A very simple pre-Christmas lesson. You cannot heal your mortal wounds yourself, for an offence that is infinite requires infinite power.
THAT MAN CANNOT BE FREED FROM SIN EXCEPT THROUGH GRACE
1 On the same basis, it can be shown that man cannot revive from mortal sin except through grace.
2 For by mortal sin man is turned away from his ultimate end. But man is not ordered to his ultimate end except by grace. Therefore, by grace alone can man revive from sin.
3 Again, an offense can be removed only by love. But through mortal sin man offends God, for it is said that “God hates sinners” (see Wis. 14:9; Sirach 12:3, 7), inasmuch as He wills to deprive them of the ultimate end which He makes ready for those whom He loves. So, man cannot revive from mortal sin except through grace, whereby a certain friendship is developed between God and man.
4 For this purpose, also, all the arguments given above for the necessity of grace could be brought forward.
5 Hence, it is said in Isaiah (43:25): “I am He who blots out your iniquities for My own sake”; and in the Psalm (84:3): “You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sins.”
6 By this we set aside the error of the Pelagians, who said that man can rise from sin by his free will.
Also, man cannot be freed from sin except by the Holy Spirit within us because He is the means by which the Father streams His graces into us. Without the Spirit of Christ within us, grace cannot flow into us. This is why Jesus said that no one can come to the Father except through Him; and that without Him, we can do nothing.
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When you sin. Ask for forgiveness. Ask JESUS to enter your heart. Confess that it is only by the Father’s sacrifice of HIS SON that JESUS adopted you into HIS Family for eternity. Confess that JESUS’ sacrifice covers you in HIS SINLESS BLOOD. Believe you receive JESUS as LORD, SAVIOR, FRIEND, COUNSELOR and HE# will ever intercede for you at the right hand of the FATHER. JESUS will throw all condemnation as far as the east is from the west and choose never to remember it. satan can try, but you standing in JESUS’ blood saves you from all.
Here are two links worthy of your time and thought about Confession
http://www.radioreplies.info/radio-replies-vol-1.php?t=73
http://www.domcentral.org/farrell/companion/compfram.htm
There are many ideas about what Grace is.
Some see it as a spiritual force or substance that is measured out.
I believe that it is part of God’s nature and as such is immeasurable.
And His nature is to be giving (forgiving) and reaches out to us, offering us something that we could never earn: fellowship with Him.
Why? It’s beyond me, but I trust He knows what He’s doing and accept His free gift.
It’s my only way out.
Thanks for those links, ABS.
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