| RE 0
"Grace", "by the GRACE of God", "we are saved by GRACE", in any sense
used, the term "Grace", to me represents a "natural and free" gift or
occurance, caused by God.
In other words, I believe that if man NEVER did anything to "grieve the
spirit" of God developing within him that man would experience eternal
life as natural reality.
This idea is verified in Romans chapter 1:21-25(?)...also Jesus said "I
came not to save the righteous but the wicked from death." A well
person isn't in need of a physician. If we never rebel against the
natural unfoldment of self, we'd have eternal life...but because of our
"imaginations our foolish hearts are darkened".
We notice in the Garden that prior to eating from the forbidden tree,
Adam and Eve walked naked before God. Afterwards they hid
themselves...and God asks them WHY did they hide. To which they
respond, "Because we were naked and we were ashamed". God said, "Who
told you you were naked?"...and noone had told them that, they
IMAGINED it! God said, You eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil"...which gave them an disposition to judging, what is good or
what is evil" And God says EVERYTHING I HAVE CREATED IS GOOD.
Even MAN is created and is GOOD, but God said as he destroyed the earth
in the days Noah, "The IMAGINATIONS OF HIS HEART are continually EVIL".
So though MAN is basically good, his IMAGINATION often is evil and his
downfall. Which if we just stop "leaning to our own understanding or
imagination" we would naturally develop into what God desires us to be.
But after having fallen into the pit of imagination, we must be
corrected by the tree of life. And having therefrom eaten and been
corrected, we rest from our evil imaginings and grow gracefully,
naturally into that which God has intended for us.
Playtoe
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| Grace is when we get better than we deserve. Grace is being found
lovable, even with all our blemishes and imperfections. Grace is
the summer breeze of the soul, pungent and new. Grace is the hug
of a child. Grace is the spirit of opulence amid austerity. Grace
is a divine spilling over of goodness and light.
Peace,
Richard
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| RE: 2
In short, "We love God, because he first loved us". A gift given to
all freely. Also, God said, "I have no desire to see any one die."
Which is to say, he desires that we should always live. It is written,
"Through one man sin and death entered into the world". So death came
by sin...which is to say, if we stop sinning we shall have eternal
life.
You're note is quite romantic...is religion romantic or duty and
obligation?
Playtoe
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| Note 431.4
> You're note is quite romantic...is religion romantic or duty and
> obligation?
Playtoe,
Of possessing a romantic nature, I've been accused before. I do not
believe a poetic perspective necessarily detracts from a sense of
Christian duty and obligation.
Peace,
Richard
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| To answer the base note, Grace is God giving to us what we don't
deserve. Grace is voluntary on God's part, not earned by us. What
God gives us is the ability to live forever with Him in a loving
relationship with Him.
What prevents this from happening now is our sin. Contrary to
Playtoe's notes, Christian orthodoxy says that we are not "good", that
we are born into sin. By God's standard, we can't "stop sinning", we
have no ability on our own to do enough good things to earn our
salvation. This is all over the Bible - Romans 3:23, etc.
So Grace is the offer made to each of us by God. The offer was made in
the person of Jesus. Through Him can we be reconciled to God. God makes
the offer, but each of us can choose to accept the offer. Grace is given,
but not always received - each of us has the ability to choose.
Grace and peace...
Don Randall
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