Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: GRACE (02/12/26)
-
TITLE: Grace Plus Anything Is Not Grace | Previous Challenge Entry
By Doug Laird
02/18/26 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Most claim to have received God’s undeserved, irrevocable (2) gift of eternal life, based, on the grace of God. They claim the Romans 8:1 assurance of eternal security, based on the grace of God.
They identify and execute the post (after) salvation spiritual life of Biblical discipleship as they , “… grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2Pet. 3: 18 NASB2020).”
But then, they turn around and respond to a haunting, perceived need to participate in the religious traditions of Man in order to “really” be saved, and or, to retain salvation.
Where does this perceived need to participate come from?
Any attack on the Person, or as in this case, the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, is of the devil.
Sad to say, but the devil has the unwitting support of persons in positions of “religious” leadership that he has deceived, and to whom unedified believers go to for their spiritual guidance.
Jesus paid in full the payable sin debt for the entire world (3) while on the cross, setting the stage for all who believe to be saved.
I say “payable,” because by divine design, Jesus did not atone for the sin of disbelief.
Accordingly, it is for, and only for, the John 3: 18 sin of disbelief that any soul will eventually find himself or herself in what the Bible calls the lake of fire (4).
Either Jesus atoned for all other sin, as 1John 2: 2 teaches, or He did not.
If He did not, then we are all headed for Hell, as no amount of religious activity, good behavior, or good deeds can save us.
It is God who individually draws us (5), affording us the opportunity to hear the Gospel Message; to believe; and by doing so, be saved.
Evangelization and edification calls for the communication of accurate information. Nothing more; nothing less.
Arguing or debating spiritual issues is a satanic trap.
It provides the opposition with a platform from which it will advance its own counter agenda.
When the truth is not accepted, it creates a vacuum and a void that the devil will be quick to fill.
Mature believers and experienced spokespersons for God will have the wisdom to tell it like it is, and then let the chips fall where they may.
The things of God will sound foolish to the unsaved, unedified soul (6).
It is God who makes the message being presented understandable.
If one chooses to believe, it is God, then and there, that seals (7) the believer, forever identifying him as a child of God.
It is God that records the name of every born-again believer in the Lamb’s Book of life (8).
It is God Who regenerates what had been the believer’s dead spirit (9), with which he or she had come into this world.
This is ALL the Work of God (not human clergy), based on His undeserved, unearned, grace.
To add ANY further requirement for salvation is to say that faith in what Jesus accomplished on the cross is not enough.
Such teachings are not merely inaccurate, they amount to blasphemy, as they attack the integrity, permanency, and sufficiency of what Jesus claimed, and did in fact accomplish, on the cross.
“For (Because) it is by (unearned, undeserved) grace (that) you have been saved, through faith (in what was revealed to you when you were presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message); and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (and) not the result of works (good deeds/good behavior/religious traditions, etc.), so that no one can boast (about what he or she has accomplished).” - Eph.2: 8-9 NASB2020 parentheses mine.
In closing, keep in mind that grace is NOT a license to sin.
There is divine discipline (10) awaiting all Heaven bound, born-again believers for any post (after) salvation sin they commit.
While one’s residency in Heaven is never in jeopardy (11), divine discipline here on Earth can range in anything from having to live with a guilty conscience (12); fear of and rejection from embarrassing public exposure (13); and a variety of other sanctions, up to and including, physical death (14).
The whole objective of the post salvation spiritual life is for the born-again believer to continue to glorify God by becoming more and more Christ-like in his or her thoughts, speech, and behavior (15).
(1) Psalms 33: 1 (2) Rom. 11: 29 (3) 1John 2: 2 (4) Rev. 20: 15 (5) John 6: 44 (6) 1Cor. 2: 14 (7) Eph. 4: 30 (8 Luke 10: 20/Rev. 20:15 (9) Titus 3: 5 (10) Heb. 12: 6 (11) Rom. 8: 1 (12) Ps. 32:3 (13) Num. 32: 23 (14) Acts 5 (15) Rom. 8: 29
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.