The Bounty of the Destitute
The Gospel of the grace of God awakens an intense longing in human souls and an equally intense resentment, because the revelation which it brings is not palatable. There is a certain pride in man that will give and give, but to come and accept is another thing. I will give my life to martyrdom, I will give myself in consecration, I will do anything, but do not humiliate me to the level of the most hell-deserving sinner and tell me that all I have to do is to accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
We have to realise that we cannot earn or win anything from God; we must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest blessing spiritually is the knowledge that we are destitute; until we get there Our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us if we think we are sufficient of ourselves; we have to enter into His Kingdom through the door of destitution. As long as we are rich, possessed of anything in the way of pride or independence, God cannot do anything for us. It is only when we get hungry spiritually that we receive the Holy Spirit. The gift of the nature of God is made effectual in us by the Holy Spirit; He imparts to us the quickening life of Jesus, which puts “the beyond” within, and immediately the beyond has come within, it rises up to “the above,” and we are lifted into the domain where Jesus lives. (John 3:5)
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (p. 247). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
As I read today's entry from My Utmost for His Highest, I did some research to locate other verses that supported "grace alone". But as happens so often, I got sidetracked. (I would invite you to click on the link below and read the entire article.) What gave me the most cause for pause from the article was the following quote. "It is from Pelagius and not Holy Scripture that we derive the idea that children are born innocent, not sinful, and it is from Pelagius that we learn that sin is simply that which we do, not what we are."
Sin is what we are, not what we do. Man is inherently evil, stained, damned. Try preaching that from the pulpit today! A spike in television ratings would most likely not follow such a sermon.
We are sin. We don't sin, but it is our very fabric. What a sobering thought. It is this very idea that makes a rebirth necessary. “Truly, truly, I (Jesus) say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 ESV A rabbit cannot become a fox. A sparrow cannot become an eagle. A sinner cannot become a saint. It is only through being reborn a new creature can we be sanctified. And that rebirth is only possible through the blood of Jesus Christ. Not through any change we make. Not through any actions we take. Not through any gifts we give.
Our very birth guaranteed our damnation save for the blood of Christ. It is when we realize our natural state, when we fully admit our black, corrupted nature that we can fully appreciate grace. Grace covers. Grace cleanses, Grace forgives. I have nothing whatsoever to do with my salvation. The only hope of salvation comes through Jesus Christ's death on the cross. His sacrifice, His blood. His perfection. His resurrection.
Let's never lessen Christ's death by thinking we have anything to do with our salvation.
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/gracealone.html
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