“I COULDN’T Obey Successfully WITHOUT His Grace, BUT With His Grace, I CAN.”
As a 30-year veteran of discipleship ministry, I always find it more than a little bit staggering Whenever I try to help Christians to obey any Biblical Principle so that they can overcome their challenges in life. You can give people clear sound and direct Biblical advice, and the knee-jerk response will almost always be the same. You know what it is. All of us have heard this reply, and many of us have used it before:
“We don’t have to do that, we’re Under Grace.”
Sometimes believers say that when they hear an “Old Testament” Instruction but often times it doesn’t matter. Many don’t confine their objections to “Old Testament” verses. They often reply to the New Testament with the same obstinate attitude.
- The Biblical instruction may come from the Law of God given to Moses
- The Biblical instruction may come from God’s Word in the Prophets
The Biblical Advice may come from one of the other “Old Testament” Writings. The typical response will be the same:
“We don’t have to do that, we’re Under Grace.”
It typically doesn’t matter though, because you could switch to any so-called “New Testament Instructions,” and the response will be virtually the same.
You can point people to the very Commands and Instructions given by the Messiah Himself, and many so-called Christians will respond in the same fashion:
“We’re not saved by obeying that, we are saved by Grace.”
You can point people to Commands and Instructions given by the apostles. You could even point them to direct instructions given by Paul the apostle of Grace himself, and you will typically hear the same response come out of people’s mouths whenever you challenge them to obey anything that Scripture teaches. The knee-jerk response and the constant refrain will almost always be the same:
“We’re not saved by obeying that, we are saved by Grace.”
It’s kind of reached the point now where I want to respond to such Christians and say, “SO WHAT?” Do you even understand what the Grace of God is, and what God’s Grace was intended to accomplish in your life as a believer? Most Christians think they understand this, but they clearly don’t, because if they did they would not oppose any Biblical Instruction. Let’s put that on the shelf.
Let’s address something more basic. Has it escaped your attention that every single Biblical Writer that God used to write the Scriptures was also “Under God’s Grace” when they wrote what they did? Don’t you understand that it was God’s Grace and Power working in their lives that caused every single Bible writer to write what they wrote? Without the Grace of God working in their lives, NONE of the Bible writers would have written the Scriptures as they did. How do we know that this is true? Quite simply, it was Paul the apostle of Grace who SAID so. (See 2 Timothy 3:12-17).
Even Paul the Apostle of Grace Admits that there is a “WORK” involved in “Getting Saved”
It’s a Biblical FACT that even Paul the apostle of Grace admits that there is a “WORK” involved in getting saved. Don’t believe me. Look here:
As it is written: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9–10, NKJV)
For the record, I BELIEVE that this verse is true. I don’t have a problem with this verse at all I contend that those who hear and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, SHOULD OBEY this verse, and faithfully DO what Romans 10:9-10 instructs us to do. I DO BELIEVE that IF a person DOES this verse mixed with their faith, they will be saved, just like the verse promises.
Whether we like it or not though, we must be honest about the fact that if you believe the gospel, and you physically OBEY Romans 10:9, by opening your mouth and confessing, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ you ARE DOING a “WORK,” by DOING and OBEYING that verse. There is NOTHING WRONG with DOING that WORK.
What most of the “Grace-filled/No Works Allowed crowd” forget is that Paul DOES NOT FORBID ALL Works when it comes to living by Grace. If you need proof of that fact, all you need to do is to review Paul’s definition of Grace in (Titus 2:11-15). In Paul’s definition of Grace, Paul plainly says that God’s Grace will make us ZEALOUS to DO Good Works. Review it yourself. Even according to Paul, God’s Grace DOES NOT FORBID DOING “Good Works.” On the contrary**, having God’s true grace will make us ZEALOUS TO DO those good works,** according to Paul. When Paul talks about Grace in all his letters, he is using the Titus 2:11-15 definition of that term. Whenever Christians talk about Grace, we are NOT ALLOWED to CONTRADICT the Titus 2:11-15 definition of that term, even according to Paul. Please do not ignore or neglect that fact.
“IF” you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord…” you will be saved. The very fact that there is an, “IF” clause in that verse also means that by definition IF we REFUSE to confess Jesus Christ is Lord, then we will NOT be saved. Even Paul taught this.
When Paul gave us the “Good Work” to do in Romans 10:9, Paul was COPYING the PATTERN that was already taught in Scripture. We see it for example in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). We see it again in the benediction (Numbers 6:24-26). We see the same precept exemplified again in the Psalms (e.g. Psalm 119:45-48). Those are just a few examples, but you should get the idea. Making a confession of faith, that AGREES with Scripture, and reflects what you truly believe in your heart, IS a “Good Work,” but it is a “Good Work” that is ALLOWED and ENCOURAGED, “Under Grace.” In fact, if we are living in God’s True Grace, we will be ZEALOUS to DO that “Good Work.”
We WOULDN’T look at what Paul taught and say to people, ‘Hey, DON’T worry about obeying Romans 10:9. You don’t have to obey that. You’re “Under Grace.” Of course, we wouldn’t do that. Why? Quite simply, because we know that the SAME apostle who told us we are saved by Grace, ALSO said that we must confess “Jesus is Lord,” to be saved. We also know that using Paul’s own definition of Grace (Titus 2:11-15), and a true believer who was walking in the Grace that God provides would be ZEALOUS to OBEY, and to DO Romans 10:9. Obeying Romans 10:9 is NOT a LACK of Grace. That IS PART of Grace.
That means that by definition that having the true Grace of God in my life, ALSO comes with the God-given ability to believe the gospel, and also the willingness and the ability to faithfully confess with my mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” Obeying Romans 10:9 is not a “Lack of Grace.” Having the willingness and the ability to faithfully obey Romans 10:9-10, IS a work of God’s Grace functioning in my life. Hold on to that Precept.
- By God’s Grace, Yahshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) the Messiah is full of Grace and Truth. Grace and Truth lived in and through Messiah while He lived here.
- By God’s Grace, Yahshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) the Messiah was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the virgin’s womb.
- By God’s Grace which was living in Messiah, He lived a sinless life of obedience to the Father.
- By God’s Grace living in Messiah, Messiah was willing and able to endure the punishment that our sinfulness deserves, and He died, taking our punishment upon Himself. God’s Grace living in Messiah enabled Him to do that successfully.
- By God’s Grace, Messiah was physically resurrected from the dead.
Now, fast-forward, a couple of thousand years…
- It was by God’s Grace that God opened your ears to be able to truly HEAR the gospel of the salvation through Messiah. You would not have been able to truly hear, to believe, and to receive the gospel WITHOUT God’s Grace working in your life. That’s a fact.
- It was by God’s Grace that God opened your heart, and you were able and willing to digest and to believe the gospel when you heard it. It was also by God’s Grace that you finally came to BELIEVE the gospel after hearing it. You could not have digested and believed the gospel WITHOUT God’s Grace working in your life. That’s also a fact.
- With all these factors in place, it was also by God’s Grace that your faith in the gospel blossomed and manifested into physical action, and you became both willing and able to confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” By Grace, you obeyed Romans 10:9 when you began your walk with the Lord.
All 8 of these factors were a manifestation of God’s Grace Working in your life. This includes the last one. You would not have been able to put your faith in action; you would not have been able to faithfully confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” WITHOUT the Grace of God working in your life. How do I know that this is true? I know it because Messiah said so:
As it is written: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:1–5, NKJV)
Even Paul the Apostle of Grace agreed with Messiah when he wrote:
As it is written: for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13, NKJV)
- Question: Is it God’s good pleasure for you to be saved? Of course, it is (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4).
- Question: Is it God’s good pleasure for you to hear, to receive, to digest, to believe the eight components of the gospel described above? Of course, it is!
- Question: Is it God’s good pleasure that you put your faith into action, and that you demonstrate that by obeying and physically DOING Romans 10:9? Of course, it is! We have demonstrated that in detail. In fact, if you didn’t act on your faith, you would be DISOBEYING the Word, and whatever faith you had would eventually DIE, if you didn’t put living action behind what you believed (e.g. James 2:14-26; cf. Hebrews 11).
Based on John 15:1-5 and Philippians 2:13, it was BECAUSE of God’s Grace working in your life, that the gospel was manifested in your life.
- WITHOUT God’s Grace, you could not have heard the gospel in any meaningful way; but by God’s Grace you could, and you did.
- WITHOUT God’s Grace, you could not have digested, understood what you heard; but by God’s Grace you could, and you did.
- WITHOUT God’s Grace you could not have believed the gospel that you heard; but by God’s Grace you could, and you did.
- WITHOUT God’s Grace, you could not have faithfully acted upon what you believed, and you would not have faithfully obeyed Romans 10:9. However, WITH God’s Grace working in your life, you WERE willing and able to do those things.
WITH God’s Grace working in your life, you WERE willing and able to obey Romans 10:9, and God Blessed your faith, and your journey with Jesus Christ began. You could not have done ANY of it WITHOUT Grace, but WITH Grace, you were made willing and able, and when you ACTED on that Grace, and you USED the Grace that God made available to help you obey Romans 10:9, God responded to you by saving you, because you USED His Grace, and you responded in faith to what God was offering.
Now it was God’s Grace that made you willing and able to do that, but you still did it with God’s Grace helping you do it successfully. You couldn’t have done it successfully WITHOUT God’s Grace. However, with God’s Grace, you COULD successfully believe and act in obedience to the gospel, and when you used the Grace of God to believe and do what God wanted you to do concerning the gospel, then God fulfilled His Promise, and He is saving you, as a result.
You could not have done any of it WITHOUT God’s Grace, but with God’s Grace working in your life, you COULD do it, and when you ACTED on God’s Grace, and put ACTIONS to your faith, God blessed you with His Gift of salvation. It was His gift of Grace that helped you to believe; it was His Gift of Grace that made you willing and able to obey what you believed, but you still did it. Never lose sight of that fact.
When it came to your salvation believing and obeying Romans 10:9-10 was NOT a LACK of Grace. That WAS Grace. You could not have done it faithfully WITHOUT God’s Grace working in your life. Please don’t lose sight of that fact. It is a foundational precept that will help you through every other facet of your Christian life if you are wise and discerning.
Regardless of What Bible Instruction or Principle You are Trying to Obey, the SAME 7 Basic Functioning Dynamics of Grace Are at Work in the Process
(If you understand how God first used Grace, Faith, and Obedience to save you, then you can apply that SAME knowledge of His Grace to help you obey ANY Bible Principle that you encounter. It all works the SAME way. God doesn’t change).
If you are wise and discerning you can easily see how God uses Grace, TOGETHER with Faith, and Obedience to bless and transform your life. Grace, Faith, and Obedience work together in the Grace-filled disciple. They are NOT ENEMIES. These concepts are NOT HOSTILE to each other. These concepts are FRIENDS that walk and function TOGETHER in our lives to make us strong and overcoming, and triumphant disciples of God and Jesus Christ.
If you retain and recall the Functioning Dynamics that God used to save you, you can use that understanding to help you believe and obey any other Bible Instruction that you encounter, and you will be able to do it with grace, in the example of Messiah, which is how we should live (1 John 2:1-6).
The SAME Grace that God used to save you when you believed and obeyed Romans 10:9-10, is the SAME Grace that God uses to forgive you when you apply the Grace that God provides to help you believe and obey (1 John 1:9). You couldn’t faithfully obey that verse successfully without God’s Grace, but with God’s Grace you can, and you should.
The same Grace that God uses to save you when you believed and faithfully obeyed Romans 10:9-10, is the SAME Grace that God uses to forgive you when you apply the Grace that God provides to help you believe and forgive others (Matthew 6:14). You couldn’t faithfully obey that verse successfully without God’s Grace, but with God’s Grace you can, and you should.
The same Grace that God uses to save you when you believed and faithfully obeyed Romans 10:9-10, is the SAME Grace that God uses to cause you to overcome and not be ruined by the storms when you apply the Grace that God provides to hear and practice Messiah’s Teachings (Matthew 7:24-25). The SAME GRACE that helped you believe and correctly apply Romans 10:9-10, when God first saved you, is the SAME GRACE that God helps you apply (Matthew 7:24-25) and helps you to obey that successfully so that you won’t be destroyed by the storms of life. It’s true. You couldn’t faithfully obey that verse successfully without God’s Grace working in your life, but with God’s Grace you CAN, and you should.
The SAME Grace that God used to save you when you believed and obeyed Romans 10:9-10, is the SAME Grace that God uses to guard your heart and mind, when you apply the Grace that God provides to help you believe and obey (Philippians 6:4-5). You couldn’t faithfully obey that verse successfully without God’s Grace, but with God’s Grace you can, and you should.
Regardless of what Bible Instruction you encounter, the EXACT SAME Functioning Dynamics of Grace apply when it comes to obeying ANY Bible Instruction. Without God’s Grace you could not faithfully obey ANY Bible Instruction successfully, but WITH God’s Grace, you CAN obey Bible Instructions successfully, and you SHOULD do so.
- It is by God’s Grace that God made you willing and able to read the Bible, because He worked in you to be willing and able to do after His Good Pleasure. You could not have done it without His Grace.
- It is by God’s Grace that God made you willing and able to digest, to receive, and to believe what you read in Scripture. You couldn’t successfully do that without God’s Grace working in your life.
- It is by God’s Grace that God made you willing and able to treat what you read in Scripture as important and serious, and not to dismiss God’s Word, or to disregard it, as your sinful nature would naturally be inclined to do.
- It is by God’s Grace that God made you willing and able to measure your desires, your thoughts, and your behaviors by God’s Standards, so that you would know if you were doing right or if you are sinning.
- It is by God’s Grace that God made you willing and able to recognize and to admit when you are DISOBEYING Scripture and MISSING God’s Targets, so that you can confess it and God will forgive you. You couldn’t recognize and confess your sins correctly, without God’s Grace helping you do that.
- It is by God’s Grace that God makes you willing and able to repent. God’s Grace gives you the willingness and the ability to change your mind away from sin, to change your desires away from sin, and to change your behaviors away from sin. It is by God’s Grace that God makes you willing and able to RETURN to obeying God and to doing what pleases God (which is what repenting actually means). You COULDN’T repent faithfully WITHOUT God’s Grace working in you, helping you to repent successfully. However, WITH God’s Grace working in your life, you CAN successfully repent, and do what pleases God. We should use the Grace that God provides to help us do that. That would be an appropriate use of Grace.
- It is by God’s Grace that God makes you willing and able to Practice doing God’s Instructions and to persevere at practicing Scripture and not quit until you succeed, and it transforms your life and circumstances. You couldn’t persevere at obeying God and doing right, WITHOUT God’s Grace. However, WITH God’s Grace you CAN, and you should use the Grace that God provides to help you do that. That is how we are supposed to apply and use the Grace that God Provides.
- The SAME Grace that God used to help me to believe and to obey Romans 10:9-10 which He used to save me, is the SAME Grace that now helps me believe and obey (Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11 Exodus 31:13, 17; Ezekiel 20:12; Ezekiel 20:20; Isaiah 56:1-7; Ephesians 5:1; 1 Peter 1:14-16). That’s why I choose to honor God’s Biblical Seventh Day Sabbath. It’s a living declaration that YHWH Almighty God is the One True God Who makes us holy, and the other false gods that are in the world, DON’T. I don’t honor God’s Sabbaths to “Earn Salvation,” but as you can see from the Bible Passages listed, there are OTHER important reasons for honoring God’s Sabbath Days that have anything to do with receiving Salvation. Part of it has to do with living declarations that YHWH is God, Part of it is connected to the “Principle of FIRSTS.” The Seventh Day Sabbath is the FIRST thing that God Set Apart and called Holy to Himself in all of creation. If we can’t be bothered to honor and respect the FIRST thing that God sanctified, how will ever develop true and proper respect for ANTYTHING else that God called Holy? It’s about learning to honor the same things that God honors. It’s True that I CAN’T honor God’s Sabbaths WITHOUT Grace, but WITH God’s Grace helping me to obey, I CAN obey it the same way that God’s Grace helps me obey any other Bible precept I encounter.
- The SAME Grace that God used to help me to believe and to obey Romans 10:9-10 which He used to save me, is the SAME Grace that now helps me believe and obey (Numbers 15:38-41). That’s WHY I wear tassels with the blue thread on my clothing. YHWH Almighty God says that if I do that, it will help me to remember His Commandments. It will help me NOT to follow my own heart. It will help me NOT be unfaithful to God. It will help me to remember not to do what seems right in my own eyes, but to always consider what God thinks. Since I value those benefits, I choose to practice obeying that Commandment. It’s true. I CAN’T obey God’s Commands WITHOUT Grace. However, WITH God’s Grace helping me to do it successfully, God works in me so that I am willing and able to do Numbers 15:48-41 successfully. Therefore, I practice doing it. I am also copying Jesus who did it when He was here. That is part of obeying 1 John 2:1-6. So, I am also practicing obeying the New Testament when I obey. I don’t where the Tzit-Tzit (tassels with a blue thread “To earn salvation.” However, you can see that God established other reasons for doing it. Those reasons are still valuable. Moreover, it carries the issue of “Training in Faithfulness.” Jesus clearly said that if we are faithful in smaller things, we would also be faithful in larger things; and if we don’t learn to be faithful in little things, we won’t be prepared to be faithful in greater things either (e.g. Luke 16:10). Obeying Numbers 15:38-41 is one of the EASIEST Commandments to obey in all of Scripture. If we can’t be bothered to train ourselves to be faithful with such easy Commandments, how will we be faithful in bigger and more difficult Commandments to obey? Think about it.
- The SAME Grace that God used to help me to believe and to obey Romans 10:9-10 which He used to save me, is the SAME Grace that now helps me believe and practice the Principles in Malachi 3:8-11. I do practice tithing, but I don’t do it to EARN my salvation. I’m already being saved by Grace through faith in Messiah. My reason for tithing is about keeping God in FIRST place. God’s specified purpose for tithing is for His People to learn to respect God always and to put Him first. It’s also about taking care of the widow, the orphan, the minister, and the weaker members of society. That is something that we learn AFTER we have been saved by Grace through faith, but it’s still a valuable skill to learn. Since God instituted tithing to teach me that, I still practice tithing for those reasons (e.g Deuteronomy 14:23; Malachi 3:8-11; cf. Matthew 12:17).
- The SAME Grace that God used to help me to believe and to obey Romans 10:9-10 which He used to save me, is the SAME Grace that now helps me believe and obey Leviticus 11. With God’s Grace helping me do it successfully, I do strive to practice eating Biblically Kosher food. I don’t need kosher trying to earn my salvation. So why do I do it? Part of it is that it is much healthier. Another piece it’s another exercise in being Holy as God is Holy (Leviticus 11; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Ephesians 5:1; 1 John 2:1-6). Another piece to that is learning to define EVERYTHING the SAME way that God defines things in the Word. It’s important to learn to use the SAME definitions that God uses, and NOT change God’s definitions of things (Isaiah 5:20-24; Isaiah 66:17). If God calls something food, then I should agree with God and call that food. If God calls something an abomination and says is not food, I need to agree with God and call that an abomination too. I should not call food what God said is not food. It’s NOT JUST about what we eat or don’t eat. It’s about agreeing with God’s definitions of things. It’s also about obeying 1 Corinthians 10:31. You CAN’T be glorifying God in EVERYTHING you do if you go around contradicting His definitions of things. There is no way that you can functionally obey 1 Corinthians 10:31 and be eating abominations at the same time. When you eat unclean things that God said are not food, you are also BREAKING 1 Corinthians 10:31. There are no two ways about it. It’s a violation of the New Testament as well as the Old Testament. WITHOUT God’s Grace helping me to believe and obey it successfully, I COULDN’T obey successfully, but with God’s grace and with practice, I CAN.
The fact is that it doesn’t matter what Bible instruction you come across. The SAME Grace that God used to help you believe and obey Romans 10:9-10 so that He could save you, is also the SAME Grace that God uses to help you believe and successfully obey ANY other Bible Instruction that you encounter in Scripture if you are willing to learn and practice it. WITHOUT God’s grace helping you to do it, you COULDN’T obey ANYTHING successfully; but with God’s Grace working inside of you, you most certainly CAN obey God if you choose to do so.
Now It’s YOUR Turn…WHICH version of “GRACE” Do YOU Live By?
It was God’s Grace working in you that gave you the willingness and the ability to believe and act upon Romans 10:9-10. When you did that your journey with Messiah began. You could not have believed and faithfully acted on that verse without God’s Grace working in your life (John 15:1-5; Philippians 2:13). However, WITH God’s Grace working in your life, God made you willing and able to believe and act on that verse, by which you are saved, and are being saved.
As a “Christian” do you believe as Scripture teaches, that it is part of YOUR job to cooperate with God and to develop the LOVE attributes described in (Matthew 7:12; Matthew 22:34-40; 1 Corinthians 13; and 2 Peter 1:3-11)?
Isn’t it true that the SAME Grace that God used to make you willing and able to believe and obey Romans 10:9-10, by which you believed and acted on the gospel, and through which you were saved, is also the SAME Grace that will make you willing and able to respect God’s Love Standard? Isn’t it true that the SAME Grace that God used to help you believe and obey Romans 10:9-10 so that you could get saved, will also help you to successfully believe and obey God’s Love verses, so that you can walk in Love toward God and your neighbor? WITHOUT God’s Grace, you COULDN’T faithfully believe and obey the Biblical Love Standards, but WITH God’s Grace working in your life, you both CAN, and you SHOULD use the Grace that God provides to help you succeed at obeying God’s Love Standard?
WHICH “Christian” is Truly Living by the GRACE that God Provides?
Christian A: “Hey, I’m ‘Under Grace.’ I don’t have to believe and obey God’s Love Standard. I’ve confessed Jesus Christ as my Savior with my mouth, so I’m going to Heaven, whether I successfully believe and obey God’s Love Standard or I don’t.”
Christian B: “Hey, I’m ‘Under Grace.’ Since God’s Grace lives in me, God is the One Who makes me willing and able to value and respect God’s Love Standard. Since God is the One Who makes me willing and able to do after His Good Pleasure, by God’s Grace living in me I CAN, and I WILL treat God’s Love Standard seriously. By God’s Grace living in me I CAN, and I WILL choose to measure my desires, my thoughts, my words, and my actions, compared to God’s Love Standard.”
“When God gives me Grace to notice that I am MISSING God’s Love Targets, by God’s Grace I’m going to take that sin seriously, because that is serious. By God’s Grace living in me, I am going to CONFESS my sins when I MISS God’s Love Targets. By God’s Grace I am going to trust that God will forgive me for MISSING His Love targets as I ADMIT and CONFESS that I MISSED them.”
“By God’s Grace living in me I CAN, and I WILL repent from MISSING God’s Love Targets. I will RETURN to aiming for, to shooting for and to progressively HITTING God’s Love Targets. I CAN, and I WILL persevere at practicing this until I succeed. By God’s Grace living in me, I KNOW that I CAN and WILL eventually SUCCEED at this, IF I persevere and don’t quit, because God PROMISED me that I would eventually succeed (e.g. Galatians 6:7-9; Matthew 7:7-8). So, by God’s Grace living in me I CAN and WILL persevere and practice honoring God’s Love Standard until I succeed.”
With all love and respect, I put it to you plainly. WHICH of these “Christians” is TRULY living by the Grace that God provides? WHICH of these “Christians” is TRULY applying and using the Grace that God provides in the WAY that God Intended, when He gave us His Grace? WHICH life choice is SAFER and MORE productive? Is Christian A, safer and more productive for the Kingdom with his lifestyle choice? Or is Christian B, safer and more productive for the Kingdom with his lifestyle choice? If you love God, and you have any wisdom and discernment whatsoever, you already KNOW the TRUE answer to these questions.
The SAME Grace that God used to help you believe and obey Romans 10:9-10, so that you would be saved, is the SAME Grace that God uses to help you believe, respect, and successfully obey His Love Standards; which is the SAME Grace that God uses to help you believe, respect, and successfully obey any other Command, Principle, or Standard He puts in Scripture. It’s true. We CAN’T do it WITHOUT God’s Grace, but WITH God’s Grace living and working in us, we CAN, and we SHOULD practice obeying God; because the Grace of God exists to help us succeed at living that way. Will you choose to use the Grace that God Provides as God INTENDED you to use it, or not?
Thank you for your kind attention.
Shalom.
Brother Michel Lankford