Where, then, is boasting?

There are some things in scripture and in God's plan that are so deeply spiritual they cut to the very core of who we are and how we think. Justification is one of these things. So many questions: How are we justified? Why are we justified? Why are we guilty before being justified? Can we boast that we are justified? 

That justice even exists in God's plan tells us one very important thing: it is needed. We are guilty. We are fallen. We are separated from God. Sin is the wall between us and our Maker. We cannot get to Him because He is Holy. And we are not. A debt must be paid for this wall of sin and it cannot come from us. 

Paul's letter to the Romans can be a bit confusing. The first 4 chapters are written to the Jews in Rome. Paul was addressing their misunderstanding about justification. They continued to think justification came by works, by status, and by obedience to the law. Paul declares the good news is much bigger now; much broader and wider than a handful of Jews. Sure, the Law came through them, the "Chosen" people. But now the grace of God extends even to the Gentiles, those not of Jewish descent. Now we are all God's Chosen people. Justification by the blood of Christ now reaches all who believe.

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. -3:21

It's super clear. But still, if you've been bragging your whole life about being a Jew you might have trouble. It might now even seem fair. You had the bloodline of Abraham before the blood of Christ. It was enough for your parents and their parents before them. And what about the tedious obedience to all those laws?!? Jews did that. Not Gentiles. Wait. What? Gentiles get a free pass?!? After all these years, decades and centuries even?! Now the Good News is getting personal. That is why Paul continues with this: 

27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 

There are some things in scripture and in God's plan that are so deeply spiritual they cut to the very core of who we are and how we think. Justification is one of these things.The Jews needed to hear that they were no better than the Gentiles because both are justified by faith in the blood of Christ. What about today? In the world we live in are there not those who think they are better than others? Maybe we are tempted to think like the Jews did, that maybe we are better than some other "types" of Christians. Yes. Unfortunately. Boasting is not excluded. But it should be. 

Is God the God of your church only? 

Is God the God of missionaries only? 

                      ... of worship leaders only?

                      ... of evangelists only? 

                      ... of the poor only?

Is God the God of the _______ only? 

The list could go on ... indefinitely. Just fill in the blank. 

If you have faith in Christ and in His blood, then, according to the Gospel laid out here in scripture, by the Spirit of God, you are justified!! Don't listen to those who tell you otherwise; those who place conditions on your salvation. There is only One condition. You are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb! -- not by works, by status, or by obedience to the law. 

Where, then, is boasting? 

Boasting is excluded because we are included by faith. 

"Who" Comes Before "What"; Love is a Great Motivator than Fear

This is the way that grace works. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why is it so vitally important for us to know "who" we are in Christ in order to effectively do "what" He commands us to do? The list of reasons is quite long but in my humble opinion, here are the top three. 

1. Love is a greater motivator than fear. 
2. Adoption yields a new name AND a new life entirely. 
3. Death on a cross was a means to an end.

LOVE IS A GREATER MOTIVATOR THAT FEAR

First, love is a greater motivator than fear. In fact, love is the greatest motivator in all the universe. Want to find the desire to "do" more for God? Just meditate on His love for you for a while. Want to feel more secure as a Christian? Just think about what God really thinks of you for a bit. Want some motivation to access the power of God to overcome sin, and live a life of freedom? Just plunge yourself into the wonderful depths of the love of God. But try to scare yourself into these and there awaits nothing but failure. True, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." That's just it: it's the beginning. But knowing and accepting the full glory of God's love for you -- that is the the completion.

"Love" appears over 650 times in the Bible, while "fear" is found 252 times. Of the 252, only 45 of those are in the NT. So the concept of fear is mostly found in the Old Covenant. But get this, "Christ" is found 499 times in the Bible. The word Love is the most common and just about tied with Christ. Related to love, "grace" is used 123 times, and "mercy" 121. It becomes very clear when reading all of these that God intends for us to really know His LOVE and feel it deeply. God wants to have a relationship of LOVE with us. He does not want a relationship of fear with us any more than we would want that sort of relationship with our friends, our spouse, or our children. Love is a greater motivator than fear. When we feel loved by a person we desire to be with them, to please them, and to tie those bonds tighter. But fear does just the opposite of love.

Fear breaks down our motivation to press into a deeper relational unity. Fear of judgment is fine. We should fear judgement. A Judgment "Day" is coming and that is true. But fear of God and fear of God's judgment are two different things. Here's what I mean. My children do not fear "me." They fear the punishment which I will give them should they misbehave. This is an important distinction. What they feel from me is -- day in and day out -- love, as displayed in my continual praise for their good deeds; constant affection in the form of hugs, kisses, and cuddling; and, of course, me telling them, "I love you." They feel love and thus they want to please me. Of course they fail and then they are corrected. But following every correction is a loving embrace, as well as a further explanation of my love for them, my complete and unconditional forgiveness, and especially by complete acceptance of who they are as my child. As they grow into this identity as my child and feel the love from my heart they are motivated to please me.

This is the same in our relationship with our Father. He IS our Father you know. Father, as in the same Father which Christ called "Abba" Father. And we too call him Abba Father, for He is the only perfect father in our lives. And what is this perfection? Think about it. Imagine a perfect Father. Image a perfect response to every failure, every shortfall, every sin, in fact imagine a Father's perfect response to your very core being -- who you really are. That perfect response is exactly what you get from God, our Father. God is LOVE. That love is complete. We can do nothing to increase nor decrease that love. Let me say that again: We can do NOTHING to increase nor decrease God's love for us. God's love is already maxed out for us! Did you know that? His perfect love is ours if we fully accept it. But there are so many barriers to our fully receiving God's love.

One of the barriers to receiving God's perfect love is certainly an unhealthy fear of God. Love is a greater motivator than fear. If you don't believe me try a little experiment. Read all the passages about God's love and spend a week meditating on God's complete love. Ask the Spirit to help you. At the end of the week or so see if there is more of the fruit of His Spirit, and more motivation to please God. Then remember that we aim to please Him not because there is anything we can do to increase nor decease His love for us, nor earn our salvation in any way possible. We only aim to please Him because He first loved us. And oh, how great is that love!!!  If we really take enough time to let this love pour into us we would do nothing short of shout it from the mountaintops! 

Who are we? 
We are the loved children of God. 

Who are we in Christ? We are everything He says we are and, as a result, we are so much more ready to do His will.

"What" we do for God comes from knowing "Who" we are in Him. 

"Who" comes before "what." 

This is the way that grace works.

~~~~~~~
Two more ways "Who" comes before "What." 

1. Adoption yields a new name AND a new life entirely. then...
2. Death on a cross was a means to an end.

God’s Plan of Salvation Starts with God's Sacrifice for US [from Bible.org]

The following is a copy of God’s Plan of Salvation from http://bible.org/article/gods-plan-salvation. Although I believe there is an ongoing growth in the Spirit, specifically in the fruits of the Spirit, that come from obeying God's commandments to LOVE, forgive, etc., this is the beginning point of all of it. The scriptures below are not taken out of context. They mean what they mean -- God DID in fact send His SON to die FOR our sins. This is the starting point of our faith. Without this believe there is no start. So I encourage you to read the Bible for yourself. Don't just take your church leader's word for it. (He might be teaching a form of salvation by works  and you will only know it if you do your own study). You have the SAME Holy Spirit that he does. And the same Holy Spirit can and will speak to you directly! 
~~~~~~

God's Plan of Salvation: 

1 John 5:11-12 And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

This passage tells us that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son, Jesus Christ. In other words, the way to possess eternal life is to possess God’s Son. The question is, how can a person have the Son of God?

Man’s Problem

Separation From God

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

According to Romans 5:8, God demonstrated His love for us through the death of His Son. Why did Christ have to die for us? Because Scripture declares all men to be sinful. To “sin” means to miss the mark. The Bible declares “all have sinned and fall short of the glory (the perfect holiness) of God” (Rom. 3:23). In other words, our sin separates us from God who is perfect holiness (righteousness and justice) and God must therefore judge sinful man.

Habakkuk 1:13a Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, And Thou canst not look on wickedness with favor.

The Futility of Our Works

Scripture also teaches that no amount of human goodness, human works, human morality, or religious activity can gain acceptance with God or get anyone into heaven. The moral man, the religious man, and the immoral and non-religious are all in the same boat. They all fall short of God’s perfect righteousness. After discussing the immoral man, the moral man, and the religious man in Romans 1:18-3:8, the Apostle Paul declares that both Jews and Greeks are under sin, that “there is none righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:9-10). Added to this are the declarations of the following verses of Scripture:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.

Titus 3:5-7 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Romans 4:1-5 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,

No amount of human goodness is as good as God. God is perfect righteousness. Because of this, Habakkuk 1:13 tells us God cannot have fellowship with anyone who does not have perfect righteousness. In order to be accepted by God, we must be as good as God is. Before God, we all stand naked, helpless, and hopeless in ourselves. No amount of good living will get us to heaven or give us eternal life. What then is the solution?

God’s Solution

God is not only perfect holiness (whose holy character we can never attain to on our own or by our works of righteousness) but He is also perfect love and full of grace and mercy. Because of His love and grace, He has not left us without hope and a solution.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

This is the good news of the Bible, the message of the gospel. It’s the message of the gift of God’s own Son who became man (the God-man), lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sin, and was raised from the grave proving both the fact He is God’s Son and the value of His death for us as our substitute.

Romans 1:4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Romans 4:25 He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

How Do We Receive God’s Son?

Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross, the Bible states “He that has the Son has life.” We can receive the Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior by personal faith, by trusting in the person of Christ and His death for our sins.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, {even} to those who believe in His name. 

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

This means we must each come to God the same way: (1) as a sinner who recognizes his sinfulness, (2) realizes no human works can result in salvation, and (3) relies totally on Christ alone by faith alone for our salva-tion.

Another Gospel? Is Justification by Works Still Taught in ChurchesToday?

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all. vs. 6-7

In his letter to the church in Galatia Paul takes dead aim at the legalism of the Jews calling it "a different gospel." The issue? They were teaching the Gentiles they had to be justified by works. They were turning from the blood of Christ to something that was no gospel at all. They promoted a justification by works instead of the Christ-centered gospel of grace. In chapter two Paul writes, 

“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. -vs.15-16

It's plain and simple: a person is not justified by works. This is in keeping with many, many other scriptures. Paul continues...

So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

It is by faith in Christ and not "by the works" of the law that we are made right with God. It seems so easy. But is justification by works still taught today in churches? Unfortunately, yes. 

There are many churches today which teach "another Gospel," one that leads people astray into insecurity or self-righteousness. Insecurity takes root in the heart when he or she thinks they are not doing enough to please God. Self-righteousness comes when they think they have done enough. 

Any and every "gospel" that does not rely solely on the atonement of sin by the blood of Christ is by nature a works-based gospel. And, honestly, these performance-orientated gospels are not gospels at all, because gospel means "good news." There is no good news to the idea that what you do somehow makes you right with God. So where does this corrupt thinking come from?

The works-based teaching in churches comes from two places: 

1. A distortion of scriptures
2. A need to control or manipulate people

The most common abuse of scripture is when a proof text takes place in order to support the teacher's previously held opinions about works. This teacher most often fails to place the single scripture in the wider context. Here's an example: 

In chapter one, Peter's letter reads: 

¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 

Stopping right here the teacher might note that the Father judges our works. He might begin to build a case for works based on this one passage, failing to read on to very next verse: 

¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  

The true gospel is clear -- that we were indeed "redeemed...with the precious blood of Christ." This redemption, this true gospel, is the primary theme of the entire new testament. Furthermore, that a Messiah would come and be a perfect sacrifice for our sins is prophesied over and over throughout the old testament. Truly, someone who teaches that we are somehow justified by what we do must distort and ignore a great number of passages in the Bible. This leads to manipulation and spiritual abuse. 

The only motive that a teacher has for promoting a works-based "gospel" is in order to manipulate and control people. Since the teaching that we are justified by works leaves the soul devoid of true Joy in the Lord, as well as leaves the spirit still dead in sin, the teacher has no choice but to increase the false-teachings in order to promote fear. This was the case with the Jews in Galatia. And, unfortunately, it's still the case today where fear is used to keep people from leaving "the church." 

But are we really ever justified by works? No. 

On the contrary -- what we "do" should be the result of what we "believe" by faith. Grace leads to works. Because we have been justified freely by God's grace we desire to please Him; to labor for His Kingdom. The proper motivation is the response we have to the free gift He gives us. We do not work to earn the gift. It's a gift! This allows us to live by faith in the Son of God...

¹⁹ “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Christ did NOT die for nothing! Christ died for YOU. Christ died for ME! He shed His blood by choice when he could have called on a vast angelic host to rescue Him. Instead, he willingly walked a road of pain and humility, of torture and abandonment. He did this for one reason and to prove one thing --- GRACE! 

For God so loved the world that He gave...  

Circumcision? Fill in the Blank...Galatians 5 Experiment

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.

This passage in Galatians is one of my favorites. It comes packaged in a wonderful context. Paul is pleading with the new believers to not let the religious pull them back into a wrong way of thinking and acting. Paul's aim is to keep them from falling away from God's grace. He charges them with "make sure you stay free," making it clear that 

1. there is a real danger coming from the religious, who in this case "infiltrated" their ranks to "spy on the freedom we have in Christ and make us slaves" (Gal. 2:4).
2. it is every believer's job to work at not falling back into works.

Here's a little fill-in-the-blank exercise. Look at where the word "circumcision" and "circumcised" appear in the above passage. Read it carefully. Then, read it again and replace "circumcision" and "circumcised" with the following words or phrases: 

• "good works" and "a good person"
• "studying your Bible" and "a diligent Bible student"
• "spiritual gifts" and "a spirit-filled, power house"
• "being in the right church" and "in the right church"
• "church leadership" and "favored by your church's leadership"
• "having a perfect family" and "perfect parent"
• [add your own here]

For example: If you are counting on being in the right church to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. 

The danger coming from the religious still exists today. I once heard of a pastor who taught (from this passage, I assume) in his church that the members should NOT circumcise. I think he missed the point. In verse 6 Paul puts it plainly: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value." The point is don't do ANYTHING that would make you a (spiritual) slave again to "the law." The law is represented here as anything that takes the place of righteousness coming through Christ and Christ alone. We died to the law so that we might belong to God in a more perfect way and that we might bear fruit (Rom 7:4). It is "in Christ Jesus" that we are made right with God and set free from the righteousness that comes from the law. So you could even reword verse two this way, 

"Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves [BE CONVINCED NOT TO] be circumcised [IN ORDER TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD], Christ will be of no value to you at all.

Sorry, but I really think that Pastor missed it, and likely confused the spiritual snot out of his church! 

So what should we do if we find in our hearts that we are in some way replacing righteousness that comes from being in Christ with some form of work or right thinking outside of Christ? 

• Stop listening to that voice in your head telling you you're not good enough. 

Stop thinking this way and stop living this way. If you think you are not good enough and that you must do something MORE before you can have God's grace through Christ then that thought is NOT from God. It makes no sense when we read the scriptures. Nor does it make sense if we listen to the Spirit in our hearts. There is nothing we can DO to earn salvation. It's GRACE by which we are saved, through faith. 

• Stop listening to those who teach or promote, either directly or indirectly, a works-based righteousness. OR... study the scriptures for yourself and challenge him or her.

I've seen and known many a teacher who promoted a works-based gospel after proof-texting one or two scriptures in the Bible. But read the WHOLE Bible. The  whole plan of God is found wrapped up in the actions of Christ. The Gospel is God-centered. Not man-centered. 

Think about this. What if a person were to find himself stranded on an island with no knowledge of "Christianity" as we know it but then found a Bible in a coconut tree? (Hey, you can do whatever you want with hypotheticals!) Then the began to read it. Do you really think they would come away with "I must earn my salvation"???? 

No way!

Here's the bottom line, one which I think Paul is getting at: We work for God as a RESULT of knowing He who died for us and that He made us right with Himself by His own blood. The more we know and love HIM the more we produce fruit for Him. And never along the way do we get the glory, because it's all to Him who died for me. 

One last thought: If you are wondering if your church or your pastor teaches a works-based gospel (or even a works-slanted gospel) don't be afraid to ask your leaders the tough questions: 

1. Do you believe that no one can come to the Father but through Jesus Christ? (John 14:6; Ac 4:12; 1 Jn 2:23)
2. Do you believe that there is any way possible to earn a better place with God through good works or anything we may do?
3. If you died today are you sure of your own salvation?

Your challenging the teaching of salvation by works might change your own life and the lives of several others, including your Pastor. And remember, you would NOT be the first one to challenge it. Paul did it! And he was filled with the very same Spirit as you!  

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.” 1 Peter 2:15-16 NIV

Grace Received? Grace to Give!

After doing a search for "grace" in Biblegateway.com I'm thrilled to see such a variety of uses. (You can do this search and your own study, too! Don't let someone else tell you what the Bible says. Read it! It's awesome and will change your life!!)  One thing jumped off the screen into my lap this morning. The whole point of understanding and receiving the grace of God is so that we can give the same grace to others. We can talk and write about grace but if we are not "gracious" ourselves our testimony is null and void. If we cannot love others with the same unconditional love with which the Father loves us then we should not speak of grace. First, we receive grace:

Acts 15:11 We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Romans 3:24 ...and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

...to name a few. All three of these (and most of the others in the NT) are from the Greek work khar'-ece, which is defined in Strongs as "graciousness, of manner or act, especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude."

We are indeed saved by Grace and not by works so that NO one can boast (Eph 2:8-9). There's no way in the universe to be saved from our sins other than the redemptive blood shed at Calvary. No effort, no action, no work can justify us. WE are saved by grace. And this is of vital importance. If we do not begin here; if we begin with any form or works-righteousness, whether subtle or blatant, we will miss the application which is "Grace to give." If we do not feel and even OWN the belief that we are saved by the effort, action, and work of Christ alone then we will be more likely to judge, condemn, ridicule, and slander others. WE will have little or no grace to give. Our ability to cover another person with grace is directly proportional to our own understanding of being covered by God's grace. Let me repeat that: Our ability to cover another person with grace is directly proportional to our own understanding of being covered by God's grace. That's how we have grace to give. 

Grace to give:

Luke 2:40And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Acts 13:43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.

A man (and a woman) can be known to be "full of God's grace" just as was Stephen. Christ Himself was "filled" with the grace of God.  ARE we known to be full of God's grace? Were the Apostles known to be full of God's grace? Yes indeed. The GRACE (khar'-ece) was "SO" powerfully at work in them all. Oh, yes. This IS the same greek work as in those three verses above: "graciousness, of manner or act, especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude."  

So first we receive God's grace in the form of redemption from sins and we receive eternal life through the actions of God in Christ. We are justified by God's grace. How do we know all of this? "Through faith." We must believe it. If you struggle to believe, ask God for more faith. He loves that prayer, and will answer with a resounding yes. Ask Him. You'll see. If you've been taught something other than we are "saved by grace through faith" then ask God to undo the false teaching in your life and replace it with HIS Truth which appears in scripture and which will testify  in your heart by the Spirit. You'll know the grace of God as it grows in you. And like the Spring flowers after a long winter you will come alive! 

Second, "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."  We should not think we understand the Father's grace if we are not also filled with grace. (This is so deeply convicting even as I study this for I have so far to go.) What about the Apostles? Their lives were not marked by their intellect, leadership, and lectures. They were known for their grace. Grace for every occasion, every person, everyday. The "great power" of the Apostles was a power to be filled up with God's grace and to overflow to others. But forget about the apostles for a minute. That was a long time ago. What about you and me? Are we working through the power of God's grace?

• Do we have grace for the one who disagrees with us? 
• Do we have grace for the person who hurt us? 
• Do we have grace for the struggling believer?
• Do we have grace for the person who slanders us?  
• Do we have grace for the faulty church? 
• Do we have grace for the legalists? 
• Do we have grace for the modern pharisees? 
• De we have grace for the sinners and the saints alike?
• Do we have grace for ourselves? 

If our lives are not marked by Grace; if we are not filled with the power of Grace; then we likely don't understand the Grace which God has freely given. Fortunately, it's never too late to learn. God LOVES to help us grow in our understanding of His grace. All we need to do is ask.

His love will overcome. 

Prove by the way that you live...

4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize,* he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire."
"Prove by the way we live..."
Prove by who we honor, Christ or men, or a man.
Prove by what we say about people behind their backs.
Prove by how we treat people who are different than ourselves.
Prove by how we respond to those who disagree with us.
Prove by making the choice to love no matter what the consequence may be to our future.
Jesus proved that sort of love.
"Prove by the way we live..."
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For a fantastic book check out Accidental Pharisee by Larry Osbourne. I'm on chapter four now and deeply convicted.
Conviction is a very good thing when it leads to repentance and grace. God help me.
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Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith
Larry Osborne
$14.99 $10.19
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