What Grace Is, and What Grace Is Not
by Kenny Batson With the various teachings today in Christendom, there is no other option that Christians have than to base every conclusion, for life and theology, from the Bible, and the Bible alone. This short summary is being put together for people who desire to serve God with their whole hearts. Only those who desire to love and honor Jesus Christ more than family, friends, loved ones, and even life itself, will be able to receive the truth of this short summary on what grace is and what grace is not. You will be given Scripture and explanation for the following points. If you desire to understand truth, then God will reveal to you His truth from His Word. Merely reading this paper is not sufficient for understanding grace, you must be willing to humble yourself to God, get into the Bible, pray, and study for yourself to receive the full measure of the heart of God. *What Grace Is Not* There are many misunderstandings in the Church today concerning various fundamental truths of the Scriptures. The reason for this is that Christians in Church today refuse to read or study their Bibles. One of the biggest misunderstandings is what grace is and what grace is not. Here are some points for you to meditate on. Grace is not God’s forgiveness
Grace is not merely unmerited favor from God
*What Grace Is* It is no small matter to misunderstand grace. The New Testament forewarns us that in the last days there will be false teachers who will teach falsehoods about grace. This is said specifically in the book of Jude verse 4: “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ”. The New International Version translates it this way: “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Lastly, the Living Bible paraphrase puts the same verse this way: “I say this because some godless teachers have wormed their way in among you, saying that after we become Christians we can do just as we like without fear of God's punishment. The fate of such people was written long ago, for they have turned against our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” It is clear that you and I need to understand the truth about grace. Grace is the unmerited power over sin for salvation.
[1] All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted. [2] New International Version. [3] See attachment “Defining Different Types of Grace.” |
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