Why Grace is Sufficient: For Eternal Life

The grace of God - what an amazing and misunderstood concept. It is often stated that we are given eternal life by grace (which is true), but just as often said that our salvation can be taken away if we don't behave in a certain manner (which is not true). This book will unravel this discrepancy by a diligent study of God's Word.

What is grace? It is God's favor - He gives us things we did not earn and do not deserve, like a parent would care for a young child. Many of these things were paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Many are given just because God loves us.

The primary gift we receive by grace is our salvation, also referred to as eternal life, being saved and getting born again (born of God's spirit). We can do nothing at all to earn our salvation. Jesus Christ paid for it by what he accomplished in his life and by his death. And we cannot lose it through our behavior, for we are born again of incorruptible seed.

Throughout the history of Christianity, this concept has been gravely misunderstood. The medieval church gave lip service to the concept that we are saved by grace but maintained that the church alone controlled access to that grace by administering the sacraments. So, if you did not attend the eucharist or do penance after confessing your sins, you would not receive grace for salvation and thus were told that you would go to hell. The church of the reformation attempted to correct this by stating unequivocally that one is saved by grace, but then went on to monitor and control parishioners' actions with the result that any who did not measure up were also consigned to the fires of hell. The same basic approach prevailed in the British colonies of North America prior to the American revolution. And I hear echoes of this approach when speaking to Christians today.

And all of this while the Christian doctrines of hell and purgatory cannot be supported by a careful study of the Bible. It is astonishing how many Christians have lived in fear of hellfire when "Jesus Christ came to deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:15).

This book is an attempt to present a clear, simple, easy-to-read treatment of the topic.

I wish you well in your efforts to understand the magnificent grace of God, which we enjoy because of God's amazing love for us and the incredible sacrifices of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

Praying for your success and victory,

Bruce L. Mahone
Lake Monticello, Virginia
October 2024

Author: Bruce L. Mahone

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: Nov 14, 2024

Number of Pages: 102 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: NA

ISBN-13: 9798346052937