Products Of Grace

Romans 12:3-5 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

The Christian Is A Product Of Grace

In Criminal Law, the phrase “modus operandi” is a Latin phrase that refers to a “method of operation” or a pattern of behavior. The “modus operandi” or “method of operating” of a criminal is many times distinctive to that criminal, and helps law enforcement find that criminal quicker.

Dear friends, if you were tried as Christians, would there be enough evidence in your outward lives to convict you in a court of Law?

Is your daily m.o. or method of operating that which God expects of you? Sadly, many who profess to be “Christian” in America are indistinguishable from a lost person or even an atheist. Salvation is by Grace.

Ephesians 2:5 (ESV) … even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Jesus said “This is the WORK OF GOD, that you BELIEVE IN HIM Whom the Father has sent” (John 6:29). When you are brought to the realization that you are lost and unworthy, far from God, a creature doomed to hellfire. When you regard yourselves in the light of God’s perfect holiness, and find yourself – as Isaiah did:

Isaiah 6:5 (KJV) … a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips

When you, like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:17) realize your godless actions are degrading, and that you would be better off renouncing everything to run with repentance to the Father, receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior … God gives you the gift of salvation.

You cannot earn it.
You do not deserve it.
There is no work you can do
To enter God’s Kingdom!

Beloved, you REPENT. Salvation is:

Titus 3:5-7 (KJV) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; [6] Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; [7] That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

It is a free gift. It is Grace given. But once you are saved, you become a Child of God and a Servant of God. Jesus gave His life for you. Now in His Kingdom, your life is His. “You are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

The Christian belongs to God. We are to “glorify God in our BODY, and in our SOUL, which belong to God” (1 Corinthians 6:20). You belong to God. You are members of His Kingdom. Jesus is your Lord.

God Saved You – You Didn’t Save Yourself

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly

The Holy Spirit writing through the Apostle Paul has talked about God’s Grace and the free gift of salvation in the first eleven chapters of this book. The Spirit now, through the Apostle, addresses the modus operandi or the method of operation of the Christian way of life. Too many “Christians” in the world today believe that – once saved by Grace – that they are free to behave in any way that suits or pleases them. We’ve already established that this is untrue. Saved by Grace, products of Grace, we are members of God’s Family and of Christ’s Kingdom. God establishes parameters by which we must live.

The Apostles had to live by these parameters. As the Apostle Paul “lays the Law down” so to speak, he could just come out and say “do this because I say so – after all, I’m an APOSTLE”. The Apostles were hand-picked by the Lord Jesus Christ, men who would be the foundation of the Church. We are told in:

Ephesians 2:20 {the Church is} BUILT UPON THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone …

There are no Apostles or Prophets today. God used the Prophets in the Old Testament, the Apostles in the New Testament to write Holy Scripture, the truths of God that the Church is built on. There has been a lot of excitement over the election of an American Pope. The Catholic Church believes that the Popes are all descended from the first Pope, whom they believe was the Apostle Peter. They believe in Apostolic Succession, that is, that this current Pope Leo XIV is an Apostle, a Chief Apostle of the Church, as Peter was Chief Apostle of the Church.

With all due respect to the 1 billion people who believe Catholicism, this is not Biblical.

Though Peter was a leader in the early Church, he was not a “Chief Apostle” or a Pope. The Church is “built on the FOUNDATION of the ApostleS and ProphetS” plural, not by the decree of a Pope. The Holy Spirit used each Apostle and Prophet in writing the Word of God that we enjoy. Further, Peter was not without fault. At one time the Apostle Paul chastised Peter for attempting to turn the Gentile Christians into Jews:

Galatians 2:11-14 (KJV) … when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

The Pope is not infallible. Peter was not a Pope. Peter was an Apostle, a leader in the Church, and his work, like Paul, was the foundation of the Church. We have the Scripture because of these Spirit led men of God. But there are no Apostles today.

Paul, though an Apostle, appealed to GRACE not to his office.

Let’s go back to Paul. As he establishes the m.o. of the Christian way of life, he doesn’t say “Hear me because I’m more important than you. After all, I’m an APOSTLE”. He doesn’t say this. Yes, Paul is a hand picked Apostle (Romans 1:1; 11:13; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1). Jesus chose Paul on the Damascus Road. Did Jesus choose Paul because he was worthy? Not according to Paul. Paul said:

1 Corinthians 15:9 (NKJV) … I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Paul was not worthy to be an Apostle, no more than Peter was worthy to be an Apostle. Peter denied his Lord three times (Luke 22:54-62; Matthew 26:69-75) – even cursing and swearing so as to save himself. No, the Pope is not infallible. No, Peter was not a Pope. No, neither Peter, nor Paul, nor any Apostle was faultless. They were not chosen because they were worthy. They were chosen because Jesus chose them. So as Paul appeals to the Church at Rome, he says:

Romans 12:3 (KJV) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you

Grace makes the Christian. Grace calls the Apostle. Grace is the life blood of the Church.

When we begin to make much of ourselves, our m.o. becomes perverted. We become like the Apostles who argued as to who would be the GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Luke 22:24-26). Who’s better? Who’s the Boss of the Church? Jesus told His Apostles:

Luke 22:25-30 (NKJV) The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. 28 “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Those who count themselves servants in this life – just as Jesus served – will rule and reign with Him in the next life. One Apostle Judas Iscariot never got this, and ended up hanging himself and losing everything.

The M.O. Of The Christian Is GRACE
In The Mind, and In Your Actions

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Christian, you are saved by Grace. Now Christian, you are to live by Grace. We are “NOT TO THINK OF OURSELVES MORE HIGHLY THAN WE OUGHT TO THINK”. God didn’t save you because you were better than that drug addict, that prostitute, that child molester or wife beater, that drunkard. None of us earn or deserve the Grace that saves us. Do you know why God saved us? For the same reason that God saved Israel. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 7:6-8 (NKJV) the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers

God saved Israel because they were the least, the most broken – and because He made a promise. Why did God save you, and you, and you, and you? Because you were the least, the most broken. Because God made a promise in Christ Jesus that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish. You are not Christians because you are worthy, but because you are unworthy and He made you worthy. We are told:

Romans 12:3 (KJV) THINK SOBERLY, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Word Study: The words translated “THINK SOBERLY” are the Greek phroneō sōphroneō, which means “to ponder wisely in the right mind” or “to consider with a sound mind”. We did not earn nor deserve our salvation. We are not worthy. But notice that we are told “AS GOD HAS DEALT TO EVERYONE THE MEASURE OF FAITH”. God opens our eyes to our spiritual brokenness. God gives us a choice to receive or reject Him. Then God deals to each person the measure of faith.

Like Lazarus in the Tomb, God stands without and says “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43). We hobble toward His Voice, for He gives us the ears to hear. He arouses us from death, spiritual death and apathy. And God deals to us the faith necessary to be saved.

God Took All The Unworthy Who Hear The Gospel, And Puts Them In His Kingdom,
His Church

The Church belongs to Jesus. It does not belong to the Pope. It does not belong to the Bishops. It does not belong to the Cardinals. The Church is the Kingdom of God, Blood bought, called to serve Him Who saved us.

The God Who Saved Us, Who Gave Us Faith, Gives Us Gifts

Romans 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

We do not argue about who is more important in the Church. Every believer is important, called of God. “all members have not the same office”. I have seen much ado about the New Pope, how he is addressed as “His Holiness”. Do you know that the phrase “His Holiness” is never used in Scripture for a person, EXCEPT THE PERSON OF GOD. “God sitteth upon the Throne of HIS HOLINESS” (Psalm 47:8). “Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of HIS HOLINESS” (Psalm 97:12). The Bible never attributes holiness to mere mortals, except that holiness that we receive by Grace through Jesus. We are “partakers of HIS HOLINESS” (Hebrews 12:10). The Church is:

The only “His Holiness” Is God in Christ!

one body in Christ, and every one members one of another

If you are saved, you are saved to His Kingdom, the Church. You are saved to serve Him in the Church. God gives each member in the Church a purpose, an office (1 Corinthians 12:11-14).

Dear friend, if you are saved, you are saved to serve. If saved to serve, you do that which pleases your Lord and builds up the Kingdom of God, the Church.

Romans 12:6-8 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

At this time in Church history, the Apostles prophesied, or spoke truths as God the Holy Spirit directed. This is part of the foundational work of the Church as I earlier established. God calls

some to Ministry (Pastoral work)
some to Teaching
some to Exhortation or encouragement
some to Giving
some to positions of Leadership
some to Showing Mercy

Every member of the Body has a function, a gifting, a calling. And each person is valuable because of Grace. The list of the gifts is not exhaustive here, but all the gifts and callings of God have one thing in common:

God’s calling is for us to build UP His Kingdom,
To ENCOURAGE growth,
To be GIVERS, not TAKERS.

The last verses we’ll look at this Sunday are:

Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Word Study: The words “without dissimulation” are but one Greek word, anypokritos, which means “without hypocrisy”. Christians are called to love others – especially other Christians – but we are to “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good”.

It is a hypocritical love that will watch another person do something which God finds despicable, and turn a blind eye to it so as not to offend the person. Love stays true to God first. The Bible tells us that:

Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sin is an employer that always pays off in DEATH. Sin is no trifle. We are to “ABHOR that which is evil”. That word “ABHOR” is the Greek apostygeō, which means “to HAVE A HORROR of something”. To love someone without hypocrisy is to love them enough to tell them when they have departed from the Way of Christ.

If I love you, I will care enough to tell you if you’re trying to drink poison, or handling a deadly viper. Sin is poison. Sin kills.

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

We are members together in the Family of God. We do not jockey for power or prestige, but live so as to glorify the One Who saved us. We represent the Kingdom of God on this earth. Let us live for HIS glory, not ours. Let us prayerfully exist so as to lead others to Christ. As the stepbrother of Christ wrote:

Jude 20-23 (NKJV) But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Our work is eternal. Let us live for Him so we might bring others into a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen!