Grace + Nothing

Truly believing something changes our behavior. The issue some people get confused about is which comes first: works before salvation or salvation before works? Good works follow as a result of true belief. Yet grace still comes first. “Mercy understood is holiness desired. … Grace fosters an eagerness for good. Grace doesn’t spawn a desire to sin. If one has truly embraced God’s gift, he will not mock it” (Max Lucado, In The Grip of Grace [Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1996], 82). Yes, true f...