In Grace I Stand

This will be the last post from Jerry Bridges I Exalt Thee, O God. Finished it this morning. So. Good. Please read it.

"All true believers acknowledge that we're saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul tells us furthermore that we also stand in grace (Romans 5:1-2). On a day-to-day basis we stand accepted by God in the same grace by which we were saved.

And the same definition of grace - God's favor through Christ to people who deserve His wrath - applies in our continuing relationship with God as believers...Each day we deserve God's wrath, but each day we stand before Him in grace, accepted by Him only through the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As B.B. Warfield said, "Though blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ, we are still ourselves, just 'miserable sinners': 'miserable sinners' saved by grace to be sure, but 'miserable sinners' still, deserving in ourselves nothing but everlasting wrath." Our best deeds are polluted with sin and are made acceptable to God only through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). Even as Christians we never earn favor with God by our performance. All His favor still comes to us through Christ.

Because of this we can be assured of God's to us throughout this life and for eternity. We've done nothing to earn His love and we can do nothing to forfeit it. His love in Christ is eternal and unconditional. Nothing can separate us from His love, as the apostle Paul put it so eloquently (Romans 8:35-39).

...Do we believe that nothing - not even our own sin - can separate us from God's love? This doesn't mean God winks at our sin like the proverbial indulgent grandfather. Rather it means that He has forgiven our sins because of the atoning sacrifice of His Son. God proved His love to us by sending Christ to suffer in our place. Therefore to doubt His love because of our sin is an affront to Him. It says in effect that the merit of Christ's death is not sufficient to cover the demerit of our sin. What an insult to God!

...As we grow in our understanding of God's love for us in Christ, we will more and more 'delight in the fear of the LORD' (Isaiah 11:3)...He loved us when we did not love Him. Therefore we have no excuse for not loving one another.

Certainly there are people who are difficult to love. The fact is, we all are to some degree. We don't have the power in ourselves to love the unlovable, but that also is no excuse. We do have the Holy Spirit enabling us to love others as we look to Him.

So we have no excuse not to love one another, and we have the direct command to do so, based on God's love for us. In fact Paul urges us to 'live a life of love' - our entire life, seven days a week, is to be characterized by love. Like John, Paul bases that exhortation on Christ's love for us (Ephesians 5:1-2). Our love is to be a reflection of His love."

The Gospel. When we were unlovable, Christ loved us. We not only are saved by grace. We stand in grace.

Thank you for always pointing me to the Cross, Jerry Bridges.