Thought for Today
Faith into Grace
“Therefore, it is of faith
that it might be according to grace,
so that the promise might be sure”
Romans 4:16
It is the element of faith that brings us into the realm of Grace. The prevenient grace* of God brings an individual to faith and through the operation of faith one enters into the the dominion and efficacy of God’s grace. While many speak of grace in our day it is mentioned as a sentiment of God rather than the work of God within the human heart.
“…through whom also we have access by faith
into this grace in which we stand”
Romans 5:2
Grace brings to us the ability to stand. Regardless of our situation in life, grace makes the promises of God sure (certain); faith releases the grace of God into our lives.
Noah “found grace in the sight of God”. By that grace he labored through 120 years of ridicule and difficulties in building the Ark. It was grace that kept him faithful. It was grace that gave him the wisdom and the perseverance to see its completion; and it was grace that delivered him and his family from the day of judgment as God had promised.
The grace of God enables those who receive it the power to overcome, to persevere and to stand strong in the face of all opposition to the promises of God. The end and purpose of Grace is to make the promises of God certain to us. It brings us to the place of receiving those promises.
Faith is the doorway into His Grace.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith”
Ephesians 2:8
* Note
Prevenient grace is not to be understood through the eyes of some who use this term to wrongly present God’s salvation, it is to be known through the sovereignty of God’s call and our response (it is our response which unites our hearts to His Call).
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit”
John 15:16
“And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father”
John 6:65 and also John 6:44
“Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock…”
Luke 6:47-48
* The Call is God’s prevenient grace, our hearing is the manner by which the faith arises (Romans 10:17) and the doing of His Word is the corroboration of His grace working by faith in our lives (1 Corinthians 15:10). It is the wondrous chain of relationship, the call, the response and the works of faith being the evidence of His grace!
Brian Troxel
The verse is wrongly mentioned as from 1 Samuel, whereas it is Romans 4:16
Thanks. I changed a former writing and forgot to change the scripture reference. Thanks again.
Amen.
“Belatedly I loved Thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new, belatedly I loved Thee. For see, thou wast within and I was without, and I sought Thee out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things Thou hast made. Thou wast with me, but I was not with Thee. These things kept me far from Thee; even though they were not at all unless they were in Thee. Thou didst call and cry aloud, and didst force open my deafness. Thou didst gleam and shine, and didst chase away my blindness. Thou didst breathe fragrant odors and I drew in my breath; and now I pant for Thee. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for Thy peace.”
– Augustine
Very well sums up the great work of the mercy of our God! I appreciate the quote.
Brian