GRACE--LOVE
by A. Elaine Boone
We are considering attitudes that give us a Christ-like character. One of great importance is a steadfast belief in the awesomeness of God’s love, the Old Testament term, and His grace, the New Testament term. Love and grace are co-equal and an attribute of the nature of God, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which will enable us to walk in faith, prayer, contentment, and confidence.
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he had freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1:4-8).
We MUST imitate, trust, build and rest in this love/grace foundation in order to live a life of love, just as Christ loved us “and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). When we practice Christ’s grace and love, God is working in us to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13) so that we become completely humble, gentle, patient, and love one another (Ephesians 4:1-2).
The forgiveness bestowed on us, by Christ on the cross, while we were still sinners empowers us to express this same forgiveness to others. Even though we are saints in Christ, a forgiving nature helps us battle our fleshly sin nature (Romans 7:15-20). Forgiveness is an essential part of grace and love and cannot be separated. To discover more of this profound and gracious outworking of the Holy Spirit in our lives, read the pages of The Armor of Love.
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our LORD Jesus Christ. Elaine
Email: elaine@armoroflove.com
Source [ http://aboone.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/01/50632/grace-love- ]