What is the purpose of Grace?

[Episkopos]

So you don't agree with Episkopos regarding imputed righteousness? I wonder you have never refuted him on that......it is very important foundational doctrine.

You want God's righteousness imputed to you. But only God is as righteous as God. God would never consider us to be as righteous as He is. God would never impute His power to us. God would never attribute to us a level of holiness that He possesses.

God doesn't inspect us and declare we are as righteous as He is. Quite the opposite. He sees that we are depraved without Him.

The fact that you don't know that means you are building on an ENTIRELY different foundation than Christ. And even if you did, giving you the benefit of the doubt, it would be wood, hay and stubble.

The truth is that those who enter INTO Christ are COVERED with God's righteousness. Which is unknown among those who name and claim based on bible reading. Otherwise God imputes righteousness....to the righteous. To those who DO righteousness and obey His laws. God also imputes iniquity to those who do iniquity and are lawless. Blessed is he who departs from iniquity, so that he no longer can have iniquity imputed (attributed) to him/her.

This whole narrative is fully misunderstood.

 

[Lambano]

Yeah, been a few decades since I read it. He has Wick's election as corporate action pretty well detailed.

Yeah, Elect in the Son has been on my Books to Read list for some time now.

 

[shepherdsword]

Yeah, Elect in the Son has been on my Books to Read list for some time now.

The sequel. I read it too...about 30 years ago...lol

 

[Lizbeth]

Imputed righteousness has nothing to do with God's grace. What we can do is not based on grace. It is based on obedience and faith in what God says. Grace is based on what God can do through a man.

Some people don't realize there is a difference between the limitations of a man, and what a man can do through Christ.

Rom 4:1-10

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to
Abraham for righteousness.

Rom 4:16
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all

 

[Lizbeth]

I agree that it is GOD who imputes the righteousness and not we ourselves.

Ps 32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

The problem with some is that they are FULL of guile and claim God's righteousness for themselves

I also agree that many who think they have arrived at the Kingdom have a form of the Laodicean spirit. "I am rich and have need of nothing" but in reality they are blind wretched and naked. I don't agree with everything Epi says but I think his warnings need to be considered. Do you think you are all God would have you to be? Are you open for correction? Can God use even a totally lost person to bring it to you? How about another follower of Christ? How about even one you judge not to be?

Of course it is God who imputes the righteousness..........that is what scripture says and we need to believe it don't we? How can we give God thanks and praise for it if we don't believe it? I don't think we should deny God's word.

Righteousness is being imputed because God is not imputing our sins to us, ie, He is forgiving our sins (by grace through faith). It is also because of the new man in us.

Yes there are those in the church who think it ends there, but it is only the beginning and part of the story. We have our part too in how we run our race in this life. No guile...yes, being honest with ourselves and with God. We need to acknowledge and confess our sins/shortcomings/weaknesses etc as the Lord reveals them to us.

 

[Episkopos]

Rom 4:1-10

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Who believed God? Abraham did. Did that please God? Yes.So then based on what Abraham did (not what Jesus did) ....it was counted for righteousness.

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

When we do something of ourselves it isn't grace...but we owe it to God.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Righteousness can be counted to a person by faith...even if that person isn't a believer since God justifies people who aren't believers.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

A faithful man, who can find?

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputes not iniquity (AVON), and in whose spirit there is no guile. Ps 32:2

Here is the actual verse in context. Does God place guile in a person's spirit? Or does God call it out ?

Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to
Abraham for righteousness.

God justifies by faith OR by works. But Paul is only interested here in the fact that God justifies by faith. Why? See the next verse...

Rom 4:16
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all

Only faith can unleash grace. No amount of works can get a person translated into the kingdom of God. The precedent for the New Covenant is Abraham who was justified for his own faith. However, that model is but a parallel to the much greater power unleashed by grace through faith. From our faith to the faith OF Christ. Same model...different realm. Same process, different power.