Romans 10:5-15
Faith and Grace
5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says:
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Ephesians 2:1-10
Saved by Grace through Faith
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Many people believe that both grace and faith are gifts of God...St. Paul says "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."...So when we read this we can see that grace and faith are tied together and both could be looked at as Gifts from God...St. Paul adds different things about our hearts...St. Paul writes, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)...But what does it say?...“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is LORD,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved...For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved...As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”...For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same LORD is LORD of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”...
Faith comes from the heart through Jesus...God places faith in our hearts...And because faith and Grace are very much tied together, we have trouble putting logic and reasoning when trying to explain our own personal faith...Things from the heart are always hard to explain...Try to explain the love for your spouse...It can be difficult putting your feelings of the heart into words...
God forever seeks us, since we are lost...He does many things from the heart, because He is LOVE...But we have to know we are lost, much like the prodigal son, who had to come to his senses, before he could see and want to see his Father...The young son became lost in the world in thinking that money and the material world would be something new and pleasurable...And when the lost son made his homecoming, we see the LOVING Father not only greeting His son, but running to his lost son...Then He wants to celebrate by killing the fattened calf...All signs of LOVE and Grace...
Malcolm Muggeridge said this, “People think of faith as being something that you don't really believe, a device in helping you believe simply it...Of course that is quite wrong...As Pascal says, faith is a gift of God...It is different from the proof of it...It is the kind of faith God Himself places in the heart, of which the proof is often the instrument...He says of it, too, that it is the heart which is aware of God, and not reason...That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not be reason.”...Muggeridge adds, “In the end, coming to faith remains for all a sense of homecoming, of picking up the threads of a lost life, of responding to a bell that had long been ringing, of taking a place at a table that had long been vacant.”..
It is like we have to come to our senses...