THE GRACE LIFE

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by Grace ye are Saved;) Ephesians 2:5
By Whom also we have access by Faith into this Grace wherein We Stand, and Rejoice in Hope of the Glory of G-d. Romans 5:2

Divine Grace is not of human origin, that is, it does not in any way originate from Man, or from any of Mans' efforts, either before or after Salvation.
One of the most difficult things, if not the most difficult, is for Believers to realize that All Grace and All Good comes from G-d alone through Jesus Christ alone and not from himself. Man seeks his own credit before G-d based on his own works. It can never be. This has simply never been, is not now and will never be acceptable to G-d.
The only Work that G-d Respects is the Work of Jesus Christ on the cross. No human work can be substituted for His Work.

FALSE TEACHING ABOUT GRACE

Because Grace is Central to the Believers' Life, we should expect to find many false teachings concerning Grace, and that we do. Here are some:

Humanism is the greatest threat to Grace thinking.
All Humanistically-based Systems try to resurrect Dead Works by denying in whole or in part Adams' Fall.[1]
The teaching of Conditional Salvation is the greatest threat to Grace within the Churches, because it always rejects Grace at some point.
Christian Humanism is also found to be a great threat to Grace teaching within the Churches.
Antinomian (the "no Law" crowd) teaching can also threaten Grace Maturity. They overlook I John 3:4.

Because of Grace we are Made Holy and Righteous and not because of anything we have done, or ever could do.
Self-righteous Man, proud of his own works, cannot understand this, so he boasts in his works and/or keeps on "working" for his "salvation". He either becomes self-assured of his importance, or keeps on trying to "earn" G-ds' favor.[2]
Man devises various works-righteousness systems to accomadate proud religious man. None of them Eternally Save.

MORE FOLLOWING SOON!

Translations:

PEOPLE OF G-D MINISTRIES

Copyright 2003 People of G-d Inc. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or redistribution without Written Permission and Consent of People of G-d Inc.

FOOTNOTES

[1]While the teaching was present within the Assemblies to some extent, it never became ta threat to the Churches as a whole until the 5th Century A.D. and Pelagius whom Augustine refuted.
[2] The unsaved Man does have a conscience. The conscience of the unsaved can experience guilt if he has violated his own norms and standards. These norms and standards can be introduced by his family and friends, a church or religious institution or even political groups.
When an individual is convicted in his conscience that he has violated accepted norms and standards of the group, guilt or shame can be induced. The conscience of the ones not taught about True Grace can be directed toward easing their guilt feelings by doing certain human works, thus "feeling relieved" by "paying" for the "offense". The individual receives the acceptance by the group again, and he is declared "ok". This is sometimes known as "Self-Atonement". If the "payment" seems insufficient for the "offense", in some manifestations, it can lead to Masochism to be "punished" for the "offenses".
This results in attempts to create or follow a "self-atoning salvation by works" System. Dependance at any point on "self", simply makes self the atoner at that point. "Human responsibility" is exalted and ones that can induce the most guilt in others, thus teaching "the System" well, are promoted to "teachers" or "evangelists" who in turn direct converts more and more toward human works to "remedy their woes". Woes that most times have been brought about by rejecting Grace in the first place.
Once an individual accepts this sort of teaching, any number of "do's and don'ts" syatems or "emotional relief programs" can many times be easily introduced. These programs or systems may serve to relieve the conscience temporarily, or bring a sense of joy to a guilty conscience because of obedience, but because they are not of True Grace, they are only temporary solutions and must be repeated over and over again, many times more "seriously" than before to try to become "more spiritual". It never works, literally.
There is of course, no Eternal Salvation, True Spirituality or permanent "increase in spirituality" found anywhere in these works-righteousness systems be they never so admired, imitated or "respectable".

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND CREDITS

Augustine, Aurelius. Contra Pelagius.
Edwards, Jonathan. Veritas Redux. 1707.
Luther, Martin. Bondage of the Will. 1526.
The Council of Orange. 529 A.D.