On our Christian walk, grace and faith are both critical in keeping us on the right path. We must achieve a proper balance between both. Leaning too far toward grace produces a passive Christian with a “God is in control” mindset; leaning too far toward faith results in a legalistic mindset that causes us to think that our actions will cause God to move.

God already moved more than two thousand years ago. Faith is our positive response to His unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor that Jesus modeled for us. Grace and faith always go together. We’re justified by faith, which gives us access into the grace in which we stand.

The idea that God is in complete control, independently of us, is also incorrect. We’ve been made free moral agents and given freedom of choice, which is something we wouldn’t have if God had already made up His mind about everything that happens. Jesus gave us power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; nothing can hurt us if we believe this. We even have authority over the devil and every evil spirit.

Jesus, who is grace personified, made available to us healing, prosperity, peace, joy, deliverance, and everything else good our old lives lacked before being born again. Our faith takes what grace has already made. By grace we’re saved through faith; this is a gift from God.

There will be times when we’re tempted to stray too far in the direction of either grace or faith; this is when we’re at our weakest. Wrong-thinking causes us to struggle; believing that God’s grace is sufficient strengthens us. When our own faith wavers, leaning on the faith of Jesus Christ reassures us we’re still the righteousness of God. We can be thankful that even when we miss the mark, His grace justifies us.

Prayer:

Lord, faith and grace are both equally important, and Your Word teaches us how they go together. Your favor has given us everything we’ll ever need in life, and we receive it through our trust in You. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

• Romans 5:2
• Luke 10:19, 20
• Ephesians 2:8
• 2 Corinthians 12:9
• Romans 3:22-24