Your thoughts on grace

Sent: Friday, December 30, 2005 8:24 AM

Hello,

To give you little back ground of myself, I am a thirty-five year old adult. I have always believed in Christ but never really took anything seriously until a couple of years ago. Through small talk with a friend from work, He pointed out to me a lot things in the bible that use to confuse me. My problem was I was raised Pentecostal, had friends that were raised Baptist, was in the military and have been exposed to different beliefs with the same bible and supposedly the same  God. Nothing fit and a lot conflicting beliefs. My wife found your web site in attempt to disprove my new thoughts of musical instruments should not be used with worship. I just love all yours studies backed up with the Bible and logic. I have a tendency to rub against the grain now with friends and family about the bible. I just want to be one of the few that find it. So far in my growth of the bible and search for right answers. I believe there is separation of old and new testament and we are to live by the new. That being said a lot of people want to mix the two and tell me we are covered by grace. I'm confused here. I look at the word " IF" in the bible. That is a condition. "If" you are baptized you will be save. There are several verses that have " If " in them. My belief about grace is starting to lean toward the bible itself. The word of God is the grace, the bible. If we don't read and study we are lost. Your thought please.

Dear friend,

i sense from your writing that you are a genuine seeker and have not, as yet, settled for a firm doctrine. A man of God, Ern Baxter, once told me: "AΩ, to walk the truth is like walking on a razor sharp edge, must be very careful not to fall off". The Lord converted me at 40, now 62, in a Pentecostal church, it was very cosy, but my spirit was not happy with Arminian preaching, eventually I moved to the Reformed doctrine where my spirit found peace.

Regarding instruments, these are of recent addition in the church, the primitive church did not use any, in the church of Spurgeon no instruments were used, but the best instrument of them all, the human voice.

Grace is ALL of God.

God created according to His will and His pleasure, not ours, for His purpose

There is nothing created that God did not create

He has Total dominion, possession and sovereignty on ALL things

He can dispose of them as He will and nobody can stay His hand or complain

In the scheme of God ALL have sinned and deserved life in Hell.

But God in His benevolence has decided to pardon some, that is, grant Grace to them

Grace is defined as unmerited favour.

However God, Beside being Love is also Just and Holy

Somebody pure had to take the punishment for these, to fulfil what God had prescribed

For this reason God sent His Son to the cross to receive on Him the just punishment for the sins of His people,

Jesus Christ has paid IN FULL with His Holy blood for the sins of His elect (Past, Present and Future)

Grace is in effect the interposing of the atonement of Christ in between God and the saved sinner

In summary: ALL deserve death, but God has saved (Graced) some as He pleased.

It is ALL of God

Hopefully this is of some help

AΩ