Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
09/05/2014, by John Kincaid
Lesson 350: God's Work, Not Ours
God’s love does not depend on our effort.
Rom.5:8 God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Eph.2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved
Merit is the idea that we earn or deserve a reward, that we win a prize if we perform well.
“The law of merit” thinks that God will love us if we obey His rules. Grace frees us from this.
Every false religion in history tries to reach God through performance (trying to be good).
In daily living (at work or school, in relationships) our worth is measured by our actions.
But Paul makes it clear that our standing with God does not depend on our actions, but on His.
God loves us based on what He has done. It has nothing to do with our accomplishments.
2 important results: Grace sets us free from having to work to earn God’s acceptance.
Grace also frees us from having to satisfy God by living up to someone else’s standards.
About This Series
The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21
- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
