GRACE LEAVES NO ROOM FOR BOASTING
By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi
Rom 4:2-3KJV " For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
Luke 10:25-37 "…You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?....."
Rom 4:2-3KJV " For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
Luke 10:25-37 "…You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?....."
Salvation is not
by any self-effort or performance of any religious ritual .Prophet Abraham did not belong to any religious group before he was declared righteous by God.There was no room to boast about how many times he prayed, went for pilgrimage, gave an offering etc before he was justified by God.It was by faith only. The Old Testament
scriptures of Isaiah1;24-27,Deut 9:4-6 says it is strictly God's prerogative. The New testament
corroborates this in Matt26:26 and in Eph2:8 that it is by grace that we are
saved. The Greek word ‘Charis’ defines grace as : the state of being acceptable
to and favoured by God .It is a divine influence impressed upon the heart of the recipient ; an empowerment to excel and be distinguished
.
Most people out of pride and the desire
to impress others resist the truth of justification by faith and the grace of
God and have exposed themselves to emotional traumas and satanic manipulations.
They love titles and public recognition like the lawyer in (Luke10:28) and his
mundane and inconsequential “acts of righteousness “ . He was self- centered,
putting himself before God and his fellow man.
His definition of neighbour did not go beyond close friends , religious congregation and those
who treated him well .
Such persons are insincere , incoherent and evasive
in discussions regarding their relationship with God and fellow humans in a bid
to shun responsibilities. They seek to be justified in the sight of God through
their actions and are hard to please . This lawyer would rather be justified by
works instead of by the free gift of grace so that he could have something to
boast about.
The life of self-righteousness is full
of excuses and can not lead to a positive spiritual growth and submission to
God’s will. It is full of fears and the inability to identify true love ;the
lawyer in Luke 10:28 had no clue of who
Jesus Christ was because he could not see beyond his religious goggles.
We must have faith in the truth that it takes
one sin in a person to be a sinner likewise one act of righteousness
by grace can make a man righteous like faithful Abraham.It is like being rescued from drowning , we simply depend on the rescuer for salvation. God is not interested in man's attempts at
making himself right before God through oblations outside grace (Isaiah1:13). Faith demands that we totally rely on God and
with respect to our salvation we must have faith in God’s grace through Jesus
Christ. Grace is not enough without
faith just as the sun is incomplete without sun-rays. It is through faith we
accept God's free gift of salvation, which was provided by grace. As you receive Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour and read
this now, receive grace for unlimited supply of provisions in Jesus name.
Free counseling ,prayer
+234 8035536911, +234 8098536911email: michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
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