Biblical Grace

"Any concept of grace that makes us feel more comfortable sinning is not Biblical grace. God's grace never encourages us to live in sin, on the contrary, it empowers us to say no to sin and yes to truth." ~Randy Alcorn

By God's grace, He offers us the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins. Because of God's grace, we receive what we do not deserve: eternal life in heaven, redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation, freedom from sin and death, Christ's righteousness, and adoption into God's family. No words can adequately describe the depth and magnitude of God’s grace. Nothing can compare to God’s grace. The more we realize how wretched we are, the more we understand, appreciate, and embrace God’s grace.

Excuse to Sin? Absolutely Not!
God’s grace is greater than all our sin, guilt, and shame. However, it is not an excuse for us to do whatever we want. Grace is meant to justify the sinner, but some misuse it to justify their sins. Biblical grace says: "Go and sin no more", not "Go on living the way you have been since all your sins are forgiven anyway."

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2)

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)
 
By God’s grace, we are set free from being slaves to sin so that we may do “every good work” that God calls us to do.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2: 8-10)

"Grace in no way frees us from the pursuit of holiness. In truth, grace is given to us to make it holy living possible. Imagine holy living as a high wire that you must walk across. One slip and you tumble, forever lost, into the chasm below. But now Jesus stretches a safety net across the chasm. When you slip, you fall into the safety net of grace, acknowledge your mistake, and climb back on the high wire--all the while with Jesus helping and supporting you." (~Jon Walker) Living under grace and living in obedience to God go hand in hand. If we live for self and choose to do whatever feels good, we abuse grace.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus 2:11-14)


You're invited to share your thoughts about the quote above (by Randy Alcorn) on your blog and then link up your post here. To learn more about "In Other Words"(what it's about, how it works, and how it originated), visit here.
 
This post is also linked up with Faith-filled Friday @Beholding Glory, Spiritual Sundays, Sharing His Beauty @The Beauty in His Grip, Playdates with God at The Wellspring, and "Hear It, Use It" @Graceful.