Our text passage of Scripture is the first mention of the word “grace” in the inspired Holy Bible. The only way that anyone has ever been saved is through faith by God's grace. As we all know, nothing in life is free. Even salvation isn't free, it cost God His only begotten Son. Eternal life for you and me cost Jesus His life. The only biological Son of God was also the Lamb of God of God, who was beaten beyond recognition, stripped naked, mocked and crucified to pay our massive debt of sin. Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve; Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve. Those who have everything but grace have nothing; those who have nothing but grace, have everything.
I need to warn you about Peter S. Ruckman (1921-2016) and his bully cult of followers who foolishly teach that no one was saved or had eternal security in the Old Testament. Beware of the Bible Baptist Church in Pensacola, Ruckman's cult. One of Ruckman's most devoted cult followers is Dr. William P. Grady. Listen to yourself to Pastor Grady say that no one was ever saved in the Old Testament. That is bizarre! It's hard to believe that Dr. Grady was one of my Bible professors at Hyles-Anderson College in the late 1980's. Dr. Grady's true colors are now showing—a damnable false prophet who is wrong on Bible repentance.
The inspired Holy Bible is very clear that salvation has always been by God's grace without works, lest salvation by a debt owed by God instead of a gift provided by grace. Romans 4:4-5, “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.” A gift cannot be purchased, because it has already been paid for by the giver.
Noah found grace in God's sight; therefore, God's mercy followed, and only the forgiven can be blessed. Titus 1:4, “To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Before anyone can obtain mercy from God, you must first find His grace, which is free through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
The Christian life is all about grace! Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” No one can be deemed righteous in the sight of God the Father except through faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ...
Philippians 3:9-11, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”
Once you're in CHRIST, you're safe and have everything you need. God's grace is truly more than amazing! We hear much today in apostate Bible colleges and churches about, “Repent of your sins,” to get to Heaven, but no such teaching is taught in the inspired King James Bible (the only Bible that you can trust). All of the modern Bible revisions have been corrupted by Satan. If you don't have a King James Bible, you don't have an inspired Holy Bible!!!
To no surprise, the Devil's modern Bible revisions have completely removed God's grace...
KING JAMES BIBLE (KJB) - Romans 16:24, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV) - Missing
ENGLISH STANDRD VERSION (ESV) - Missing
GOD'S WORD TRANSLATION (GW) - Missing
CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE (CSB) - Missing
GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION (GNT) - Missing
COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE (CEB) - Missing
EASY-TO-READ VERSION (ERV) - Missing
NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT) - Missing
NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION (NET) - Missing
TREE OF LIFE VERSION TLV) - Missing
Dear reader, it matters which Bible you use! The Devil's hands have been busy. Don't ever forget that the Devil is a pathetic liar, who works relentlessly to confuse as many people as he can. Satan's only will for your life is to hinder you from doing God's will. The Devil wants to blind you, so that you will spend eternity burning in the fires and torments of Hell with him (2nd Corinthians 4:3-4; Revelation 14:11).
Please don't get sucked into Satan's fallacy that you cannot be saved unless you're first willing to forsake a lifestyle of sinning. That is the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation (mixing works with grace), and not the free grace of God that brings salvation. Titus 2:11, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men...” Jesus died on the cross to pay everyone's debt of sin, so that we wouldn't have to pay for our own sins in the Lake of Fire forever. That being said, you must accept God's free gift of eternal life, by placing your childlike faith (trust, reliance) in Christ's work of redemption through Calvary's cross. Simply believe that Jesus did it all for you.
Bible repentance is changing your mind from unbelief to belief. Our only contribution dear reader in God's gift of salvation is the sin that made it necessary.
Good works are not the payment for sin, the payment for sin is death. Christ died on a cross for the sins of the whole world (1st John 2:2).
Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty!
Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
Turning away from sinful ways would be a work. Faith puts all of the merit where it belongs, on the object of our faith, Jesus and His work.
If to “repent” means to forsake our sinful ways TO BE SAVED, but Jesus already paid for our sins by dying on the cross, then what are we repenting from?
The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU.
We must stay true to the simplicity of the Gospel. Repentance regarding salvation is a change of mind from unbelief to belief!!! We must earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 1:3).
