The Wednesday Word

 

Are You a Grace Believer? Part 2

by D.G  Miles McKee

 
We are looking at some of the marks of the Grace Believer. Continuing from last time, we want to notice that,
 
7)  Grace Believers are confident of God's past, present and future grace, yet they refuse to make a practice of abusing that grace.  Grace, not Law, teaches them to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. Grace, not law, teaches them to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (Titus 2:11-12).
 
8)  Grace Believers are learning to not get discouraged with their performance. Instead, they are learning to focus on Christ and His performance on their behalf.  One of the Grace Believer’s theme songs could be;

“It is finished!” yes, indeed,
Finished, every jot;
Believer, this is all you need,
Tell me, is it not?”
 
9) Grace Believers are humbled by the continual reality that, in themselves, they are wretches. Because of this, they discover they have no room to practice arrogance and pride. As Augustus Toplady, the author of the hymn Rock of Ages wrote in his diary on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1767, “Upon a review of the past year, I desire to confess, that my unfruitfulness has been exceedingly great; my sins still greater; and God's mercies greater than both.” That man was a Grace Believer.
 
10) The Grace Believer holds that love for the Lord and service to Him do not arise from obligation. On the contrary, Grace Believers know that we love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19) and demonstrated that love in His doing, dying and rising again.  Devotion to the Lord comes through the gospel.  Our everlasting hope was hung upon the cross and executed.  In His finished work is all our acceptance before God. No contributions from us are needed!
 
11) The Grace Believer does not believe that blessings come as the result of our acts of consecration to God. That is to reverse God’s order.  That is to teach law and not gospel. The Legalist makes man's blessing depend on his personal dedication and devotion.  Also, the legalist insists that the more we consecrate ourselves to God, the greater will be our blessing.  According to this scheme, we move the hand of God by our works. To think like this, however, is to remove ourselves from the enjoyments of gospel blessings.  This is to cease to look to Christ alone as our source of blessings and only acceptance with God.
 
12) The Grace Believer knows that grace has not made him a debtor.  Consequently, Grace Believers do not try to repay a debt of grace they sometimes feel they owe. The Grace Believer holds that God, in giving His grace, did not put us into any contract with accompanying clauses and conditions.

To Conclude; It is grace that saves and grace alone.  It is faith alone which receives that grace.  It is Christ alone who is the source of that grace (John 15:4).  However, Grace Believers are not in debt.  We do not serve God because we feel we owe Him something.  We serve Him because we love Him, and we love Him because He first loved us.

“If close to the Lord you would cleave,
Depend on His promise alone;
His righteousness would you receive,
Then learn to renounce all your own;
The faith of a Christian indeed
Is more than mere notion or whim;
United to Jesus, his head,
He draws life and virtue from Him.
 
This God is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable friend,
Whose love is as large as His power,
And neither knows measure nor end;
’Tis Jesus, the first and the last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We’ll praise Him for all that is past,
And trust Him for all that’s to come.
-Joseph Hart
 
And that’s the Gospel Truth!

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