Living In The Balance of Grace And Faith, Combining Two Powerful Forces to Receive from God By Andrew Wommack Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. The author has emphasized some words in Scripture quotations in italicized type. Cover photo courtesy of Terry Moore, Family Studio. 12 11 10 09 1098 76 543 2 1 Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith: Combining Two Powerful Forces to Receive from God ISBN 13: 978-1-57794-918-3 ISBN 10: 1-57794-918-8 Copyright © 2009 by Andrew Wommack Ministries, Inc. EO. Box 3333 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80934-3333 www.awmi.net Published by Harrison House, LLC EO. Box 35035 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74153 www.harrisonhouse. com Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher. Contents Contents 1 Introduction_ 3 Chapter 1, Sodium and Chloride_ 4 Chapter 2, Is God Sovereign?_ 12 Chapter 3, God's Will 20 Chapter 4, All Things Work Together for Good_ 29 Chapter 5, God Is Not Your Problem_ 36 Chapter 6, The Response of Faith_ 40 Chapter 7, Making God Move_ 48 Chapter 8, Already Provided_ 56 Chapter 9, Believe and Receive_ 64 Chapter 10, Turn On and Tune In_ 71 Chapter 11, Open Your Eyes 78 Chapter 12, The Same Power 85 Chapter 13, Mix with Faith_ 92 Chapter 14, God Anticipated_ 99 Chapter 15, Labor to Rest 107 Chapter 16, Understanding God's Love_ 114 Chapter 17, Unconditional 122 Chapter 18, You Qualify! 131 Chapter 19, Forgiven_ 137 Chapter 20, Religion or Relationship?_ 141 Grace and Faith Scriptures 147 Grace Scriptures 148 Faith Scriptures 156 About the Author 176 Introduction The balance of grace and faith is an important foundational truth. Whether you are consciously aware of it or not, you deal with this on a daily basis. The body of Christ is basically divided into two groups: those who emphasize grace (God's part) and those who emphasize faith (our part). One group preaches that everything is totally up to God. The other group teaches that there are many things that we must do. Both contend that the other group is totally wrong. On a personal level, we may phrase this issue in many different ways, but it all comes down to the questions, "What part is God's responsibility, and what part is mine? What must I do?" The Bible clearly teaches a balance between grace (God's part) and faith (our part). As you open up your heart to receive God's Word, the Lord has some life-changing truths He wants to share with you. Chapter 1, Sodium and Chloride We can become so familiar with a certain passage of scripture that we don't really know what it says. We don't pay attention to it anymore because it has become so common to us. Ephesians 2:8-9 has become one such passage for many believers. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. There are some profound truths revealed here, one of which is that we are saved by grace through faith. The body of Christ is basically divided into two groups: Those who emphasize grace (what God does) and those who emphasize faith (what we do). One group preaches that everything is totally up to God. They say, "Everything is determined by the sovereignty of God. It's whatever He chooses." The other group teaches, "No, you have to do this and that, and this and that." Those who preach man's responsibility will normally say that those who teach that it's just all up to God are totally wrong. Those who preach that it's all up to God will teach against those who say man has some responsibility in the matter. You might phrase this issue differently, but it all comes down to the question, "What do I do—what part is God's part, and what part is mine?" God's Word clearly teaches a balance between grace and faith. Appeared to All Men Even though the body of Christ typically divides into two camps—one emphasizing what God has to do, and the other emphasizing what we have to do —Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by grace through faith. We aren't saved by one or the other. Now, to be technically correct, there is a parenthetical phrase in this passage in the last part of Ephesians 2:5, which says: ...by grace ye are saved. I'm not arguing that it's wrong to say that we are saved by grace, but technically, it's not grace alone that saves us. It's really important that we understand this point. God has done so much for us by grace, but for us to receive what He has done there must be a positive response on our part, which is what the Bible calls "faith." There has to be a combination of both grace and faith. You aren't saved by grace alone. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Titus 2:11 Grace is what God does for you. It's His part. It is something that was done for you before you existed. Grace has nothing to do with you. By definition, it is "unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor." If grace is something that God does and if grace alone saved, then every person would be saved because Titus 2:11 reveals that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. God's Grace God's grace is the same towards everyone. God has been exactly the same toward every person who has ever lived. You may be wondering, Then why did so-and-so get healed and I didn't? Why did God touch them and not me? The problem is, you think that when you see something happen that God has done something or provided something for that person that He hasn't provided for you. God's grace is the same towards everybody because it's not based on, or tied to, what you do. God, by grace, has already brought salvation to every person on the face of this earth. (Titus 2:11.) This is not something that is commonly understood. Most people believe that it's their performance that earns them extra pull and favor to get the power of God operating in their life. The truth is, the moment you begin relating God's blessing—the manifestation of His power in your life—to anything that you've done, then you have just voided grace. You've made God's blessing and manifestation in your life proportional to something that you've done. If you think that way, then you don't understand the grace of God. God, by grace, already provided everything for you before you ever needed it. Take, for instance, salvation. Many people think that you have to ask God to forgive your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart to receive salvation. They will pray, "Jesus, would You please come into my life?" They tell others "Just ask Christ to come into your life." That's not what salvation is. A Nonissue Acts 16:30-31 provides a scriptural example of someone receiving salvation. Paul and Silas were in the Philippian jail, and the jailer came to them and asked: Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Acts 16:30 They didn't answer by saying, "Ask Jesus to come into your life," or "Repent of your sins, and quit doing this and that." They simply responded: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:31 Believe what? This does not mean just believe that Jesus existed, or that He came. Jesus didn't just die for the people He knew would accept Him someday He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 Jesus died for every sinner who has ever lived on this earth. And He died for our sins two thousand years ago, long before we had ever committed them. The Lord doesn't wait until we ask Him, "Please come into my heart," to forgive us of our sins. The radical truth is, the sins of the entire world are already forgiven. God forgave your sins before you existed. Before you were ever born, all of your sins were forgiven. Before you had ever committed a sin, God forgave them. Your sins are forgiven. Sin is actually a nonissue with God.