Grace

The old song speaks of "Amazing Grace" but do we really understand just how amazing it is? John Ritenbaugh fills in some details on this vital topic.

God gives grace from start to finish in a person's relationship with Him. It cannot be limited merely to justification and His forgiveness of our sins.

God's calling us is just our initial taste of His grace. Grace is unmerited, but it is not unconditional. We have an obligation to respond to God.

John Ritenbaugh clarifies that, in terms of salvation, grace and works are mutually exclusive (Ephesians 2:8-10), but good works are the result (or the fruits) of God's creative efforts. Grace frees one; works prove that one has been freed. Grace (or the g. . .

'Grace' is a term that represents God's awesome generosity toward us, His continuously flowing blessings and saving acts. It goes beyond just forgiveness.

Forgiveness is only the beginning of the grace process, enabling us to grow to the stature of Christ. Paradoxically, grace puts us under obligation to obey.

Because we are all sinners, we have earned only death; justification is not earned, but must come through faith and believing God as did our father Abraham.

God's grace supports and fulfills us, but it does not mean 'once saved,always saved.' It is possible to fall from grace, as Israel's experience demonstrates.

Justification does not 'do away' with the law; it brings us into alignment with it, imputing the righteousness of Christ and giving access to God for sanctification.

John Ritenbaugh asserts that after justification, for grace to be made dominant, its influence must extend beyond justification, into the sanctification stage where the believer must yield himself to righteousness, keeping God's commandments making himself. . .

The entire life of Christ was a manifestation of God's grace, revealing the nature of God by means of a life lived to give us an example to follow.

Sometimes we are disturbed, even angered, because an act of God seems unfair. We have difficulty because we do not understand holiness, justice, sin, and grace.

Protestantism unthinkingly presents grace as "free." However, Scripture shows that God expects a great deal of effort from us once we receive it—it is costly.

John Ritenbaugh explores several nuances of the term grace, describing a generous, thoughtful action of God, accompanied by love, which accomplishes His will, equipping us with everything we will need to be transformed into the Bride. Even though we, like . . .

Paul's writings, because of their complexity, are frequently twisted to say that he was anti-law. By denigrating God's law, the unconverted set their own standards.

Those who advocate doctrinal change portray God as a confused and false minister who lacks the power to instruct his chosen leaders to 'get it right.'

Many have a love-hate relationship with mercy: They love to receive it, but hate to give it! Here is why we should lean toward mercy in all our judgments.

Richard Ritenbaugh, reiterating that in physical and spiritual creation, God does not wave a wand, but does a great deal of work. Likewise, in our repentance, there is a great deal of reciprocal effort between God and us. In the stories of Star Wars, the X. . .

John Ritenbaugh, warning that, as culture deteriorates, the church will be 'exposed' as the enemy, encourages us to make sure that the foundations of what we believe are secure. Consequently, we need to take notice of the law of first mention in Genesis to. . .

Everything that we go through has been engineered by God. We are His workmanship, created for good works, a response to the faith He has given us.

Jesus calls His disciples "the salt of the earth." Do we know what He meant? Mike Ford explains the spiritual side of this common mineral compound.

Using the army boot camp analogy, Richard Ritenbaugh teaches that God places us through a similar humbling process, causing us to look at our sins in a spiritual mirror, contrasting our lives with the sinless life of Jesus Christ. In this process, we must . . .

Winter is a time of cold, darkness, and sadness. As many as 10% of people in northern areas have Seasonal Affective Disorder. The Psalms for winter can help.

God's decision to destroy the earth and humankind by a flood was ultimately an act of great love, stopping mankind before his heart became incorrigible.

Richard Ritenbaugh, concluding the Great Flood account, focuses on the statement, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." God literally called Noah, offering him deliverance from the world catastrophe, and offering him a job of being a physic. . .

Like with the heroes of faith, our testing will be commensurate with the job God has prepared for us. We must make our relationship with God our top priority.

Only God's calling, followed by repentance and a rigorous conversion process, will safeguard us from the fiery holocaust that is coming upon this the world.

No one seems to talk about sin anymore, but it still exists and continues to wreak havoc! Scripture describes sin and its great effects in our lives.