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“The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed;
It blesseth him who gives, and him who takes:
’Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown.
It is an attribute of God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s,
When mercy seasons justice. —
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.—
Why, all the souls that are, were forfeit once:
And he who might the ‘vantage best have took
Found out the remedy. How would you be,
If He who is the top of judgment should
But judge you as you are?”

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1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.

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Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

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Gal 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

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As far as free rides go, God's love is not one. Those who know God recognize that his love is unlimited towards us, but not unconditional. There is a great difference. God expects things out of those he loves. All people who love greatly do. They expect much so that we will grow much.

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Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

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God expects things out of those he loves. All people who love greatly do. They expect much so that we will grow much.

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2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

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1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

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Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

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Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
Galatians 6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

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Originally posted by rsirkel

POW
I've read it now. Thanks for the link.

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I am not preaching human potential, I am preaching biblical revelation. God has always desired the cooperation of man in everything he has done in dealing with us. And he has always desired to praise us for what we accomplish through him. You miss my point.

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Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Romans 10:4 For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

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We have politicized so much of theological language that we have a difficult time communicating. ANY mention of works (No thanks to Luther's attempt to dump the book of James, and his gall at inserting a word into Romans that Paul didn't write!) automatically gets wrapped up with a bad reading of Galations. Working out our salvation and being transformed by the Spirit in our innermost being and submitting our flesh to the Spirit's healing restoration and liberation from the bondage of sin gets miss-heard as a return to the Pharasaism of trusting our own effort and superficial rules as a replacement for God's work, or even as a club to force God's hand according to our own will. That's the bad fruit of politicising theology!

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