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NASB | Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; |
Bible Question: If grace is a free gift from God and cannot be earned from any works or good deeds on our part, and knowing that God put us here for a purpose in his plan then how do you think God arrives at his decision on who of us he gives to His Son? Thank you for an interesting point of view. |
Bible Answer: Hi Norton, Your Question can be divided into three parts, I will do my best off the cuff and then we can discuss finer details as others join in. First you said, "If grace is a free gift..." Well, let us first define grace: Grace is enabling power sufficient for progression. Grace divine is an indispensable gift from God for development, improvement, and character expansion. Without God's grace, there are certain limitations, weaknesses, flaws, impurities, and faults (i.e. carnality) humankind cannot overcome. Therefore, it is necessary to increase in God's grace for added perfection, completeness, and flawlessness. (from: wikipedia.org) Then going to God's Word, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God" (Eph 2:8) This tells us that God empowers us to do what we are unable to do ourselves, and His motivation would be Love. I have also heard 'grace' described as getting what we do not deserve, and 'mercy' as not getting what we do deserve. (at least until we are judged by Him) As far as doing anything to earn this gift, Isaiah 64:6 tells us that all our works of righteousness are nothing but filthy rags. -So what can we sinners actually offer to a holy God, who is all powerful, and has already given to us anything that we might choose to offer Him? Second you said, "knowing that God put us here for a purpose in his plan..." I agree, so not really a question, but what is the purpose of His plan? Why did He place us here, and create the air, and food, and water here solely for our benefit? If I may suggest to you sir, it is not for our benefit but His. In the end we will be giving God the Glory. That is our final destination So, The third part, and the gajillion dollar question has to do with "his decision on who of us he gives to His Son" Well for Him to decide whom to give, means that there is ones that must be withheld. I have often pondered the answer in a parrallel question: Why DID God put that tree in the center of the garden if He knew what would happen? Or, taken a step further, why did He create satan? Why was Judas put in that place at that particular time? The answer has to be that God is sovereign. It is His plan, formulated with His wisdom. There is nothing anywhere to compare on earth, that we can squeeze into our limited consciousness. It is His design and to question His reasons is to put our wisdom against His. I tend to go on a bit, so I will stop, I have to leave for an hour. But, as an off the cuff answer, I will ask others on the Forum to chime in and invest 2 shillings for your edification. God Bless you. keliy |