-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Ephesians 2:4-10 (WEB) says: "But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus; for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them." Did you notice how often the word "grace" comes up in that passage, and indeed, in the Bible? The word "grace" comes up about 148 times in the Bible. What is grace? The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary <http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=grace> defines grace as: 1 a : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification b : a virtue coming from God c : a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace 2 a : APPROVAL, FAVOR <stayed in his good graces> b archaic : MERCY, PARDON c : a special favor : PRIVILEGE <each in his place, by right, not grace, shall rule his heritage -- Rudyard Kipling> d : disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency e : a temporary exemption : REPRIEVE 3 a : a charming or attractive trait or characteristic b : a pleasingly graceful appearance or effect : CHARM c : ease and suppleness of movement or bearing synonym see MERCY The Greek word "charis" used here means (1) a quality that adds delight or pleasure: graciousness, attractiveness, charm; (2) a favorable attitude: good will, favor (b) God's attitude toward human beings: kindness, grace, favor, helpfulness (3)(a) exceptional effects produced by God's favor: ability, power, enablement (b) practical proofs of good will from one person to another: kind deed, benefit, favor; collection for the poor, generous gift; (4) an experience or state resulting from God's favor: state of grace, favored position (5) a verbal thank offering to God: gratitude, thanks. (abridged from the Barklay-Newman Greek Dictionary) In short, the grace of God is the mercy and favor that God gives us that results in the ability for us to be saved and to carry out the work that He has called us to do. Praise God! What do we have to do to get this grace? Just believe God! We are saved by grace through faith! That's all it takes! Yes, we have good works to do, and we repent and turn from our old ways to the righteous ways of God, but that isn't what gets us saved. It is simply accepting God's grace by faith. Hallelujah! Here is a freshly-written acrostic psalm starting with the words "GRACE" and "FAITH": Michael's Psalm 51 written 29 July 2001 God is very good! Father God's love endures forever! Rest assured of God's mercy. All who trust the Lord and call on Him are saved. All of our sins were washed away by Jesus Christ's blood. In Christ Jesus, we stand perfectly righteous. Come join us in praising God forever! The Lord is Good and worthy of our praise! Everlasting life belongs to God's children! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord forever! http://eBible.org/mpj/51.htm -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 7.0.3 for non-commercial use <http://www.pgp.com> Comment: http://eBible.org/mpj/ iQA/AwUBO2RbekSP4McX10e7EQJzbQCgkrzF+gg1E3EW6Zd6MsqR5XjYFHEAnA1M NmKFdfcnAdfeNTbqHn6hh00X =Sovc -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
