God's Abundance of Grace and His Gift of Righteousness in Christ- our "birthright" and victory over bitterness, trouble, defilement, sexual immorality and profanity
Believers, Hebrews 12:14-17 says "14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears."
Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. But in order to be holy, we need to look carefully "lest anyone fall short of the grace of God" according to verse 15 above. If one falls short of the grace of God, roots of bitterness spring up and cause trouble (so one cannot pursue peace with all people) and many become defiled. According to verse 16, if one falls short of the grace of God, fornication and profanity thrive (so one cannot live a holy life.)
These are two rampant problems within the church today: bitterness that causes schisms (divisions within the church and leaders breaking off in anger to form their own congregation as a result of bitterness and perceived slights, etc) and sexual immorality in all of its forms. From these, we see that the worst thing that can happen to a believer in Christ is to fall short of God's grace.
But how does one fall short of God's grace? Many of us think that sinning is what causes a believer to fall short of God's grace. We think bitterness, fornication and profanity in the church is a result of not trying hard enough to obey the Law. But this is not so! According to Galatians 5:4, keeping the Law (including the Ten Commandments) in order to get right with God is how to fall short of God's grace!-
"4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."
Yet many leaders say that preaching God's grace is tantamount to telling people that they are free to wallow in sin! Recall Hebrews 12 above: 14 "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright."
Believer, when one tries to obey the law in order to be godly, he falls short of God's grace. The result: bitterness, fornication and profanity bloom. See this reflected in Romans 7:5- "When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death."
But what is this old nature?
Romans 5:19 says: "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."
Committing sins like stealing, lying, watching porn, fornicating, buying and selling pirated content, fear, worry, etc, horrible as they are, is not what makes people sinners. Sinners are made sinners by Adam's disobedience according to Romans 5:19 above. Everyone descended from Adam inherited the sin/old nature by default, thus people are made sinners long before anyone got the chance to do a sinful deed. Believers in Christ have been made right with God by Christ's obedience. We no longer have the old nature. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus.
But the one with the old nature is not a new creation. He does not believe that He has been made right with God and has eternal life through Christ's obedience He is still trying to obey the law in order to be godly and be Rapture-worthy but all who are "a new creation" have God's GIFT of everlasting righteousness in Christ. The law that many are trying to obey in order to be godly arouses evil desires...
The sin nature, when activated by the law that many are trying to keep in order to get right with God, is what makes people commit plentiful sinful deeds that lead to death. See Romans 7:5-
"When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death."
Try to obey the law to get right with God and sin will have dominion, "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:14.
Rather than address the root problem by teaching True Grace that restores the flock to Grace by Whom we get to live in triumph over sin and death, the flock is told that the way to avoid bitterness and sexual immorality in the church is more obedience to the law in order to be godly!....so sin has dominion:
"For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14.
Believers, let's not be found here. This "obey the law in order to be godly" false doctrine is the order of the day in many places of worship today. This is why the proliferation of churches in Nigeria has not translated into character and right living by even many pastors. The doctrine that many believe is "Keep the Law in order to be righteous before God and make it in life"; it is of Satan and is designed to cut one off from Christ and make one fall short of the grace of God.
You see, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says of God: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Christ died to make us righteous. All of our own righteousnesses are like "a menstrual rag" according to Isaiah 64:6. God loves us so much and doesn't want us to perish so He gave His own Son for us; our sins for His righteousness. This righteousness is a gift and cannot be sullied or removed by whatever we do or don't do. With it comes Christ's gift of no condemnation by which we go and sin no more. You will NOT continue to sin. It's not by works or self effort! This is the logic of heaven, but hard for the logical mind to grasp,
"For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18.
For a believer in Christ to still depend on the Ten Commandments for his right-standing with and ability to receive from God is to say that Jesus didn't do a good enough work on the cross in making him righteous, so he has to do some of his own to 'complete' Christ's finished work. It is to be "neither hot nor cold." Romans 5:17 says:
"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."
"God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness" is our birthright as children of God, born anew and of the Spirit. Esau sold his birthright. Trying to obey the law in order to attain the same righteousness that Christ died that we might have is to reject one's birthright as a born-again Christian. Many do this in order to satisfy their pride and pat themselves on the back for doing works that Isaiah calls "a menstrual rag."
The one who is trying to obey the law to get right with God has sold his birthright (God's abundance of grace and His gift of Righteousness through Christ,) just as Esau did. There is no way to inherit the blessing of Abraham (be an heir of the world) outside Grace. The blessing does not come through obeying the law but through the righteousness of faith (the law is not of faith.) See Romans 4-
13 "For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,"
No place for repentance without our birthright in Christ, no matter how diligently one seeks it. There is no holiness here. Only rejection.
Believers, why clean yourself with filthy rags (works of the Law) when Christ has already washed you clean with His blood, making you right with God? Romans 5:9 says of Him:
"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."
Determination and self-will (trying to obey the law) cannot help you pursue peace with all men and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. People have been trying and failing to keep the Law since the Law was given at Mt. Sinai! Even the holiest church daddy in the world sins and according to James 2:10, breaking one law makes one guilty of all: without God's gift of righteousness in Christ, the "holiest" church daddy and the murderous rapist armed robber are in the same boat of unrighteousness and condemned to face the full wrath of God the Righteous Judge whose righteousness demands that even the tiniest sin be punished to the uttermost.
Remember, when one is under the law, he is cut off from Christ so there is nothing like repentance here, no matter how one beats their breast in regret! Law and grace don't mix. Only in the Beloved are we accepted; only the righteousness that comes by "One Man’s obedience" is acceptable to God.
You cannot stop watching porn, losing your temper, being impatient, cussing at other drivers on the road, lying, fornicating, stealing and stop sinning in general by making up your mind to stop. It may look as you are not doing too badly at obeying the law and suppressing sinful urges by yourself right now but the arm of flesh will fail and when it does, those sinful urges will explode in a volcanic eruption of sinful deeds that lead to death (Romans 7:5.) Just ask Peter who denied our Saviour 3 times after boasting that he would not!
One might see temporary results from deploying human effort to get victory over sin, an Ishmael born but not of God's will, a glory that is fading away; but when a big enough trial comes, the arm of flesh will fail. The reason why we are not committing particular sins is because we have not been tempted beyond what we can bear in those areas. The potential to commit heinous crimes is in everybody. God sees this potential and how favourable circumstances can make some people think that some sins are beneath them and that they can obey the law.
For we who are in Christ, this is how we overcome trials and temptations:
"We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously." 1 Corinthians 10:13.
We call need Someone to bring us out of trials and temptations. That Someone is Jesus. Like Peter, many have not yet encountered something that is bigger than them so many boast and even levy others with demands that they would not be able to carry if they had the same trial.
The previous verses of 1 Corinthians 10 tells of the failures and death of many of the children of Israel in the wilderness and how their experience is a type of our life in Christ today. Verse 12 tells us- "So beware if you think it could never happen to you, lest your pride becomes your downfall."
No sin is beneath anybody. All human effort at trying to live above sin or to be godly will fail. We overcome only by God's Grace.
We often think that all sinners enjoy sinning and want to wallow in sin but many are actively looking for a way out but continue to fail because some pastor, who is secretly battling the same sins that hold these beloved of God captive, keeps telling them to "keep the Law, or else." But law-keeping cannot make anyone righteous in God's sight. See Romans 3:20. This is why many of our young people don't like going to church. They hear only condemnation and no salvation. They hear "obey the law and stop sinning or God will punish you." They don't hear Matthew 1:21-
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Or Titus 2:14- "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."
But God's grace stops sin! God's grace removes bitterness, fornication and profanity from the church. Sin is nothing compared to His grace which swallows up sin and causes us to live right and "produce a harvest of good deeds for God." See Romans 7:4.
God hates sin but loves the sinner, much like (but waaaaaaaay better than) how a dad who is also an expert oncologist hates the cancer in his beloved child. So what does He do? He fills us with the only effective sin "chemo" that He made available to believers - the Holy Spirit. His eyes burn at and destroy sin but radiate perfect love for the sinner. His Spirit transforms us to the image of His glory, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18.) We get get to be free from the clutches of sin and live right and not by our efforts but Christ in us!
Believer, by grace, receive your birthright in Christ: God's abundance of grace and of His gift of righteousness and live in triumph over sin and death through the One, Jesus Christ! Romans 5:17.
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
Believe Right and you will Live Right!
Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. But in order to be holy, we need to look carefully "lest anyone fall short of the grace of God" according to verse 15 above. If one falls short of the grace of God, roots of bitterness spring up and cause trouble (so one cannot pursue peace with all people) and many become defiled. According to verse 16, if one falls short of the grace of God, fornication and profanity thrive (so one cannot live a holy life.)
These are two rampant problems within the church today: bitterness that causes schisms (divisions within the church and leaders breaking off in anger to form their own congregation as a result of bitterness and perceived slights, etc) and sexual immorality in all of its forms. From these, we see that the worst thing that can happen to a believer in Christ is to fall short of God's grace.
But how does one fall short of God's grace? Many of us think that sinning is what causes a believer to fall short of God's grace. We think bitterness, fornication and profanity in the church is a result of not trying hard enough to obey the Law. But this is not so! According to Galatians 5:4, keeping the Law (including the Ten Commandments) in order to get right with God is how to fall short of God's grace!-
"4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."
Yet many leaders say that preaching God's grace is tantamount to telling people that they are free to wallow in sin! Recall Hebrews 12 above: 14 "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright."
Believer, when one tries to obey the law in order to be godly, he falls short of God's grace. The result: bitterness, fornication and profanity bloom. See this reflected in Romans 7:5- "When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death."
But what is this old nature?
Romans 5:19 says: "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."
Committing sins like stealing, lying, watching porn, fornicating, buying and selling pirated content, fear, worry, etc, horrible as they are, is not what makes people sinners. Sinners are made sinners by Adam's disobedience according to Romans 5:19 above. Everyone descended from Adam inherited the sin/old nature by default, thus people are made sinners long before anyone got the chance to do a sinful deed. Believers in Christ have been made right with God by Christ's obedience. We no longer have the old nature. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus.
But the one with the old nature is not a new creation. He does not believe that He has been made right with God and has eternal life through Christ's obedience He is still trying to obey the law in order to be godly and be Rapture-worthy but all who are "a new creation" have God's GIFT of everlasting righteousness in Christ. The law that many are trying to obey in order to be godly arouses evil desires...
The sin nature, when activated by the law that many are trying to keep in order to get right with God, is what makes people commit plentiful sinful deeds that lead to death. See Romans 7:5-
"When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death."
Try to obey the law to get right with God and sin will have dominion, "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:14.
Rather than address the root problem by teaching True Grace that restores the flock to Grace by Whom we get to live in triumph over sin and death, the flock is told that the way to avoid bitterness and sexual immorality in the church is more obedience to the law in order to be godly!....so sin has dominion:
"For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14.
Believers, let's not be found here. This "obey the law in order to be godly" false doctrine is the order of the day in many places of worship today. This is why the proliferation of churches in Nigeria has not translated into character and right living by even many pastors. The doctrine that many believe is "Keep the Law in order to be righteous before God and make it in life"; it is of Satan and is designed to cut one off from Christ and make one fall short of the grace of God.
You see, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says of God: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Christ died to make us righteous. All of our own righteousnesses are like "a menstrual rag" according to Isaiah 64:6. God loves us so much and doesn't want us to perish so He gave His own Son for us; our sins for His righteousness. This righteousness is a gift and cannot be sullied or removed by whatever we do or don't do. With it comes Christ's gift of no condemnation by which we go and sin no more. You will NOT continue to sin. It's not by works or self effort! This is the logic of heaven, but hard for the logical mind to grasp,
"For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18.
For a believer in Christ to still depend on the Ten Commandments for his right-standing with and ability to receive from God is to say that Jesus didn't do a good enough work on the cross in making him righteous, so he has to do some of his own to 'complete' Christ's finished work. It is to be "neither hot nor cold." Romans 5:17 says:
"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."
"God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness" is our birthright as children of God, born anew and of the Spirit. Esau sold his birthright. Trying to obey the law in order to attain the same righteousness that Christ died that we might have is to reject one's birthright as a born-again Christian. Many do this in order to satisfy their pride and pat themselves on the back for doing works that Isaiah calls "a menstrual rag."
The one who is trying to obey the law to get right with God has sold his birthright (God's abundance of grace and His gift of Righteousness through Christ,) just as Esau did. There is no way to inherit the blessing of Abraham (be an heir of the world) outside Grace. The blessing does not come through obeying the law but through the righteousness of faith (the law is not of faith.) See Romans 4-
13 "For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,"
No place for repentance without our birthright in Christ, no matter how diligently one seeks it. There is no holiness here. Only rejection.
Believers, why clean yourself with filthy rags (works of the Law) when Christ has already washed you clean with His blood, making you right with God? Romans 5:9 says of Him:
"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."
Determination and self-will (trying to obey the law) cannot help you pursue peace with all men and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. People have been trying and failing to keep the Law since the Law was given at Mt. Sinai! Even the holiest church daddy in the world sins and according to James 2:10, breaking one law makes one guilty of all: without God's gift of righteousness in Christ, the "holiest" church daddy and the murderous rapist armed robber are in the same boat of unrighteousness and condemned to face the full wrath of God the Righteous Judge whose righteousness demands that even the tiniest sin be punished to the uttermost.
Remember, when one is under the law, he is cut off from Christ so there is nothing like repentance here, no matter how one beats their breast in regret! Law and grace don't mix. Only in the Beloved are we accepted; only the righteousness that comes by "One Man’s obedience" is acceptable to God.
You cannot stop watching porn, losing your temper, being impatient, cussing at other drivers on the road, lying, fornicating, stealing and stop sinning in general by making up your mind to stop. It may look as you are not doing too badly at obeying the law and suppressing sinful urges by yourself right now but the arm of flesh will fail and when it does, those sinful urges will explode in a volcanic eruption of sinful deeds that lead to death (Romans 7:5.) Just ask Peter who denied our Saviour 3 times after boasting that he would not!
One might see temporary results from deploying human effort to get victory over sin, an Ishmael born but not of God's will, a glory that is fading away; but when a big enough trial comes, the arm of flesh will fail. The reason why we are not committing particular sins is because we have not been tempted beyond what we can bear in those areas. The potential to commit heinous crimes is in everybody. God sees this potential and how favourable circumstances can make some people think that some sins are beneath them and that they can obey the law.
For we who are in Christ, this is how we overcome trials and temptations:
"We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously." 1 Corinthians 10:13.
We call need Someone to bring us out of trials and temptations. That Someone is Jesus. Like Peter, many have not yet encountered something that is bigger than them so many boast and even levy others with demands that they would not be able to carry if they had the same trial.
The previous verses of 1 Corinthians 10 tells of the failures and death of many of the children of Israel in the wilderness and how their experience is a type of our life in Christ today. Verse 12 tells us- "So beware if you think it could never happen to you, lest your pride becomes your downfall."
No sin is beneath anybody. All human effort at trying to live above sin or to be godly will fail. We overcome only by God's Grace.
We often think that all sinners enjoy sinning and want to wallow in sin but many are actively looking for a way out but continue to fail because some pastor, who is secretly battling the same sins that hold these beloved of God captive, keeps telling them to "keep the Law, or else." But law-keeping cannot make anyone righteous in God's sight. See Romans 3:20. This is why many of our young people don't like going to church. They hear only condemnation and no salvation. They hear "obey the law and stop sinning or God will punish you." They don't hear Matthew 1:21-
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Or Titus 2:14- "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."
But God's grace stops sin! God's grace removes bitterness, fornication and profanity from the church. Sin is nothing compared to His grace which swallows up sin and causes us to live right and "produce a harvest of good deeds for God." See Romans 7:4.
God hates sin but loves the sinner, much like (but waaaaaaaay better than) how a dad who is also an expert oncologist hates the cancer in his beloved child. So what does He do? He fills us with the only effective sin "chemo" that He made available to believers - the Holy Spirit. His eyes burn at and destroy sin but radiate perfect love for the sinner. His Spirit transforms us to the image of His glory, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18.) We get get to be free from the clutches of sin and live right and not by our efforts but Christ in us!
Believer, by grace, receive your birthright in Christ: God's abundance of grace and of His gift of righteousness and live in triumph over sin and death through the One, Jesus Christ! Romans 5:17.
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
Believe Right and you will Live Right!
Comments
Post a Comment