NLT)  

Here are Andrew’s Wommack’s Commentary notes:

“Paul was warning the Gentiles against gloating in the fact that salvation had been opened unto them as though it happened because of some goodness on their part. It wasn’t earned. It was God’s grace. Paul explained that the Jews’ unbelief (Romans 11:20) caused them to be broken off and that the same thing could happen to the Gentiles (Romans 11:21) if they didn’t stand strong through faith.”

Romans 11:32 (NLT)
For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so He could have mercy on everyone.

I really like these commentary notes from Andrew Wommack on this verse. Be sure to click on the links to the scripture references he gives. They really help explain what the purpose of the law was in the first place. I didn’t understand the true purpose of the law for many years of my Christian life.

This is not only true of the Jewish nation. This is true of the whole human race. The Law made us all guilty (Romans 3:19 and 23) so that one sacrifice would cleanse us all (Galatians 3:22-24).

As it says in Romans 11:33:

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (NASB)

Next God’s Treasure Chest post will be on Romans 12

To find all my other God’s Treasure Chest posts just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

Suffering with Christ with Thanksgiving

by

iinheritedgod

Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

This is such an amazing promise! But, I have seen this passage create confusion for people. You may have heard this passage taught from the perspective that we have to suffer the things that Jesus suffered in this life to be worthy to share in his glory.

The phrase “share in his sufferings” is the greek word, sympaschō. It’s only used twice in entire Bible. The other place is in 1 Corinthians 12:26 where it refers to the idea that if one member of the body of Christ suffers then we all suffer. In other words, if one person go throughs something, we all share in what they’re going through.

For this application of the word “sufferings,” you have to understand the meaning to be “you feel what the other person is feeling.” You sympathize/empathize with them because you identify with them. We do this all the time when we’re watching a movie. We feel what the characters are feeling, we put ourself in their place and wonder what we would do.

This is what we are to do with Jesus. You are to identify with his sufferings because he did it for you. Your deliverance and salvation was gained by what he did for you so you get to share in the glory that he obtained through the suffering of death, burial and resurrection.

The Old Covenant sacrificial system included a type of sharing in the sufferings of a sacrifice. When you brought your animal to the priest for the sacrificial atonement for your sin, you were supposed to look at that sacrifice as its blood was spilled and say, “that should have been me.” You were expected to get your heart involved and identity with what this sacrifice was going through for you. You were to personalize or identify with the suffering of that sacrifice for your benefit.

God doesn’t need you to experience difficulty to experience his glory, Jesus suffered for you so you could be a partaker of his divine nature and be qualified for all his promises. We don’t gain an aspect of spiritual salvation by suffering something in our flesh. If we did then we’d have something to boast about. But we are to boast in Jesus’ finished work. We participate in and benefit from his glory on this side of the cross.

Yes, you may experience suffering but it’s never from God. The only references to suffering under the New Covenant come as a result of you standing up for your faith and being persecuted for doing so. That kind of suffering doesn’t make you holy or qualify you to share in his glory, it just means you’re willing to lay your life down because you in Christ.

Jesus suffered the death you deserved so he could give you the life that he deserves. Take some time to meditate on what he experienced on the cross, in his death and in his resurrection. See yourself in his suffering because it should have been you. See yourself in his victory because it is you. See yourself and feel what it means to be a child of the most high, loving father who lavishes good gifts on the ones he loves. Your Father God knows you can gain not one ounce of favor by anything you do in your flesh so he makes it all available in Jesus. Awaken to righteousness and allow your Father to glory himself in you by establishing his promises through you. You, as a believer, are truly qualified for everything that Jesus inherited from his Father because you trust in him!

 

 

FREE FULL LENGTH MESSAGE

The post Suffering with Christ with Thanksgiving appeared first on Forward Ministries.

The Bible: Is Every Word the Truth?

by

 

The Bible is full of Truth—but not all truth is created equal. The best way that I know to describe it is to say that the Bible contains truth from cover to cover. Some truth is unimportant, and some is extremely important. But there is truth that is essential to our Christian walk. It’s what we believe about the essential, foundational truths of the New Testament that determines whether or not we experience the kind of guilt-free living God designed for us to live.

Many people know about God. They may even know the Bible or have been influenced in some way by biblical thought. But most people have never experienced God for who He really is. Even those of us who desire to know God and read our Bibles daily often misjudge what it says because we read it as a regular book and tend to think that it is a progressive revelation of God. But as New Testament believers, it is important to realize that there is only one true revelation of God, and that is—Jesus Christ, His Son.

John 1:18 in the Amplified Bible says:

No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known].

Jesus, is the only One who has ever seen God for who He really is. He is the sole and exact representation of God. It is through Him alone that we can correctly interpret what the Bible says about God and about us. Only through Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross, can we rightly understand the truths of Scripture—both Old and New Testament. He is the lens we look through to know and experience God for who He really is.

Jesus is the foundational and essential truth we must use to build and establish our beliefs and doctrines. But what if I read something, Arthur, that doesn’t line up with who Jesus is? Then that truth is not essential; it does not apply to us—even if it’s in the Bible. But Arthur, the Bible is true. The Bible is true—but Jesus, who He is and what He accomplished in and through His finished work is “The Truth!”

Everything written in Scripture is “God-breathed” or “God inspired” according to 2 Timothy 3:16. God inspired the writers of the Bible to record their experiences with Him to reveal Christ. Does that negate their experience? No. But does that mean their experience becomes Truth simply because it is in a book we call the Bible? No. We must learn to discern scripture just like we discern someone’s testimony experience today.

A little old lady stands up in church to testify of God. She begins by praising God for getting her through another week of Satan’s vicious attack. She thanks God for testing her patience like gold in the refiner’s fire through her chronic sickness. She blesses God for teaching her humility through her failure to read and pray like she should. On and on she goes, attributing things in her life to God that are nothing like His character—things that we know God would never do to His children. Does her belief system define who God is? No! Was her experience real to her? Yes! Does that real experience constitute real truth? No! Can her understanding dictate other people’s experiences? Yes!

The same thing happened in Scripture. In the book of Job, we find a man of God experiencing tragedy. His friends come to “encourage him” with their opinions of who God is and what he needs to do to reconcile himself to God. Nine chapters consist wholly of their opinions—it is recorded in Scripture and Holy Spirit inspired, but they were all wrong! God even spoke to Job and said, “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2 NIV) And Job himself had to repent. Not for anything he’d done that brought about his experience, but because he had misinterpreted and misrepresented God. He said, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand…My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you…I repent” (Job 41:3, 5-6 NIV). Job essentially said, “I’m sorry, God. I let others tell me who You were and did not know you for myself.”

It’s essential to know God for yourself—and vital to build our doctrines and beliefs on the rock of Jesus Christ—the essential Truth. We can’t attempt to lay a foundation on the sandy shores of our limited knowledge or experience. Standing on the Rock of Truth, we are able to experience the guilt-free life God designed for us in Him!

…But now you have had every stain washed off: now you have been set apart as holy: now you have been pronounced free from guilt; in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:11 (Weymouth)

525. The Curse of Seeking Self Improvement

by

It's one of the biggest deceptions known to mankind - the attempt to achieve a higher level of personal improvement through our works and efforts. Adam and Eve were distracted by the glossy appearance of its fruit and the rest of the world followed suit. Israel demonstrated the futility of trying to establish their own righteousness through the works of the law by pursuing a level of improvement that would make them acceptable to God. It falls short every time and fortunately, it is something Jesus redeemed us from.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

I Had A Dream Last Night

by

I interrupt my weekly God’s Treasure Chest posts to share with you a dream I had last night. Although this is not normally the case, when I woke up at 2:00am from this dream I immediately knew it’s meaning and knew I was suppose to share it with you.

In my dream I was in a house (not my own house) with two other people. We were getting ready to go out on the deck and I got a sensing in my spirit to pray for protection. It’s interesting that this happened in my dream because this happens to me on a regular basis when I am both out and about and at home, where I suddenly have an urgency in my spirit to pray for my own protection, my family’s protection, a friend’s protection and/or many times the protection of a certain group of people – a school, a church, a certain business, etc.

So in my dream I was praying for protection out on this deck and when me and my friends walked back into the house an intruder was sitting there on the couch waiting for us. Now, let me stop right here and say that in many cases when I have a dream of this sort I would take it as a personal warning and come against that event actually happening in prayer, but in this case I know that is not what this particular dream was about.

I believe that this man that was sitting there with the intent to harm us represented the spirit of violence and terror operating in the world today.

I began to walk quickly toward this person while praying in the spirit, then I said, “I rebuke you, you spirit of violence, you spirit of terror, in the name of Jesus. You will not be able to harm myself or my friends. We are protected by the blood of Jesus.”

I kept speaking the Word of God and especially speaking out the name of Jesus and the blood of Jesus. This man (spirit of violence) tried to fight with me, but he was never able to harm me in any way. In fact, in my dream, my friends and I decapitated him. The thing is, we had no weapons to decapitate him with and I knew when I woke up from my dream that it was the Word of God that was going forth from my mouth that carried the power to decapitate this person (spirit of violence).

After a minute or so we saw another person and we began to head toward him to fight, but this person, who I then realized was actually an Angel (in my dream) began to set food out on a table for us to enjoy.

Here’s the verse that came to my mind when I woke from my dream:

Psalm 23:5 (NLT)

5 You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.

Take a look at the verse before:

Psalm 23:4 (NLT)

Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for You are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.

And the verse after:

Psalm 23:6 (NLT)

Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.

Talk about comforting. We don’t have to be afraid no matter what is happening around us and God’s goodness and unfailing love will pursue us all the days of our life.

In my dream I didn’t feel any fear while fighting the enemy. I was only aware of my authority in Christ. When I woke up from my dream at 2:00am and knew that God wanted me to share this with you, I felt that He wanted me to remind you of your authority in Christ as well! Here are some scriptures that will encourage you:

Matthew 16:15-19 (NASB)

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Luke 9:1-2 (NLT)

9 One day Jesus called together His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2 Then He sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

1 John 4:4 (AMP)

4 Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind].

——————————————————————————————————————————————

1 John 5:4-5 (NLT)

4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

2 Corinthians 10:4 (AMP)

The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT)

9 Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Wow! I don’t know about you, but re-reading these scriptures sure helped me!

As you know, there is a spirit of violence and terror that is working through people today all across the planet. As Christians, we have the authority to do something about this in the name of Jesus.

I want to invite you to join me in setting your phone alarms for 12 noon everyday. Pastor Bobbie Houston from Hillsong Church (who I follow on Instagram) started this prayer movement and has hash tagged it #middayBabymidday #setyouralarm. She has been encouraging people all across the globe to set their alarms to go off at noon to remind them to pray for the world. I recently got on board by setting my alarm and I’m so glad I did. Everyday at 12 noon it goes off and it’s a great reminder for me. One day it went off and one of my girls said, “Your alarm went off Mom. It’s time to pray for the world!”

Jesus has given us, His disciples, authority. Let’s begin to use it to come against the forces of darkness! #middayBABYmidday

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

523. Grafted Into Israel… Or Something Else?

by

"We are engrafted Jews." It's another one of those commonly used phrases we often hear in Christianity. This week we take a look at the context surrounding the idea that we Gentile believers were grafted into Israel. What we'll discover is that both Jew and Gentile were grafted into Christ. Jesus broke down the barrier that had kept us non-Jewish people separated "so that in Himself He might make the two (Jew/Gentile) into one new man."



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Our Puppies Rescued – A God Story

by

We believe we encountered a miracle yesterday!

Our twin girls had our two Maltese puppies, Bella and Sophie, out in the backyard. We recently had a fence put in for a number of reasons, one of them being so the puppies could enjoy running freely outside. They absolutely love it and get extremely excited when we say, “Do you want to go outside?” They run around the house from room to room until we open the door. When we do, they bolt outside and run as fast as they can to get to the main part of the yard! They run as if it was the race of the century!

One of the things people love to do around here in Missouri and Illinois is visit Eckert’s Orchard and pick peaches, strawberries, apples or pumpkins, depending on which time of the year you go. They have lots of other family-friendly activities there as well, including pig races. Those little pigs are so stinkin’ cute. The way Bella and Sophie bolt out the door reminds me of those pigs bolting out of the starting gate as they race each other to the finish line. Ha – I bet Bella and Sophie could give them a run for their money too!

When installing the type of fence we purchased the company has to install them a little bit off the ground, but not enough for a puppy to get out… in most cases. We just happen to have a few places under the fence where we have extra deep dips in our yard. We knew we needed to do something about this potential problem so Bella and Sophie wouldn’t try to get out, but we hadn’t got to that project yet. Our girls always stay out in the yard with Bella and Sophie anyway because our Veterinarian said they are small enough that there is a chance they could be picked up by a hawk. NOT HAPPENING!

Even though we have had our puppies out in the back yard quite a bit over this past month and they hadn’t even attempted to escape underneath the fence, yesterday they decided to be extra adventurous during a very short period of time when our girls, Angel and Starr, were looking in the other direction. They got out.

I heard the girls yelling their names over and over again and quickly ran outside to see what was going on. Clearly the puppies were not in the yard, but we didn’t know exactly where they got out; therefore, we didn’t have a clue where to start searching. Our house backs up to woods on two sides which can make finding two 7 pound puppies even more complicated.

Even though the situation was serious and we needed to get out there and start searching, instead of just launching out in our own efforts I said to the girls, let’s stop right now, pray and ask God for help. We have an opportunity here to trust in Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, 

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek His will in all you do,
    and He will show you which path to take. (NLT)

Can you believe it says that? He will show you which path to take! Wow. I got so excited when I looked up this verse tonight and saw that phrase. That’s exactly what we needed God to do for us yesterday and that’s exactly what we all need God to do for us every single day. And He will when we trust in Him, depend on Him, refuse to lean on our own understanding and seek His will instead of our own.

The emotional part of us three girls wanted to run out there and find our puppies and we wanted to do it immediately, but I’m so thankful to the Holy Spirit for prompting me to stop, pray and believe God.

We headed out the side gate and walked back into the woods and started searching all around that area. We called “Bella”…”Sophie” over and over again. Nothing. We were each looking in different areas because we had no idea where they could be.

The possibilities were so numerous: By this time they could be lost in the woods either behind our house or lost in the even larger area of woods (one acre) on the left side of our home. For all we knew they could have made their way to the front yard and been close to the road that runs in front of our house. They could have made their way to our neighbors property on our right or the large neighborhood that is close by.

While searching, I walked by a sewer and knew I couldn’t entertain the lie the devil tried to convince me of right then. What if they fell down that sewer? If they did, they’ll be dead for sure. I purposely ignored him and kept walking.

I’ll never forget what my pastor, Jeff Perry, said at Friday night church several years ago. He said, “Faith is just reliance on how good God is.” This is what was going through my mind during the search and what I was encouraging my girls to remember as well. Instead of imagining the worst case scenario, especially after 10 minutes had gone by and we still hadn’t found Bella and Sophie, I just kept praying in the Spirit and saying, God, You know where they’re at. Thank you for helping us. Thank you for watching over our puppies.

I was screaming from across several yards to the girls every so often and reminding them, “I know this doesn’t look good at this point, but keep believing. Don’t worry. Trust God. He will help us find them!”

Thankfully, Starr finally found Bella at the entrance of the woods and then about 5 minutes later Angel found Sophie down this hill in the woods laying right next to another sewer.

Had she had just a little bit more time to be a little more curious Sophie could have fallen into that sewer, but she didn’t.

Either puppy could have been picked up by a hawk, but they weren’t.

Any number of animals could have attacked them, but they didn’t.

They could have been bitten by a snake, but that wasn’t the case.

They could have made their way to the front yard, ran out into the road and been hit by a car and killed, but that didn’t happen.

We definitely don’t credit ourselves for rescuing our puppies. We credit God for showing us which path to take and for keeping them safe in the meantime!  Needless to say, Bella and Sophie will not be going back out into the yard without their harnesses on until we get the problem solved.

Here’s the most recent picture we took of our Sophie Bear and Bella Cakes, as Starr and Angel have so lovingly nicknamed them!

image

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

Married to Jesus

by

Jesus spoke of the joy that erupts in heaven when a sinner repents and comes to believe in the good news. We might imagine they have something like a birthday party to celebrate the new birth, but in reality it’s the rejoicing that accompanies a wedding. It’s a celebration of a new life wedded in […]

God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 10

by

Here are some of the treasures I discovered while reading and studying Romans chapter 10. I hope you’re encouraged!

Romans 10:5 says,
For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. (NLT) 

This verse right here proves how impossible it would be for us to attempt to be justified by keeping the law. It also proves why there’s a whole bunch of frustrated Christians out there. I used to be one of them. It’s a dead end road.

Here are Andrew Wommack’s Living Commentary notes on this verse. You’re gonna love this. It will help you understand grace better.

“In Romans 10:5-9, Paul contrasted those who seek righteousness by the Law with those who seek the righteousness of God as a gift. Those who seek to earn righteousness through keeping the Law are consumed with “doing” (this verse), while those who receive righteousness by faith are simply confessing what has already been done (Romans 10:9).

This is a simple yet profound difference. If we are still “doing” acts of holiness to get God to move in our lives, then we are still operating under a “Law” mentality that is not faith (Galatians 3:12). When we simply believe and confess what has already been provided through Christ, that’s grace.

Those who are living under the Law and those who are living under grace should have very similar actions of holiness, but their motivations are completely opposite. Legalists have their attention on what they must do, while those living by faith have their attention on what Christ has already done for them.

For instance, the Scriptures teach us to confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts and we will receive from God (Romans 10:9-10 and Mark 11:23-24). Legalists think that means they can get God to heal them by confessing that by His stripes, they are healed. However, those who understand God’s grace will not confess the Word to get healed. They will confess that by His stripes, they are healed, because they really believe it has already been done.

Analyzing our mindsets is the simplest way of discerning whether we are operating in true Bible faith or a legalistic counterfeit. If the motive for our actions is to be accepted by God, then that’s legalism. If we live holy out of faith and gratefulness for what God has already done, then that’s grace.”

Referring back to paragraph #4 here in Andrew’s notes, I was one of those people who had made confession (confessing God’s Word) into a work.

I was taught the importance of confessing God’s Word growing up and it wasn’t taught to me in a legalistic way, but because of my own personality I approached almost everything in my life from a ‘works’ standpoint. I turned almost everything into a law.

As a result of this, I recall that during the beginning of my grace journey 3.5 years ago God had to show me that I had actually gotten into fear in this area of confession and had been wrongly believing that if I didn’t confess the Word (speak my confessions) everyday, I was not going to be blessed. 

Again, I DEFINITELY believe in the power of confessing God’s Word and I have a list of declarations that I speak, but now I speak them when the Holy Spirit prompts me to speak them and I don’t feel like if I miss a day, or a week, that my life is going to fall apart. 

As Andrew stated above, when a person is caught up in legalism, their motive for doing what they do is totally different.

Now that I live my life by God’s awesome grace, I actually find myself speaking God’s Word on a regular basis in addition to speaking out my list of declarations when the Spirit prompts me to do so, but there is no fear involved at all of something bad happening or me not being blessed because I haven’t confessed God’s Word today.

Here’s what made the difference for me. When I really grasped the truth that God’s grace is His unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor I stopped believing for His favor only when I had done all the right things or based on my good works (such as confessing the Word) and began to believe for and receive His grace (unmerited favor) solely based on what Jesus has already done for me through His finished work. I finally got the revelation that grace is based on Him, not me. 

This my friend, is why I have fallen so deeply in love with Jesus that I now work harder for Him (do more good works) than I ever did while trying to live my Christian life under the law. This is why I spend practically every waking moment receiving His grace afresh for myself and why I love helping others (including my own kids) understand how His grace works, practically, in their everyday lives… if they will only receive it!

Romans 10:13 says,
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”  (NLT)  

I just LOVE this verse! That all!

Romans 10:14 says,
But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?  (NLT) 

Do you know that there are many people who go to church every Sunday that aren’t hearing the true gospel – the gospel of grace. I just had a girl tell me yesterday how frustrating it is that she cannot seem to find a church in her little town. There are plenty of churches there, but the ones that she has visited are all steeped in religion (rules and regulations).

She hasn’t had success finding one yet where the pastor simply preaches Jesus and how having a living, vibrant relationship with Jesus can transform her life. She said all the churches that she has visited have strong religious mindsets and she feels judged by so many within those circles. I felt so sorry for her and reminded her that this is not how Jesus is. I am also agreeing with her in prayer that she will find just the right church that she can call home, where Jesus is exalted and where the pastor sets her eyes on Jesus every single week instead of giving her a list of 10 new rules to follow.  

Romans 10:15 says,
And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (NLT)  

Notice, the scriptures do not say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring bad news.’ It says this is true of those who bring good news. 

It doesn’t even say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who mix bad news with good news in an effort to be balanced.’ (and this goes for all of us because we are all called to be bearers of this amazingly good news)

The true gospel, which is the gospel of grace, doesn’t need to be balanced. It’s the gospel. It’s about Jesus. It’s Jesus plus nothing. It’s the good news because when we really understand it and believe it, we fall in love with Jesus so deeply that we then end up doing everything else we should be doing as a Christian out of a spirit of love rather than works. Of course this doesn’t mean we’re going to be perfect in our actions because this Christian walk is a journey, but as we continue to grow in God’s grace, right actions follow.

Look at this:

Romans 13:10 says,
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (NASB) 

Yes, yes, yes! This is what happens when a person is taught the true gospel of grace and they come to understand that, in fact, Jesus is grace. He is God’s grace personified. When they come to the revelation that it’s all Jesus, this amazing Grace changes their heart from the inside out and they begin to walk in love and do what they do out of love for people like never before. I am a witness to this and I know that many of you are too.

Every person I come in contact with who has really grasped a revelation of God’s grace cannot be quiet about it. It’s impossible. They simply cannot stop talking about Jesus and they want everyone, everywhere to know this good news!

Romans 10:17 says,
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. (NLT)

See here, we have to be hearing the good news about Jesus for faith to come. This is why it is critically important for people to find a church where the pastor sets their eyes on Jesus and what He has already done for them through His finsihed work on the cross instead of focusing their attention on themselves and what they need to do. Their doing (good works) will naturally flow from their right believing about Christ!

Next God’s Treasure Chest post will be on Romans 11.

To find all my other God’s Treasure Chest posts just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished working the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

The Parable of the Two Sons

by

From time to time people ask me to write about the parables of Jesus. This is something I enjoy doing because I love the parables. The parables of Jesus are launch pads to revelation and if we have ears to hear they reveal the wisdom of God. Especially this one: What do you think? There […]

Anger Management

by

Do you struggle with anger? I had a bad temper for many years. I would explode over the littlest things at times. Something I’ve learned on my grace journey over this past 3.5 years is that it’s impossible to get free from a problem if you don’t know what’s causing the problem. After all, I […]

The post Anger Management appeared first on Sandra McCollom.

Categories

Recent Posts