Book 1 of Musings Grace, Mercy, and Righteous Behaviour

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Tree. Righteous behavior is the only fruit borne by that Tree.

I have often been accused of preaching "works." Do you know why? Because I teach that righteous behavior is not just something "nice," it is essential to the program of salvation.

Can you imagine? I am scorned for preaching that we should obey the commandments of Christ and His Apostles.

There is terrible confusion on this point, isn't there? Are the commandments listed in the New Testament to be obeyed or not?

Many today - perhaps the majority - teach that the commandments given in the New Testament are only to show how impossible it is for us to save ourselves. It is taught that the commandments are given to make us see our need of a Savior who will bring us to Heaven by "grace;" the commandments are not meant to be kept because "grace" means God does not keep us out of Heaven even though we have lived like the devil.

You know, this is a case where religion overrules common sense. Our common sense tells us that a Christian cannot sin and get away with it.

Let me give you an example. A few years ago a prominent Christian succumbed to the lusts of the flesh.

Now, according to the current doctrine, he is saved anyway. The grace of God in Christ forgives him. We are not saved by works of righteousness we have done.

Yet, we don't react according to our theological theory. Everyone is mortified. The leaders of his denomination have regarded his conduct with the utmost gravity. I don't know where he is now or what he is doing. The last I heard he had to report regularly to a committee that will supervise his moral behavior.

Now I ask you, what sense does this make? Either we are saved by grace and our behavior does not matter, or else our behavior matters and a Christian who sins in the realm of morality has to be brought to account and punished.

If God overlooks the transgression and is willing to save this brother by grace, who are we to make such a fuss? I tell you, we are not making sense.

The truth is, our current teaching is unscriptural and illogical.

Well, doesn't the New Testament tell us we are saved by grace and not by works of righteousness we have done?

Yes, it most certainly declares this in Paul's writings, and in more than one place.

Obviously there is an inconsistency here.

In the United States, because of recent scandals in the corporate and educational realms, there has been a hue and cry about lying. A prominent poet who teaches at a university in California was found to have lied on his résumé. People are scandalized and are calling for his resignation.

Suppose a teacher lied as he sought employment in a Christian school? Should he or she be hired? Why not, if grace has covered the lie and God does not regard it?

We are absolutely weird in our approach to sin in the Christian life.

The truth is, liars, adulterers, murderers, sorcerers, slanderers, and the like shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. This is what the New Testament states.

The same New Testament that announces we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ and not by works of righteousness we have done, also states with the same authority that if we Christians live according to our sinful nature we will be destroyed.

Isn't it about time that we taught the whole Bible instead of just the parts that appeal to our self-centered nature?

The New Testament claims we are saved by grace, not by works of righteousness we have done. Where does this fit in? It means we are not saved by keeping the Law of Moses but by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul always discussed faith and works with the Law of Moses in mind, not with righteous behavior in mind.

Where does Paul's statement about those who commit sin not inheriting the Kingdom of God fit in? It means if we as a Christian do not show forth in our personality and behavior the moral image of Christ we shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. The reason for this is that there is no sin in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the doing of God's will in the earth as it is in Heaven.

Now, this is clearly outlined in the New Testament.

But what about grace and mercy? Grace and mercy do not change the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping. The reason for this has to do with the nature of the Kingdom.

Let us say you enroll in a program that produces medical doctors. Let us say further that you were a deceitful individual and got through the program by copying the work of more diligent students.

The time came to pass out diplomas. You had learned very little about the practice of medicine. Should you or should you not be given a diploma by grace and mercy? Shouldn't't the university love you enough to give you a diploma, and the Medical Board of Examiners love you enough to grant you a license to practice medicine?

When a young person finishes his education and is placed in a hospital for the first time, it can be frightening experience for him. Most of his exposure to this point has been theoretical. Now he is supposed to minister to sick people. At first he may have to be helped by the nurses to insert the needle in a vein for an intravenous medication.

I have small veins. One time in the hospital what must have been a student nurse tried to insert a needle in a vein in my arm. I mean tried. She tried about five times. Did it hurt!

Finally a more experienced person came and did it right the first time with very little pain.

We take it for granted that doctors and nurses are going to be accurate, especially in an operation. The medical people in the hospital where I go are very, very diligent to make sure they have the right patient, the right condition, and the right procedure.

Now, let us look again at our lazy student who passed his courses by copying the work of others. If he were chosen to operate on your son or daughter, how would you feel?

Would you say, "Go ahead. Give him his license and diploma. He is a nice person and deserves a chance?"

I don't think you would. You would want the doctor who graduated at the head of his class.

Can you see the issue? God does not send us to the outer darkness because He doesn't love us or is unmerciful but because of the harm we would do to ourselves and others were we to be brought into the Kingdom of God.

The diplomas and licenses that God issues are not given to us because we have "accepted Christ" but because we have been made new moral creations who will bring righteousness, peace, and joy into the world.

Can you see that?

Now, let us put grace and mercy, and righteous works, in their proper places.

When an orthodox Jew is willing to place his trust in the Lord Jesus he can turn away from the Law of Moses and still be counted righteous. This is what Paul meant by salvation by grace instead of by works (works of the Law).

When a Gentile is willing to place his trust in the Lord Jesus he can know through God's grace and mercy his past sins have been forgiven. He is accepted in God's Presence as though he never had sinned.

So far, so good. To this point we are in agreement with current teaching. It is what comes next that we believe is unscriptural in today's Christian preaching and teaching.

We are told that the Christian should try to be good, but no one's perfect and so we will go to Heaven by grace even though we have never made much progress in moral transformation.

This is wrong on two counts. The goal is not Heaven but resurrection to eternal life. Second, the only valid index of our progress toward the resurrection to eternal life is the degree of fruit we have borne. The fruit of the Christian is the moral image of Christ in his personality and behavior.

Paul stated many times that the Christian is to turn away from ungodly behavior. The very purpose of salvation is to change us from the image of Satan to the image of God. We have changed this scriptural purpose to that of eternal residence in Heaven, with Christ being our ticket that guarantees entrance.

The result of our traditional doctrine has been catastrophic, to say the least. America is soon to be involved in war. I believe the reason for this can be traced directly to the false teaching in the Christian churches.

If we had been preaching the new creation of righteousness, instead of grace and Heaven, we would have been setting a moral example for the nation to follow. Had we done this, God would have spared our nation from the physical and moral chaos that is at hand.

Grace and mercy have to do with the Jew or the Gentile first entering the plan of salvation. But the plan of salvation itself is a specific process designed to change us from the image of Satan to the image of God. When, after having received Christ, we do not begin to reveal His image in our personality and behavior, we are not being saved. We have misunderstood the Gospel, thinking that accepting Christ is a ticket that gets us into Heaven when we die.

I am not certain how God is going to get His people back on the Bible track. But I am sure He will in the coming days.

This much I do know: If we are willing to turn to Christ with all our heart, we will save ourselves and our loved ones during the time of trouble that is coming to us in America.

But if we continue in the current grace-rapture-Heaven foolishness, not growing in the ability to recognize good and evil and in the willingness to embrace good and renounce evil, we and our loved ones are without Divine protection. We are not dwelling in Christ, in the secret place of the Most High.

We have been deceived!

For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person - such a man is an idolater - has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 5:5-6)

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