God Is Gracious

There are many ways in which God’s grace is revealed and demonstrated throughout the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Unfortunately, the idea of “grace” has often been perverted and misrepresented by false teachings, implying that there is a conflict between the concept of God’s grace and that of obedience to his commandments.

One reason that some turn aside from God is that they don’t really believe that God is gracious. Some believe in God just enough to have a morbid fear of what might happen to them, but they don’t have enough faith to really believe that God can or will forgive their sins and save them from death. The Old Covenant God made with Israel at Mt. Sinai was predicated on grace, as shown in Exodus 34:5-7. But God in his love and mercy also is a just God, and in his mercy and love for mankind he requires obedience to his laws which are given to us for our benefit. In God mercy, grace, longsuffering, and truth are united with holiness and justice. Like the Old Covenant, the New Covenant is also predicated upon grace, and it is through grace that we are ultimately saved (Acts 15:11; Romans 6:23; II Timothy 1:9).

God knows our frame, our weaknesses and our inherent sinfulness, but he is always ready to pardon us upon repentance, and his plan is not a plan of destruction for mankind but one of salvation. In this message, I point out some ways in which God’s grace towards all mankind, including you and me, is demonstrated. And also, specific things you can do to enjoy the fullness of God’s grace.

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How the Feast of Tabernacles Reveals God’s Grace

What is pictured by God’s Feast of Tabernacles reveals a richness, depth and magnitude to God’s grace far beyond what most have imagined. Among the gifts to be given: salvation, liberation, just government, an end to evils such as crime, fraud, theft, etc., long life, abundance for all, and these are just the beginning of blessings God will pour out on mankind.

“How the Feast of Tabernacles Reveals God’s Grace,” by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Pentecost – Grace and Judgment in this Age

Like all of God’s festivals, the Feast of Pentecost has great significance pertaining to his plan for all mankind. One of the important features of Pentecost is that it can serve to illustrate how grace and judgment are interwoven in how God deals with human beings, including his Church.

This article explains how Pentecost relates to both grace and judgment in the plan God is working out for his people.

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Why Did God Become Flesh?

Have you ever stopped to think why God – an eternal Being who existed before time began (as we count time) – would become flesh and blood? Does that not seem a bit peculiar, when you think about it, that the very Creator, the Being whose power sustains the entire vast Universe, would be changed into a mere human, infinitely weaker and limited by comparison? Continue reading