Grace Not Works

Friend we can be sure that the works we do in this life, will never of their own accord, reconcile us with God.

God offers us Grace and Mercy through the Sacrificial (for our sins) death, of His Own Son in payment for our sin.

If we do not recognise His Son, then we do not recognise that He paid for our sin on the Cross.

That is what was and is required for our sin to be Forgiven; His Son's Sacrifice on The Cross at Calvary.

Of our own good works and strict moral life, we cannot be reconciled to God.

The Way is only through the acceptance of Jesus and what He did for mankind individually.

Jesus went willingly to The Cross. He knew why He was going to be crucified and how. He was aware of the suffering to come. He even prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane for The Father to stop The Crucifixion if there was another Way.

But it was orchestrated by The Father for His Son to take on the Punishment of mankind's sin, because God Is The Law and The Word and we mankind, have sinned against God.

Only God could pay for the sins according to The Law.

We are not welcome back into Heaven to be reconciled with our Maker; the One Who gave us the soul and spirit and was the actual Creator of the first man and woman, until we are cleansed of the stain of sin.

Who could do that? 

Could we ever pay for our own sin?

No, all good works stem from The Law. 

The Law tells us how to be good to one another, not to kill one another, not to lie and cheat and steal, to honour our parents, not to covet what others have and especially not to follow after other gods of this world, and not to use His Name in vain.

We're so sinful, and sometimes we are not even aware that we have sinned; but God is.

God looked upon the earth and declared that the time had come according to His Law and Will for mankind to be made aware of Him in the form of His Son, as there was no other entity who could fulfil the Law but Himself.

For us, He, God, was tortured and crucified. He humbly let man beat Him, accuse Him, crucify and spear Him.

When we understand the enormity of this Great Gift, we should fall to our knees, prostrate ourselves even, and cry to Him and give thanks when we see how much He loves us. 

He could have just snapped His fingers and said, "Let the earth be destroyed, they're all too sinful."

What was it friend, that kept Him from making that decision?

It has to be Love.

He could easily have started again; created a new earth and a new Adam and a new Eve.

So would any good works we ever do change His Mind/Law to allow us to enter Heaven without a change of heart and mind?

No, friend, we would still have that evil intent and God knows it.

Only He could repair the breech of evil's stain upon mankind.

Did He send His Son in vain?

No! 

Although good works will not get us reconciled to God, many have chosen Jesus in their journey through life. 

And they have been witnesses for others. 

God works behind the scenes and through Godly men of old, He has provided us with The Scriptures that are a living work that has spoken to us down through the ages. 

They are a Testament to us of the Covenants God has made with us.

The Good News Gospel as it is sometimes called, is able to change hearts and minds when people are truly seeking Truth.

God meets them there in the quiet still time; the mind seeking, searching for Truth; and He speaks to them in their current circumstance divulging His Great Love to their heart, where they at some appointed time, come to know that He is real and He is Good with thoughts and ways far beyond theirs, but Whole and Pure and Amazingly Great and Perfect.

Then, once we have repented of our sin, and desire to change our way and look upon Christ Jesus as Saviour because He died for us to be Forgiven and Reconciled, we are then brought into the family of God, allowed to enter the Kingdom; then our life should be full of Good Works.

When that moment arrives that we recognise The Son of God, Jesus as Redeemer, it is instantaneous that we receive Forgiveness and Salvation.

These are the Good Works that matter; those carried out after we have chosen to follow Jesus; after we have entered into a personal relationship with Him; those exercised after the Spirit of God has recognised us as true children of God, worthy of teaching and guiding in Holy Ways.

Friend, examine your life's works.

Ask Jesus where you stand with Him.

Many of us live our lives believing in Jesus, but not taking up our own cross as He asks us to, and following Him where He takes us, and doing those things He asks of us.

Maybe He wants us to stop speaking a certain way; maybe He wants us to be kinder; maybe He wants us to commune with Him for long hours instead of running around in circles in the world.

Read His Word, ask Him all your questions about whatever you desire, and then be still and listen.

His Grace is Amazing!