See Why God's Grace is So Amazing

By Edward Patterson

Grace is God's unmerited favor. There is nothing we can do to earn the things that God blesses us with.

The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and not by our own efforts or works. (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are the righteousness of God. When you understand God's grace, your lifestyle will change. You will devel

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Mar 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647733834

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See Why God’s Grace is So Amazing

Edward Patterson

See Why God’s Grace is So Amazing

Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2020 by Edward Patterson

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-64773-382-7

E-ISBN: 978-1-64773-383-4

Chapter one

Is Grace a License to Sin?

The Apostle Paul was asked that same question. His answer was, God forbid. It is the same answer today. It is difficult for Christians to believe that God has forgiven us of our past, present, and future sins. If that is true, it would appear that we can live any way we want to. However, God has called us to holiness.

We receive salvation by faith. We also receive sanctification by faith. It is impossible to truly believe in Jesus and not change. I tell my congregation about the scientific formula of how things work. I explain how we have to believe that we are righteous. In the book of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul tells us that he who knew no sin became sin that we may become the righteousness of God in Him. So, when we take on Christ, we receive His righteousness. When we believe we are righteous, it gives us a righteous consciousness.

In Chapter 10 of Hebrews, it says that we should have no more consciousness of sin. So, as a believer we can have a sin consciousness or a righteous consciousness. The conscious affects the nature. Nature is how we think, how we feel, and how we act. When we believe we are righteous, it causes us to think right, to feel right, and to act right. Although I call that the scientific method, in reality, it is the power of the Holy Spirit doing His work in the believer.

It is impossible for a true believer to live in sin. When a believer places his or her faith in the finished works of Jesus Christ, the desire to sin diminishes more and more as time goes on. I have heard pastors attempt to understand John’s epistle where he said we could not sin. They were given different meanings to John’s statement. Although this is a Jewish epistle, the gentiles can glean from it as well as the Jewish believers. (There are four Jewish epistles in the new testament. They are James, Peter, John, and Jude.)

I have to go into an explanation here so as to not confuse anyone. In the Chapter 15 of Romans the apostle Paul refers to the gospel of grace as his gospel. He does so because he was the only one of which God revealed the gospel of grace. We read in Peter’s epistle where Peter said that Paul’s writings were hard to understand. The original disciples had to learn the gospel of grace just as everyone else did. The other writers of the new testament had a law mentality, and they wrote accordingly. They were writing to the Jewish believers of that day. They were people who were under the dispensation of law and had to transition to the dispensation of grace. It was difficult for them as they attempted to make that transition.

A good example of that is in James’s epistle. James said that faith without works is dead. Under the law, it is true. Under grace, it is faith alone. We have to have faith in the finished works of Jesus Christ. Jesus did all of the work, so we must believe in the work he did. The Apostle Paul tells us that we must rightly divide the word of truth. We will get confused if we don’t rightly divide the word. Jesus provided for us the ability to live a Holy life. That is why God forgave all of our sins, but He did not give us a license to sin.

There are so many Christians who do not understand the gospel of grace. I have heard that approximately ninety percent of the body of Christ is confused about the gospel of grace. It was 1997 when God began to reveal the gospel of grace to me. I was among several ministers in the church. My pastor started having services on Friday night and each minister had a Friday night to minister. I was preaching one Friday night, and I told the congregation that God was not penalizing us for our sins. After I finished my message, my pastor told the congregation that there was a penalty for our sins. I didn’t say anything because I realized that he was limited when it came to the understanding the Word. Under the law there was a penalty, but not under grace.

My mission in life is taken from the book of Hebrews 5:12-13. These scriptures tell us that those who are unskilled in the word of righteousness are babes. My pastor was not skilled in the word of righteousness. He was taught by a pastor who was not skilled in the word of righteousness. Those who are not skilled in the word of righteousness attempts to obtain their own righteousness. They do not understand that we are made righteous by faith. They do their best to dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t.’ There are Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, who are babes. At the time they should be teaching, they still need to be taught. It is difficult to get them to receive the truth.

I went to a program my former pastor was having. He invited me to come to his church to teach Bible study. I accepted. I was a little apprehensive about it though. I taught on the Chapter 4 of Romans. The book of Romans outlines the New Covenant. Chapter 4 tells us that God’s righteousness was imputed to us. I knew what was taught in that church. I told my ministers that I was not going to sugar coat my teaching. I was going to give it to them straight; I did just that. I simply asked them not to throw eggs at me, but I was amazed at how many of them happily received the teaching! I was then invited in to preach on Sunday morning, the day of my former pastor’s birthday. I told them how Satan uses the same trick he’s been using for years. Satan tempted Adam and Eve with the three points of sin: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The same points he used on Jesus but failed.

Satan set before the eyes of many believers two stones. There are five commandments on each stone; this is the lust of the eyes. Satan then shows them the feeling they get from thinking they are obtaining their own righteousness; this is the lust of the flesh. Finally, Satan shows them the bragging rights they get from being Holier than everyone else; this is the pride of life. Satan is keeping the many believers from receiving God’s best. 2 Corinthians 3:7-9 make it clear, and here is why:

[B]ut if the ministration of death, written and en-graven in stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the Glory of his countenance, which Glory was to be done away. [H]ow shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather Glorious? [F]or if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceeds in Glory.

Christians who live according to the gospel of grace excel in Glory. Praise the Lord! We excel in Glory; makes me want to shout! Those who reject the gospel of grace, but attempt to follow the apostle Paul, apparently have Acts 20:24-27 torn out of their Bible. Let’s look at those verses.

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

We see in Verse 24 that the Apostle refers to his message as the gospel of the grace of God. So, the apostle preached the gospel of grace. That is the gospel that the ministers of the gospel who received the revelation of the gospel of grace are preaching today. In Verse 25, the apostle equates the gospel of the grace to the Kingdom of God. God gave me a name for my church. He gave me Kingdom Living Training Center. I have trained several ministers in the gospel of grace.

Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is in our hearts. When we live the grace life, we experience God on a different level from those who continue to live according to the law. The time is coming when the Kingdom of God will be in the earth. We get a taste of that kingdom by living according to the gospel of grace. In Verse 27 the apostle tells us that he did not shun to declare unto us all the counsel of God. God gave to the Apostle Paul everything we needed in order to live a victorious life today. If we refuse to follow the counsel he passed on to us, we will live a life of unfulfilled dreams, we will miss the visions God wants us to have, and we will struggle in our ministries, and struggle in our personal lives.

Back when I joined the ministry that I would eventually receive my ministerial training, the ministry was always struggling. The ministry had a homeless shelter and it fed people. It was always a struggle to get the money needed to do what was necessary to meet the needs of the people. I believe it had a lot to do with my pastor living according to the law. I would hear him talk about someone who was in a sinful situation and say that God’s grace will eventually run out, and that person would receive the wrath of God. It was as if sin was a kryptonite that weakened God and He could no longer forgive the person. This pastor was not aware of the finish works of Jesus Christ, and there are times that he made mistakes. I believe that after he made a mistake, he expected to be punished by God. That punishment meant that he could not receive what he was believing in God for.

I have experienced living according to the law and living according to the grace of God. Life is so different for me by living according to the grace of God. There may be those who are wondering why the gospel of the grace is being taught and preached by ministers who at one time taught and preached according to the law.

If we understand the signs of the times, we will see that the return of Jesus to the earth is right around the corner. How can we know this? We can know this by understanding Bible prophecy. For instance, in the book of Daniel 9:24-27, we see clearly what is about to take place. Verse 24 tells us that seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city. This of course is talking about prophetic weeks. It is not talking about a seven-day week as we know it. Verse 25 tells us that from going forth from the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks. Verse 26 tells us that the Messiah would be cut off. Verse 27 tells us that he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice to cease, and for the overspreading of admonitions he shall make