A Life of Grace

A Life of Grace

Mary Ann Wray

"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8: 6

I know this is a bit lengthy but for a reason...I fear that due to focusing on one thing, we've become imbalanced in our spiritual perspective concerning grace and faith. My heart is grieved. I was raised in religion and when I met Christ some forty-two years ago, I collided with the glorious grace of God that set me free from the law of sin and death. Over the years, I've seen how the enemy tries to pull us back into a works and sin conscious mentality and frustrate the grace of God. In so doing, anxiety, condemnation and powerlessness results with fear as the guide for our righteous living rather than faith in Him! Jesus is the rock and chief cornerstone of our faith. It's no longer the law with all of its requirements and sacrificial duties.  If we try to rebuild by law what God deconstructed by grace, we are literally tearing down the structure called the "New Man".

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” Ephesians 2: 14-16

This is a serious travesty. Ephesians 2: 10 also says that we are His workmanship created together with God for Good Works that He foreordained we should walk in. By nature of the New Birth, the newly created "New Man" loves God, wants to serve God, wants to live Holy and wants to live righteously. We know this is so because of what Prophets in the Old Covenant prophesied…there would come a time when God would write His commandments upon our hearts (Ezekiel 11:19,Ezekiel 36:26,Jeremiah 31:33,Hebrews 8: 10)! Through the infilling of the Spirit, we receive power to walk that out and power to walk in this new freedom! Our only job after the New Birth is to 'renew' our minds with the washing of the water of the Word by Holy Spirit and walk in this newness of life. In so doing, we can experience an ongoing journey of faith, greater levels of liberty and freedom in the Spirit and discovering our true purpose and identity. Walking in the spirit enables us to see who we really are in Christ and how He orders our steps through our mutual love together with Him and obedience through abiding and fellowship with Him (in suffering, blessings and all).

I’d like to encourage you to read this passage from Galatians with spiritual eyes (ask Father) and let it sink in! God's grace is revolutionary. Yes, there are those who may preach God’s grace as if it's okay to live apart from the Life of the Spirit of holiness; on the other hand there are those who preach Christ as if we are still bound to a life of rigorous regulations they themselves cannot achieve (hypocrisy) with condemnation when and if you miss the mark and we all do. Man always has a standard of measurement that is too high for anyone to reach. God's measurement is grace, faith and walking in love. That's the greatest commandment because love is His nature and love keeps us in His light-far from darkness.

Where is the marvelous middle between the two extremes we see going on today? It's on a Hill called Golgotha! The place of the skull - where your intellect gets crucified along with your old man and you begin to see yourself as God sees you ...a new man. As you see yourself, that's how you will behave. If you see yourself as the righteousness of God in Christ you will live like it and portray Him as He is inside of you being changed from glory to glory and more Christ-likeness by the Spirit of God and the grace of God! You see, God calls us "up" not "down". His gospel is good news! That's why we must renew our minds because that's where the enemy's battle ground for our faith and identity is.

In the beginning of our journey, God's grace gives you and I the power to change from an old man (nature) to a new man (nature) through the New Birth. After this new birth, grace gives us the power to live as the righteousness of God in Christ that faith in Him affords you!

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus 2: 11-14

Religious spirits (and I do believe there is more than one type) want to pull you and I back into thinking like nothing has really changed within us and the reason why we act the way we do is because we still have the old nature. No we don't...not if we've been buried with Christ. You need to change your mind because you've already been Born Again! You no longer have an old sin nature...just old ways of seeing yourself.

On a computer you may have hundreds of files. Some of them can catch adware or spyware and corrupt them. You have an anti-virus program in your computer to help detect and remove those corrupted files. That’s how our mind works too. Every day, we are receiving files and downloads from the world, the flesh and the devil. Holy Spirit will be the viral detector but He has to be activated as you allow His word and presence wash your mind! You can be renewed in the Spirit of your mind! May this passage help you get started or continue on with that way of thinking...

Galatians 3: 3-29 AMP

Faith Brings Righteousness-

O you foolish and thoughtless and superficial Galatians, who has bewitched you [that you would act like this], to whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified [in the gospel message]? 2 This is all I want to ask of you: did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying [the requirements of] the Law, or was it the result of hearing [the message of salvation and] with faith [believing it]? 3 Are you so foolish and senseless? Having begun [your new life by faith] with the Spirit, are you now being perfected and reaching spiritual maturity by the flesh [that is, by your own works and efforts to keep the Law]? 4 Have you suffered so many things and experienced so much all for nothing—if indeed it was all for nothing? 5 So then, does He who supplies you with His [marvelous Holy] Spirit and works miracles among you, do it as a result of the works of the Law [which you perform], or because you [believe confidently in the message which you] heard with faith?

6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, [as conformity to God’s will and purpose—so it is with you also]. 7 So understand that it is the people who live by faith [with confidence in the power and goodness of God] who are [the true] sons of [a]Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the good news [of the Savior] to Abraham in advance [with this promise], saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then those who are people of faith [whether Jew or Gentile] are blessed and favored by God [and declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with Him] along with Abraham, the believer.

10 For all who depend on the Law [seeking justification and salvation by obedience to the Law and the observance of rituals] are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed (condemned to destruction) is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, so as to practice them.” 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing] before God by the Law, for “The righteous (the just, the upright) shall live by faith.” 12 But the Law does not rest on or require faith [it has nothing to do with faith], but [instead, the Law] says, “He who practices them [the things prescribed by the Law] shall live by them [instead of faith].” 13 Christ purchased our freedom and redeemed us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs [crucified] on a tree (cross)”— 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might also come to the Gentiles, so that we would all receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit through faith.

Intent of the Law

15 Brothers and sisters, I speak in terms of human relations: even though a last will and testament is just a human covenant, yet when it has been signed and made legally binding, no one sets it aside or adds to it [modifying it in some way]. 16 Now the promises [in the covenants] were decreed to Abraham and to his seed. God does not say, “And to seeds (descendants, heirs),” as if [referring] to many [persons], but as to one, “And to your Seed,” who is [none other than] Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the Law, which came into existence four hundred and thirty years later [after the covenant concerning the coming Messiah], does not and cannot invalidate the covenant previously established by God, so as to abolish the promise. 18 For if the inheritance [of what was promised] is based on [observing] the Law [as these false teachers claim], it is no longer based on a promise; however, God granted it to Abraham [as a gift] by virtue of His promise.

19 Why, then, the Law [what was its purpose]? It was added [after the promise to Abraham, to reveal to people their guilt] because of transgressions [that is, to make people conscious of the sinfulness of sin], and [the Law] was ordained through angels and delivered to Israel by the hand of a mediator [Moses, the mediator between God and Israel, to be in effect] until the Seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now the mediator or go-between [in a transaction] is not [needed] for just one party; whereas God is only one [and was the only One giving the promise to Abraham, but the Law was a contract between two, God and Israel; its validity depended on both]. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a system of law had been given which could impart life, then righteousness (right standing with God) would actually have been based on law. 22 But the Scripture has imprisoned everyone [everything—the entire world] under sin, so that [the inheritance, the blessing of salvation] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe [in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s precious Son].

23 Now before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, [perpetually] imprisoned [in preparation] for the faith that was destined to be revealed, 24 with the result that the Law has become our tutor and our disciplinarian to guide us to Christ, so that we may be [c]justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under [the control and authority of] a tutor and disciplinarian. 26 For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the Christ, the Anointed] have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have taken on His characteristics and values]. 28 There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]. 29 And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God’s] promise.