Amazing Grace Part Three: Grace Preserves Us

-Through many dangers, toils and snares

 I have already come.

'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far,

And Grace will lead me home.-

     “Through many dangers, toils and snares” Not only has God, through His common grace, restrained us from excessive sinfulness, but He now, through His saving grace, preserves us through this time of present sin. The Apostle Peter describes this as God guarding our faith through His power, so that He might be able to present us to Himself in the last day! And he encourages us that any “dangers, toils and snares” that come along the way are only testing the genuineness of our faith, much as gold is purified by fire, so that in the end our pure faith will be an occasion of praise and glory to Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith. (1 Peter 1:3-9; Hebrews 12:2)

     Jude speaks of God as “Him who is able to keep you from stumbling” and as the one who can “present you blameless before the presence of His glory” and get this, “with GREAT joy” God loves doing this! “Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home.” Can you keep you from stumbling? If you could keep every law of God and live a sinless life, it would only result in your own pride and arrogance and not in giving God his due glory. If you relied upon your own ability to live a stumble-free life and failed, it would only lead to your hopelessly resigning yourself to a sinful lifestyle. Legalism or licentiousness. Two bad options, neither one bringing glory to the one to whom all glory is due. We can't live holy, blameless lives successfully apart from the power of God and any attempt to do so will only end in certain disaster. Can you imagine presenting your own holiness before the presence of God's glory? Do you think God would have “great joy” in your homemade righteousness?  If every appearance of God in the Bible or even an angel, Old and New Testament, left men groveling on their face in the dirt, how can we think to stand in the presence of God's glory without the Righteousness of Christ?

     Thank God for His grace that has brought us safe this far! How many have we seen fall along the way? How many brothers and sisters have we seen walk with the Lord and then not? Can we boast that we won't, apart from the grace of God, follow them? Of course not! God's word to us, over and over again, is to persevere! Endure! Examine yourself! Test your faith! Only, with God's preserving grace always in mind. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12