Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
As participants in the greatest of dispensations so far, the age of grace, otherwise known as the Church Age, what is God’s expectation of us as His children? We can call to mind some of the 613 Mosaic Laws, which by the sheer quantity of these laws invokes an overwhelming sense of helplessness, and yet because of the cross of Christ we find relief. We know we do not have to keep these many laws to walk in God’s favor because Jesus Christ fulfilled the law. When we reflect on the reality that we are free of the rigid civil, ceremonial and worship guidelines the Old Testament believer faced, we rejoice that we were born in this time after the resurrection of Christ.
We know the Law was good in that it demonstrated to mankind two basic things; the holiness of God and the coming Redeemer; that it was placed on one group of people, the Jews, and one individual nation, Israel. These laws governed the Old Testament believer’s testimony with God and mankind. You could not walk with God unless you kept these laws and if you broke one you had to offer up a sacrifice to cover it.
Unlike Israel, which was originally ordained to function as a theocratic kingdom with God’s orders passed down through prophets, we have no such relationship with God today. No priests stand daily taking our prayer requests and offering up sacrifices to God on our behalf. We are our own priest and we have a different kind of governing power, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit who calls on us to learn the word of God and obey it.
So how does grace govern the N.T. believers walk with God, with fellow believers and with the lost world?
1. We are going to look at what governs these three aspects of the Christian way of life. I believe we would have less hang-ups with #1 God, # 2 fellow believers and # 3 the lost if we had a good understanding of what it means to live the grace life. If we understand the expectations of God in these three relationship areas we will not be guilt ridden, or sin ridden as those who are ignorant of the word of God. We will also not be guilty of imposing our brand of holiness on others.
2. We will look at the difference between positional grace and practicing grace, in other words can we put into practice the grace attitude of life to which we have been positioned in Jesus Christ? We are saved by grace, but are we living by grace?
Grace, which is the unmerited favor of God, provides for every believer:..
1. Salvation - Eph.2:5,8-9; Rom.5:20
2. Eternal security - Eph.1:7; I Pet.1:5; Jude 24
3. Guidance for daily living - Eph.1:7-8; II Pet.3:18
For sure, we understand the first two grace provisions of salvation and eternal security; that we do not work to earn salvation and we do not work to keep our salvation. But most believers may not understand grace in terms of the third aspect as a provider of guidance. The Bible along with the indwelling Holy Spirit are all given by grace. God did not have to give us his will, his wisdom, and his words in written form, but he did thus grace does provide non-meritoriously, instruction for daily living.
It is with this third grace provision that we will find out how God intends for us to relate to him, to believers, and to non-believers.
Legalists would have us keep some kind of grace-law blend of theirs; some personal taboos with a mix of Bible truth and personal taste. They would seek to enforce these standards by peer pressure, and passive forms of intimidation so the rest of us would walk in lock-step with them. Just as the Jews insisted the early Christian men must become circumcised to be saved, Acts 15:1, so do men today insist you have to be baptized to be saved, or you have to run an aisle to be truly saved; you have to speak in tongues to be saved or you have to feel something or do something plus the cross to be saved and to keep your salvation. The Catholics teach progressive justification through works and compliance to the Catholic doctrine, the Armenians teach conditional justification, but the Bible teaches instant eternal justification which is secured totally by the work of God on behalf of the repentant sinner receiving Christ as Savior and Lord.
Your relationship with God is eternally secure and because it is your life can focus on living for the Lord. He loves you 24/7. He is with you 24/7. He cares for you 24/7 and he will never let you go. The more Bible truth you take in, the more of this relationship you understand. The more you know about God’s word the more you love him and your Savior, Jesus Christ. This is why I go on and on about the importance of being in a sound Bible teaching church where the perception of God’s word comes first, but this is also why so many miss out on the blessings of God because they do not see the importance of learning the word of God. So many believers think church is a place to perform to get God’s attention; to earn his favor and they are so far from the truth. I pray that you will be here next week and the week after that to learn just how wonderful God is.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.