Is God’s Grace Really Sufficient?
By Leann Albrecht
With all due respect to those of differing opinions concerning the recent debates over the subject of GRACE, I want to speak from my personal experience. It’s something to dance about!!
So many believers have focused their “salvation” on KEEPING THE LAW (the 10 Commandments). I did it for years. We even have several Ten Commandment pictures hanging in our home. But you know how I felt every time I read them? Guilty and condemned because I was incapable of living up to it’s standard of perfection. I AWAYS felt that God was angry with me!
In fact, God gave the Law to Moses to MAGNIFY sin… to point out how imperfect we really are and our need for atonement. No human is capable of keeping the commandments…even on a good day! SO… the more I focused on the sin in my life, the worse it got and the more hopeless I became. I was totally “SIN CONSCIOUS”!! I was trying to save myself through MY own efforts and ability to be “sinless”. WOW! What a fool I was!
I totally missed the fact that JESUS did all that for me on the cross! Yes, I am still imperfect, and yes, I still sin BECAUSE I am human. BUT Jesus paid the price for ALL my SINS on the cross. He didn’t miss one of them…no, not even one. I am completely and totally redeemed through His blood and by His grace. I stand justified before the Father BECAUSE OF JESUS, NOT because of my ability to be righteous. Jesus IS my righteousness. God looks at me THROUGH Jesus, because He covered my “humanity” by His blood.
The Law justifies no one and condemns the best of us, but GRACE through Jesus, saves even the worst of us. Hallelujah!!!
Satan loves to see God’s children focus on how “bad” they are instead of how “good” Jesus is. It keeps us in a constant state of “navel gazing”….trying to “fix” our humanity. WHAT A LIE!!
When I changed my focus from my “sin” to Jesus FINISHED work on the cross, sin lost its power over me. I NO LONGER WANTED TO SIN! I was no longer condemned but FREE to be a fully redeemed child of God. THE TRANSFORMATION WAS REVOLUTIONARY! My sin had been removed when I first believed on Jesus BUT the freedom from its power came only when I understood GRACE.
So now… you see why I don’t “buy” the saying, “GRACE gives a “license to sin!” I am one who testifies of the POWER OF GRACE. After all theses years, I am finally LOVING and enjoying being a Christian….empowered to live holy. I feel and act like I am re-born again! Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
I encourage you to step into a new life with Christ! Receive the revelation of who you are and the full understanding of what Jesus did for you on the cross! Knowing that He has already covered ALL your sins, past, present and future, you can move into a new confidence of enjoying a passionate relationship with a God who loves you. He is not angry with you…he’s not holding anything against you. You are forgiven!
Yes! Amazing grace, until I finally accepted and understood what Jesus did on the cross, and understood when I slip or fall into sin, as long as I get up knowing He is with me and Loves me, and I am not perfect, I am free from shame and guilt, to be that what grace is. Thanks Leann, I am forgiven and not forsaken.
So, so, so encouraging!
I think I hear a song coming… 🙂
Thank you for that truthful reminder that we have all fallen short of the Glory of God, and that we have been redeemed of all unrightousness through the shed blood of Jesus. No sin will ever be held against us who have accepted the gift of our Lords grace and believe. Praise God for the saving grace of our Savior Jesus Christ!
Grace. If grace is power why do Christians believe God’s grace is not powerful enough to totally cleanse from the power of sin? We accept and praise Him for freedom from sin’s penalty. Why not freedom from every sin? Christians rightfully expect the drunk to get sober by grace; the prostitute to become chaste; the wife beater to become as a lamb; the drug addict to become clean, the liar honest, the thief charitable, the backbiter and gossiper honorable and upright, all through grace. Why then can not the grace of God cleanse us from all sins that so easily beset us? Where does the Bible state one time grace cannot cleanse us of all sin? Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh that the righteousness of the law can be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but, after the spirit. Please, let us not shortchange the power of God’s grace through faith unto good works. By beholding we become changed. Perhaps the issue is just how intently we behold Christ on a day to day, moment by moment basis. As John wrote of Jesus; He said we are to abide in Him. John then wrote if we abide in Christ we sin not; yes, even that we cannot sin! How often is that kind of power heard from today’s pulpits? Just how passionately are we abiding and beholding, staring at Christ every day? That is the power of love in the inner man. Victory. Becoming Christlike. Having His faith. Having His victory. Praise Him for His grace – power to overcome even as He overcame.