Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith

179 Pages·2011·4.16 MB·English

by  Andrew Wommack

Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith

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.
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith
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
1
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith
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

2
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith

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.
3
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith
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.
4
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith
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
5
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith
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
6
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith
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.
Already Been Forgiven
This is not the message of the Church today. The Church is basically
preaching that every time you sin, it's an affront against God. They say, "You have
to get that sin forgiven and under the blood before God can move in your life."
That's not what the scriptures teach. The Word reveals that your sins are already
forgiven. You don't have to ask God to forgive your sins or to come into your life.
What you have to do is believe the Gospel—that Jesus has already come, He's
already died and forgiven the sins of the world.
Someone might say, "Well then, if that's true, then everybody's saved,
right?" No, this is not the case because grace alone doesn't save you. God, by
grace, has made the provision and paid for every person's sins. People aren't
going to go to hell for sexual immorality, murder, lying, or stealing. All of those
sins have been paid for. The sin that is going to send people to hell is the singular
sin of rejecting Jesus as their personal Savior. This is what the Bible reveals in John
16:
When he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment. John 16:8
In verse 9 of this same chapter, Jesus explained that the sin the Holy Spirit
would reprove the world of is the sin of not believing on Jesus.
Of sin, because they believe not on me. John 16:9
7
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith
The Church has been misrepresenting the Holy Spirit by saying that He's
here to nail you every time you lie, cheat, and steal. That He'll get you every time
you don't study the Word, or do this and not that. This preaching has made us sin-
conscious. It has magnified sin. The truth is Jesus has already paid the price for all
that. The Holy Spirit is only dealing with this one issue: Have you believed on the
Lord Jesus Christ? If you have made Jesus your Lord, then all of your sins—past,
present, and even future sins—have already been forgiven.
Identical Toward Us All
Preaching that truth would get me kicked out of most churches. That is why
my citywide meetings are normally held in a neutral venue, like a hotel or
conference center. There aren't very many churches that will let me share these
truths because they're just so radical.
Sin has already been dealt with by grace. (Heb. 9, 10.) Because it has been
dealt with by grace, that means it isn't dependent on whether you've asked Him
to forgive you or not. The truth is, God provided salvation for the entire human
race by grace.
Again, Titus 2:11 says:
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
God's grace is extended exactly the same towards everybody—not only to
you, but to every person on the face of the earth. Adolf Hitler had as much grace
extended towards him as you and I have had extended towards us. Jesus loved
every person who has done terrible things in the history of the world; He died for
them and paid for their sins exactly the same as He did for all of the people who
have received Him, love Him, and seek Him. The grace of God is identical toward
us all.
8