Grace, the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. Seems simple enough to understand and accept right? Free and Unmerited Favor of God. Who wouldn’t want that? You would think that everyone would be lining up to accept this amazing free gift, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Let’s talk about that.

Why is Grace so hard to accept?  Maybe the question should be asked this way: Why is YOUR Grace so hard for OTHER people to accept?  Because that’s the real problem.  It’s not that you cannot embrace Grace; it’s that others cannot accept your accepting Grace.  Kind of convoluted, isn’t it, but makes sense. People see you enjoying your freedoms that Grace has allowed you and immediately they are offended and become judgmental of your expression of acceptance. But why?

In the Bible, Grace is mentioned 170 times in 159 verses.  The first time is in Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”.  But what exactly did that mean?  If you read the verses leading up to verse 8, you will see that the LORD is planning on destroying every living thing for Genesis 6:6 “And it repenteth the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart”. But he didn’t repent the existence of Noah.  He gave Noah a get-out-of-jail-free card because he “found favor” Proverbs 3:4 “So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man”. What had Noah done to receive that Grace?  Nothing.  It was a gift.

As you look through the other verses where Grace is mentioned, you begin to notice a pattern.  Grace is a gift.  No one does anything to receive it.  They are either given Grace, or they are not.  Grace is always tied up with another word: “found” or some variation thereof.  The Lord gives Grace and men either find or obtain Grace.  Proverbs 3:34 in various translations of the bible, hint that the Lord gives Grace to scorn the scorners, “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers; But he giveth grace unto the lowly. He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble”. Reading this and thinking about the original question of why is it so hard for others to accept your grace, makes the answer more obvious and easier to swallow. It’s simple-jealousy. 

Grace allows you to do something and be something that they cannot be: FREE.  Everyone without Grace is bound to try to follow the WHOLE law of God, which is impossible.  In order to find salvation, they must obey every jot and tittle to the letter.  In numerous places, in several letters, Paul refers to this juxtaposition of Grace vs. Debt.  Even James says that if you follow the Law, you must follow the whole law and that to break even one the most minor of rules negates the whole thing. 

Grace frees you from that.  Christ’s death frees you from that.  The blood of Christ frees you from that.  When God sees you through the blood of Christ, one of God’s natural laws comes into play.  Photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston and others used this law to their advantage.  Panchromatic film (Black & White film) does not see or record color in the way our human eyes and brains do.  B&W film sees ALL the visible colors of light.  (God sees all the colors of light, after all he created it: “Let there be light.”)  So, if you are looking at a red rose and photograph it through a red filter, when you go to print the picture, the rose will appear white.  Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool”. 

In effect, the jealous person becomes incensed because he can see a red rose; he can touch a red rose; he can even smell a red rose – therefore, the rose in your picture should be red.  But you can hold the photo up and say, “No.  God sees my rose as white.”  You see, there is nothing that anyone can do to make that red rose turn white.  Like the followers of Baal on top of Mt. Carmel, all the shouting, self-flagellation, dancing in the spirt… in short, nothing will turn that red rose white.  But that also means that you, as the possessor of Grace don’t have to do anything, either.  God sees your rose as white because of the filter he looks through. You are now free to devote what time you may have used trying to turn the red rose white towards other, more fruitful projects like Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”.

The jealous person can look at you and see your “sins”.  You may drink.  You may smoke.  You might even go to a club in which scantily clad women (or men) perform. And they can get all Bertha-Better-Than-You about it.  But according to the Bible, it is written that 1Cor. 15:50 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption”. 2 Cor. 5:16 “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more”. So why try to perfect something that cannot be perfected in the first place.  This line of thinking actually leads us into another question for another post: Why are some people so blinded that they cannot see the obvious? All they have to do is read and understand.  But that must mean that God does not want them to understand.  In other words, God does not love everybody…. WHAT??? And the crowd goes Wild!!! We shall definitely come back to that, but for now, lets focus on those he does love.

To those of us he does love, he looks at us through the blood of Christ and does not see our sins.  Not that our sins are not there.  He just doesn’t see them.  And therein lies His Grace.  He freely looks through his filtered spectacles (i.e. the WORD) and sees us as he first created us before the fall, giving us the chance to know Him as Adam was supposed to know him.  Freeing us to be what we were originally created to be.

Why wouldn’t anyone want that????

Written by Eric B. Ruark and Tanya J. Tillman

The post GRACE: THE GREATEST GIFT NEVER EARNED appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..

My name is Dr. E C Fulcher Jr. I am the Pastor of Truth House Ministries Church Inc. in Abingdon, Md. I have been preaching full-time for over 50 years. I came to Maryland in the mid-’70s. Abingdon was not where I landed, but Harve De Grace. In November 1975, with a small nucleus of believers, I rented an old bar in Havre de Grace, Maryland, and with the nucleus of believers, I had been preaching to, established the foundation of a ministry that was to become capable of launching the message to the world via short-wave radio and eventually Internet Television.  It became known as Truth House Ministries, and my magazine changed from Crusade for Truth to The Present Testament Magazine.  Some of the goals of Truth House Ministries Church Inc are to:

1) Preach the message of grace and freedom to people who are bound by religious tradition and opinions of man, and:

2) To show that, even in today’s world, a Christian can be an intelligent, educated, and completely normal person, capable of fitting into any part of society.  All they have to do is put God first.  Christians do not have to speak in tongues or quote Bible verses to people.

By the early 2000s, it became clear that we needed a bigger space to accomplish our goals.

3303 Emmorton Road was a piece of property that was first owned by a United Christian Pentecostal Denomination. The Pastor had put a slab of concrete down and wanted to start building. Unfortunately, he did not get the county’s permission to build and was therefore shut down for not following procedures. During the same time as that, the Pastors wife had an affair leaving the Pastor feeling as if he should leave his position. He felt that since his wife had an affair, and he had not ruled over his own home, that he should not be ruling over a congregation, so he gave the property to another man, Mr. Mitchell.

Mr. Mitchell had made plans for the property, but they never came to fruition. It’s funny because years prior to this, I had actually looked at this property and thought the price would be out of reach, so I moved on. During the time of Mr. Mitchell taking ownership of the property and deciding what to do with it, I was across town looking at another piece of property. I actually put a down payment on a property. During the inspection process, it was discovered that the property was unsafe and would not be a good purchase, so I withdrew from that and continued looking.

At some point, I came into contact with Mr. Mitchell and he visited my church that was located in Harve de Grace at the time. A very small building but filled with the Word. Mr. Mitchell said to me, this place is way too small for what you have going on here, you need a bigger place. So we talked and he decided to sell me the property that he was given by the other Pastor. The beginning negotiations were a little rocky and financing had not been made available at the time. Between Mr. Mitchell and I trying to work out something, he had gone back to Florida and I was here in Maryland. At some point, we spoke and continued with negotiations. I said to him, “ You have seen where I am and have acknowledged that I need a bigger space, so you acknowledge I am in need. Now the bible says in 1 John 3:17 “But if a man has this world’s goods, and sees that his brother is in need, and keeps his heart shut against his brother, how is it possible for the love of God to be in him?”  Mr. Mitchell was at a loss for words, he expressed that no one negotiates like that, at which I pointed out I do. He had nothing left to say except, ok. Let’s work something out. He came back to Maryland and we came to an agreement. I put down $100,00 with no idea where or when financing would come. I just trusted God.

At this time, the property was ours and we began working on immediately in the month of November. Instead of hiring a construction crew and spending thousands of dollars, the men, the brothers of the church answered the call to come and build a house for the Lord. Yes, we all know that we individually are houses of God, but when we gather to meet we need a physical place to do so, hence building a house for the Lord. Just like the bible says we should.

Haggai 1:2-5, 7-8 “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built. (3) Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, (4) Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? (5) Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. (7) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. (8) Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

I always thought it slightly comical how God gave the property to a man that never did anything with it, and I had to buy it from that man. But besides God having a sense of humor, it goes to say that God will give the opportunity for His word to come to pass. Think about it, Haggai 1:7-8 states, “(7) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. (8) Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. His word doesn’t say to buy him a house, it actually tells us to go, bring wood and build the house. So maybe we had to purchase the property in order to build the Lord’s house so that His word would come to pass…..

Even if that wasn’t the case, the fact that the brothers of this church built this building, God’s House with their own hands, gave their heartbeats to fulfill this endeavor is a true blessing and testament to the love and dedication to God’s Word.

I remember the opening day celebration and service. It was surreal. My ministry is called Truth House Ministries Inc, but I dedicated this building to God and during the first service, read a verse of scripture that resonated so powerfully that it became the basis upon which the building was named the City of Truth.

Zec 8:3 “Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.”

The post How The City Of Truth Became Reality appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..