by Gideon Odoma

 

GRACE MULTIPLIES

When Adam and Eve fell, salvation became necessary — same way a rescue mission is crucial for the survival of people on board a wrecked ship. The rescue operation called salvation-by-grace is a merciful, loving digression in God’s progression for man. We were headed someplace under God before the fall. God’s original goal for man was not salvation. I can’t stress this point enough. To be precise, salvation is a remedial initiative.

Rescued by grace, we should be back on track to our original destination. And, different expressions of grace are required for each operation. Broadly:

• One expression to rescue us (salvation).
• The other to help us realise original purpose (empowerment for responsible living and service).

By grace we are saved. By grace also, we realise original ordination.

There is an expression of grace that can grow, that can increase, be multiplied. However, saving grace doesn’t and can’t grow. It is what it is, all the time. You are either saved or not saved. There is no gradient in salvation. You’re in or out. However, grace to labour acceptably in line with the original design of God for us — the design discontinued by sin in Eden — can and should grow in the believer.

GREAT grace was upon them all… (Act 4:33)
Grace and peace be MULTIPLIED unto you…(2Pet 1:2)

Some Christians are so ravished by the magnificence of saving grace and salvation they never want to hear of the goal of such undeserved rescue.

HOW did God rescue me from sin? By grace through faith.
WHY did God rescue me from sin? To, by His grace fulfil an ordination captured in the eternal counsel of His will. There are generics and there are specifics in that ordination.

The same way I was taught about grace unto salvation, I should be taught about enabling grace, about grace to labour acceptably. If you are in a church where one aspect of grace is taught but the others are ignored or even slighted, you’re being cheated out of your full portion in God.

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have GRACE, WHEREBY we may SERVE GOD ACCEPTABLY with reverence and godly fear:” Heb 12:28

The passage is not about saving grace. It was written to people who were already saved. It is about enabling grace.

Truth is, we must go on to maturity, not forever laying the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith towards God and so forth. There is more… we must build.

God calls us to responsive, responsible kingdom living — for His pleasure, and that men may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

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Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Gideon Odoma is a minister of the gospel and founder of Fortress Ministry.