grace. something i have a hard time understanding. something that is maybe just uncomprehending to me.
predestination. i don't even know where to being to understand that.
definition the decree of God by which certain souls are foreordained to salvation.
calvinism believes that predestination is God reaching to those to reached out to him first, therefore predestining them for salvation. it was explained to me like this. God can look down the line of time, and see the people who will reach out to love Him. so He in turn reaches down to save them. right? i don't even know if i am understanding this right. but calvinism also believes that God can reach down and bring salvation to those whom He choses with out them choosing Him first. like Paul, right? so if calvinism is what i believe (and i think i do) then i believe God can save whomever He wants. and those he choses not to reach down and save without them reaching to Him first are condemned for hell.
i know that God is just, loving, and faithful, and ultimately it was my choice to reach out to God to gain my saving grace. the same goes to those to hear the Gospel and turn away from God, they ultimately choose hell. even those God pursues sometimes turn away. example pharaoh. God came to pharaoh over and over again with warnings and love but pharaoh still chose hell. if we reject God that is our own responsibility not Gods. we are children of wrath, spiritually dead, we are enslaved by our own sin and cannot save ourselves we need Gods salvation.
i had a friend from high school die in a awful car accident over the weekend in shelton. and to my understanding she wasn't reaching out to God for His salvation. that is hard to stomach, when someone you know dies, not knowing God.
grace. definition the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
so God has given me love, unconditional love, and grace.
electing grace, God chose me.
preached grace, God gave people in my life to help me grow.
regenerating grace, God gave me a new heart.
converting grace, God gave me desires for Him.
justifying grace, God made me righteous.
adopting grace, God became the ultimate father i needed.
ministry grace, God gave me the ability to help Him with His work.
sanctifying grace, God gave me motive to do His work.
empowering grace, God gave me the ability to do more work then i can handle alone.
provisional grace, God gave me everything i have.
finical grave, God gave me the money i have to live to and steward to Him.
persevering grace, God gave me the promise to never give up on me.
glorifying grace, God gave me the promise to be with Him for eternity.
i accept His grace, but i have a hard time comprehending it. God gave me, little insignificant me, all of that. when i denied Him, laughed at Him, and forsake Him. through all that He loved me first.
Author and Perfecter.
pastor mark gave 2 amazing sermons on both of these subjects you can listen to them if you want.
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Hi Mandy,
The best grace messages I have heard have come from Glenn Earls. The points that I have clung on to is that with grace we can see God face to face..When the Lord looks at me, he no longer sees my sin, he sees me covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. He no longer counts me as a sinner, but counts me as a saint! That's just barely scratching the surface, but it has meant everything to me since I tend to be hard on myself. He also talked about grace not being license..you know, continue to sin so grace can abound. I remember early in my true walk with the Lord, I knew I was taking advantage of His grace. Reg and I lived together for the 6 months before we got married. I remember thinking, "I can ask for forgiveness later." Oy vei! How naive..as for predestination, just last year I had what I think is a revelation when Dennis Teague was reading from those passages..we are all predestined to be with the Lord..because of free will, not everyone follows his (God's) destiny...I'm not sure how accurate that all is, but I do know that God wants that none should perish..and, that every knee will bow down and say that Jesus Christ is Lord...unfortunately for some, it will be judgement, not freedom and grace!
Take care
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