God's Amazing Grace: A New Nature

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.   Ephesians 2:1-10 

In my prior blog entry (God's Amazing Grace: Election), I discussed the doctrine of election and grace.  Because I am Southern Baptist and because I believe in divine election and what is often referred to as the eternal security of the saints (once saved, always saved), I have often been accused of believing "you can't lose your salvation no matter what you do so you believe you can just run around sinning and doing what you want."

In theory, I would agree with that.  In THEORY.  Because IF I had truly been saved and regenerated by God's grace and I was capable of a life of violence and murder then I would still find myself in Heaven with God at the end of my life.  Now before you burn me at the stake, let me finish.  

The problem with that theory is the Bible makes it very clear that if we have truly come to salvation in Christ Jesus, a complete change in nature and spirit take place.  Our new spirit is encased with the old flesh, so we still struggle with the flesh and still sin (which does not negate salvation) but our nature and lifestyle cannot be the same as it was before He changed our nature.

Do you understand the implications and the importance of the doctrine of God's divine election?  Something amazing had to take place in our life for us to become a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Most High and Holy One.  Our nature has to totally change not just to follow Him but it has to change before we are even willing to accept the gift of grace and call out for forgiveness and seek a relationship with Him.  

Often it is taught that our salvation experience changes our nature and spirit and brings us to the relationship.  What is broken cannot repair itself.  What is dead cannot resurrect itself.  What is lost in darkness cannot find the light.  Only God has power over sin and death.  God chooses to have a relationship with His children and He changes our nature and our spirit to bring us to our salvation experience.

Paul explains in Ephesian 2 that we are saved by grace through faith and that neither the grace nor the faith come from us but that salvation is completely a work of God in our life.  When we understand that we don't earn salvation or "find God" it begins to change our perspective.  We begin to better understand the reason for our devotion to and worship of Jesus Christ.  

God's Amazing Grace: Election

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies"  Romans 8:28-33 (ESV).

We recently had a discussion in our Sunday School class about the doctrine of election and just what elections means.  Let me start off by saying this, we do not need to choke those we are sharing the Gospel message with nor new or less mature believers by trying to force feed them this doctrine.  Nor do we need to go to war with our brother's and sister's over this.

On the flip side, understanding God's sovereignty in salvation (which I like to refer to as Part One of His Amazing Grace) can be a source of strength, encouragement, and motivation, and can bring about a major change in perspective.  It is also vital that we speak truthfully about Scripture and what Scripture reveals about God and His plan. Today I just want to lay down the foundation for this monumental truth and provide an overview of this doctrine and a general defense for the doctrine of election.  We can take more time later to get deeper into the doctrine and its defense.

Romans 8 gives us the basic "flow" of salvation.  All too often today we teach this progression as someone tells you that you are a sinner and you need Christ...people keep hammering that idea into your heart...you finally realize you really are a sinner...you resist awhile longer...you finally give in to Christ...you ask for forgiveness and ask Him to "come into your heart"...He saves you.  That about sum it up?

What does Romans 8 say?  It says God foreknew...God predestined...God called...God justified...God glorified.  Who is central in the common "flow" we teach today?  The sinner and the witness.  Who is central in the Romans 8 flow?  God.

As we take a look at the actions God took in salvation, we realize that He did it all.  He foreknew us.  Scripture doesn't say that he foreknew that one day we would somehow "discover" Him or that someday we would decide to follow Him or someone would talk us into "asking Him into our heart."  He foreknew us.  When we speak of knowing God from other Scriptures we do not mean that we know Him in some sort of academic manner but that we have an intimate personal relationship with Him.  Foreknew carries the same meaning.  He established a personal intimate relationship with you personally before you were ever created.

Those who He foreknew and had an intimate relationship with, he predestined.  Predestine literally means to mark out, appoint or determine before.  What did God predestine His children for?  To be in the likeness of Christ.  And then after predestined comes called.  But notice who He called...those who He had predestined.  And once He placed the call in our life, He justified us and once justified we were glorified.  In other words, our salvation experience was not us "being saved" but it was our realization of what God had already done in our life.  It was the realization that before the foundations of the world were ever lain, God had knew us, marked us out, called us out, justified us, made us new and gave us a new heart and mind to accept His call.  

Bottom line...God's amazing grace is just that - amazing beyond comprehension and grace completely unmerited and undeserved.  The Bible says every man chooses to reject God and follow after his sinful desire, that not a single man seeks after God nor is he even able to seek God much less find him on his own.  Man is totally depraved, helpless, and hopeless...except for the fact that God in all of his power and glory and grace and mercy calls out His children and changes the heart and mind so no longer is it depraved and unable to believe and accept his gift of grace.  See the change in perspective?

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV)

This morning I wanted to share with you a verse that should no only remind us about the importance of life as we pray today for the Senate vote in hopes they will take additional steps to protect the unborn, but it should also remind you and I an as well how special we are God's eyes.

Do you feel alone today?  Do you feel no one understands you?  Or maybe that no one cares?  Do you feel ugly?  Feel broken or like an outcast?  

Psalm 139 says that you are not alone and that God is there in the womb and he remains ever present with his children through our lives.  It also says he knit us together just the way he wanted.  Sometimes our physical limitations and sickness are a tool God uses in the early ministry he gives us.  In our weakness, God is strong and gloried.

Take a moment today to pray for the unborn, for the mothers that have made the wrong choice and are broken because of the effects of abortion in her life, for the sick and the elderly, for those that feel alone and unwanted, for those who don't know the love of Christ.  As Christians, we are called to love, to have compassion on the broken-hearted and the lost, and to pray.

 

He has a plan for you

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:11-13 (ESV)