Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

September 29
Monday


AMAZING
GRACE

READ:
Ephesians 2:1-10
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For by grace you have
been saved through
faith. __Ephesians 2:8
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Pressed into service in the Royal Navy, John Newton was dismissed for insubordination and turned to a career trafficking in slaves. Notorious for cursing and blasphemy, Newton served on a slave ship during the cruelest days of trans-Atlantic slavery, finally working his way up to captain.

A dramatic conversion on the high seas set him on the path to grace. He always felt a sense of undeservedness for his new life. He became a rousing evangelical preacher and eventually a leader in the abolitionist movement. Newton appeared before Parliament, giving irrefutable eyewitness testimony to the horror and immorality of the slave trade. We also know him as the author of the lyrics of perhaps the best-loved hymn of all time, "Amazing Grace."

Newton described any good in himself as an outworking of God's grace. In doing so, he stands with these great heroes__a murderer and adulterer (King David), a coward (the apostle Peter), and a persecutor of Christians (the apostle Paul).

This same grace is available to all who call upon God, for "in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7). __Philip Yancey

``````````````````````````Amazing grace__how sweet the sound__```````````````````````
`````````````````````````````That saved a wretch like me!`````````````````````````````
`````````````````````````````I once was lost but now I found. `````````````````````````
````````````````````````````Was blind but now I see. __Newton```````````````````````
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Lives rooted in God's unchanging grace
can never be uprooted.

*********************************Today's bible Reading __ Ephesians 2:1-10********************************

1 And you He made alive,
who were dead in trespasses
and sins, 2 in which you
once walked according to
the course of this world,
according to the prince of
the power of the air, the
spirit who now works in
the sons of disobedience,

7 among whom also we all
once conducted ourselves in
the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind, and
were by nature children of
wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in
mercy, because of His great
love with which He loved
us, 5 even when we were
dead in trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been
saved), 6 and raised us up
together, and made us sit
together in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, 7 that
in the ages to come He
might show the exceeding
riches of His grace in His
kindness toward us in
Christ Jesus. 8 for by grace
you have been saved
through faith, and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift
of God, 9 not of works, lest
anyone should boast. 10 for
we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God
prepared beforehand that
we would walk in them.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Here in Ephesians 2, Paul contrasts a person's life before being
saved by the grace of God to life after salvation by grace through
faith. The first contrast is in verse 1: We were once "dead in
trespasses" but have been made alive. Another contrast is in
our behavior. We once "walked according to the course of this
world" (v.2). Now, as believers, we walk according to good works
prepared by God (v.10).