My issue with your take on grace is conditional vs unconditional. Mercy love grace salvation all these things are unconditional gifts from God bought by the blood of Jesus this is a simple but profound truth no conditions need to be met in order to keep them except to simply have faith and rest in Jesus he doesn't pick and choose who he gives it to it is a free gift to all who would accept it that is how grace works
Rest in his grace rest in his love rest in his peace for his yoke is light
@bloodbought put it best when he posted
Gods
Riches
At
Christs
Expense
Well thank you for your post. Yes I used to hear the words that grace is unconditional for salvation or other similar words. And that grace saves. Saved by Grace etc. Then upon further inspection and especially as it apples to salvation, and my salvation, the actual grace does not actually save anyone. I said to myself these beautiful sounding and inviting few words can be dangerous and deceptive. And they are not actually scriptural and in context. So I did more soul searching and meditation.
Now it is grace that makes it all possible for salvation, no doubt. Without God's grace no one would be saved that could be saved. It must be the prerequisite to our salvation indeed. Lock that in firmly!
When you combine the process or events or the realization that you have been saved you ponder more closely to the work of grace ONLY for your salvation. And you notice really it does not save. It is the first door or access point and it's free indeed. Lock that in as well.
When we debate doctrines of OSAS or the reverse OS not OS etc., and we read in scripture that God chooses us for salvation and although we make a type of 'limited' heartfelt or only mindful decision for Christ, it is actually God who makes the final decision to examine our heart to give his gift of faith and seal us with his spirit, into our own. Now grace at this point is not involved. It has zero to do with it, We already came through with free admission into be in the presence of God. We already came through the front door of God's grace and now we 'attempt' to gain salvation and the seal of the HS in his house, his dwelling place in our hearts.
As you well know only the truly genuine heart that is justified by Christ's work and his shed blood on the Cross are saved by our choice and by the final court of God's approval. We do not ultimately decide to be saved, it is in all of God's domain and his decision alone. This is what truly saves, God's decision and not his Grace only. Lock that one in.
As you can see, the grace of God actually does not save a person. Grace provides spiritual access only and the ability to be saved.
So in this sense and context for grace to be effective and serve its intended purpose for salvation, to save someone, it is conditional depending on if the person is saved by God or not. Lock that in.
Not all people are saved whether they know it already or they think they are saved and solely by their own carnality or will.
Think of the two camps that argue on these forums concerning Christ's death. One camp says he died for all mankind. And the other camp says he died only for the saved. Both are really correct if you understand the two different perspectives and context used for their answer. Christ's shed blood and death has the ability to save all, it is however conditional on people's actions and God's verdict. So we can say that Christ's grace and of his death and shed blood to save all is conditional not on him at all, even though he shed it intentional for all freely - it is the interaction with peoples' hearts and God in the final analysis.
So in summary, God's grace was given to all mankind freely to be saved, and only through his Son's grace of his shed blood for all mankind freely, so one
could be saved. Do you see my point here? God's grace given freely to us does not guarantee our salvation, it is conditional based on God's criteria to eternal life - he chooses not us.
This is why I deliberately wrote that text that I did previously to be more precise and I knew I would get a quick response as I did. And I had hoped to explain myself without all guns blazing. I guess I knew what I was getting into...
Thanks for listening