Archive for the ‘grace alone’ Tag

“Even if you die in unrepentant sin as a Christian; still, you will be saved!” – by Bobby Grow

Article by Bobby Grow (Attached)

The True Gospel: Grace, Not Performance:

Without Jesus Christ, we are doomed. Yet, much of what is preached today focuses on performance—whether through legalism or moralistic self-improvement. Many measure faith by how well they “perform” rather than by Christ’s finished work. But the truth is, we are all sinners, every single day. We fail more than we admit, yet God sees it all.

🙌 The Good News? Jesus took our sin upon Himself, fulfilling the law on our behalf. Our hope isn’t in our works, our church tradition, or even our best intentions—it is in Christ alone! The Gospel is not a call to self-righteous striving but to rest in His righteousness. However we slice it up, the answer is always JESUS CHRIST.

📖 Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

“The law says, ‘Do this,’ and it is never done. Grace says, ‘Believe in this,’ and everything is already done.”Martin Luther, The Heidelberg Disputation (1518)

“This is the mystery of the riches of divine grace for sinners: for by a wonderful exchange our sins are now not ours but Christ’s, and Christ’s righteousness is not Christ’s, but ours.”Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian (1520)

If your faith is based on what you do for God[Father-Son-Holy-Spirit] rather than what He has done for you, reconsider the Gospel. May we live in response to His radical love—not to earn favor, but as an overflow of grace.

📖 Read this article by Bobby Grow to dive deeper into the truth of the Gospel and the danger of performative Christianity.

The Message: “Christ Alone”

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Audio – Full message: 29min

“https://trinityandhumanity.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/19.12.15-the-message-christ-alone-acts-15.1-35-tah-marra.mp3”


Bible Verses: Acts 15:1-35


Introduction:

The church handled a heated disagreement about the nature of salvation for Gentiles. Were Gentiles saved by faith alone or must they enter into salvation through the path of obedience to the law first? The Jerusalem Council that was convened to answer this critical question offers us a good example of how to handle disputes in the church but also was vital in preserving the gospel message of “Christ alone.”

When the sufficiency of faith in Jesus for salvation and inclusion into God’s one family was at stake, the church clearly and strongly affirmed that because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross, He alone is all we need for salvation. The early church protected the core message of the gospel. Today, God continues to call us to proclaim the message that salvation is available through faith in Christ alone, and not through additional obligations and works.

– The Gospel Project

Theological Theme:

The gospel revealed by God [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] announces that salvation is available by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Christ Connection:

The Jerusalem Council met to resolve a dispute in the early church: Was faith in Christ sufficient for salvation and inclusion into God’s family or was something else needed? The early church’s response affirmed the sufficiency of faith in Jesus for salvation. Because of His finished work on the cross, Jesus alone is all we need to be saved

Missional Application:

God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to proclaim the message that salvation is available through faith in Christ alone, not through additional obligations and works.

God’s love, so understood, should find focal expression at the Lord’s table, for such love is creative of community, for there Christ gathers his people and gives himself to them freely and unconditionally by the Spirit and lifts us up out of ourselves and our introspectiveness and social lethargy, and frees us to love him and to love all men in his name–where he converts us into being a loving, caring, believing community, members of his missionary body in the world. In the language of the older Scottish divines, sacraments are signs and seals of the covenant of grace–converting ordinances, not badges of our conversion. We are called by the word of the Cross daily to evangelical repentance through life in the Spirit, and we receive the Spirit by faith alone. –  The Unconditional Freeness of Grace – James B. Torrance Theological Renewal – June/July 1978: 7-15

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