“it is ONLY the work of the Holy Spirit, initiating grace in the unregenerate man’s heart. No man will seek Christ of his own accord.”
Would you explain this. I have trouble understanding grace and how to get it. Is it faith first, then grace. I can’t seem to understand it. If you are in need of help how do you get it? Fear sometimes is so overwhelming your mind freezes up. What to do?
It is first grace, then faith. It works in this way.
The place to start in understanding grace/salvation is first to understand what the Bible teaches about man and sin. All people are born sinners. They are sinners by nature. They have no desire or ability to seek God or His ways. Because of this they all are condemned by God.
But God by His choice and for His purpose has chosen to save some of them. He then, in His chosen time and by His chosen means brings the ones He has chosen to faith in Christ and salvation. God does this because of His grace (undeserved favor), and not because of any merit of the person so chosen. Now, this that I have described is all from God's side. This is the part of salvation we do not see.
Now, from our (man's) side it looks like this. We hear the Gospel or parts of it. If God has caused the person to be born again, he understands the message and either accepts it or wants to hear more. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth,upon this person, their spiritually dead mind is now made alive (spiritually) and can understand the issues of sin and salvation. His sin, which he formerly embraced and loved, is now a terrible burden and inflicts upon him the cost he cannot pay and a punishment he cannot bear. He is now desperately seeking a remedy and relief of this burden. He sees himself a guilty and condemned sinner before a holy, holy, holy God.
Further, he now sees Jesus Christ, who he formerly ignored, as the answer to his calamity. It is only Christ who has paid the price of his sin and borne the penalty of it as well. By faith in Christ and this work of His, the man is saved.
For you, if you desire forgiveness for your sin, don't worry about "finding" grace, it has already found you. Recognize Christ as the remedy for your sin, repent of it, pray that He will accept you into His family (the Bible promises that "whoever comes to Me, I will in no case cast out) and you will be saved.
Taffini,
I will try for you, since you asked and seem sincere.
Jesus said that He is the Way and the Truth and the Light; that no one comes to the Father except through Him.
He said that God desires not one of us to be lost to Him.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the owrld that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
3:17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
3:18 He that believeth on Hom is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath no believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
It is not through anything that we do. You can be the most moral person on the planet, without knowing Christ, your works are as filthy rags. It is only through Faith in Jesus that Salvation is possible.
How do you ‘get help’? Ask Jesus into your heart. Pray to Him, acknowledge that you are a sinner, that you are lost, that you need Him and His love in your life. Ask Him to save you, ask for His forgiveness.
It really is that simple. Do you have a Bible accesible? If so, please read the Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). God does not want His children to have a spirirt of fear. Throughout the Bible we are told to “Fear Not” 365 times, once for each day.
Find a church, one that preaches Christ as your Saviour, that He is the Son of God, Crucified for our sins, and Risen in 3 days.
There is so much I want to say, it is hard to put it all down without rambling at times. I hope this helps. You are in my prayers. Please, think on this, it is Eternity we are talking about, not necessarily this life. Feel free to answer or FReepmail me.