Only the obedient are granted grace. Some people say "Well that's earning it." But it's not. Nothing we can do can earn it. Let me give you an example...
I go to the bank and say "I washed my dishes and swept my floor, so please give me a penny toward the price of a mansion, and I will keep going back to my house to do things to earn more pennies." And they say "I'm sorry, that just does not earn anything, and even if it could, pennies are not even in the ballpark of enough for a mansion."
Was it effort? Yes. Did my efforts earn anything? No.
So I go back to the bank, and discover there is a whole group of people doing what I did. And another group shows up, who put forth no effort. Because they heard on the radio that a rich man was coming to this bank to give away a million dollars. When the rich man arrives, he has his assistant interview people. He asked one guy "Did you clean your house today." He said "No, that's woman's work, I just sit down and have my wife bring me a beer while she does that stuff." The assistant then gave him a black shirt. "Thanks man." he said.
After all the interviews, the rich man said for all those wearing white shirts to step to the right, and those wearing black shirts to step toward the left. Then he spoke to the white shirt crowd and said "All that I have I choose to share with each of you wearing a white shirt. They cheered, as the other crowd complained it wasn't fair. But the rich man said to them "My money, my choice, I can give it to whomever I choose- and I choose them."
In no way did they earn it, it was a gift.
I go to the bank and say "I washed my dishes and swept my floor, so please give me a penny toward the price of a mansion, and I will keep going back to my house to do things to earn more pennies." And they say "I'm sorry, that just does not earn anything, and even if it could, pennies are not even in the ballpark of enough for a mansion."
Was it effort? Yes. Did my efforts earn anything? No.
So I go back to the bank, and discover there is a whole group of people doing what I did. And another group shows up, who put forth no effort. Because they heard on the radio that a rich man was coming to this bank to give away a million dollars. When the rich man arrives, he has his assistant interview people. He asked one guy "Did you clean your house today." He said "No, that's woman's work, I just sit down and have my wife bring me a beer while she does that stuff." The assistant then gave him a black shirt. "Thanks man." he said.
After all the interviews, the rich man said for all those wearing white shirts to step to the right, and those wearing black shirts to step toward the left. Then he spoke to the white shirt crowd and said "All that I have I choose to share with each of you wearing a white shirt. They cheered, as the other crowd complained it wasn't fair. But the rich man said to them "My money, my choice, I can give it to whomever I choose- and I choose them."
In no way did they earn it, it was a gift.
I'm sorry OneFath., but that makes no sense to me and it's not what the Bible says is God's Way of saving souls. His Way is Jesus because Jesus is the Way...the Truth and the life... Jesus brought grace and truth.
Grace can't be earned., it's given without condition or merit or earning it. It's FREE
According to your story here., those who did well got the white shirts., those who didn't do well got black shirts. That is putting aside the One Who did alllll the work.... Jesus., and He gives us the white shirts.
The Bible says in John 1:11-13
[SUP]11 [/SUP]He came unto [SUP][a][/SUP]his own, and they that were his own received him not.
[SUP]12 [/SUP]But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:
[SUP]13 [/SUP]who were [SUP][b][/SUP]born, not of [SUP][c][/SUP]blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
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