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                    ||                       How beautiful on the mountains
                    ||                       are the feet of those ... who
                    ||                       proclaim salvation, who say to
                                             Zion, "Your God reigns!"
          Pastor RALPH & GENE ANN WOOD                  --Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)
          E-mail:  randg.wood@encode.com
          FRESH MANNA, 19/11/1997 ....................... EPHESIANS 2:1,8-9
             {1} And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses
          and sins. ... {8} For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
          that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:  {9} Not of
          works, lest any man should boast.   --EPHESIANS 2:1,8-9 (KJV)
             Recently we attended an evangelistic event at a local church.
          The event itself was pretty good-- and God blessed it by granting
          that a number of people be won to Christ at the end!  Yet, the
          whole program was introduced with a statement to the effect, "We
          all have a free will, and each one of us must use this free will
          to decide whether to accept or reject Jesus as Saviour; and your
          eternal future depends on this work of your free will!"  What a
          load to lay on our shoulders, a load neither we nor our fathers
          could bear-- personal responsibility for your salvation!  If this
          were so, Christ need not have died on the cross for our sins-- we
          could simply have used our free will to earn our salvation by the
          merit of works; e.g., by always keeping all ten commandments!
             But what does it say?  Before we are saved, we are "dead in
          trespasses and sins"!  How can a dead person save him or her self
          by using free will?  Three times, Jesus raised dead people back
          to life.  And each time, He raised up the dead person on His own
          initiative, by His own word of grace.  So it is with salvation.
          Jesus finds us dead in our sins, and calls us to be born again
          into new life; calls us by His grace, not because of our works!
             He doesn't force us to respond.  He allows us to use our will
          to refuse His free gift of salvation.  Not free, really-- it cost
          Him all the suffering of Calvary, to bear the penalty, to pay the
          price of our sins.  And our will is not free, either-- it is 100%
          corrupted by sin; on our own, we are only able to use our will to
          disobey God.  This is why Jesus taught us to pray every day, "Thy
          will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" [see MATTHEW 6:10b].
             This is why Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the
          Father who sent me draws [attracts/drags] him" [see JOHN 6:44].
          Therefore be confident!  When you make your decision for Christ,
          you do not make that decision by your own free, weak, changeable,
          undependable, impermanent will.  Rather, the grace of our Lord
          Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit
          draw you in by -His- will!!  And no one can ever snatch you out
          of His hand [see JOHN 10:28-30].  Praise His name!!   --RLW
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