Living In The Balance of Grace And Faith.
Combining Two Powerful Forces to Receive from G.o.d.
By Andrew Wommack
Introduction.
The balance of grace and faith is an important foundational truth. Whether you are consciously aware of it or not, you deal with this on a daily basis.
The body of Christ is basically divided into two groups: those who emphasize grace (G.o.d"s part) and those who emphasize faith (our part).
One group preaches that everything is totally up to G.o.d. The other group teaches that there are many things that we must do. Both contend that the other group is totally wrong.
On a personal level, we may phrase this issue in many different ways, but it all comes down to the questions, "What part is G.o.d"s responsibility, and what part is mine? What must I do?"
The Bible clearly teaches a balance between grace (G.o.d"s part) and faith (our part). As you open up your heart to receive G.o.d"s Word, the Lord has some life-changing truths He wants to share with you.
Chapter 1, Sodium and Chloride.
We can become so familiar with a certain pa.s.sage of scripture that we don"t really know what it says. We don"t pay attention to it anymore because it has become so common to us. Ephesians 2:8-9 has become one such pa.s.sage for many believers.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of G.o.d: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
There are some profound truths revealed here, one of which is that we are saved by grace through faith.
The body of Christ is basically divided into two groups: Those who emphasize grace (what G.o.d does) and those who emphasize faith (what we do).
One group preaches that everything is totally up to G.o.d. They say, "Everything is determined by the sovereignty of G.o.d. It"s whatever He chooses." The other group teaches, "No, you have to do this and that, and this and that." Those who preach man"s responsibility will normally say that those who teach that it"s just all up to G.o.d are totally wrong. Those who preach that it"s all up to G.o.d will teach against those who say man has some responsibility in the matter.
You might phrase this issue differently, but it all comes down to the question, "What do I do-what part is G.o.d"s part, and what part is mine?" G.o.d"s Word clearly teaches a balance between grace and faith.
Appeared to All Men Even though the body of Christ typically divides into two camps-one emphasizing what G.o.d has to do, and the other emphasizing what we have to do-Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by grace through faith. We aren"t saved by one or the other.
Now, to be technically correct, there is a parenthetical phrase in this pa.s.sage in the last part of Ephesians 2:5, which says: ...by grace ye are saved.
I"m not arguing that it"s wrong to say that we are saved by grace, but technically, it"s not grace alone that saves us. It"s really important that we understand this point. G.o.d has done so much for us by grace, but for us to receive what He has done there must be a positive response on our part, which is what the Bible calls "faith." There has to be a combination of both grace and faith.
You aren"t saved by grace alone.
For the grace of G.o.d that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, t.i.tus 2:11 Grace is what G.o.d does for you. It"s His part. It is something that was done for you before you existed. Grace has nothing to do with you. By definition, it is "unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor." If grace is something that G.o.d does and if grace alone saved, then every person would be saved because t.i.tus 2:11 reveals that the grace of G.o.d that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
G.o.d"s Grace G.o.d"s grace is the same towards everyone. G.o.d has been exactly the same toward every person who has ever lived. You may be wondering, Then why did so-and-so get healed and I didn"t? Why did G.o.d touch them and not me? The problem is, you think that when you see something happen that G.o.d has done something or provided something for that person that He hasn"t provided for you. G.o.d"s grace is the same towards everybody because it"s not based on, or tied to, what you do. G.o.d, by grace, has already brought salvation to every person on the face of this earth. (t.i.tus 2:11.) This is not something that is commonly understood. Most people believe that it"s their performance that earns them extra pull and favor to get the power of G.o.d operating in their life. The truth is, the moment you begin relating G.o.d"s blessing-the manifestation of His power in your life-to anything that you"ve done, then you have just voided grace. You"ve made G.o.d"s blessing and manifestation in your life proportional to something that you"ve done. If you think that way, then you don"t understand the grace of G.o.d.
G.o.d, by grace, already provided everything for you before you ever needed it. Take, for instance, salvation. Many people think that you have to ask G.o.d to forgive your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart to receive salvation. They will pray, "Jesus, would You please come into my life?" They tell others "Just ask Christ to come into your life." That"s not what salvation is.
A Nonissue Acts 16:30-31 provides a scriptural example of someone receiving salvation. Paul and Silas were in the Philippian jail, and the jailer came to them and asked: Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Acts 16:30 They didn"t answer by saying, "Ask Jesus to come into your life," or "Repent of your sins, and quit doing this and that." They simply responded: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:31 Believe what? This does not mean just believe that Jesus existed, or that He came.
Jesus didn"t just die for the people He knew would accept Him someday He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 Jesus died for every sinner who has ever lived on this earth. And He died for our sins two thousand years ago, long before we had ever committed them. The Lord doesn"t wait until we ask Him, "Please come into my heart," to forgive us of our sins. The radical truth is, the sins of the entire world are already forgiven.
G.o.d forgave your sins before you existed. Before you were ever born, all of your sins were forgiven. Before you had ever committed a sin, G.o.d forgave them. Your sins are forgiven. Sin is actually a nonissue with G.o.d.
Already Been Forgiven This is not the message of the Church today. The Church is basically preaching that every time you sin, it"s an affront against G.o.d. They say, "You have to get that sin forgiven and under the blood before G.o.d can move in your life." That"s not what the scriptures teach. The Word reveals that your sins are already forgiven. You don"t have to ask G.o.d to forgive your sins or to come into your life. What you have to do is believe the Gospel-that Jesus has already come, He"s already died and forgiven the sins of the world.
Someone might say, "Well then, if that"s true, then everybody"s saved, right?" No, this is not the case because grace alone doesn"t save you. G.o.d, by grace, has made the provision and paid for every person"s sins. People aren"t going to go to h.e.l.l for s.e.xual immorality, murder, lying, or stealing. All of those sins have been paid for. The sin that is going to send people to h.e.l.l is the singular sin of rejecting Jesus as their personal Savior. This is what the Bible reveals in John 16: When he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. John 16:8 In verse 9 of this same chapter, Jesus explained that the sin the Holy Spirit would reprove the world of is the sin of not believing on Jesus.
Of sin, because they believe not on me. John 16:9 The Church has been misrepresenting the Holy Spirit by saying that He"s here to nail you every time you lie, cheat, and steal. That He"ll get you every time you don"t study the Word, or do this and not that. This preaching has made us sin-conscious. It has magnified sin. The truth is Jesus has already paid the price for all that. The Holy Spirit is only dealing with this one issue: Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ? If you have made Jesus your Lord, then all of your sins-past, present, and even future sins-have already been forgiven.
Identical Toward Us All Preaching that truth would get me kicked out of most churches. That is why my citywide meetings are normally held in a neutral venue, like a hotel or conference center. There aren"t very many churches that will let me share these truths because they"re just so radical.
Sin has already been dealt with by grace. (Heb. 9, 10.) Because it has been dealt with by grace, that means it isn"t dependent on whether you"ve asked Him to forgive you or not. The truth is, G.o.d provided salvation for the entire human race by grace.
Again, t.i.tus 2:11 says: For the grace of G.o.d that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
G.o.d"s grace is extended exactly the same towards everybody-not only to you, but to every person on the face of the earth. Adolf Hitler had as much grace extended towards him as you and I have had extended towards us. Jesus loved every person who has done terrible things in the history of the world; He died for them and paid for their sins exactly the same as He did for all of the people who have received Him, love Him, and seek Him. The grace of G.o.d is identical toward us all.
Radical Truth G.o.d, by grace, has already provided healing for everybody. One of my staff members who works at our citywide meetings used to be a quadriplegic. Now he"s up walking around and doing great. He was supernaturally healed. Every quadriplegic has had the same exact grace extended towards them. G.o.d isn"t different toward any of us.
The moment you start saying, "Well, why did G.o.d heal him? Why did G.o.d do this for him, yet He hasn"t done it for me?" and you start thinking in those terms, you have to factor in your performance. You begin to acknowledge that you maybe haven"t prayed enough or haven"t done enough of this, or enough of that. You think your failures are why G.o.d hasn"t done it. That"s totally wrong thinking.
The grace of G.o.d is consistent. He"s the same towards everybody. G.o.d is no respecter of persons. (Rom. 2:11.) He doesn"t love one person more than He loves another. He hasn"t provided more for one person than He"s provided for another. By His grace, G.o.d has forgiven the sins of the entire human race. Grace is what G.o.d does for us, independent of us. Does that mean that everybody is saved? No, because not everybody has put faith in what G.o.d did by grace.
Prior to you existing, before you even had a need, G.o.d had already created the supply. Before you ever get discouraged, G.o.d has already blessed you with all spiritual blessings. He"s already abounded towards you in love. You don"t have to ask the Lord to give you joy and peace, to heal you, prosper you, and save you. He"s already provided before you ever had the problem. That"s awesome!
G.o.d, by grace, has already done everything. He antic.i.p.ated every need that you could ever have, and He already met all of those needs through Christ. Through Jesus, G.o.d intervened in the affairs of men. He"s provided everything, and that happened two thousand years ago. Jesus hasn"t died for a single person"s sins since. He hasn"t healed a single person since He took our stripes on His back two thousand years ago.
Salvation, healing, and deliverance have already been provided. When people today hear this truth and believe, all of a sudden what G.o.d has already provided by grace becomes a reality to them. As they mix faith with the Word of G.o.d, what He has already done by grace begins to manifest in their life.
You"re saved by grace through faith, not by one or the other exclusively. Understanding this foundational truth will make a huge difference in your life.
Poison The balance of grace and faith is like sodium and chloride. Both sodium and chloride are poisons. If you take either one of them by themselves in sufficient quant.i.ty, they"ll kill you. Yet if you mix sodium and chloride together, you get salt, a mineral necessary to sustain your life.
If all you do is emphasize faith, "You have to believe, and do this and that," that"ll kill you spiritually. True Bible faith is simply your positive response to what G.o.d has already provided by grace. Faith only appropriates what G.o.d has already provided. Faith doesn"t move G.o.d or make Him do anything.
If you don"t recognize that faith is simply the way you appropriate and receive what G.o.d has already provided by grace, then the law and legalism will kill you. There are people who emphasize, "You have to pray, study, and believe G.o.d. You have to do something." They get so wrapped up in their performance that they think their "doing" is making G.o.d move. They see their faith as a pry bar-twisting G.o.d"s arm and making Him perform. This begets legalistic thinking, and it"ll destroy you. An inappropriate view of faith puts the entire burden on your shoulders. Faith or grace-independent of each other, not mixed together properly-will kill your walk with G.o.d.
This is the kind of background I came out of from previous churches I attended. We thought we had to do many different things in order to earn G.o.d"s blessing. I didn"t understand that the Lord had provided everything by grace. In fact, we used to have a little poem that said, "Mary had a little lamb, it would have been a sheep. But it joined our local church and died from lack of sleep." We just worked ourselves to the bone, doing all sorts of these things thinking our performance would move G.o.d"s hand. Since then, I"ve realized that"s not the way it works. There has to be a balance between grace and faith.
On the other end of the spectrum, many people in the Church emphasize grace alone saying, "It"s just totally up to G.o.d." They say, "G.o.d is sovereign. Whatever He wills will be. Que sera, sera. It"s just up to G.o.d." That kind of belief will kill you. I can personally name people who have died because of this belief system. They were just waiting on G.o.d to heal them, not understanding that they, too, had a part to play in receiving their healing.
Chapter 2, Is G.o.d Sovereign?.
People have taken the truth that G.o.d moves independent of us, not based on our performance, and developed a teaching that is commonly called "the sovereignty of G.o.d." This teaching says that G.o.d just moves sovereignly, we have nothing to do with His actions whatsoever. This teaching overemphasizes grace.
They teach that G.o.d is sovereign and if it"s His will, you"ll be healed. If it"s not, you"ll die. It"s just totally up to G.o.d. Some folks have taken this to the extreme. There are entire denominations that teach that certain people are predestined to salvation and others are predestined to d.a.m.nation-and that G.o.d predetermined it. They believe that there"s nothing you can do about it. It"s just totally up to G.o.d.
The theological terms for this tension between grace and faith is Calvinism versus Arminianism. Calvinism emphasizes that everything is totally up to G.o.d. Arminianism emphasizes that you have a part to play, and that you can believe and receive, or doubt and do without. You can control the measure of the grace of G.o.d you experience by your faith. It"s the Calvinists who emphasize this term, "the sovereignty of G.o.d."
Supreme, Independent, Excellent The New International Version (NIV) popularized this term, sovereignty. In 288 verses of their translation, they subst.i.tuted the phrase "Sovereign LORD" where it had previously been translated "Lord G.o.d" or "Lord G.o.d Almighty" in the King James Version (KJV) and others.
I"m not against applying this word-sovereign-to G.o.d if you"ll use it the way the dictionary defines it. As a noun, it means "A king, queen, or other n.o.ble person who serves as a chief of state; a ruler or monarch" or "A gold coin formerly used in Great Britain" (American Heritage Dictionary). Of course, we"re not talking about a coin.
As an adjective, the word sovereign speaks of something or someone being "Paramount or supreme." If you want to call G.o.d sovereign in the sense that He"s paramount or supreme, I agree 100 percent.
Another definition is "having supreme rank or power." G.o.d is definitely at the top of the food chain. n.o.body tells Him what to do. He is absolutely supreme.
Still another definition is "self-governing; independent." The United States is a sovereign nation. We broke away from the rule of Great Britain. You can apply this definition to G.o.d in the sense that G.o.d is sovereign. He"s independent. n.o.body gives Him orders.
Sovereign came from a Latin word that meant "super" or "above." I agree with that as it applies to G.o.d. In view of these dictionary definitions, I will agree that G.o.d is sovereign.
A Convenient Theology But religion has come along and concocted its own definition of this word saying that sovereign means that G.o.d controls everything and that nothing can happen without His permission. I disagree with that interpretation. That"s not what the Word of G.o.d teaches. G.o.d is not sovereign the way that certain religions have taught.
A person will die, and somebody will say, "Well, it must have been their time." They just think that n.o.body dies without it being "G.o.d"s timing." I was leading the praise and worship at a Full Gospel Businessmen"s meeting. The speaker had just come from the funeral of two teens who had been killed in an automobile accident. After drinking and doing drugs, they drove too fast on a slick, wet street, couldn"t make a turn, and ran into a telephone pole. The accident killed both of them. A man in the gathering stood up and said, "Well, we know that G.o.d is sovereign. He works all things together for good, and He has a purpose in this. People can"t die if it isn"t G.o.d"s will."
Most people have heard, said, or perhaps even embraced something similar to this at some point in their life. This is a convenient theology. When we don"t understand certain things, it"s easier to place full responsibility on G.o.d. Rather than put any responsibility on these teens, saying, "They shouldn"t have been drinking, doing drugs, and speeding on a wet road. They killed themselves," we just say, "Well, it was G.o.d"s will." No, it wasn"t. People die all the time without it being G.o.d"s will. It"s not like G.o.d picks your number in heaven and you"re just destined to die. The scriptures make very clear that Jesus came to...
... destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. Hebrews 2:14 Satan is the one who goes about seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet. 5:8.) He"s the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10.) G.o.d told us not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because in the day that we ate thereof we would surely die. (Gen. 2:17.) We brought death into this life. We started old age, deterioration, sickness, and disease. G.o.d isn"t the One who controls whether or not we become ill. We started the corruption on this planet. G.o.d doesn"t control all of those things.
My father died when I was twelve years old. I remember our pastor coming over, sitting down, and looking at me, saying, "Andy, G.o.d needed your dad in heaven more than you needed him." Even as a twelve year old, I knew better than that! I thought, What does G.o.d need my dad up in heaven for? The Lord didn"t kill my dad. This was just a cop-out, an easy way to deal with a difficult situation.
The Truth In the very first church I pastored, there was a couple who gave birth to a child in a taxi on the way to the hospital. The baby was born not breathing, apparently dead. After going without air for a period of time, they finally revived the baby. This boy had Down syndrome and no immune system.
The boy only lived to be four years old. He died in my arms while I was praying for him. I then prayed for over two hours for him to be raised from the dead, but he didn"t come back to life. I was struggling for some words that would minister to the family and to myself. As their pastor, I wanted so much to have something comforting to tell this couple. I was tempted to say, "Well, it must not be G.o.d"s will," and just put the blame on G.o.d for the death of this child. G.o.d"s big. He can handle it.
I was tempted, but I told that couple the truth, saying, "Look, G.o.d did not kill your child. This is not His will. I don"t actually understand why we didn"t see him healed and raised up from the dead. It"s either due to my lack of faith, your lack of faith, or a combination of the two. Or, it might be because of things that I don"t even understand. But I can guarantee you that G.o.d is not a baby killer."
Although it wasn"t very comforting at the time, I just had to tell those people the truth. It would have been much more comforting to come across with something religious, saying, "G.o.d is sovereign. Nothing can happen but what G.o.d allows." But it"s not the truth.
Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32 Knowing the truth will make us free. The mother came back to me later and said, "I had a fear since the day he was born. They told me that he didn"t have an immune system and if he ever got a cold, he would die." She told me, "I"ve dreaded this for four years. When I saw him get this cold, I just knew he was going to die." Because of her willingness to embrace the truth, the Lord showed her some things about herself and the situation. Because I didn"t take the easy way out, but told her the truth, that woman discovered where the problem was, dealt with it, and had four more children.
The doctors told this woman never to conceive another child because she was too small to have children. If she did have more children, doctors said they would have to be delivered by C-section, and probably both she and the child would die. But because this woman was willing to embrace the truth, she believed G.o.d"s Word and had four more children-all natural childbirths at home. No doctor would have let her deliver those children naturally after seeing her medical records, so she just believed G.o.d and had natural births at home. A few years ago, she sent me a picture of all four of her children in their caps and gowns as they graduated from college. She thanked me for telling her the truth.
Acts of G.o.d?
It"s understandable to want to make everything fit in a nice little neat box, and to have an answer for everything saying, "Well, it must be G.o.d"s will. He"s sovereign." But this is not the truth, and believing lies will put you into bondage.
If G.o.d were guilty of everything He"s blamed for today, there isn"t a civilized nation on the face of the earth that wouldn"t persecute, prosecute, and execute Him if He were a physical person. If G.o.d was the one making babies deformed, causing marriages to fail, and sending killer storms, the nations would kick Him out. If He really did cause all of the earthquakes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters we refer to in our contracts as "acts of G.o.d," every country would expel Him if they could. The truth is, G.o.d is being misrepresented, lied about, and blamed for things that aren"t His doing.
This teaching that G.o.d sovereignly controls everything is the worst heresy in the body of Christ because it encourages pa.s.sivism. If you really believe that G.o.d controls every single thing that happens, then what"s the point of you doing anything? Why seek G.o.d? Why bother attending church meetings or conferences? Why not just stay at home sitting on your couch, eating candy and watching television, because G.o.d"s will is going to come to pa.s.s anyway? Why do you need to do anything? G.o.d"s will is going to come to pa.s.s whether you believe for it or not. That"s a terrible doctrine!
Some people reject the extreme of this teaching, but they still mix it in to their belief system when it"s convenient. When somebody dies, they say, "Well, it must be G.o.d"s will." No, G.o.d isn"t the One who causes death. Satan is the author of death, and we are the ones who loosed him in this earth. But to acknowledge our responsibility in this area is not always convenient.
The truth is, you can"t just take part of this doctrine of sovereignty that is being taught and mix it together with faith. You can"t say, "Well, I do have some responsibility, but there are some things that G.o.d just controls. He"s sovereign in this area." No, either G.o.d controls everything, or He doesn"t-that"s the definition of sovereignty. He"s either in control or He"s not, there can be no combination of the two beliefs.
I"ve never understood people who get mad at me for preaching this truth. They say this teaching is of the devil. They ask me how I dare preach this. I ask them, if G.o.d controls everything and nothing can happen without Him either causing or allowing it, then I couldn"t be preaching this if G.o.d didn"t allow it, right? By their own doctrine, how can they be upset with me? It must be G.o.d"s will for me to preach this. If G.o.d really controls everything, then He"s leading me to say everything I"m saying, or I couldn"t say it.
Defies Logic If you truly believe that G.o.d controls everything, then when you get sick, why would you ever go to a doctor and try to get out of G.o.d"s will? Why would you ever take medicine to lessen the pain? If G.o.d caused your sickness and He"s trying to teach you something and work some redemptive purpose in your life, then why are you trying to lessen His work? Why not just learn your lesson and suffer to the max?
This defies logic. n.o.body would believe this doctrine unless they"re religious. You have to be taught this, and accept it on blind faith. It makes no sense. Even the people who say that G.o.d is putting sickness on them will go to the doctor and try to get out of "His will." Even those who are saying that G.o.d caused their marriage to fail will pray to G.o.d-who they say causes everything-and ask Him to intervene. Even those who say that G.o.d is the One who caused their financial problems and He"s using the situation to humble them will pray and ask this same G.o.d for mercy and help. If you really believe that G.o.d sovereignly controls everything, then there is no point in doing anything because G.o.d"s will is sovereignly coming to pa.s.s independent of us.
These beliefs bear no resemblance to the true definition of the word sovereign. They only represent a religious definition and application of this word.
Your Cooperation G.o.d, by grace, has provided everything. But you have complete freedom of choice whether G.o.d"s perfect will for you comes to pa.s.s or not. It doesn"t happen without your cooperation.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think... Ephesians 3:20 Most people stop right there and believe this verse as is. However, they"re skipping over the part that the entire verse hinges on.