22 lines
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22 lines
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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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<div class="head">Day By Day By Grace</div>
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<div class="subhead">Bob Hoekstra</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020">January 4</div></div>
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<div class="main-just"><div class="pad2030"><h2>Under Grace, Not Law</h2>
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<div class="block"><p><i>For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are <b>not under law but under grace</b>.</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Rom',6,'14-14');">Romans 6:14</a>)</div>
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<p>Sin dominates all of our lives, unless we are learning of God's solution. <b>Grace</b> is <b>God's sufficient remedy</b> that <b>sin</b> will <b>no longer dominate</b> our lives.</p><p><b>Before</b> we came to faith in Jesus Christ, we were <b>under</b> the <b>dominion</b> of <b>sin</b>. We were condemned before God because of our sin. Others may not have been aware of our truly sinful condition. Still, we were so controlled by sin that God called us <i>"slaves of sin"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Rom',6,6);">Romans 6:6</a>).</p><p>The <b>law</b> brought us <b>no hope</b> of <b>escape</b>. In fact, the law condemned us. <i>"Now we know that whatever the <b>law</b> says, it says to those who are <b>under the law</b>, that <b>every</b> mouth may be <b>stopped</b>, and <b>all</b> the <b>world</b> may become <b>guilty</b> before God"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Rom',3,19);">Romans 3:19</a>). We could never have found freedom from sin's condemnation by attempting to perform better under the law of God<i>. "Knowing that a man is <b>not justified</b> by the <b>works</b> of the <b>law</b> but by faith in Jesus Christ…for by the <b>works</b> of the <b>law no flesh</b> shall be <b>justified</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Gal',2,16);">Galatians 2:16</a>).</p><p>On the other hand, the <b>grace</b> of God is our <b>effective hope</b>. There is <b>forgiveness</b> of <b>sins</b> by His <b>grace</b>: <i>"The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Eph',1,7);">Ephesians 1:7</a>). There is <b>justification</b> through <b>faith</b> by the <b>grace</b> of God. <i>"Even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be <b>justified</b> by <b>faith</b> in <b>Christ</b> and not by the works of the law"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Gal',2,16);">Galatians 2:16</a>). There is <b>growth</b> in <b>spiritual life</b> by the <b>grace</b> of God. <i>"But <b>grow</b> in the <b>grace</b> and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('2Pe',3,18);">2 Peter 3:18</a>). None of these heavenly blessings become ours through our ability to live up to the holy standards of God's law.</p><p>Our <b>relationship</b> with the <b>Lord</b> is <b>based</b> upon <b>grace</b>, <b>not</b> upon <b>law</b>. We <b>began</b> a walk with the Lord by His <b>grace</b> at work <b>for us</b>. We <b>continue</b> walking with Him by His <b>grace</b> working <b>in our lives</b>.</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">O Lord, my God, I rejoice greatly that I am under Your grace and not under Your law. Your holy law rightly condemned me for my trespasses against You. I thank You for forgiving my sins by Your glorious grace. I praise You for justifying me, declaring me not guilty in Your sight, by Your rich grace. I magnify You for continuing to touch and shape my life by Your inexhaustible grace, in the name of Christ Jesus, my Lord, Amen.</div>
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