Grace and Faith, Death and Life.

 Grace and Faith, Death and Life. 

These really must be taken as pairs for if we only focus on one half of the pair we miss out on some very important things and we wind up in a ditch.  

For us each half of the pair is dependent upon the other half.  Grace does US no good without faith, and what good is faith to us without grace?  Since the fall there is no life without death and to obtain life there has to be a death.  Sounds crazy right?

Grace is manifested in Jesus dying on the cross for sin past, present and future? Correct?  This means all sin was forgiven at the cross from the beginning of time till the end of time. Correct?  So then why are there people in hell now and why are there people who are and will still go to hell and who will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, to exist for eternity? Did God’s grace not apply for them?  

The problem wasn’t God’s grace the problem was that they did not have or use faith to access it. To put it in an earthy context grace is money in a bank account with your name on it but if you never use the checks/debit card/the means of excessing the money in the account that money does you NO good.  I have heard stories of people who died homeless yet had millions in the bank but because they didn’t know the money was there or because of a mental illness refused to access it the millions did them no good.  That is how it has been and is for countless people in this world. They had no idea of the grace of God that had been poured out for them at the cross or for whatever reason they refused to believe it and so they died in their sins.  

Romans 10:13-14 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

Hebrews 4:2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

On the flip side faith without and apart from grace is like having a checkbook/debit card to a bank account with no money in it.  You can write that check but it is going to bounce and cost you more money and you can try and use that debit card and it is going to be rejected. This is what happens when someone tries to use faith in themselves and their abilities to EARN their way to salvation. It doesn’t work. 

Death and life work together in a similar way.  Jesus died and was raised to life again so that we may be die to sin and have life eternally. Romans 6:5-11 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Through Romans, and the Epistles, we see this continued connection between life and death, death and life. Any sin that we, as believers, may battle with is simple something that we have not died to.  Dead things don’t have power, they have no way to wage a battle.  That’s why I don’t believe that 12 steps are need to be free from any addiction.  I believe in God’s 1 step.  Put it to death and live. 

Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

To answer the question how do we do this just reread the part about grace and faith.