Grace and Action? (Part 1)

Finally had time to meet up with my buddy @ NTU last night. Was a pretty long drive, plus i drove the wrong way home ( i almost hit Tuas checkpoint 0.0, yes i'm bad with directions, and yes i'm a guy) but it was well worth it. I've always liked his company, we could talk about God so freely and share each other's vulnerabilities, thoughts and aspirations, not forgetting the nonsense and lame things both of us are so full of. Sam if you're reading this, i thank God for you and this brotherhooooood man.

Anyway we were discussing why the Christian life seems so hard to live and why it sometimes seem so full of things to do, change and look out for, even when Christ had already died to set us free. It's like there's still work to be done. Why is that so? Does grace transform us magically or are there actions we must take (like breaking habits and devising battle plans to overcome temptations, etc). Ha, i guess it's kinda hard to reach a conclusion on a topic like that without the bible in hand so we kinda moved on to other stuff.

So now with access to a bible and some time, i guess i wanna check it out.

We often tend to forget or might not know that there are different stages to a Christian life. There is the Justification, where we are made right before God by the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. In this stage, there is absolutely nothing we can do as said in Ephesians 2:8, our whole salvation is a gift from God.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Eph 2:8 (NASB)

This eliminates all boasting in ourselves and focuses our minds on how good God is. And isn't it such a relieve? That we didn't have to try to be good first before coming to Him? I guess that's what makes the Gospel so beautiful, that there is a God who really came to save sinners like you and me despite the state we were in.

But what happens half-past redemption?

to be continued...