Bible Study

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=82 BGCOLOR="#66CCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="16357811egdypo.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Woman of Grace Internet Magazine</B></FONT><B>     |   </B><B>  </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Woman of Grace Internet Magazine"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feature Article"><U>Feature Article</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Women in Ministry"><U>Women in Ministry</U></A>   |   <B>Bible Study </B>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Graceful Parenting"><U>Graceful Parenting</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="From a Mans Perspective"><U>From a Man's Perspective</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Conferences"><U>Conferences</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="My Viewpoint"><U>My Viewpoint</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Guest Book"><U>Guest Book</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#3366FF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="15f94c00egblwh.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="12d01010.png" border=0 width="1" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=398 BGCOLOR="#99CC66" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>Bible Study </B></I></div> <div> <B>"GRACE WORKS BETTER"</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#3300CC" FACE="Tempus Sans ITC" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#3300CC" FACE="Arial" ><B> by Sherry Green</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Teaching the "Grace" message often raises the same question.  What about Works?  </B></div> <div> <B>Does the Grace message leave out  " works?"  Some people get the idea we are teaching that Christians who walk in Grace don't need to produce works.  Quite the contrary.  Grace and works go beautifully together.  The misconception of Grace with "no works needed" comes from confusing two concepts - working, and earning.  We don't earn things from God, but we do work.  Know the difference.  Also, people misconstrue the real meaning of the word Grace with a sub-standard definition.  They imagine a "grace" of leniency that leads to an undisciplined life.  Actually the opposite is true.  Those that get a revelation of Grace are the greatest achievers the world has ever known.  What did Paul say?  Paul boasted only in the Gospel of Grace for which He was called an Apostle.  Although Paul was a Grace preacher he said he worked harder than all the rest of the Apostles.  Paul says, "For I am the least of the Apostles" ...  "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I but the grace of God which was with me."</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#3300CC" FACE="Arial" ><B>( 1 Cor. 15:9 and 10.)</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0099CC" FACE="Arial Rounded MT Bold" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Getting back to the confusion of working or earning... We don't earn our Salvation.  And we don't earn anything with works.  But, we do produce works, that's for sure.  It is the most exciting thing in the world to be involved in.. and these works aren't really our idea.  It is the Holy Spirit </B><B>at work</B><B> in us.  Many times the works to which God has called us are extremely challenging.  But the Word of God tells us: "I can do all things </B><B>through Christ which strengthens me</B><B>!" </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Grace message will always put Christ in the center of the message, not us.  Christ paid the cost -not us.  We don't come to God deserving anything but death.  He gives us life instead.  It is this Grace in Christ that creates fruitfulness and Godly works in our lives!  How you live in Christ from day to day shows how much of His Saving Grace you will accept into your life. People make religions that compartmentalize God's Grace into performance levels.  However, when we are first saved and each day thereafter we can't earn God's approval or benefits.  We now by faith accept God's approval and all His benefits through Grace.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Now, we know that Christians, both men and women are sensitive to the issue of works.  However,  I think women feel called to works more strongly, because they are often taught that the Bible defines  successful women by the quantity of their good works.  So, to be a successful woman we, many times, work against God's Grace.  The problem is when we become very conscientious about "working and pleasing” to gain the approval of God and others from which we gain self worth.  Its easy to get trapped in a cycle of performance for approval.  The performance cycle works for awhile; until the performer breaks down under mental and emotional and even physical exhaustion.  The cure for this is that GRACE WORKS BETTER. God has poured out His Grace upon you.  He wants you to believe that you are already approved of, fully accepted, and loved by Him, unconditionally.   When you come to rest in God's unqualified acceptance of you through Christ, then you will experience rest, and at the same time -Grace empowerment.  "Grace created" works are what really count in God's economy.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Phil. 2:13 “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure”  God puts the “want to” in our heart. More awesome .. He also takes care of the doing –for His good pleasure- God works in us not only to </B><B>want to</B><B>, but </B><B>to do.  And, Jesus said "..My yoke is easy, my burden is light.."</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Now lets read James 1:22.  Let us look closely at this passage of scripture about works.  “</B><B>But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” If you read this scripture only, out of context you will hear only that you must be "a doer.</B><B>"  But, now read the rest of the passage to see how the Holy Spirit explains it.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer</B><B>, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror: for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it,</B><B> and is </B><B>not a forgetful hearer </B><B>but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does!"</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Have you ever dressed really nice for a job interview? You looked in the mirror and thought to yourself how great you looked, and had that special surge of confidence?  But, when you got to the job interview your knees got weak and you felt small and incapable, all confidence lost.  You then were like the man who observed his natural face in the mirror and went away forgetting who he was losing all his confidence and capability.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>We can retain our confidence and capability by </B><I><B>continuing</B></I><B> to look into God's mirror.  "But he (or she) who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it.... will be blessed in what he does!" The "perfect law of liberty" is the mirror God wants us looking into.   This mirror is</B><B> the Gospel of Christ.  It is a perpetual reflection of God's love for us.  We see the cross, our liberty, and so much more!  </B><B>We are told to continue looking there so that we won't forget our new reality.  And in this mirror is a special new reflection Christ has put there for us.  We see our new self, safely in Christ.  We see ourselves wrapped in His arms of love.  We </B><B>do not see</B><B> our old self anymore for "old things are passed away, behold are things are become new." As we continue in this new reflection and are not forgetful of who we really are, then we become doers of the Word.  We remain confident and capable!</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Does the "perfect law of liberty" correctly refer to the Gospel of Christ? Yes, I believe that's what it means.  The perfect law of liberty is the new law, a ruling principle that God put in motion –through Christ.  God's new "perfect law" produced what the old law couldn't- righteousness in us.  This law of liberty has set us free from the old law of sin and death. Now we are perfected through faith in God's Grace not by our own achievements or works.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>May we have the wisdom not to just view ourselves once and walk away forgetful -but retain that vision of who we are.  May we see ourselves forgiven, loved, victorious, righteous through His blood, receivers of all God’s promises, and furnished to accomplish all the good works God has set before us to walk in! </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Look into the mirror of God's Grace for you... and experience how GRACE WORKS BETTER!</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bible Study Archives"><U>To Bible Study Archives</U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>