Can grace be overstated?

The majority does not understand
I think, it is no coincidence at all that the proclamation of God's grace has become real popular nowadays. Popularityalso means: beloved by the crowd.For most believers, including myself in the past, have not understood the Gospel at all, have not understood
From this perspective, grace cannot be overstated /overloaded. From the Heavenly perspective everything is abundant and lavish! Mercy grace are lavishly given to us!
Many do not know, or more precisely, do not understand, or much more precisely, do not live out what it means: not to be under the Mosaic Law.
Paul's foundation
If we read carefully Paul's letters to the churches, we will notice that he always begins his letters by building identity.He addresses questions such as: what has Jesus done for us, what is our calling, who have we become in Jesus, what difference has the cross made in our personal lives? He then goes on to say that if we have received such a great gift from God, we should live or we can live and behave accordingly.
Let's look at an example!
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.
In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.
We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Eph 1:3-8
Paul seems to have overstepped the mark here (too). For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.
We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Eph 1:3-8
He did it for a reason. It seems clear to him that the most important thing is for believers
In addition to holiness and integrity, it is part of our vocation that we are to be the exaltation:
God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.
Eph 2:4-10
It seems that Paul was not ashamed to proclaim God's grace to the extreme. He wanted the believers to be assured that God's grace was not only present at the time of conversion, but that he was also showing the majestic riches of his grace. And he did not hide the purpose. He knew that without faith in God's grace, the Ephesian brethren would not act righteously. Eph 2:4-10
Only after he had told them what God had done for them, who they had become by God's grace in Christ, would he then turn to how they should behave.
I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us.
Eph 4:1-3
Even if Paul had begun with this part, without a proper identity, he would only have penetrated the audience by once again placing unattainable demands on us. Eph 4:1-3
Unfortunately, the first two or three chapters of the letter are very rarely preached, but chapters four to five are preached all the more often. No wonder that in the churches humility, meekness, bearing with one another in love are "as rare as white ravens" - Not to mention the attitude to marriage described in chapter five.
As for the marriage. Christians who see the Law "as a template" are still stuck on the idea that "marriage should not be broken."
The Law did not say a word about the spouses loving each other, but Paul, speaking of the will of Christ, says that
Identity VS. Technique
The heart of the problem is that the church has become totally disillusioned with preaching the grace of God. Neo-Protestant movements have put too much emphasis on avoiding sin. Or at least explaining the importance of avoiding sin. The result? If they are pro-active they are filled with to do lists.Graceful life
By mere ideas we did not understand graceful life - and unfortunately most of us still do not understand the life - we don't understandBut thanks Gd! By the Grace of God by the Mercy of God we got new, thriving life and ID!
Believers aren't rooted in preaching simply but oriented by teachings, mentored by models from Jesus and from proved, matured lifes of believers and being disciplined by Gd, as sons. (Hebrews 12:7-10)
Milk or solid food?
I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it.
1Cor 3:1
Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1Pt 2:2-3
There's a common question on the preaching of grace: "is it good to feed believers only with the drink of milk? When will we give them hard food?"
1Cor 3:1
1Pt 2:2-3
The last three verses of the Hebrews 5 are misunderstood by most Christians because they have heard some wrong explanation. Meanwhile the apostle is crystal clear here:
5:12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature — for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.
The writer of the letter is clearly implying that This hard food is for those of age, that is, those who believe in Jesus and His ultimate work. Their judgment is skilled in discerning right from wrong.
Fortunately, there are more and more people who are boldly proclaiming God's grace, goodness and the things that Jesus has obtained on the cross, and there are more and more people who understand the Gospel and experience the love, goodness and mercy of Jesus.
· Two different eras
· Transferred to the reign of Grace
· Grace is not a license to sin
· After the Law
· Two women