Free – Me From the Inside Out

Bible study, Devotion, Firm Foundation, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Salvation: God’s Gift of Grace

Posted on January 28, 2025January 28, 2025 by

based on the LGG Study, Firm Foundation, w4d3

Scripture and Observation of the Journey

Read: Ephesians 2:4-10;Titus 2:11/SOAP: Ephesians.2:8-9 and Titus 2:11

Warning: What you are about to read may be very familiar- please use caution when you are reading. Do not allow your mind to only ‘hear’ “blah, blah, blah, …” Ask God to give you a clear mind and heart to hear it as though for the first time – and with fresh and clear understanding and appreciation.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Ephesians 2:8-9

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.
Titus 2:11

Friends, according to Scripture, we were once dead because of our disobedience and our many sins. We used to live in sin just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God (I love the “but God” statements of the Bible) is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he called us out from the grave of sin and shame and placed us in Christ Jesus and put His Spirit in us. He rescued us from the death we deserved and gave us His gift of salvation, rich and free!

Application: Living out the Journey

Salvation is not by works of the past, nor the present, nor the future. It is simply and yet profoundly a gift of God’s marvelous grace. His is a grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, a grace that was poured out on Calvary’s mountain where Jesus was crucified and His blood was spilt. His is a grace that changed everything – setting prisoners free from chains of sin and death – replacing them with life and peace and hope in the promise of forgiveness and eternity with Him! This marvelous grace of our loving Lord opened salvation’s door not just to the Jew but to Gentiles and all who would call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ¹.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt
Marvelous Grace

Friends, Grace is a gift, the greatest and most powerfully loving gift we will ever receive. It is a gift to cherish and a gift to share. It is a free gift that can never be lost or taken away, and it is a gift that keeps on giving. Not only are we made right with God (saved/justified) by grace, but we are sanctified (made more like Christ) by grace, and one day, by God’s grace, we will appear with Christ in glory.²

To grow in grace is to mature as a Christian. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we mature and are sanctified by grace alone. We know that grace is a blessing that we don’t deserve. It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. The sanctification process, becoming more like Christ, is synonymous with growing in grace.
gotquestions.org

Peter wrote that we should grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,³ which does not mean that we gain more grace from God but instead that we mature as Christians. Simply put, this means “training ourselves in godliness, which Paul told Timothy is much better than physical training – because it promises benefits in this life and in the life to come⁴.

So, how can we train for godliness and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ?

It should be noted: “To grow in grace does not mean gaining more grace from God. God’s grace never increases; it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less.”
gotquestions.org.

We grow in grace by a number of Spiritual disciplines, including:

Meditating on and Reading God’s Word – letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16)
- to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given.
- The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.
Being devoted to prayer (Colossians 4:2) and keeping alert in it… knowing that our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:7-8)
Walking/keeping in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-26).
Abiding in/spending time with Christ (John 15:4-8).

The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.
gotquestions.org

Prayer of Response to the Journey

Father, thank You for Your grace, the gift of Your Son who brought salvation to all people. By Your grace, Christ justifies us and sanctifies us – and He will one day return, and by His grace we will share in His glory! Help us to grow daily in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and to live out the blessings of Your grace -by showing love, grace, and mercy to all. Help us to do and to say what pleases You – obeying You – not as though we need to win or keep our salvation but simply to please You. For – hallelujah! Our salvation is a gift that can never be earned, lost, or taken away! Oh, how sweet is the reality of this amazing grace! – Amen!

Response of Worship to the Journey

The More We Know

For More Insight on the Journey, read today’s LGG Blog

If you don’t know Jesus or want to know more about Him, I invite you to read Know These Truths, a message of answers and hope –

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/

Bible study, LGG Study

IN JESUS YOU ARE … FREE!

Posted on August 14, 2021August 13, 2021 by

Week 2, Day 3

READ: JOHN 8:36; 2 CORINTHIANS 3:17; SOAP: JOHN 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.-
John 8:36 NLT

Reflection Questions:

How has Christ given you freedom?
What are you free from today that you were not free from before you were walking with Christ?

In Jesus our identity is transformed from slave to son.
– Read the full devotional

Don’t forget to check out the Love God Greatly Blog

YOUR TURN – WHAT’S YOUR TAKEAWAY FROM TODAY’S READING? Reply below

Bible study, LGG Study

Everlasting Covenant: Week 3 Monday, The Weakness of the Law

Posted on December 7, 2020December 7, 2020 by

Week 3 Challenge: In what ways has your life turned into all the ways you “Follow the law”? Have you slipped into a legalistic mindset in any area of your life? This week, reflect on the ways God shows you His faithfulness regardless of your actions. How can you move forward and eliminate legalism or a works-based mentality form your life and your walk with God?

Today’s Scripture: Romans 7:6; Romans 8:1-4 (S.O.A.P. Romans 8:3-4)

Romans 7:6 New Living Translation

But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

Life in the Spirit

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ²And because you belong to him, the power^[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you^[b] from the power of sin that leads to death. ³The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.^[c] So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

From the Insideout

The Freedom of God’s Grace

Posted on September 25, 2020March 11, 2026 by

I love the absolute TRUTH of this passage! Seriously! It excites me that there is now NO condemnation of my sin … because I am In Christ Jesus … and the law of the Life-giving Spirit has set me FREE from the law of sin and death. Yet, sin will always be a real and present struggle for the believer. This struggle can and should raise conviction from the Holy Spirit to turn away from that sin – but it can also raise ’emotions’ or internal charges of guilt and condemnation. This is where grace comes in – for we no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, we live under the freedom of God’s grace – not just that we have been saved by grace but that God accepted Christ’s blood as payment for our sin, and we are no longer charged with the debt!

I had been a Christian for 21 years before I knew or fully understood this life-changing truth. I still remember the relief the day a pastor friend of mine helped me understand that I don’t have to, nor can I, repay God for my sins. It’s important to know that I firmly believed I was saved by grace through faith in Christ, that it was not by works that I had done, but rather a gift from God. However, while I knew I couldn’t lose my salvation even if I sinned, somewhere along the way, I had begun to live as though I needed to repay God whenever I did sin. I lived a life of trying to be better, trying to live up to His standards, knowing that I hadn’t, and looking for more “good things” to do to garner His pleasure and maintain His love. As you can imagine, and perhaps have experienced, that lifestyle gets exhausting and does not accomplish its purpose. What I mean is this, if He loved me enough to send His son to die for me, even when I was His enemy, why would I think there was anything I could do to cause Him to love me more than that? His only ‘begotten’ Son gave His life for my sins. Did I seriously think there was anything I could give that would amount to more than that? The answer to both of these questions is no. What I had to learn, was just as my sin would never cost me my salvation, it would also never change His love for me.

Now some may think that this means we can go on sinning. Paul addressed this question at least two different times – and both were a resounding no! He said, “Of course not,” (Romans 6:1-2) and “By no means!” (Romans 6:14-15) explaining to them, as my friend explained to me, that they were no longer living under the law of sin and death. They had been set free, as he said in Romans 8:1-2, by “the law of the life-giving Spirit,” a reiteration of his teaching from chapter 6 that believers live under the “freedom of God’s grace.” However, living under the freedom of God’s grace doesn’t mean we won’t be tempted with sin. Paul spoke of this struggle with sin in chapters 6 and 7, but here in Roman’s 8:1-2, he takes it a step further by proclaiming the wonderful TRUTH that those who are in Christ Jesus are no longer subject to the condemnation that comes from the law of sin and death.

To be clear, I know that growing in wisdom and knowledge of the Lord is a worthy goal. I know that working on living the Holy life He has called me to, loving God and others better, and keeping in step with the Spirit more today than I did yesterday are all worthy goals. The difference now is – I don’t do it to maintain His Love but rather because I want to honor Him for His love – a love that says – “There is therefore now no condemnation”.