The world has a warped way of thinking. Many don’t understand how grace and faith fit together; however, it’s important for us to have a solid understanding in this area. Extremism always gets us in trouble; we end up in error when we take either to the extreme. Grace taken too far makes us passive Christians, and faith taken too far causes us to think that our self-effort and performance can move God to act.

Whatever God has promised us, it’s by faith in His grace that we receive those promises; we reach a proper balance between the two when we build the foundation of our faith on Jesus Christ and His finished works, not on our own works. Jesus is enough, and we don’t have to add anything more to what He already did. When trouble hits, our trial by fire will be whether the foundation we built is strong enough to keep us from being swept away. We’re secure if our foundation is in Christ, but if it’s built on what we do, that foundation will burn.

Our faith doesn’t get God to move. He has already moved, and our trust in His favor toward us moves us into a position to receive His blessings. We’re justified by our faith in Jesus, by whom we have access to this grace in which we stand. When the storms of life hit, the Lord is our help; relying on the false doctrine of self-help won’t produce results.

Jesus has already made available to us everything we’ll ever need to succeed. We’ve been given all things pertaining to life and godliness, so we don’t have to constantly beg God to do what He already did. As free moral agents, we can choose to either employ our faith to receive what grace made for us, or try to manufacture our own blessings. The choice is ours.

Prayer:

Lord, grace and faith are both important in our Christian walk. Thank You for teaching us not to go too far in either direction. Maintaining a proper balance keeps us in right-believing, and out of danger of misinterpreting Your Word. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to give us wisdom in this area. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

• Romans 4:16
• 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
• Romans 5:1, 2
• Hebrews 13:6
• 2 Peter 1:3