UNDERSTANDING GOD’S GRACE (1)
Our Salvation comes as a gift of God’s grace, but it can only be appropriated by the human response of faith. To understand the process of Salvation, we must understand these two words: Saving Faith and Grace.
SAVING FAITH
Faith in Jesus Christ is the only condition God requires for salvation.
Faith is not only a profession about Christ, but also an activity coming from the heart of the believer who seeks to follow Christ as Lord and Savior
(Mt 4: 19; 16: 24; Lk 9: 23 – 25; Jn 10:4, 27; 12:26; Rev 14:4).
Man need to believe and trust this mercy by appreciating and embracing it.
This provision by God has further demonstrated that there is nothing impossible for God to do.
(1) Four main elements of faith:
(a) Faith means believing and trusting firmly in the crucified and risen Christ as our
personal Lord and Savior. It involves believing with all our hearts (
rom 6:17; Eph 6:6; Heb 10:22) , yielding up our wills and committing our total selves to Jesus Christ as he is revealed in the NT.
(b) Faith involves repentance, i.e., in true sorrow turning from sin (Act 17:30; 2Cor 7:10) and turning to God through Christ. Saving faith is always a repentant faith (Act 2:37-38)
(c) Faith includes
obedience to Jesus Christ and his Word as a way of life inspired by our faith, by our gratitude to God and by the regenerating work of the Spirit (John 3:3-6;14:15,21-24; Heb 5;8-9). It is an “obedience that comes from faith” (Rom 1:5). Therefore, faith and obedience belong inseparably together (cf. Rom 16:26). Saving faith without the commitment to sanctification is illegal and impossible.
(d) Faith includes a heartfelt personal devotion and attachment to Jesus Christ that expresses itself in trust, love, gratitude and loyalty. Faith in an ultimate sense cannot properly be distinguished from love. It is a personal activity of sacrifice and self-giving directed toward Christ (cf. Mt 22:37; John 21:15-17; Act 8:37; Rom 6:17; Gal 2:20; Eph 6:6; 1 Pet 1:8).
(2). When we believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we must maintain a continuing attitude that must grow and be strengthened.
We need to have faith in a definite person who died for us (Rom 4:25; 8:32; 1 Thes 5:9-10), our faith should become greater as we grow daily as Christians (Rom 4:20; 2Thes 1:3; 1Pet 1:3-9). Bigger temptations and trials needs bigger grace to withstand.
Our trust and obedience will develop into loyalty and our devotion develop into an intense feeling of personal attachment to and love for the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 1:21; 3:8-10) Our faith in Christ will bring us into a new relationship with God and exempts us from his wrath (Rom 1:18; 8:1); through this new relationship we become dead to sin (Rom 6:1-18) and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:5; 4:6).
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