A bit of History 300-1500 Most of Christianity was Roman Catholic Uneducated common people Educated Priests Common people were discouraged from reading the Bible Saints and Mary to pray to Had to pay to keep loved ones from hell Have faith and... Martin Luther came and said “This is not right!”

Key Passage Eph 2:4 ...because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV

Faith in Jesus gives us new life 2:4 ...because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

God, in his kindness lifts us up to show how special we are to Him Eph 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

God gave us a gift of salvation 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— Through faith By God's grace It is a gift: To receive From one who cares about you For your benefit

No good works required! 9 not by works, so that no one can boast When you add to the gospel then you make it such that the work of Jesus is not sufficient You don't have to “do” anything Salvation is not given based on whether you have earned it or not Walmart gift Came all the way from China A familiar giver, sent from a long ways away

Misunderstandings of Grace Some are moving away from the historical understanding of salvation by grace thru faith Why? It is too simple It is too cheap (no cost involved) It is not fair It welcomes ANYONE! It has no teeth It seems to OK sin It paints a “mamby pamby” view of God God should require more from us No mention of what it costs ME Correct. It is not fair. God is not concerned about fairness as we think of it; God is concerned about being just. Justice is not fairness. Justice is not equal treatment True. The gospel is available to anyone. Greatest of sinner to least corrupt person that has ever lived.

The gospel is not an excuse to sin 1 Peter 2:16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. Church has not stood strongly against evil done to women, the powerless, Women have gone to Pastors only to hear I know your husband treats you badly, but he is saved and has received Jesus so I cant really confront him

Faith and Works James 2 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. NIV Works are always an outgrowth of faith

Misunderstandings of Grace Some are moving away from the historical understanding of salvation by grace thru faith Why? It paints a “mamby pamby” view of God God should require more from us No mention of what it costs ME Correct. It is not fair. God is not concerned about fairness as we think of it; God is concerned about being just. Justice is not fairness. Justice is not equal treatment True. The gospel is available to anyone. Greatest of sinner to least corrupt person that has ever lived.

What kind of God is God? God is Love God is just God doesn't just “wink” at sin You're OK. I like you. Come on in! God brought about ultimate justice on the cross God alone knows what sins you have done God alone knows what you need forgiveness for Vacation Tour bus What made you go into ministry? Brief testimony “I was raised...” “My mom believed...” “I have come to the point of believing my own way. We each have to do that?” Right? Silence on my part. I wanted to scream “What about Jesus?” If God is so mamby pamby that every person is going to make it to eternity with Him. Then why did Jesus have to die? The Cross brings love; but it also takes your punishment

Gal 3:11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” NKJV ALONE!

Sola Fide = By faith (thru grace) alone “Faith is only as good as its object. This is the danger of misunderstanding Sola Fide: that we would focus on faith in and of itself, and forget about the object of faith. We would then spend all our time talking about our faith, bragging about our faith, and worrying about the strength of our faith, all the while forgetting about the One in whom we have faith: Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ is bold only because of its object. When the One that you believe in is the crucified and risen One, Jesus Christ our Lord, the very Son of God, enthroned at the right hand of the Father, then your faith will be bold. Martin Luther writes: “Faith is a vital, deliberate trust in God’s grace, so certain that it would die a thousand times for it.” by Rev. Christopher Maronde

We live in a time... When most people have no clue what Jesus did When most people do not know the message of the cross When the well meaning church, seeking to respond to evils that have been done to people in the name of Christianity want to add to the gospel; In order to be saved it takes Faith and... Works Living right Never sinning

So What? Church be careful! Or you will lose the assurance of your salvation It is currently NOT based on what you do/merit You will lose the power of the cross, because it will take Jesus and _____________ Jesus' death will not be sufficient Seeker: Trust that everything has been done on the cross You need only repent And receive and believe