Borrowed Truths

By Grace, Not Works

by grace not works
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By Grace, Not Works

“And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” (Acts 10:15)

Peter, after walking with the Lord for over three years, speaking with Him for forty days before He ascended, after the tongues of fire, filled with the Holy Spirit and the powerful message on the day of Pentecost, still would not enter into the house of a Gentile. He still saw them as unworthy of the grace and mercy of God.

Until he was called to the house of Cornelius.

And there is something very important that some of you need to see in this account, Cornelius and those in his family that believed received the Holy Spirit because of their faith in the words spoken before they were baptized. They did not have hands laid on them, they were not prayed over, they were not immersed or sprinkled with water, they were saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, with nothing added to their faith.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

No speaking in tongues as proof of their salvation, no prophesying, no handling of snakes or any other work, simple faith in the truth of the words spoken.

“But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.” (Gal. 2:11)

I do not know the timeline, but it is clear that at least for a time Peter believed that only those of the physical seed of Abraham were the ones that could receive salvation.

“Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:” (Romans 3:29)

Who do you believe is beyond the grace of God, who is so much of a blatant sinner that His mercy cannot reach? Would you like me to spend several pagers here telling you about who I used to be before He called me to Himself? And then several more that might cause you to doubt my salvation because of all the grievous sins I have committed since that day?

What if I was to tell you that there is a good possibility that I was baptized before my heart was truly turned to Him, would you say that I must get baptized again or I will be eternally lost? Maybe three or four more times, just to be sure? Too far gone, too deep into sin and has not been baptized, has not had hands laid upon them, did not repeat the words properly. A prime candidate for hell. Right?

“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:31)

You know who isn’t saved, who has not been born again, who will suffer the wrath of God for all eternity in the Lake of Fire? Those who believe that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ was not sufficient in and of itself for the salvation of their soul. Those who believe that they must perform some work, some deed, or His shed blood will not be accepted by the Almighty for their salvation.

Those people will die in their sins and go to hell.

How long before Peter realized that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved, I do not know. I personally believe that, in part, that was the reason Paul needed to spend three years in Arabia, so that he also could learn this truth.

The most evil, sinful person you know can be saved, and if he is not baptized, he will still go to heaven. You can begin sinning willfully, a foolish thought, and the assurance of your salvation, if you truly have been born again, still rests in God through His Son. There are millions who do not believe these truths, you will not meet them in heaven.

Reveal these truths to them.

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