christemmbassey: Titus 2:11-"for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeareth to ALL MEN". Grace FIRST appeared, then faith took it.

Image123:

Hmmm, faith is not exactly works though it has to be done.There is nothin like attaining grace, its not to be attained but obtained. And to obtain from God, one needs faith.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive ANY THING of the Lord.

Grace is God's help and every believer needs to come boldly to obtain grace. It doesn't just jump on somebody.

James 1:1-8:


Greetings from James

1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!

Faith and Endurance

2 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

The passage you quoted was adressed to those that already believed...

alexleo:

Ephesians 2:8.

8 For BY GRACE are ye saved THROUGH FAITH;

Simply means- Salvation is by grace but obtained through faith. For example if you work in a company and they bring cars to give out to staff, the car is already available but you must need to do something to obtain it. May be sign some documents or may be provide some documents etc Grace is available but you OBTAIN it through faith. You don't ATTaIN grace.
Pls when you come to discussion forums like this, have an open mind to learn. Don't stick to what you already know until you are sure that what you know cannot be disproved. Now you said- "unfollowing thread". So did you come to impose what you know on us? Sorry it doesn't work that way. Thanks.

Ephesians 2:1-10:

Made Alive with Christ

2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

[b]4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) [/b]6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

The writters of biblical letters write their letters chronologically and to understand fully what is written below, you have to look ahead first. Verse five says it all but Paul now went ahead to talk about the Christ using us as examples in ALL FUTURE AGES... If you need to know, there are many ages ...the past age, present age, future ages, creative age, age of the ages, ages to come... and all biblical... and in this future ages, the millenial age that's got no end, then it will be refered that God saved us by His grace...

MatthewHenry'sCommentry for Ephesians 2:8:

III. Observe what is the great design and aim of God in producing and effecting this change: And this, 1. With respect to others: That in the ages to come he might show, etc. (v. 7), that he might give a specimen and proof of his great goodness and mercy, for the encouragement of sinners in future time. Observe, The goodness of God in converting and saving sinners heretofore is a proper encouragement to others in after-time to hope in his grace and mercy, and to apply themselves to these. God having this in his design, poor sinners should take great encouragement from it. And what may we not hope for from such grace and kindness, from riches of grace, to which this change is owing? Through Christ Jesus, by and through whom God conveys all his favour and blessings to us.

There is a man whom I love so much and I try get his printed works as part of my collection... They call him the prince of preachers... He is Charles Surgeon... He said and I quote...

CharlesSpurgeon>Essential Works of Charles Spurgeon>All of Grace>Br Grace through Faith:


I THINK IT WELL to turn a little to one side that I may ask my reader to observe adoringly the fountain- head of our salvation, which is the grace of God. "By grace are ye saved." Because God is gracious, therefore sinful men are forgiven, converted, purified, and saved. It is not because of anything in them, or that ever can be in them, that they are saved; but because of the boundless love, goodness, pity, compassion, mercy, and grace of God. Tarry a moment, then, at the well- head. Behold the pure river of water of life, as it proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb

What an abyss is the grace of God! Who can measure its breadth? Who can fathom its depth? Like all the rest of the divine attributes, it is infinite. God is full of love, for "God is love." God is full of goodness; the very name "God" is short for "good." Unbounded goodness and love enter into the very essence of the Godhead. It is because "his mercy endureth for ever" that men are not destroyed; because "his compassions fail not" that sinners are brought to Him and forgiven

Remember this; or you may fall into error by fixing your minds so much upon the faith which is the channel of salvation as to forget the grace which is the fountain and source even of faith itself. Faith is the work of God's grace in us. No man can say that Jesus is the Christ but by the Holy Ghost. "No man cometh unto me," saith Jesus, "except the Father which hath sent me draw him." So that faith, which is coming to Christ, is the result of divine drawing. Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation; and faith, essential as it is, is only an important part of the machinery which grace employs. We are saved "through faith," but salvation is "by grace." Sound forth those words as with the archangel's trumpet:"By grace are ye saved." What glad tidings for the undeserving!

Faith occupies the position of a channel or conduit pipe. Grace is the fountain and the stream; faith is the aqueduct along which the flood of mercy flows down to refresh the thirsty sons of men. It is a great pity when the aqueduct is broken. It is a sad sight to see around Rome the many noble aqueducts which no longer convey water into the city, because the arches are broken and the marvelous structures are in ruins. The aqueduct must be kept entire to convey the current; and, even so, faith must be true and sound, leading right up to God and coming right down to ourselves, that it may become a serviceable channel of mercy to our souls.

[b]Still, I again remind you that faith is only the channel or aqueduct, and not the fountainhead, and we must not look so much to it as to exalt it above the divine source of all blessing which lies in the grace of God. Never make a Christ out of your faith, nor think of as if it were the independent source of your salvation. Our life is found in "looking unto Jesus," not in looking to our own faith. By faith all things become possible to us; yet the power is not in the faith, but in the God upon whom faith relies. Grace is the powerful engine, and faith is the chain by which the carriage of the soul is attached to the great motive power. The righteousness of faith is not the moral excellence of faith, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ which faith grasps and appropriates. The peace within the soul is not derived from the contemplation of our own faith; but it comes to us from Him who is our peace, the hem of whose garment faith touches, and virtue comes out of Him into the soul.[/b]

See then, dear friend, that the weakness of your faith will not destroy you. A trembling hand may receive a golden gift. The Lord's salvation can come to us though we have only faith as a grain of mustard seed. The power lies in the grace of God, and not in our faith. Great messages can be sent along slender wires, and the peace-- giving witness of the Holy Spirit can reach the heart by means of a thread- like faith which seems almost unable to sustain its own weight. Think more of Him to whom you look than of the look itself. You must look away even from your own looking, and see nothing but Jesus, and the grace of God revealed in Him.

ledafaze: There is a man whom I love so much and I try get his printed works as part of my collection... They call him the prince of preachers... He is Charles Surgeon... He said and I quote...

With what you have quoted above, you are on the same page with the teachers and organizers of the convention. Thank you for this.

DrummaBoy:

With what you have quoted above, you are on the same page with the teachers and organizers of the convention. Thank you for this.

U just like to dey siddon on top fence you this drummerboy... But is is good sha... Cos in the book Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer, she says that

Joyce Meyer>Battlefield Of The Mind>Chapter10:A Confused Mind>Resolved To Know Nothing But Christ:

As for myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come pro­claiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God [concerning what He has done through Christ for the sal­vation of men] in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom;

For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

This was Paul's approach to knowledge and reasoning, and I have come to understand and appreciate it. It took a long time, but I finally realized that in many instances, the less I know the happier I am. Sometimes we find out so much it makes us quite miserable.

I was always a very curious, inquisitive person. I had to have everything figured out in order to be satisfied. God began to show me that my constant reasoning was the basis of my confusion and that it was preventing me from receiving what He wanted to give me. He said, 'Joyce, you must lay aside carnal reasoning if you ever expect to have discernment."

I realize now that I felt more secure if I had things figured out.

I did not want any loose ends in my life. I wanted to be in control - and when I did not understand things, I felt out of control ­frightened. But I was lacking something. I had no peace of mind and was physically worn out from reasoning

This type of continual wrong mental activity will even make your physical body tired. It can leave you exhausted!

God required me to give it up, and I strongly suggest the same thing for anyone who is addicted to reasoning. Yes, I said addict­ed to reasoning. We can become addicted to wrong mental activi­ty just as someone else can get addicted to drugs or alcohol 0::­nicotine. I was addicted to reasoning and when I gave it up I had withdrawal symptoms. I felt lost and frightened because I did not know what was going on. I even felt bored.

I had spent so much of my mental time reasoning that when ~ gave it up, I had to become accustomed to my mind being sc peaceful. For a while it seemed boring, but now I love it. While I used to run my mind all the time on everything, now I can't tolerate the pain and labor of reasoning.

Reasoning is not the normal condition in which God wantsour mind to reside.

Be aware that when the mind is filled with reasoning, it is not normal. At least not for the Christian who intends to be victorious - the believer who intends to win the war that is fought on the battlefield of the mind.

So, welldone drummerbuoy... and dont say i am getting confused too... Just knowing the right thing noni

christemmbassey: Titus 2:11-"for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeareth to ALL MEN". Grace FIRST appeared, then faith took it.

Its the same thing am saying. The saving grace of God is already available for all persons but with faith you obtain it. You don't attain it. Its not all men that are saved but all men can be saved if they can through faith obtain the saving grace. For God so love the world that he gave his only son that whosoever BELIEVE....
You have to believe(faith) in order to access the saving grace.

i don't want to say much on this as the grace of God is infinite and not limited to perspectives. i'll however leave with three scriptures that teach that we can obtain grace with faith.

1 Timothy 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.