Grace'
Grace
The concept of grace that prevails today in the United States of America is one massive lie. It's purpose is to prevent people from entering the Kingdom of God.
Since we enter the Kingdom of God by gaining victory over sin and self-will, the teaching that God excuses our conduct through the Lord Jesus Christ will prevent the diligence necessary if we are to press into the Kingdom. It is just as simple as that!
If there is a term used more often in Christian circles than "grace," I do not know what it is. "Grace" has come to mean Divine favor shown to us regardless of our behavior. It makes one think of an indulgent grandfather who keeps exclaiming, "Boys will be boys!"
If I am not mistaken, this impression of God Almighty prevails among American Christians. It appears to be common among Muslim believers who, when they drink alcohol and attention is called to their sinning, they respond, "Allah is merciful." In other words, He overlooks our transgression.
When you stop to think about it, the Muslims have no blood atonement to forgive the guilt of their sins.
It is not this way with the God of Heaven. He forgives our transgressions only because of the blood atonement. When we come to Jesus for forgiveness, the blood atonement made on the cross of Calvary removes the guilt of our sins—not the sin itself, but the guilt of the sins. The practice and removal of the sin itself is dealt with later.
Today the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish Day of Atonement has commenced, in which the practice of sin is dealt with, and will continue until the end of the final judgment of people.
That God is not indulgent toward our sinning, like a kindly grandfather, can be seen in the agony of Christ on the cross. It required unimaginable agony on the part of Christ and on the part of His Father, before the Father could forgive our sins. The crucifixion was no light matter.
We American Christians to a great extent have lost the fear of God. We have been taught that He has issued grace such that if we say we believe in Jesus, our sinful behavior is overlooked. The idea that God overlooks our behavior through grace may be the greatest lie told in the history of the world. It began when the serpent said, "You shall not surely die."
Today this same lie is being preached in thousands of pulpits as ministers seek to curry favor with their congregations. That is a mean thing to say, but I cannot think of another reason why pastors would tell their congregations that God is overlooking their sin, or sees them through Christ.
We have been woefully deceived in America concerning the grace of God. It is not a perpetual forgiveness, except when we are bearing our cross after the Lord Jesus each day, confessing and renouncing our sins as they are pointed out to us.
If Divine grace is not an indulgent overlooking of our sins, exactly what is it? Let's take a look at how "grace" is used in the New Testament.
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40)
Perhaps a good synonym of "grace" as it is used above, is "blessing." The blessing of God was upon Him.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Again, Divine blessing and Presence.
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. (John 1:16)
I would say this means the Presence of God that dwells in Christ.
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)
The above verse tells us something important about Divine grace. It is the sequel to the Law of Moses. And I think this was the most important meaning of grace, as preached by the Apostle Paul. Grace assigns the righteousness of Christ to everyone who places his trust in Him rather than in the Law of Moses. It is as though we have kept the Law of Moses perfectly.
The righteousness of Christ is applied to us on the condition that we are following the Spirit of God at all times. As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God; and the Spirit always is teaching us to put to death the actions of our sinful nature. This truth is not always heard, which warps what Paul wrote about faith and the works of the Law of Moses.
In order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:4)
We are free from the condemnation imposed by the Law of Moses provided we do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
We are to obey the law of the Spirit of Life. When we do not, the righteousness of Him who kept the Law of Moses perfectly is not ascribed to us.
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. (Galatians 5:16-18)
The awesome misunderstanding of today is that when we place our trust in Christ we are free from the demands of the Law of Moses, and of every other law, except the "law of love." The so-called "law of love" is pitifully incompetent to enable us to resist the fiery demands of demons as they seek comfort and expression in our sinful nature.
With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)
Grace, as used in the verse above, probably means the obvious blessing of God. Would you agree with that?
Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. (Acts 6:8)
Have you noticed that thus far we have not encountered the popular conception of grace, that it is God's overlooking our sinful behavior because we make a profession of belief in Christ?
When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. (Acts 11:23)
I would think the synonym of "grace," as it is used in the verse above, might be the "blessing and Presence" of God. The blessing and Presence of God on someone can be seen by people who love the Lord Jesus.
When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. (Acts 13:43)
The synonym might be the "blessing and Presence" of God. There also might be a shade of their having left the Law of Moses.
So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. (Acts 14:3)
"The message of His grace." Probably alluding to the fact that they were free from the Law of Moses so they could serve the living Christ.
From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. (Acts 14:26)
Committed to the Presence and blessing of God.
"No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (Acts 15:11)
"Through the grace of our Lord Jesus" in this context means apart from the Law of Moses.
But Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. (Acts 15:40)
Please note to this point we have not seen Divine "grace" presented as an alternative to righteous behavior. To the Law of Moses, yes. But not as an alternative to growth in godly behavior.
When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. (Acts 18:27)
Probably meaning they had left Moses and come to Christ. Or else that God had blessed them by enabling them to believe.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. (Acts 20:24)
My thought would be that Paul's gospel of grace had to do with the fact that people are invited to enter the Kingdom of God and His righteousness apart from the Law of Moses; never, as in our day, that people are invited to enter the Kingdom of God and His righteousness apart from repenting of their sins with the prospect of following the Lord into godly behavior.
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. Therefore do not be partners with them. (Ephesians 5:5-7)
Paul always preached godly behavior. His exhortations about grace, faith, imputed righteousness, always were addressed to people, particularly Jews, whom Paul was exhorting to receive Christ. It never entered Paul's mind that people of the future would one day use his invitation to receive Christ apart from Moses to mean we go to Heaven by saying we believe in Christ even though we never have abandoned our sinful way of living.
What a monstrous, monumental, destructive, ungodly error today's preaching of Divine grace is! We should know better. Actually, in light of God's holy Nature, it borders on blasphemy!
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. (Acts 20:24)
Paul's primary burden appears to be that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, can leave the Law of Moses and receive forgiveness and righteousness by placing their trust in Jesus Christ.
"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:32)
"The Word of God's grace" would be the message that we can be saved by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not have to go back to the Law of Moses and keep all the statutes and ordinances. We Gentiles of today do not understand what an enormous burden the Law of Moses was.
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (Acts 15:10)
In the following verses we can review, from the Book of Romans, what the Apostle Paul meant by "grace."
Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. (Romans 1:5)
We received the enabling Presence and blessing of God.
The expression "the obedience that comes from faith" actually is the key to the whole concept. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. All that God required of Abraham at that time was that Abraham resolutely believe a fantastic promise.
You see, it was not the belief itself that brought righteousness, it was the fact that Abraham obeyed God by believing. This may be a subtle point, but it essential to our understanding of why the present preaching of "faith alone" is in error.
When our faith does not lead to obedience, then it is no more than mental assent. There is no righteousness, eternal life, or salvation in it.
Later in his life God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham's faith was not only a belief that God had said this, it was Abraham's obedience that resulted in his being termed "the father of those who believe."
At that point, if Abraham had been so foolish as to say because I believed God about my offspring I now am eternally righteousness, and had withheld Isaac from God, would his original righteousness have excused him when he disobeyed God? Would he have been the father of those who believe? Most assuredly not!
When God told us we would be righteous if we obeyed the Law of Moses and offered the required sacrifice, we were righteous if we obeyed. It was the obedience to the Law of Moses that resulted in righteousness.
When God says to us I have a righteousness for you that is not earned by obeying the ordinances of Moses but by placing your trust in Christ, it is that same obedience that results in righteousness. In this instance, righteousness no longer can be gained by following the statutes of Moses.
So when we say "faith alone," and do not accompany our so-called faith with obedience to Christ and His Apostles, our faith is not true faith and will not save us. Our faith at that point is nothing more than mental assent to the facts of the atonement. Only the obedience that results from faith is effective in the program of the redemption.
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)
Part 2 Blessings and peace