A NOTE FROM PASTOR MARGE
In our Wesleyan sermon series, we have been looking at what we believe as United Methodists, particularly when it comes to the theological topics of sin, grace, salvation, and the Christian life. We started out by looking at the consequences of original sin, of the sin Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden all the way back in the book of Genesis. We learned that sin entered the world when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and this sin act separated us from God. That is what sin does; it separates us from God, the source of all life. We learned that the consequence of sin is death and that means that you and I are not just a little sick in need of some healing, we are dead in need of saving. Sin has cut us off from our life source, from our Creator, from God Almighty, and we are in desperate need of a Savior that can be our bridge that connects us to our God once again. The second week, Pastor Bob preached about prevenient grace. Prevenient grace is the grace that goes before us and is the grace that prevents us from moving even further away from God. Prevenient grace is grace before we knew we even needed grace. It is God's grace that reaches out to us, the grace that always pursues us even when we are not pursuing God.
Prevenient grace prepares us for justifying grace, which is the assurance of forgiveness that comes from repentance, from turning towards God’s gracious gift of new life. It is being reconciled and realigned with God and the acceptance of God’s atoning act in Jesus Christ. Repentance precedes justification, and justification cannot arise without repentance. Repentance is when we come to terms with our sins, recognizing that we need forgiveness. We are not forgiven because of our good deeds or works but rather we are forgiven because of God’s unmerited favor, His grace, towards us: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). Therefore, God’s pardon has nothing to do with what we deserve because we deserve condemnation but instead, we receive the forgiveness of our sins, are reconciled with God, and are credited with Christ’s perfect life. This is called justification. It is just if you and I had never sinned before, and it is the process of being “put right” with God.
— Pastor Marge
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