I believe we have different experiences..
I can not say I obeyed GOD before I received Grace.. I begged and pleaded for help and the Lord appeared.. now for the Glory of GOD and the Lord alone I will say that many things came to pass.. before this dingo was still and listened.. you know when you call out and keep calling never listening for the reply inbetween.. hehe..
Grace for me did not seem to come from my obedience.. I was dead and needed saving .. all I can say is I believed because I called... it was by Grace He came.. and then when born again of the Holy Spirit.. in measure.. GOD increases.. we Grow in Grace and Knowledge of Christ through our Faith.. the desire to love and be like our Master.. obey Him.
So If Obedience Before is Believing.. then indeed.. we each have our different way of waking and realising we are filthy lost sheep and seek the Good Shepherd. So that is Believing we are sinners and lost and Believing there is a Good Shepherd that gives His life for the Redemption of His Flock on Him we call upon.
Anyhow I love to hear how others came to Believe the Gospel... share for the Glory of the Almighty and His Perfect Son our Lord.
Why I love him because he first loved me; my personal testimony of grace and love.
I love sharing my testimony on how I came to know God's Grace and he saved a sinner like me. I have shared this before but I will share it again because I think it shows God's grace to me personally... I had a somewhat different experience in my walk with God than some have, in that I first started seeking God by reading the bible by myself alone, at home and not attending any Church as such.
For me many years ago now, as I continued studying God's Word, I believed that I needed to keep God's Law (10 commandments) for my salvation accepting the life, death and resurrection of out Lord Jesus. I was very exacting in what I believed at the time and tried to be very strict in my observance to obey God's Law. I found after some time that the harder I tried the more I saw myself as a sinner going through a cycle of sinning, confessing and repenting the same old sins, until I was ready to give up in discouragement. I also saw myself on the inside. Sometimes I was outwardly never breaking God's Laws but in my thinking it was not a very nice place to be at all. Where was this love I was supposed to have for others. I knew deep down inside that I did not really love people like Jesus wanted me to.
What now? Reading God's Word Jesus is telling me even if I look on a woman to lust I have already committed adultery applying God's Law to my very thoughts? Ok here I lost all hope..... Condemned as a sinner....... All my righteousness now was as it is plainly to be seen, filthy rags. I have finally given up all hope of trying to keep God's Law. There is finally nothing that I can do to save myself.
It was at this place for the very first time in my life I met Jesus. I could finally see that it was he who died on the cross for my sins and that I was the Chiefest of sinners of whom Christ had come to save! I knew for the very first time in my life that Jesus had come into the world not to save the righteous but bring sinners to repentance. Before I was righteous (in my own eyes) but now I can see myself just how God sees me, sick with sin in need of a Savoir. The Law of God was my schoolmaster that brought me to the cross to meet Jesus for the first time. Here I was at the cross, all undone my complete dependence was no longer on what I could do, but was only on what God's Word says it would do. For the first time I had complete dependence on the Word of God to do what it says it would do and that Jesus was holding out His free gift of salvation to me all he wanted me to do was to believe His Word and it was mine. I saw for the very first time that I love Him because He first loved me.
Now I walk with him. His commandments that brought me to him are no longer his commandments. They are his promises and as I received Jesus I live in Jesus, by faith in his Word to do what it says it will do. Now I obey and follow him because I love him. He has made me free in Him and given me power to walk with him in newness of life. Now I follow the God of creation by faith and dependence on the Word only to do what it says it will do. I love Jesus and His Word. His Words are spirit and they are life! I worship Jesus everyday. I follow His Word by faith and it is he that works in my as I believe His Word. For the very first time I am free in Him, He changes me day by day as I believe His Word. A counterfeit Gospel is out there. It is a Gospel that tries to separate God's 10 commandments from the plan of salvation.
Why is God's Law important to helping someone to have faith in Christ alone?
Because it is only through the Law of God (10 commandments) that any of us have a knowledge of what sin is (1John 3:4; Rom 3:20; 24). If we do away with God's Law we have no knowledge of sin. If we have no knowledge of sin we have no need of a savior. If we have no need of a savior we have no salvation. If we have no salvation we are lost. "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law." (Rom 2:12).
God's Law shows us that we are sinners in need of a savior. God's Law was given to us that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God (Rom 3:19). It shows us that we are sinners and cannot save ourselves from this disease that we have within us so that we can by Faith lay hold of the promises of God's Words so that Jesus can save us from our sins. Jesus did not come to save the righteous (those that think they do not need saving) but sinners (those that know their need of saving) (Matt 9:12-13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32) God's Law has always been part of the true Gospel of Christ. The counterfeit Gospel does not have it. God's forever Law (the 10 commandments) is the foundation of both the Old and the New Covenant and the very foundation and basis of the true Gospel of Christ. It will be the basis of the judgement where we will all be accountable to God.
The Law of God is the only way of showing us who we truly are, sinners in need of a Saviour and in this condition we can see for the first time Him who loved us and washed us in His own blood and by faith only lay hold of the promises of God’s Word. (2Pet 1:4) It is here as we believe God that he changes us from living a life of breaking God's Law to a life of walking with him. It is through the operation of God through Love because he first loved us that we follow Jesus not for salvation but because of love. Love is the fulfilling of God's Law in us who walk not after the flesh (carnal sinful mind) but after the spirit and why Jesus says to his followers, "If you love me keep the commandments" (John 14:15).
People cannot see that this is the operation of God in the believer and assume God's people believe they are saved by their works, when in fact Jesus is saving us from our sins to walk in newness of life in fulfillment of His new Covenant promise (Heb 8:10-12)...... Gods Sheep hear His Voice salvation is from sin and sin is the transgression of God's Law (1John 3:4) whosoever is living in sin has neither seen him nor known him (1John 3:6) ............
Learning and growing and moving on...............
This story is about God's leading me as I was seeking him through His Word. After sometime of reading God's Word the best I knew how and being very new to the bible and the things of God, I came across a bible verse that said; Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). At the time that scripture really made a deep impression on me as it still does today many years latter.
At that point in time I did not have any work and was not very well off. So I knew I had a part to play and that was to seek first above all things God's Kingdom and his righteousness. I did not need to worry about anything else if I was doing this nothing else mattered. Not too far latter I came across another promise in God's Word that said; But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26). This also made a deep impression on me as I was reading it. This was soon followed by other promises in God's Word saying similar things about God promising to be my teacher but everything was conditional on continuing in His Word and seeking him above all things (first). (John 8:31-34; 7:17; 16:13).
So this was something I was living by, everyday seeking God through His Word. As I was reading his Word (praying for God's Spirit for guidance and claiming the promises) I came across other scripture saying not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together (Hebrew 10:25). At the same time I was reading other scriptures of warning saying that in the last days there would be many false prophets and Christs that if possible would deceive God's very elect. (Matthew 24:24; 2 Peter 2:1, etc).
As I was reading all these verses it was like God was showing me something special. Here I was considering going and joining a Church for fellowship and God was telling me how am I ever going to find who the right Church was? When I looked out all I could see was 100's of Church's all professing they are the true Church of God. Not all of them could be right? To me at the time this was the meaning of the Scripture in the last days there shall be many false prophets and teachers to deceive if possible God's very elect....
I prayed to God about this problem of mine. I asked Lord how will I ever find your true Church I do not even know what your truth is...
As I continued in God's Word I believe he was teaching me more and more everyday. To cut a long story short God's Word clearly describes God's people as those that through faith the works by love keep all of God's commandments... Then the light came on for me.... What is the distinguishing feature between all these Churches all professing to know God and his true Church? God's true Church keep ALL of God's commandments through their Faith in God's Word....
99.9% of Christianity have been deceived into worshiping God on the wrong day of the week and are following the pagan day of Sun worship (Sunday) not to mention the other pagan holidays (Easter, Christmas, all Saint's day etc etc). Here was the keys.......
James 2:8-12
If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9, But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10,
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11, For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.12, So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
1 John 2:3-4
3, And
hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep <ALL> his commandments. 4,
He that saith, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and
went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 22:14
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
This is how God has led me in my time seeking Him through His Word. He says to me and everyone of us here today, with an everlasting love have I love thee and with loving kindness have I drawn thee. We love him because he first loved us and with His stripes we are healed and now we follow him because we love him because we cry out in faith, Lord save us we perish. Please forgive me this long post....
May God bless you all as you seek Him through His Word...