The Common Grace of God

God owes us nothing.

God owes us nothing, yet He has poured out His blessings on every man and woman.

The two aspects of grace are available to all humanity in general and special or saving grace.

Common grace is available to all human beings without discrimination. The first mention of grace is found in Genesis 6:8. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” God extended His grace 120 years while Noah preached righteousness.

Fallen man has a fallen nature and without common grace mankind would be ultimately self-destructive (Rom. 1:18-2:16; 3:9-20). God in His common grace causes the sun to shine on the just and the unjust. This is the kind of grace that keeps radically depraved humanity from self-destruction.

Common grace gives order to life in spite of the curse of sin. The earth yields its fruit in abundance in spite of the thorns and briars. Depraved mankind knows the difference between good and evil, has religious aspirations, does good deeds, gives philanthropic gifts to others in need all because of common grace.

The effects produced by common grace or the influence of the Spirit common to all men are natural revelation whereby the creation testifies to the Creator through out the universe, presence of truth, good and beauty, fear of future punishment, a natural sense of right and wrong, restraints of governments, fear of God, religious interest not attended by genuine spiritual regeneration by the Holy Spirit, etc. Charles Hodge observes that the influences of common grace “are all capable of being effectually resisted. In all these respects this common grace is distinguished from the efficacious operation of the Spirit to which the Scriptures ascribe the regeneration of the soul.”

The response of most people to God’s common grace is “contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience” (Romans 2:4). How tragic that man in his arrogance and pride refuses to accept common grace.

To despise the riches of God’s grace is a terrible sin with eternal consequences.

The purpose of God’s common grace is to cause us to turn to Him to receive even greater grace.

Yet, in spite of our sinful depravity, God is good to us. He reaches down to us in His love and grace to save us. He wants us to repent and acknowledge His goodness and accept the riches of His saving grace.

A good example of common grace leading to effectual saving grace is the Gentile man Cornelius who feared God, gave alms generously and prayed regularly, but was never saved until the apostle Peter shared with him the good news of salvation through the atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus (Acts 10:1-48). It was common grace that led Cornelius to be devout, but he still needed efficacious saving grace. He responded to the light he had received through common grace, and God brought him to the greater light of the good news of Jesus Christ whereby he could believe and be saved. God the Holy Spirit moved him beyond common grace which does not save, to the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus.

The most uncommon thing that has ever happened is found in Romans 5:6-8. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

It was “while we were still sinners,” that God did everything to save us sinners. God sent His only begotten Son to come and die in our place on the cross.

God does not owe us anything. We deserve to go to hell. He does not owe us a chance to be saved. The only thing we deserve is judgment because we have disobeyed God.

The Bible says, “The soul that sins will surely die.” “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” “The wages of sin is death.”

We need more than common grace to save us. We need His special saving grace. “God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” We need His special grace that lifts us out of our sins and saves us.

Christ’s death for you demonstrates God’s unfathomable love for you. It commends itself to us to embrace Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. It calls every sinner to turn from his or her sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ and be saved.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

God loves you and wants you to respond to His love today. Will you believe on Him and receive His free gift of eternal life? “We love Him because He first loved us.”

Everyone receives God’s common grace, but have you responded to His special saving grace? “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus Christ is our only hope. Only Jesus Christ could offer a sacrifice for our sins and pay the penalty in full. In His life and death Christ did all that God required of us. That is how much He loves you and wants you to come to Him and receive eternal life. If you have never done so please respond to His saving grace today.Selah!

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006

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To Have Gotten Home Before The

I am grateful the key to the scooter works great after using crazy glue I am grateful to have gotten home before the snowstorm hit

I am grateful the side street were plowed after last nights snow storm, I stay off of the main street as much as possible

I am grateful for a wonderful quiet afternoon in the sanctuary

I am grateful Snowball and Smokey have become so lovable and love to cuddle

I am grateful the beef soup turned out great using the slow cooker

But Still be United In

We can have differences but still be united in Christ .Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah

It is Bent Real Bad

I am grateful it stopped snowing last night so I could get out for a scooter ride today

I am grateful the key did not break off in the ignition when I got off the scooter. It is bent real bad and pray a new one can be made tomorrow

I am grateful the new program on the computer is easy to use

That are Meant to Be

Jehovah blesses each of His children with special gifts that are meant to be used to help others. This blesses us with the greatest wealth of all, the riches of the heart. Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah

To put Hand Warmers under The

I am grateful my sinus congestion has finally cleared up after two weeks.

I am grateful The Holy Spirit reminded me Jezebels yoga teacher has three cats. Jezebel knows a man that works at a factory making kitty litter maybe we can trade kitty litter for yoga classes

I am grateful The Holy Spirit reminded me to put hand warmers under the air bed. It is cold in the house so the bed deflates but if there are hand warmers under it should keep it heated.

I am grateful Jezebels sinus infection has cleared up so she gets out of the house and so much work gets done

Saying That is Interesting and Then

Wisdom is having knowledge and putting that knowledge into action. Stupid is having knowledge, saying that is interesting and then walk away from it. Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah

Are You in Adam or in Christ?

Charles Hodge asked a crucial question: “If God requires one thing, and we present another, how can we be saved? If He has revealed a method in which He can be just and yet justify the sinner, and if we reject that method and insist upon pursuing a different way, how can we hope to be accepted?”

The safest answer, of course, is in the Scriptures. What has God revealed?

The first man sinned, but not just once; Adam sinned many times. Before he sinned the first time he was righteous. His righteousness was of his own doing, as a created being. It was the righteousness of a man. However, Adam never had the righteousness of Jesus Christ upon him. What he lost was his own self-righteousness.

When you and I put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior we are not merely given back a human righteousness that Adam had before the fall. We are given the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. God gives us “much more” in abundance, a superabundance of grace. He gives us the full weight of His perfect righteousness.

Adam did not stand in his own righteousness. He fell. If we attempt to stand in our own righteousness we, too, shall fall.

The gift of God in Christ far surpasses the effects of Adam’s sin and all other transgressions we have committed.

The humbling fact is we were all in Adam once, and we fell in him. He brought sin and death to the human race by his own sin.

How can you and I escape the effects of the fall of Adam on us?

We can stand in a divine righteousness provided by our divine substitute that will never be taken from us. It is God’s gift to us in His grace. The poet expressed it beautifully:

Jesus thy Blood and righteousness

My beauty are, my glorious dress.

The apostle Paul wrote that we have received, “God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17).

We “reign in life” even now through Jesus Christ. We have been elevated to a position far above what Adam had before his fall. We not only have been “recovered from the fall, but made to reign through Jesus Christ.”

The righteousness of Jesus Christ has been put to our account, put upon us and it is a righteousness in abundance, ever superabundance.

Because it is of divine grace, all of the glory belongs to God alone. Adam stood at the head of the human race and brought death upon all, so our Lord Jesus stood for man and brings life to all who believe on Him.

Every one of us is in Adam. However, the most important question is, are you in Christ? We have Christ only through faith.

We are under grace because we stand before God as justified men. Grace is the state of justification. Because we have been justified, we remain justified and we can never be condemned.

We have been justified by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. There is no other way to have a right standing with a just and holy God. “Oh to grace how great a debtor.”

God was under no duress or compulsion to save us. Nothing made Jesus Christ die for our sins on the cross. Nothing made God credit the perfect righteousness of Christ to our account. God did it because He chose to do so out of grace.

If you are objecting to God’s revealed word saying how can I be saved by something someone else has done for me, it is probably because you are not saved.

The good news for all in Adam is that a righteous God by a judicial act declares sinful men to be in a right standing before Him, not on the basis of their own merits because they have none as sinners, but only on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done by dying in our place on the cross. Jesus took the penalty of death for our sins upon Himself and died on our behalf. Now those sins have been punished and God imputes the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ to our account.

You are in Adam, but are you in Christ?Selah!

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006

The Only Way We can Destroy The

The only way we can destroy the negative or lustful or proud thoughts that constantly bombard us through out the day is to walk in harmony with The Holy Spirit.

Whenever these thoughts enter my mind The Holy Spirit softly speaks to me and reminds me these are destructive thoughts.

I then thank Him for the warning and tell satan to get lost and sing “ Jesus loves me. ‘

Those destructive thoughts disappear like a lightning bolt. Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah