THE GOSPEL OF GRACE

If we want to be saved and have eternal life in today’s dispensation, all that is needed is to believe in what was accomplished
by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is referred to in the Bible as the “gospel of the grace of God.” The
Gospel of Grace is found only in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon. These are the books of the Bible that are about the
way God is dealing with people today; this is the dispensation of grace. Don’t confuse the fact that grace is mentioned through
out the Bible with “The Gospel of Grace”. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; not only is our sin debt
paid but we are reconciled (Reconciliation: to be restored to friendship and fellowship) to God and have perfect
righteousness (righteousness: Is God’s standard of perfection) imputed to us (imputation: Is God’s righteousness
credited to our account). The only way to eternal life in Heaven is to have perfect righteousness and the only way any of us
can have perfect righteousness is to have Jesus Christ’s perfect righteousness imputed to us. We get this by believing that Jesus
Christ was our representative at the cross, a fully sufficient sacrifice, our savior. When we come to believe this truth; salvation
is ours. Salvation is by grace through faith alone. Grace being a gift with no works needed. If we believe that Jesus Christ died
on the cross for us, but believe we also have to do good works to attain salvation, then this is no longer grace. I can’t
emphasize this enough. If you don’t trust solely in the finished work of the cross, and add to it in any way, the gospel of grace
“is of no effect”.

Ga:5:4: Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

If we trust in our works whether it is ceremonies or the keeping of the law for our salvation we are perverting the word of God
for this age. The apostle Paul says “let him be accursed“(Gal.1:8) to those who pervert the gospel of grace.
Most people have the need to believe that they have a part in their own salvation. Somehow, they have earned their way to
Heaven. This is not the case. God does not want us proud and self righteous. He wants us to know that He had a plan that
provided the means to our salvation and all we have to do is have faith in His plan. Does that sound too easy? To get such a
gift as eternal life with a new resurrection body that does not hurt or ever get sick; surely we should have to work for it; doing
something miserable or boring, or something that we have to do over and over again for years to earn this gift.  Or should we
have to give until it hurts? There are several verses from the book of Romans that give the answer, and the answer is; it is not
of us that we get eternal life, but is a gift for believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. Look at the verses
below.

Ro:4:4: Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Ro:4:5: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness.

Ro:11:6: And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then
is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Eph:2:8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph:2:9: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ti:3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing
of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Ro:3:21: But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets;

Ro:3:24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Ro:3:25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Ro:3:26: To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus.
Ro:3:27: Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

The above passage, “Where is the boasting then”, should put things in proper prospective for the self righteous; who would like
to believe they are a little bit better than you or me and are receiving righteousness through their good works.

Ro:3:28: Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Clearly belief in the gospel of grace is where we are justified, and through Jesus Christ is where we attain our righteousness.
We have no righteousness of our own. Certainly not perfect righteousness which is required for eternal life. The passages
below spell this out.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Jas:2:10: For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Ro:3:20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the
knowledge of sin.

The only way we will ever have perfect righteousness is if it is given to us. Given to us as a gift from God. To have the perfect
righteousness of God you must believe that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried; and
that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”.

I Cor 15:3,4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Clearly our salvation ( salvation: saved from God’s wrath against sin) is not through something that we can do. Also there
is a clear distinction between grace and works as stated in Romans 11:6 above. Works and grace are truly opposites. Good
works are what we should do without expecting anything in return. But can our good works be used to offset the bad we do?
No, works performed in Old Testament times did not save anyone. This is pointed out in Hebrews 10:4.

Heb:10:4: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

The performing of works including keeping the various laws given the nation Israel were an expression in faith in order to be
saved. This is no longer the case in the age of grace. God has given man different requirements through the ages to express our
faith in his word. Sacrifices and Baptism are two such ordinances that had no saving value in themselves, but were an
expression in faith by those that followed them. They had faith that God would keep his word, and if they did what God
instructed them to do, they would be saved. They did not know it at the time, that their salvation would be due to Jesus Christ
dying on the cross in the future. Jesus Christ’s death would be a payment for their sins as well as our sins now. In Paul’s
epistles this is explained to us. God has given us a free will to either reject or accept what He has done for us. We can either
reject or accept the fact that Jesus Christ died for us as stated in Romans 5:8

“But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”

and also in II Corinthians 5:21

“He hath made Him [Jesus] to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
Him”

and in the following passage it is stated also.

Col:2:14: Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out
of the way, nailing it to his cross;

In Ephesians 1:13 we read about our salvation being sealed with the Holy Spirit after we believe the gospel of grace.

“In Whom [the Lord Jesus Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise”

This seal is a guarantee that your salvation is eternal, and you can never lose it.
It is that simple. If you want to be saved, and trust completely and exclusively in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as total
payment to God for your sins; God will forgive you of all your sins, and the righteousness of Jesus Christ is credited to your
account. Eternal life is yours. The issue of salvation is simple, but yet there is a lot of confusion over it.
Religion would have us believe that we have to earn salvation. The so-called Christian religious systems may concede that the
Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, but we need Jesus Christ, and also some form of works program in order to be
saved. I’d be insulted if I were the Lord Jesus Christ and someone thought they could add to what I accomplished at Calvary
by “works of the flesh.” Insulted may not be the word that the Lord Jesus Christ would use, but salvation surely will not be the
gift to those who are so arrogant to believe that they can add to God’s plan for our salvation. This is the way that Satan works
today to keep people from being saved. Pervert the Grace Gospel just enough to make it of “no effect”.
Salvation is never in question for those that have become saved at some point of there life.
This salvation through the grace of God would no way discourage true believers from leading a good life; striving to do good
works. If nothing else we try to improve our behavior out of gratitude to God for giving us the gift of grace. We would strive to
become better, and through faith and help from the Holy Spirit we can accomplish this, if we wish. To put it another way we
do good works because we are saved not in order to be saved. I hope this was helpful.