User:GraceAloneNotWorks

GRACE ALONE NOT WORKS For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:Not of works, lest any man should boast. [KJVEphesians 2:8 & 9]

While once again large portions of the western world gear up for another frenetic Christmas holiday period I can't help but wonder just how many people will actually ponder on the Christ for whom Christmas was named.

As we exchange gifts of varying quality and value I once again stand in awe of the greatest gift of all, Salvation by Grace Alone. Christianity is the only belief system that doesn't require mankind to work for eternal salvation. I challenge you to study every other belief system and prove me wrong.

Until then I will just bask in the warmth of a loving and merciful God who "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men"(Phil 2:7). Why would He do this? The simple answer is that He who knew no sin became sin for us. Did we need a Saviour? Well take an honest look around you at the world today and ask yourself if we are not in great need of redemption from every kind of depravity you can think of. Only a holy sinless mediator could pay the price. On our best day we don't fare so well in the sinless stakes. Even the best of us have a propensity to self interest in most of our actions and reactions.

Thus I rest in the Grace of God knowing I cannot work my way into Heaven. Of course there are certain prerequisites for entering into the presence of a holy God. There is a need to see ourselves for who we are... sinners in need of a Saviour. There is also a need for repentance, a complete and conscious turning away from who we are, a Godly sorrow for ignoring so great a gift for so long, and a turning to the Lord thus establishing our relationship and then desiring for an ongoing fellowship (friendship) with Him.

The wonderful thing is that it requires so very little from us yet it required everything from Him.

Thank you Lord for your free gift of salvation. Thank you for loving the unlovely of whom I am chief.

ADDENDA The message on this page is perhaps a little to simple for some; therefore I recommend you take a look at these pages listed below for greater depth. 1. Sole Fide or justification by faith. [] 2. A snippet on Divine Grace. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_grace 3. This page has a great deal of information but worth a read when you have time. []

It would pay to take a look at Repentance. []