Grace – What An Inheritance!

Grace – What An Inheritance!

By Leann Albrecht

In recent months, I have found a new freedom as I have a clearer picture of what grace is, the New Covenant and the inheritance that is available for everyone who chooses Christ.

For 53 years in church, I felt like I was being torn from one teaching to another, which caused me to struggle with a basic core truth, “I’m saved, I’m not saved, I’m saved, I’m not saved!” That’s because so many sermons combine the Law and the New Covenant. However, it’s imperative that we choose one or the other. If you live under the Law, then you can’t live under Grace because the Law cancels the work of the cross. It puts our redemption back on our own shoulders and screams, “YOU must perform and be good enough to DESERVE God’s acceptance or work hard enough to be worthy of His love and forgiveness.” However, if that were the case, we certainly didn’t need Jesus to bear all of our sins on the cross.

Trying to live under both is crazy and that’s pretty much the way I felt most of the time! I never felt secure in my relationship with the Lord. Even though I knew I loved Him, I wasn’t convinced of His consistent love for me….because it was always about ME and based on my ability to please Him. No matter how hard I tried, I never felt like I measured up to His perfection…and the truth is, I couldn’t!

It makes so much more sense to me now. The fear of failing or not being good enough, or making a mistake that might “send me to hell”, is over. Thank You, Jesus! I have made my decision. In fact, I made that “decision” when I was 3 years old. I have accepted/chosen the Lord and so from here on out, I am simply maturing in Him. I don’t have to prove my worthiness! When I mess up, He has ALREADY paid for that sin. I am covered by His blood through the finished work on the cross. When God sees me, He looks at me through Jesus because Jesus paid for my humanity….once and for all. I am not separated from God when I make a wrong decision. I simply say, “I’m sorry”, learn from my mistake and move in the right direction. I am not “cast away from His presence until I can repent and return to His good graces” as I was taught for many years.

It is so freeing to know I am truly and unconditionally loved, always and forever…..and so are you, when you choose Jesus. There is not an exception to His unmerited grace and favor for you. You are His child….forever!

However, I do feel everyone has to make a choice. As far as when that “last” chance to “choose” is available, that is up to the Lord. I don’t think we will know that on this side of heaven. We can ask the Lord about it when we have a few million years to visit with Him on the other side.

The scriptures clearly say that there is a heaven and hell. I don’t believe everyone will be saved. If everyone was going to be saved, then there wouldn’t be a need for hell….only heaven. Matthew 13:40-43 (Amplified Bible) Just as the darnel (weeds resembling wheat) is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the close of the age.The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of offense, persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin, and all who do iniquity and act wickedly, And will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth.

Then will the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God through Jesus) shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears to hear be listening, and let him consider and perceive and understand by hearing.

I feel our responsibility, on this earth is to be a light of truth and grace leading the way to those searching for Jesus. It’s totally up to Him to meet with them and “clinch the deal” because it’s a transaction of the Spirit. That’s His job….not ours.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him……

Anyway, for me, the bottom line is this….in this life we have to love God and people and determine to walk in as much faith and trust in Him as humanly possible. This question is settled….I know Christianity, God, Christ and the Holy Spirit are real. There are mysteries about the Trinity and questions that surround them that won’t necessarily be answered while we are in these mortal bodies. I’m OK with that.

As you can tell, I am pretty passionate about this subject and want everyone to “get” the good news that WE MUST CHOOSE TO LIVE UNDER GRACE (the New Covenant) where we can freely live and mature as Believers. What would we do or act like if we really believed that….totally and completely? I’m still learning!