GOD’S GUARANTEED GRACE
by Erwin Bourne
God does not mince words. He says what He means, and
He means what He says. He says “Thou shalt” and “Thou
shalt not.” God has His absolutes—without
restrictions or exceptions. Justice is one of God’s
firm attributes, and to have mercy is one of His
tender works. “God is love!” (I John 4:8). But
Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44
KJV). Satan insinuated a lie when talking to earth’s
first pair, “Really?” he asked the woman.
In Noah’s day the flood destroyed the ancient world.
Only he and his family were saved alive. And Noah
built an altar to the Lord…and the Lord was pleased
with the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never
again curse the earth” (Gen. 8:20, 21 NLT). God gave
Noah a visible sign in the heavens. “I have placed
my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my
permanent promise to you and to all the earth (Gen.
9:13). Many millenniums since Noah viewed the first
rainbow, we still see God’s promise in the heavens.
God also made a perpetual promise to Abraham which was
visible in the heavens. Then the Lord brought Abram
out beneath the night sky and told him, “Look up into
the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your
descendents will be like that—too many to count!”
(Gen. 15:5 NLT).
The gospel of faith has been guaranteed by God ever
since Abraham’s day.
The real children of Abraham, then, are all those who
put their faith in
God (Gal. 3:6 NLT). Father Abraham preached the
gospel of faith way back in the book of Genesis.
Though he was the Father of the Jewish nation, he was
the first missionary to the heathen (the gentile
peoples). God promised this good news to Abraham long
ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through
you” (Gen. 3:8 NLT).
In the year AD 2002, we missionaries preaching the
GOOD NEWS to the heathen in the Amazon rain forest are
preaching Father Abraham’s doctrine. Saint Paul wrote
to the Ephesians, The Spirit is God’s guarantee that
he will give us everything he promised and that he has
purchased us to be his own people…. Ever since I first
heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus...I have
never stopped thanking God for you (Eph. 1:14, 15
NLT). So whenever it rains, look for God’s rainbow.
Go out at night and count the stars (if you can). And
read and believe the promises of God.
Erwin Bourne
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