Grace and faith: Understanding the balance between them

Grace and faith: Understanding the balance between them

BY Argie Simonis  

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God". (Eph 2:8) 

That's one of the most powerful statements in the Word of God! Let us go deeper and expose some very important principles. Let's start with the definition of God's Grace – How do theologians define it?
According to Wikipedia, grace is "the divine influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptation; and as an individual virtue or excellence of divine origin".
In the New Testament grace means God’s love in action towards men who merited the opposite of love. Grace means God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves. Grace means God sending His only Son to descend into hell on the cross so that we guilty ones might be reconciled to God and received into heaven.
"(God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In other words, grace may be defined as the unmerited or undeserving favor of God to those who are under condemnation.

Let's examine faith now. According to Wikipedia, faith is "complete confidence or trust in a person or thing; or a belief not based on proof."
I also like the Bible's definition for faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faith and grace are connected in a perfect bond but in order for this to flow in harmony in our lives, we need to understand that grace is not something that is going to happen, but something that has already been done. And that's God's part. 

Faith on the other hand is not something we do to make God to respond. Faith doesn't move God. He has already moved by grace. Faith is just our positive response to what God has already provided by grace. Once we understand this balance between grace and faith, it takes the struggle out of receiving from God.  So, if God has done His part (grace), then it is just a matter of resting in what He has already done: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ". (Εph 1:3)
Jesus has already died for the forgiveness of our sins, the healing of our bodies and the deliverance from bondage.

"Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live to righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed." (1Pet 2:24) 
He became poor so that we might be rich:
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich." (2Cor 8:9) 
And all these have happened before we were even born, before we ever had a problem.  Our faith is our response to God's grace. If we get these things mixed up, we'll get frustrated. According to Eph 1:19-23, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead already dwells in us. You have the raising-from the-dead power at your disposal! Get up and start using it! God bless you. 

Integrity of God's Word

Integrity of God's Word

BY Argie Simonis  

"And the same day, when the even was come, he said to them, Let us pass over to the other side." Μark 4:35 

By definition, integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral uprightness. This is one of the main characteristics of God's Word. The 4th chapter of Mark illustrates this in a very powerful way. In Mark 4:26 it says: "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground."
Remember that in verse 14 it says this seed is the Word of God. God isn't really teaching you how to be a farmer, but is using a natural thing to illustrate spiritual truth. Verse 27 says, "And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how."
Some people say, "I just don't understand what you're talking about. How can reading the Word of God really change me and cause God's life to come alive inside me?" How can a tiny seed planted into the ground bring forth an entire stalk of corn which later reproduce a hundredfold? Nobody fully understands it, but it works! 
Verse 28 says, "For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself." Like the earth was made to receive the seed, to germinate and release that life, in the same way your heart was made for the Word of God. You need to take the Word and as a seed plant it into your heart. When you do that, your heart is designed to bring forth fruit of itself. It will change the way things work in your life!
The verse continues, "First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." This means that there are stages to growth and maturity. First of all, you have to start, and then comes the hope, and then the faith, and then it produces results.There are always steps to victory. No one can get from zero to hero at once! Even Jesus, Who was God in the flesh had to progressively grow in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52)
The point is made in verse 35, "And the same day when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side."
Jesus had been teaching them all day about the power of the Word, how the Word is like a seed, and how it will release God's life into your life, so here He gives them a test. He tells them, "All right, here's the word from the Lord: "let's go to the other side of the lake." As they started sailing, a great storm came and water filled the boat but still, Jesus was asleep. He knew what was going on, but He was still trying to sleep. The disciples got upset, came to Him, and said, "Master, don't you care that we perish?" In other words, they were saying, "Don't just sit there. Do something!"
How many times have you found yourself in this situation? "God, why haven't you done something?"
Actually God has done much more than just something. He has provided everything we need through the atonement of the Lord Jesus. He's given us the Scripture, and it's our job to take the seed, put it in our hearts, and meditate on it until it releases life. Just taking a Bible and holding it close, putting it on your coffee table, or carrying it with you, doesn't work. It doesn't release power in your life!
Jesus part was to teach His desciples the Word and give them promises, and it was their part to take the Word and believe the promises. God has provided everything through Jesus coming to this earth. He gave you everything it takes to succeed in every area of your life in seed form in the Word. All you have to do is take the seeds of the Word of God and plant them in your hearts through reading it, meditating on it, thinking on it, and letting it take root on the inside of you. As you do that, you will be able to stand up and stop the storms in your life. We need to believe God's Word and act upon it!

By the grace of God I am what I am

By the grace of God I am what I am

BY Argie Simonis  

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed on me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1Corinthians 15:10) 

All our talents, abilities, and callings are a direct result of God’s grace. However, God’s grace alone doesn’t guarantee success.
By God's grace salvation has been offered to all people (Titus 2:11) but not all people are saved. This doesn't mean that His grace is not enough or it is not in His will for them to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). It’s because not all people put faith in God’s grace. God’s grace must be mixed with faith to release its power (Hebrews 4:2). We need to keep on renewing our minds through God's Word and convince ourselves of the fact that God loves us. We don’t have to go to church to obtain God’s grace, but because we have God’s grace, we need to go to church to keep our hearts from being hardened (Hebrews 3:13 and 10:25).
Here (1 Corinthians 15:10) Paul is acknowledging the fact that "by the grace of God I am what I am" but he goes on saying that he allowed God’s grace to have its full effect in his life through seeking God more than the other apostles did. We have to labor against the flesh to rest in God’s grace (Hebrews 4:11) and enjoy its fruit.

Patience is a muscle you can train

Patience is a muscle you can train

BY Argie Simonis  

For whatever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Rom 15:4) 

All the Old Testament scriptures were written for our instruction so that we would not make the same mistakes. If we ignore the lessons of the Old Testament, it is like trying to reinvent the wheel. People have already made mistakes and the Old Testament scriptures  make us aware of the consequences of those sins. We don’t have to learn the same lessons in the hard way.

By definition, patience is "a cheerful (or hopeful) endurance under difficult circumstances, constancy". Patience is simply faith applied for a prolonged period of time. Instead of a momentary faith, patience is prolonged, enduring faith. You just believe, and keep believing. 

Patience comes from the Scriptures (Romans 15:4), just as faith does (Romans 10:17). Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, just like faith (Galatians 5:22-23-patience=long suffering). It was by faith that Moses endured (Hebrews 11:27). It was through faith and patience that Abraham received the promises (Hebrews 6:12-15), and not just faith, but a faith that was constant over a twenty-five-year period of time.

Patience is not a passive word, as many people use it, but it is an active word. It is not just passively waiting on God to do something, but it is actively believing for the manifestation of God’s promise against all odds, regardless of how long it takes. 

Patience, hope, and faith are all connected. First comes hope from a promise of God’s Word. Then faith begins to give substance and evidence to those things that were hoped for (Hebrews 11:1). And if time is involved before the manifestation comes, then patience does its work (James 1:4). 

Patience comes through God’s Word and (like faith) is a muscle. Don't let your problems overwhelm you but take the opportunity to train that muscle and become stronger!

Let God's power flow through you

Let God's power flow through you

BY Argie Simonis  

What a powerful statement! Commanding the Lord for the work of His hands doesn't mean that we are greater than Him and can force Him to do anything. It is the same way electricity functions into our homes. It is at our command. The electric company deliver the power to us and then put it under our command. When we flip the switch, in a sense we command the electricity to work. We are not the source of that power. If we put a light bulb in our mouth it will never light. Yet a light bulb in a lamp won’t light either unless we turn on the switch. Likewise, God is the one who generates the power, but He has given it to us (Matthew 28:18-19). We now have the power and the authority to use it (Acts 3:6). Switch that power on and let it flow through you!