ACCESS

Through whom also we have ACCESS by FAITH into this GRACE in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God – Romans 5:2

Every palace has a gateway. FAITH is the ACCESS – the Gateway, the Doorway – into the Palace of Grace: “…we have ACCESS by FAITH into this GRACE in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom.5:2). No faith; no grace! The Palace of Grace is shut against anyone who refuses to operate, walk or live by faith. Faith is the Way into Grace. God saves us by Grace through Faith (Eph. 2:8). We begin our spiritual sojourn in God’s Kingdom through the access of Faith at the New Birth, into the Palace of Grace, where the riches of Grace can be fully explored, experienced, and enjoyed. While standing on the grounds of grace, our eyes are pointed up to catch glimpses of higher levels – the Realms of Glory. To the extent that limited human perception and an imperfect vocabulary permit, God intends that we unveil and unravel the gems of grace from the treasures of the Scriptures. That’s our agenda for the rest of this Month of Grace.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6). No faith, no future. Without Faith, it is impossible to enter into the Palace of Grace and to commune with the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You need faith to stop the opposition and gain access to your possession. Your faith is your future. The fight of faith is the only guarantee to possessing your possession. Without engaging the weapon of faith, you may not fully gain access to your assets in divine redemption. Every child of God is entitled to the inheritance of the Father but you need faith in order to lay hold on the inheritance. The Bible repeatedly affirms this truth: “the just shall live by faith” (Hab.2: 4; Rom.1: 17; Gal. 3: 11; Heb.10: 38). Faith is the foundation, but as important as it is, the foundation does not equate the complete house; the walls and the roof must also be put in place.

As vital as Faith is to the Christian life, to remain at Faith’s gateway all of your lifetime, would amount to foolishness. Alas, that is the spiritual state of many believers. At the new birth, they enter through the doorway of faith, loiter aimlessly around for years, but never progress to exploring and experiencing the unlimited pleasures, treasures, provisions, realities and riches of redemption in the Palace of Grace. God’s mandate is for us – His children – to go beyond the gateway of faith. He wants Grace to be multiplied in our lives through the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are commanded to “GROW IN GRACE and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…” (2Pet.3:18). On the platform of Grace, there is no room for dormancy. You cannot afford to remain stagnant – YOU MUST GROW! Movement is a MUST and growth is an obligation in the Palace of Grace. Growth is not an option in the Palace of the God of dynamic grace.

In one respect, to grow in grace means for you to grow from the base (Faith) to the crown (Love), by adding to your faith: “…giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Pet.1:5a-7). It is not enough to have escaped the corruption that is in the world, and merely remain at the doorway of Faith. You need to diligently press through into the Palace of Grace: “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it (Lk.16:16). You must graduate from the gateway of Faith into the higher grades of Grace. You need to Add to Faith. You need to build on and beyond the foundation of Faith. You need to grow from Grace to Grace!