If anyone is thankful for this wonderful message on the grace of God, I can say that it is me. For years, I struggled on a performance treadmill, thinking if I can be good enough, I can be right with God, I would see my prayers answered, I would see God's promises come to pass in my life. I cannot begin to describe the freedom I have finally felt since I have learned about this grace. For years, I would always read Romans 1:16, where it tells me the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation, but never has it became more clear to me than it has over the past several months, and this revelation keeps growing and growing.
If you could open your eyes to this wonderful truth, this revelation of God’s grace, this powerful revelation will deliver you from a performance mentality, a mentality which bases a relationship with God on our own self-efforts and what we can do to obtain right standing with God into a total trust and dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished works, His goodness, and grace. Salvation always has been and always will forever be all about God’s faithfulness—not ours! Answered prayers will always and forever be all about what Jesus has done, not what we can or cannot do. Right standing with God has always been and forever will be because of what Jesus has done and not what we can do.
The Gospel is good news—in fact it is nearly too good to be true news, it is not bad news! There have been many things that the church has been promoting as the gospel that isn't really the gospel at all, it really hasn't been good news at all. Most people, when they hear the term "gospel" it always brings to mind teachings that have focused more on you being a sinner and you are on the way to hell in a hurry. Now is this part of the gospel? In fact it is, and by saying this, they are not incorrect, but they are incomplete. It is true, there is a heaven and there is a hell, there is a God and there is a devil and if you do not repent and receive salvation you will end up in hell for eternity. But that by itself is not good news. If someone was trapped in a building that was on fire, that person does not need someone to tell them that there is good news, and the good news is that if they don't get out, they are going to die. The person that is trapped in the fiery building knows this and that is not good news. What would be good news to someone in that situation? Telling them the way OUT of that building. The good news would be that there was a way of escape that has been made and they can get out. Likewise, it is true to tell someone that their sin has separated them from God, not that God has separated Himself from man, but man because of his sin and sinful nature, has separated himself from God. It is also true that this has caused them to be worthy of eternal damnation, BUT, there is some good news and the good news is that Jesus came and bore all of our sin for us. We do not have to atone for any of our own sin. We don’t have to become holy enough or do anything to earn salvation, it is a free gift from God to us.
"For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]" Ephesians 2:8-9 (Amplified Bible)
"Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving." Ephesians 2:7-9 (The Message)
If all you hear about is God’s wrath and judgment upon sin then it’s not the complete and true Gospel. The true Gospel specifically refers to the means by which we are saved. We’re saved ONLY by faith in what Jesus did for us, and it is not by faith in what we do for Him. The Gospel is God’s free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The good news of the gospel is that God doesn’t want to send anyone to hell. Yes that is right, God DOES NOT want anyone to go to hell. The good news is that you don’t have to go through religious instruction or observance, but it is a free gift, unearned and undeserved, it’s a gift. The only thing you must do is just believe and receive. Believe and receive what? Believe what Jesus has done through His death, burial, and resurrection and receive the cleansing from all your sins through the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross, and the freedom and liberty it brings. That my friends is the TRUE Gospel!
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