Austin Bible Church
At the Cross, faith responds to grace resulting in the salvation of the one believing. This union results in a new spiritual birth. Grace initiates with God’s plan through the person and work of Christ and faith responds. Eph. 2:8-9.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NASB)
Grace is made only for faith. Using works instead of faith, it would be a believer confessing their sins plus feeling sorry for their sins plus vowing to never do them again plus asking forgiveness. The result is lack of faith and therefore, lack of restoration to fellowship. These are works which add to God’s grace application. Anything added to grace negates grace. 1 John 1:9.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NASB)
Since faith is the only true responder to grace, faith transfers gnosis (knowledge) in the mind (left lobe of the soul) to epignosis (full knowledge) in the right lobe of the soul. Eph. 3:16-17.
“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,” (Ephesians 3:16-17, NASB)
Grace and Faith at the Cross
Grace and faith become one at the Cross. Therefore, they must live together in this life. If you are born-again, then you have tasted grace once in your life. Divorce is analogous to the believer switching to the works concept, instead of the grace concept. Therefore, all other works concepts of perception are excluded from grace.
Rationalism is the intellectual form of perception and uses logic or an academic approach based on reason alone. Rationalism says that reason is the source of knowledge and is superior and independent of any sensory perception. Rationalism is a meritorious form of perception.
Empiricism in the scientific form of learning by observation and experimentation. Empiricism feels that reality is in the function of the senses as they relate to what is observed whereby all information is relayed to the brain. Seeing is believing. Thomas used this approach instead of faith toward the risen Christ in resurrection body. He felt that if he could touch Christ, he would believe it really was Christ. Empiricism, is a meritorious form of perception.
Faith is the way mankind begins all learning in life. Faith is the only non-meritorious form of perception. Faith builds knowledge on the basis of an absolute authority or axiom such as God exists or 1+1= 2. The validity of faith depends on the object of that faith.
Spiritual Production From the Union of Grace and Faith
The union of grace and faith at the Cross demands production in the spiritual life. When grace and faith act on God's promises, that produces full knowledge and God labels it as true lasting production or divine good. The continual use of faith to God’s grace plan causes continual intake and application of Bible doctrine in the Christian way of life.
Therefore, the responder, which is faith, allows the Holy Spirit to transfers that spiritual phenomena (pneumatikos in the Greek) from the human spirit to the left lobe of the soul (the mind) as gnosis. Gnosis (head knowledge) cannot by applied to produce spiritual production or divine good. It must also be transferred by faith belief in that divine truth whereby the Holy Spirit transfers it to the right lobe of the soul where it becomes epignosis Bible doctrine. Epignosis (full knowledge in the soul) is the only form that produces divine good. This accumulation of epignosis doctrine leads to erection of the Edification Complex of the Soul. Col. 1, Eph. 3, Eph. 4, 1 Cor. 1, 1 Cor. 2.
Doctrine is built on doctrine. Epignosis doctrine in the soul is applied toward God and toward others. Epignosis gives sight to the soul so we can see God with the eyes of faith. Learning Bible doctrine cannot be done in your mind apart from the enabling ministry of God the Holy Spirit. If it could be done in your mind apart from the grace of God, you could use you human IQ to learn the spiritual things from God. This is anti-grace. There is only one type of IQ in the Christian life and that is Spiritual IQ that is epignosis Bible doctrine in the right lobe of the soul. It is never your genius, your human ability, or your talent that matter. It is God’s grace provision of the human spirit plus the enabling ministry of God the Holy Spirit. This is the Grace Apparatus for Perception.
You can use your human mind under the filling of the Spirit to do your job, if it calls for rationalism or empiricism. However, you cannot use your human mind for anything like turning gnosis to epignosis. Your human mind is only a staging area, a transfer area. You may have the highest IQ in town and be the sorriest believer in the area.
Grace and Faith Union Illustrated by Love in Marriage
Grace and faith are like the love between a man and a woman. By analogy, just as there is only one man for one woman so then grace is the only one for faith and faith is the only one for grace. Grace and faith are united at the Cross by God’s design. Gen. 2:21-25.
“So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:21-25, NASB)
God has designed the right time for the man and his right woman to meet. This is based on grace, not the “big search.” God has designed the right place for grace and faith to meet and that place is the Cross. Just as marriage is the framework of the love between a man and a woman, so the Cross is the framework for grace and faith. 1 John 5:4-5.
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.” (1 John 5:4-6, NASB)
In marriage, the wife keeps on responding to her husband. In the Christian way of life, faith keeps on responding to God's grace. You were married on a faith principle and saved on a faith principle. You kept enjoying marriage by faith and you keep on walking by faith. After you have become a believer by faith in Christ, it is faith-rest, transferring gnosis to epignosis in the soul by faith. Col. 2:6; 2 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:6.
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” (Colossians 2:6, NASB)
“for we walk by faith, not by sight—” (2 Corinthians 5:7, NASB)
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NASB)
Faith excludes works or human merit. When you marry the wrong woman, it can be hell on earth. That is exactly what happens when you marry works. Adding anything to faith belief in Jesus Christ will not save.
Confessing sin with conditions won’t restore the filling of the Holy Spirit resulting in no spiritual growth. Bringing works to grace results in spiritual idiocy. The only thing you will understand is prophecy and you will be cross-eyed spiritually.
The harem of works is human good or legalism and is the works of the Law. Faith excludes works or human merit. For example, “believe and be baptized” would be bringing a human work to salvation. It should be, “having believed, be baptized.” Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:9; Titus 3:5.
“nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16, NASB)
“not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:9, NASB)
“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5, NASB)