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                                                        FAITH & GRACE

   Of all of the fundamental doctrines of the faith, certainly two of the most widely written about and most recognizable doctrines of the New Testament have got to be the doctrines of Grace and Faith. We will attempt to come to some kind of reasonable agreement as to what the Bible definitions of these two doctrines are and what they mean to the Christian today.

                                                          I. GRACE  

                                     (The unmerited, divine favor of God)

A. (Ephesians 2:4-10) The Bible not only teaches us that it takes these two great doctrines to ensure our eternal salvation, but through these few Scriptures we see several characteristics that are contained in the doctrine of Grace; any time we find Grace in the Scriptures it usually comes with a full package containing faith, mercy, love, and kindness.. This marvelous gift from God is undeserved and given freely to us by God. Unfortunately, many people today do not believe in the “free” gift that God wants to give us because they still believe they have to somehow “earn” their way to heaven.

B. (Mathew 5:43-48) In these few scriptures we notice something that sometimes escapes the normal reader of the Bible, in that during Jesus famous “Sermon on the Mount”, He shares with the listeners that we as believers should lead a life style that is different from those that are lost. Jesus then proceeds to tell us that He shows Grace to the unbelievers just as He shows Grace to His followers. See also (John 3:16-17; I Timothy 1:14-15).

C. (II Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 4:1-7) The Grace of God is sufficient for each of us to accomplish what God has for us to do.

D. (II Corinthians 9:8; Philippians 4:13) The Grace of God enables us to perform good works that are pleasing to God and glorifies Him through us.

E. (I Timothy 1:12-14) Paul shares with Timothy the power of Gods’ wonderful Grace that changed his treacherous life into a life given over 100% to Gods’ service.

F. (Titus 1:1-7) Because of the wonderful gift that God has given to us, He expects us to

allow Him to show this great gift to others through our lives that those who see what God’s Grace is all about may turn to Him for salvation.

                                                             II. FAITH

                                              (Full Assurance In The Heart)

                                         Things we need to know about Faith

A. (Hebrews 11:1) The most distinct Bible definition of what Faith actually is. Take note that the Bible interpretation says that Faith is “substance” and “evidence”. The world has many different definitions of this blessed characteristic of God, but God is not interested in what the world thinks, He cares about what His people think and do.

(1) Substance-(Hebrews 11:7, 8, 10, 19) The substance that the writer is talking about is portrayed throughout this entire chapter. It consists of the promises of God to the great heroes written about here in Hebrews 11.

(2) Evidence- (Hebrews 11:4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 17-19) The evidence that is talked about is the walk or the “works” of those that were pursuing the promises of God.

B. (Hebrews 11:6) The writer of this great book does not mix words when he tells us that if we do not have Biblical Faith we cannot please God. How many people in this world think that are pleasing God because they go to church on Sunday, or they are good parents and decent citizens and pay their bills? What does God think about their “good works”?

C. (Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 12:2) The Bible once again clarifies one of the age old questions of the Bible, where does Faith come from and how can I get more of it.

D. (James 2:19) Not everyone who believes in God is part of Gods’ eternal family. Millions of people will be very surprised when they wake up in hell because they thought that because they “believed” in God they were guaranteed a home in heaven. See also (Mathew 7:21-23).

E. (James 2:14-17; Mathew 5:16; 25:31-40; I Timothy 6:18) Faith is not passive but it denotes “action”. God expects us to be active in our Faith which shows the world we belong to Him.

F. (Acts 16:31; John 1:12; 6:129; 9:35; Philippians 1; 29) There is a vast difference in believing in God and believing on The Lord Jesus Christ. We tend to believe in a lot of things because we have been told about them or seen something on television or in the paper. Until we have to rely on what we believe in, the Faith we have is not active or proven to be justified. Not until we believe on who Jesus is, what He promised, and  depend only on Him and nothing about ourselves can we be assured that we have saving Faith that pleases God and secures our home in heaven forever.

God bless