Grace Christian
The Bible teaches that those who believe in Jesus Christ will receive God's grace. Grace is necessary for salvation and is what empowers believers to live godly lives.
Grace also trains us to say no to worldly desires, such as greed, lust, and seeking after power and status. It enables us to live sensibly and righteously in this present age.
What Is Grace?
Whether in preservation (common grace) or salvation (special grace), God's gracious influence operates in the lives of his rebellious creatures. It is his free sovereign favor toward those who deserve nothing of him. It reflects his love, for it is love that stoops down and rescues.
Unfortunately, a large segment of professing Christians has no idea what grace is. They have been taught a "cheap grace" that is really a counterfeit. They think that grace is a supernatural get out of jail free ticket that provides amnesty, indulgence, forbearance, charity, leniency, and immunity from all moral demands.
In actuality, grace instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires that are contrary to the will of God and instead seek His pleasure above all things. It is a life that progresses through "grace upon grace" until the Christian experiences his fulness in Christ (Romans 5:4).
Law & Grace
In our culture of subjectivity, diversity and antinomianism, there is a growing tendency to juxtapose law and grace, demonizing the former and extoling the latter. As a result, both terms are distorted in meaning and function. "Law" is depicted as any restrictive or dictatorial restraint, while "grace" is understood to mean freedom from rules and regulations.
But the Bible never teaches that God's grace cancels out the law. On the contrary, it fulfills and surpasses the Old Law: its precepts through the Beatitudes of the Kingdom of Heaven; its commandments by reforming the heart — the root of human action. Its chastening is motivated by God's love and its goal is holiness. It is through Baptism that man enters into the intimacy of Trinitarian life and thereby experiences the "grace" that enables him to call God Father, in union with Christ His Son, and to receive from Him the sanctifying power of His Spirit. The word "grace" (charis) is also used for all other aspects of salvation, especially election and justification.
Grace & Works
The word grace is most closely associated in Paul with terms having to do with salvation, especially sanctification (Romans passim; esp. 6:1; 10:12). It is also connected with gifts of the Spirit, notably miracles, prophecy, and tongues (2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Peter 5:12).
When it comes to Christian works, grace is not opposed to them but is actually necessary for their existence. For example, without God's grace a person cannot perform good deeds - without faith in Christ's atonement and the gift of his Holy Spirit, one is completely lost (Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:1).
At GCA, we believe that the development of Christian character and a Biblical worldview are essential elements of spiritual training. Therefore, our curriculum focuses on integrating academics and Biblical values through the practice of "worship, kingdom work, disciple witness, fellowship, and the Bible." GCA offers instruction from kindergarten through twelfth grade. For the 2008-2009 school year, we enrolled about seventeen students in grades 9-12.
Grace & Prayer
The Bible uses the word grace to describe God's unconditional love for human beings, and it also describes his ability to help us endure trials. Christians believe that God's grace is available through Jesus Christ, who was tested and found faithful during his earthly ministry. The Bible also describes how he gave believers spiritual gifts for service.
Paul often associates the concept of grace with other terms that have to do with salvation, such as election (Romans 1:16), the gospel (Romans 16:25), justification (Romans passages passim, especially 3:13), and sanctification (2 Cor 12:9; Eph 1:23). He teaches that all that a Christian has and is depends utterly on God's grace.
He also teaches that God's grace is what empowers believers to pray, and he encourages them to persevere in prayer. This is one of the most powerful teachings of the Bible, but it can be a confusing topic for new Christians. That's why it's important to understand how grace works in the context of Christian faith.