"One must be careful preaching grace so that it may not go too far in becoming an excuse to sin!"
One can go too far with grace? Wrong. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. If one can go too far with grace, one can also go too far with Jesus and truth, for these are one and the same. (John 1:17)
Grace is the power over sin, and if one remains in the acceptance of sin one is out of (and the understanding of) grace. To promote grace is not to overlook sin nor in not wanting to be holy, but to uphold the highest holiness of God by recognizing it as not just having a high standard we need to achieve -- but an impossible one. Only in such realization can one repent fully from self-effort and embrace God's grace as his only path to salvation.
Many Christians fear grace because it seems to condone sinful behavior, but that is simply not true. Grace forgives the sinner but does not tolerate sin. That is why when a sinner repents, his faith allows grace to overpower sin through the forgiveness and the imputed righteousness of Christ. With Christ living in a believer one is no longer in bondage to sin, but triumphs over it by the righteous standing in Christ. When we are full of grace sin loses its grip over us.
A church ought to be compassionate to a believer in sin, but if there is no repentance and a will to be free from the bondage of sin, he is still not a true believer of Christ and certainly has not received the grace revelation. Such sinful influence rightfully should not be allowed to fester in a church. This is not contrary to grace for the spiritual lives of other members are at stake from a tolerance of sin in public. However, given such mandate we are not to dig and demand to know the private lives of each believer, for all have secret sins, but by the grace of God he seeks the power to overcome. Even in knowing one should not first indict and withhold but preach more on grace that is the power to overcome.
Grace is the strongest evidence how seriously God views sin, so much so that He has to give up His own life to wash clean of us, and the willingness to do so also demonstrates how great His love is for us. It doesn't take any effort to demand obedience from law, but grace took a sacrifice and shedding of God's blood. Which is more precious to a believer for whom this gift is given at such a great price - law or grace? Yet so many dearly uphold law as the one true holy, only to view the glorification and acceptance of grace as evidence of spiritual laziness and escaping the responsibility of Christian living. No! I am not ashamed of grace, which is the essence of the new covenant gospel (Romans 1:16), for it is the very truth and person of Jesus Christ in whom all is made righteous and none shall remain in bondage of sin. But to preach personal sanctification as a requirement is law, which keeps the real power that is grace to overcome sin, and is the single biggest reason a believer remains in bondage of sin, shame and condemnation, and allows not the full experience of freedom only possible in the life-changing forgiveness of grace.
Law only condemns, it does not forgive; law only demands, it does not empower. And neither does it work in partnership with grace, for grace alone is the truth and the way that not only empowers but also demands of itself to overcome sin by the invitation of faith in a believer. For a demand can only be satisfied by an equal power to comply, and what God demands of man can only be met by God's demand of Himself living in man. Confidence in man to satisfy the demand of God through his own obedience is a charade of foolish pride; and if placing faith in grace is THE ONE AND ONLY POWER we need, then stop the false theatrics of preaching personal holiness by man's own work. Our only demand is trusting and living out the gospel message encapsulated in"righteousness by faith"! Amen
James
One can go too far with grace? Wrong. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. If one can go too far with grace, one can also go too far with Jesus and truth, for these are one and the same. (John 1:17)
Grace is the power over sin, and if one remains in the acceptance of sin one is out of (and the understanding of) grace. To promote grace is not to overlook sin nor in not wanting to be holy, but to uphold the highest holiness of God by recognizing it as not just having a high standard we need to achieve -- but an impossible one. Only in such realization can one repent fully from self-effort and embrace God's grace as his only path to salvation.
Many Christians fear grace because it seems to condone sinful behavior, but that is simply not true. Grace forgives the sinner but does not tolerate sin. That is why when a sinner repents, his faith allows grace to overpower sin through the forgiveness and the imputed righteousness of Christ. With Christ living in a believer one is no longer in bondage to sin, but triumphs over it by the righteous standing in Christ. When we are full of grace sin loses its grip over us.
A church ought to be compassionate to a believer in sin, but if there is no repentance and a will to be free from the bondage of sin, he is still not a true believer of Christ and certainly has not received the grace revelation. Such sinful influence rightfully should not be allowed to fester in a church. This is not contrary to grace for the spiritual lives of other members are at stake from a tolerance of sin in public. However, given such mandate we are not to dig and demand to know the private lives of each believer, for all have secret sins, but by the grace of God he seeks the power to overcome. Even in knowing one should not first indict and withhold but preach more on grace that is the power to overcome.
Grace is the strongest evidence how seriously God views sin, so much so that He has to give up His own life to wash clean of us, and the willingness to do so also demonstrates how great His love is for us. It doesn't take any effort to demand obedience from law, but grace took a sacrifice and shedding of God's blood. Which is more precious to a believer for whom this gift is given at such a great price - law or grace? Yet so many dearly uphold law as the one true holy, only to view the glorification and acceptance of grace as evidence of spiritual laziness and escaping the responsibility of Christian living. No! I am not ashamed of grace, which is the essence of the new covenant gospel (Romans 1:16), for it is the very truth and person of Jesus Christ in whom all is made righteous and none shall remain in bondage of sin. But to preach personal sanctification as a requirement is law, which keeps the real power that is grace to overcome sin, and is the single biggest reason a believer remains in bondage of sin, shame and condemnation, and allows not the full experience of freedom only possible in the life-changing forgiveness of grace.
Law only condemns, it does not forgive; law only demands, it does not empower. And neither does it work in partnership with grace, for grace alone is the truth and the way that not only empowers but also demands of itself to overcome sin by the invitation of faith in a believer. For a demand can only be satisfied by an equal power to comply, and what God demands of man can only be met by God's demand of Himself living in man. Confidence in man to satisfy the demand of God through his own obedience is a charade of foolish pride; and if placing faith in grace is THE ONE AND ONLY POWER we need, then stop the false theatrics of preaching personal holiness by man's own work. Our only demand is trusting and living out the gospel message encapsulated in"righteousness by faith"! Amen
James
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