The Creed - I Believe In Grace

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker

The Creed
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
I BELIEVE in GRACEto
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he
shall come
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

―When I get to heaven I shall
see three wonders there. The
first wonder will be, to see
many people there whom I did
not expect to see—the second
wonder will be, to miss many
people whom I did expect to
see; and the third and greatest
wonder of all, will be to find
myself there.‖
- John Newton

The Creed – I Believe in Grace

Key Question…
―What is Grace?‖
And what are its implications for us?


Soli
To the Glory of God Alone

The Five Solus
Christ Alone
‗Solas‘
of the Sola Scripture Alone

Reformation
Sola
Faith Alone

Sola
Grace Alone


Faith is…
―Trust‖
―pistis‖: state of believing on the basis of the reliability of the one trusted


―True faith is not only a knowledge and
conviction that everything God reveals in his
word is true; it is also a deep-rooted assurance,
created in me by the Holy Spirit through the
gospel, that, out of sheer grace earned for us by
Christ not only others, but I too, have had my
sins forgiven, have been made forever right with
God, and have been granted salvation.‖
- Heidelberg Catechism (Q. 21)


Grace is…
―Unmerited Favor‖
―charis‖: a beneficent disposition toward someone


quot;For by grace you have been
saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God; not as a result of works,
so that no one may boast.quot;
(Ephesians 2:8-9)

quot;In Him we have redemption
through His blood, the
forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of His
grace which He lavished on usquot;
(Ephesians 1:7-8)

The Cambridge Declaration
Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature. This
false confidence now fills the evangelical world; from the self-esteem gospel, to the
health and wealth gospel, from those who have transformed the gospel into a
product to be sold and sinners into consumers who want to buy, to others who treat
Christian faith as being true simply because it works. This silences the doctrine of
justification regardless of the official commitments of our churches. God's grace in
Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We
confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of
cooperating with regenerating grace.

We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by his grace alone. It
is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us
from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.
We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques
or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not
produced by our unregenerated human nature.
- Cambridge Declaration on Grace

But if we‘re saved today through faith and grace via the death of Jesus…

How Were the Old
Testament Saints
Saved?


An Old Testament Lesson on Faith/Works
quot;The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day,
saying, ―Go up to this mountain of the Abarim,
Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab
opposite Jericho, and look at the land of
Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel
for a possession. ―Then die on the mountain
where you ascend, and be gathered to your
people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount
Hor and was gathered to his people, because
you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons
of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the
wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me
as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. ―For
you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall
not go there, into the land which I am giving the
sons of Israel.‖quot;
(Deuteronomy 32:48-52)


Two Most Important Men of the Old Testament

2
Abraham Moses Men

2
Faith Works Types

Forerunner Old 2
New Covenant Covenant Covenants

The spiritual lesson behind Moses being denied entrance into
the promised land is this: the man of law/works does not enter the
promised land, only the man of faith does

quot;Now faith is the assurance of
things hoped for, the conviction
of things not seen. For by it the
men of old gained approval.quot;
(Hebrews 11:1-2)


quot; What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according
to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works,
he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what
does the Scripture say? ―Abraham believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness.‖ Now to the one who works, his
wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one
who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks
of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness
apart from works: ―Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have
been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered.quot;
(Romans 4:1-7)


―The basis of salvation in every age is the death of Christ; the
requirement for salvation in every age is faith; the object of faith in
every age is God; the content of faith changes in the various
dispensations.‖ – Charles Ryrie
• ―Then he [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as
righteousness. (Gen 15:6)
• ―And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Will be delivered;
― (Joel 2:32)
• ―For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.‖ (Heb 10:4).
• ―whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was
to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed
over the sins previously committed;‖ (Ro 3:25). Greek: ―passed over‖ = ―letting go
unpunished‖
• ―Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men
that all people everywhere should repent,‖ (Acts 17:30)
• ―In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and
yet He did not leave Himself without witness‖ (Acts 14:16)
• Only Jews? No, Jonah sent to the Gentile city of Nineveh


―Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and
the other a tax collector. ―The Pharisee stood and was praying
this to himself: ‗God, I thank You that I am not like other people:
swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‗I fast
twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.‘ ―But the tax collector,
standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes
to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‗God, be merciful
to me, the sinner!‘ ―I tell you, this man went to his house justified
rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.‖
(Luke 18:10-14)

1. Acknowledgement of God δικαιόω;dikaioo: same
2. Acknowledgement of sin word used in Romans
3. Acknowledgement of faith 3:28

Faith and Grace – Present in Both Periods

God Looked God Looks Back
Forward for those for those After
Before the Cross the Cross

For God, there is no such thing as time…


―Proleptic‖ Speech
The representation or assumption of a future act or development
as if presently existing or accomplished
quot;‗Have you not heard? Long ago I did it; From
ancient times I planned it. Now I have brought it to
pass.quot;(2 Kings 19:25)

quot;He was despised and forsaken of men … He was
despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our
griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He
carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was
pierced through for our transgressions, He was
crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our
well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging
we are healed…. But the Lord has caused the
iniquity of us all To fall on Him.quot;(Isaiah 53:3-6)


Faith and Grace – The Transforming Power
quot;Unless I am convinced by the
testimonies of the Holy Scriptures or
evident reason (for I believe neither in
the Pope nor councils alone, since it has
been established that they have often
erred and contradicted themselves), I
am bound by the Scriptures adduced
by me, and my conscience has been
taken captive by the Word of God, and
I am neither able nor willing to recant,
since it is neither safe nor right to act
against conscience. God help me.
Amen‖
- Martin Luther, Defense at Diet of Worms


Faith and Grace – The Transforming Power

―In the evening I went very unwillingly to a
society in Aldersgate Street, where one
was reading Luther‘s preface to the
Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter
before nine, while he was describing the
change which God works in the heart
through faith in Christ, I felt my heart
strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ,
Christ alone, for salvation; and an
assurance was given me that He had taken
away my sins, even mine, and saved me from
the law of sin and death.‖
- John Wesley, Personal Journal


During his last hours, John Knox
woke from a slumber sighing, and
told his friends that he had just
been tempted to believe that he
had ―merited Heaven and eternal
blessedness, by the faithful
discharge of my ministry. But
blessed be God who has enabled
me to beat down and quench the
fiery dart, by suggesting to me
such passages of Scripture as
these: ―What hast thou that thou
didst not receive?‖ ―By the grace
of God I am what I am.‖ ―Not I, but
the grace of God which was with
me.‖‖

Grace in Islam?
quot;Then those whose
balance (of good deeds ) is
heavy, they will be
successful. But those
whose balance is light, will
be those who have lost
their souls; in hell will they
abide,quot;
Sura: 23:102-103

Grace in Hinduism?

Karma is best translated ―cause and effect.‖ Whatever one
does in this life exercises an impact on the next one. It
guarantees that all people get exactly what their actions merit.

What Does ‗Grace‘
Mean for us?


―No one can come to Me unless the
Father who sent Me draws him; and I
will raise him up on the last day.‖
(John 6:44).


God Pursues Us; We Don‘t Pursue Him
• ―There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands,
there is none who seeks for God; ― (Ro 3:10-11)
• ―For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it
has been granted him from the Father‖ (John 6:65).
• ―A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.‖
(John 3:27)
• ―You did not choose Me but I chose you ‖ (John 15:16)
• ―All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to
Me I will certainly not cast out.‖ (John 6:37)
• ―What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one
which is lost until he finds it?‖ (Luke 15:4)
• ―I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest to those who
did not ask for Me.‖ (Ro 10:20/Isaiah 65:1).


―Christian theology
teaches the doctrine
of prevenient grace,
which briefly stated
means this, that before
a man can seek God,
God must first have
sought the man.‖
- A. W. Tozer


God Pursues Us; We Don‘t Pursue Him
quot;―What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which
is lost until he finds it? ―When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders,
rejoicing. ―And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his
neighbors, saying to them, ‗Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which
was lost!‘ ―I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over
one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no
repentance. ―Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin,
does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds
it? ―When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors,
saying, ‗Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!‘ ―In the
same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one
sinner who repents.‖quot;
(Luke 15:4-10)

What part did the sheep and the coin play in the process?

God Gives Us Grace Without Cause

quot;―For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord
your God has chosen you to be a people for His own
possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the
earth. ―The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you
because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for
you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved
you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the
Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from
the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.quot;
(Deuteronomy 7:6-8)


Alexander Whyte, the great
Scottish preacher, once stood up
in his pulpit in Edinburgh and said:
―I have discovered the most wicked
man in Edinburgh … ‖ Then he
paused, while the congregation
eagerly awaited the name;
whereupon the preacher
continued—‖Alexander Whyte‖


God Gives Us Grace Without Cause

quot;We love, because He first loved us.quot;
(1 John 4:19)

quot;For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many
wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the
wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame
the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and
the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that
He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast
before God.quot;
(1 Corinthians 1:26-29)


We Forgive as We‘ve Been Forgiven

quot;Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving
each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven
you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved
children;quot;
(Ephesians 4:32-5:1)

We Forgive as We‘ve Been Forgiven
quot; Then Peter came and said to Him, ―Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I
forgive him? Up to seven times?‖ Jesus said to him, ―I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up
to seventy times seven. ―For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who
wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ―When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him
ten thousand talents was brought to him. ―But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord
commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to
be made. ―So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‗Have
patience with me and I will repay you everything.‘ ―And the lord of that slave felt compassion and
released him and forgave him the debt. ―But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves
who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‗Pay back
what you owe.‘ ―So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‗Have
patience with me and I will repay you.‘ ―But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until
he should pay back what was owed. ―So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they
were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. ―Then
summoning him, his lord said to him, ‗You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you
pleaded with me. ‗Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I
had mercy on you?‘ ―And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he
should repay all that was owed him. ―My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of
you does not forgive his brother from your heart.‖quot;
(Matthew 18:21-35)

We Stop Trying to Earn God‘s Favor
quot;This is the only thing I want to find out
from you: did you receive the Spirit by
the works of the Law, or by hearing with
faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun
by the Spirit, are you now being
perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so
many things in vain—if indeed it was in
vain? So then, does He who provides
you with the Spirit and works miracles
among you, do it by the works of the Law,
or by hearing with faith? Even so
Abraham believed God, and it was
reckoned to him as righteousness.
Therefore, be sure that it is those who
are of faith who are sons of Abraham.‖
(Galatians 3:2-7)

What Grace Doesn‘t
Mean…


Grace Doesn‘t Mean Freedom to Sin
quot; What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin
so that grace may increase? May it never be! How
shall we who died to sin still live in it? . . . For sin shall
not be master over you, for you are not under law but
under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are
not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do
you not know that when you present yourselves to
someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of
the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in
death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves
of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that
form of teaching to which you were committed, and
having been freed from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness.quot;
(Romans 6:1-2, 14-18)

Grace Doesn‘t Mean Jesus is Only Savior

―Why do you call
Me, ‗Lord, Lord,‘
and do not do what I
say?‖
(Luke 6:46)

Lord: Kurios
―Owner , Controller of a person‖

Jesus is Both Savior and Lord

―The Lord will not save those whom He cannot
command. He will not divide His offices. You cannot
believe on a half-Christ. We take Him for what He is –
the anointed Savior and Lord who is King of kings and
Lord of all lords! He would not be Who He is if He
saved us and called us and chose us without the
understanding that He can also guide and control our
lives.‖
- A. W. Tozer, I Call it Heresy!


Jesus is Both Savior and Lord
―Scripture never speaks about anyone ‗making‘ Christ
Lord, except God Himself, who as ‗made Him both
Lord and Christ‘ (Acts 2:36). He is Lord of all
(Romans 14:9, Philippians 2:11), and the biblical
mandate for both sinners and saints is not to ‗make‘
Christ Lord, but rather to bow to His lordship. Those
who reject His lordship or give mere lip service to His
sovereignty are not saved (cf. 1 Cor. 12:3, Luke 6:46-
49).‖
- John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus


The Beauty of Grace


quot;Or do you think lightly of the riches of
His kindness and tolerance and patience,
not knowing that the kindness of God
leads you to repentance?‖
(Romans 2:4)

not the wrath of God…
not the brutality of God…
but the kindness of God…

Or, in other words, His Grace


quot;―Come to Me, all who
are weary and heavy-
laden, and I will give you
rest. ―Take My yoke
upon you and learn from
Me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your
souls. ―For My yoke is
easy and My burden is
light.‖quot;
(Matthew 11:28-30)

The Creed - I Believe In Grace

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