The
Grace and Love of God
By
Arthur J Licursi
Millions of people, even religious people,
are afraid of God and are struggling to “earn” His favor. Sadly, many
Christian denominations and sects today teach or imply that a man must
“initially earn” and/or “secure” his salvation by continuing to
being “good enough” through some means of “good works.” Of
course these works based religions can never tell us just how
much good works is enough.
Therefore, most men suppose that salvation
is the reward for doing one’s good works or for showing enough
love to Him; but then live without the security of knowing
God’s grace and love.
This of course is folly, as we learn by
reading such clearly spoken verses as these from the Apostle Paul’s
epistles.
Ephesians
2:8-9 (AMP) 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; 9
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.]
Romans
6:14b (AMP) … NOW YOU ARE NOT UNDER LAW [AS SLAVES], BUT
UNDER GRACE [AS SUBJECTS OF GOD’S FAVOR AND MERCY].
If only every person could hear and
believe what God Himself says, rather than what men say about God. If we
are to be saved from perdition it will be entirely because He loved us and
graciously and freely provided for our salvation.
The Apostle Paul called God “the
God of love” (2 Cor. 13:11) and John declared that “God IS
love” (1 John 4:8). Thus John goes on to say:
“HEREIN IS LOVE, NOT
THAT WE LOVED GOD, BUT THAT HE LOVED US and sent His Son to be the
propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins” (1 John 4: 10).
This is why salvation is called “the
gift of God” in (Eph 2:8 above). It is the expression of God's
love to sinners. So Paul tells us:
“[We] were by nature the
children of wrath, even as others, BUT GOD, WHO IS RICH IN MERCY, FOR HIS
GREAT LOVE WHEREWITH HE LOVED US, even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)” (Eph.
2:3-5).
“...after that THE
KINDNESS AND LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR TOWARD MAN appeared, not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to HIS MERCY He saved
us...” (Tit. 3:4, 5).
Does all this mean that God overlooks sin
or condones it?
By no means!
In His love He fully and freely paid for
our sins on
Calvary
's cross “that He might be Just,
and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus”
(Rom. 3:26). This is why we read in Rom.
5:8:
“...GOD COMMENDETH HIS
LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS CHRIST DIED FOR US.”
