Grace

Everyone should praise the Lord for His awesome grace because without it not one of us could be saved.  Without God’s undeserved favor, or grace, we would all be without hope in this world.  Read Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

But we can rejoice because God chose to pour out His grace and mercy on all mankind.  When you talk to different believers they say that grace is God’s unmerited favor and I have also said that, but you cannot find that in the word of God, but many times we repeat things that we hear if we hear them enough just taking someone else’s word for the things we hear instead of seeking the truth for ourselves.  The reason I am saying this is because there is a teaching going around and is being preached that is a deception and many people are accepting it as true doctrine and it isn’t!!  I have heard it is called hyper grace by some scholars that I have listened to.  What is being taught is that when we are born-again all our sins have been forgiven at the time of our conversion past, present and future sins and we don’t have to repent of any sins that we commit again.  I think this teaching is very dangerous and very deceptive.  Yes, it may sound good because you can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak, but it will come with a terrible price in the end and that is what concerns me.

Here is an example in the Corinthian church, read 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

This guy was a part of the community or church and he had his father’s wife, and no one was wise enough to correct him for his behavior nor did they want to because they were all puffed up and proud.  Paul knew what to do right away he said to give him over to Satan that his soul would be saved.  Why, because Paul knew that any true believer would end up being ashamed of their behavior and repent and turn from their sin and then they could be forgiven and restored back to fellowship once again.

Now read 8-13, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Paul says that none of these people that act like this will inherit the kingdom of God.  Then Paul goes on in 1 Corinthians 6:14-20, “And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ‘the two,’ He says, ‘shall become one flesh.’ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

And what about 2 Corinthians 7:8-11, “For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”

These people were a part of the community or church and they needed to repent, how come in our day pastors and teachers are telling people that they have already been forgiven of past, present and future sins, so they don’t have to repent. This teaching is almost like giving people a license to sin although they don’t come right out and say it.  

I am going to put a few more verses down so that you can look them up yourself that relate to this topic.  Check out 1 John 1:9 and James 5:13-16 also Revelations chapters two and three.  

Be careful what you believe, read 2 Timothy 4:1-5, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Enough said, I think if you are seeking truth it was there for you to find!!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!  I pray that this will be an encouragement and a help to you and don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy, Amen!!