The Grace For Salvation Series

UNDERSTANDING THE GRACE OF GOD

The grace for salvation

THE TWO MAIN DEFINITION OF GRACE

In lesson 1 of this series, we defined what grace is and also learnt that Grace is like a two-sided coin. The grace of God involves more than the dimension of it simply being God's unmerited favor and unconditional love towards us. It is also God's divine enabling through His Spirit. Through God's grace we are enabled to cope with whatever adversity, trial, or dilemma we face in a godly manner. We are equipped by His grace to perform the spiritual tasks He gives us to do. This second aspect of God’s grace is also the kind of grace we will need to properly function and operate in whatever He is going to call us to do for Him in this life. This same kind of divine power is also needed in our sanctification in the Lord, along with being needed to help us overcome different types of sins and temptations.(we will cover more of this in lesson 3) In this lesson however, we will focus on the first aspect of Grace, which is the grace for salvation.

ALL HAVE SINNED

Scripture tells us that all people sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and that we deserve death (Romans 6:23). As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understand there is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they h together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. " (Romans 3:10-12 )

But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

But in His lovingkindness and mercy, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us and take upon himself the punishment that we deserve. Romans 4:24-25 says that righteousness “will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

Paul writes in Romans 5:8, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The grace of God did not come at a time when we had everything together, No, grace comes to us when we are broken and can offer nothing in return. “Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering, and brokenness.” We come to God with nothing in our hands to offer but our brokenness and sin, and He gladly takes it and gives to us new life as His child.

POWER VERSES FOR SALVATION

In these verses are complete and full revelation on exactly what our eternal salvation in the Lord is really all about. If you can grasp what the Lord is trying to tell you in these specific verses, you will then be able to walk away with a much better and clearer understanding as to who you really are in your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and exactly how you were saved in the first place.

These 16 verses all have to do with our own personal salvation in the Lord. Each one of these are major power verses and they all have to do with the first definition of grace – which is that grace is the unmerited favor and mercy of God towards mankind. As you read and meditate upon these scriptures, may you be established in faith in Jesus name.

• “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)

• “… who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” (2 Timothy 1:9)

• “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.” (Romans 11:6)

• “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)

• “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men …” (Titus 2:11)

• “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” (Acts 15:11)

• “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)