“So you are saying that it is okay for a pastor that is fornicating to continue to fornicate because of Grace?”

Accusations like the one above often crop up as responses to the gospel of Christ- God's saving Grace. This reasoning speaks of a lack of understanding of the gospel of Christ which is "the power of God to salvation", even salvation from sins. The accusations speak of dependence on the arm of flesh (human effort at obedience in order to be godly) that will fail. 

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."

This is the "logic" of our salvation in Christ. It is illogical to human reasoning, "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 Cor. 1:18.

Being under Grace without living in triumph over sin and death is as impossible as jumping into the sea naked without getting wet. Without God's saving grace, the pastor that is fornicating and is trying to stop by his own ability to obey the law will continue to wallow in sins forever. 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."

The law that many churchgoers are trying to keep in order to be godly arouses sinful desires that produces a harvest of sinful deeds that lead to death. The one who is "controlled by our old nature" still has the sinful nature that was inherited from Adam as it is written in Romans 5:19- "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."

The "old nature" is characterised by trying to obey the law in order to be godly/get right with God, this after Christ shed His blood for us to be godly/righteous.The one that is "controlled by our old nature" is not a "new creation" in Christ. He does not believe Romans 5:9-

"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."

The one that is "controlled by our old nature" does not believe that he has been made righteous in God's sight through Christ's blood. He still expects God's wrath to fall on him because of his sins that Christ died to take away.  

Human effort at obeying the law in order to be godly (the arm of flesh) will fail. But some "men of God" will tell you to depend on the arm of flesh that will fail to overcome your sins and reject the power of the Holy Spirit to transform (2 Cor. 3:18) even the vilest offender who believes to live right.

Such who hear the gospel of Christ and respond with things like "Yes we are saved by Grace but you still have to obey the law in order to be godly and make heaven" are yet to understand that the reason why we are not committing particular sins is because we have not been tempted beyond what we can bear in those areas. If a big enough trial came our way and it was up to us to save ourselves from falling, we would all fail woefully. No sin is beneath anybody. 

No matter how much a weightlifter trains, he cannot carry a weight that is designed to crush him ten times over. And life does not consider weight, dedication or level of preparedness before throwing weights at anybody. 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 or that they can obey the law and restrain themselves from committing sin by their own puny human effort. 

Some churchgoers believe that they can "never" commit adultery or steal" by their own power and human restraint and that they can "at least try to obey the law." I recall someone named Peter who once boasted and even knew 100% that he would never deny Jesus and that he would follow Him to prison and to death. His circumstances changed and he sang a different tune…three times. Proverbs 16:18 counsels us:

“Your boast becomes a prophecy of a future failure.

 The higher you lift up yourself in pride,

 the harder you’ll fall in disgrace."

Never trust yourself. Believer, this is why you and I in Christ are not held captive by sins and addictions; why we are not wallowing in heinous sins: 1 Corinthians 10:12-13- 

"12 So beware if you think it could never happen to you, lest your pride becomes your downfall. 13 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." 

But we tend to think that we did good all by ourselves when we are able to desist from commiting some sins. No friend! It is because we have not been tempted beyond what we can bear in those areas. Even unbreakable Titanium can be crushed into powder if the right amounts of weight and pressure are applied.

If God was not filtering and screening the temptations that come our way, we'd all be wallowing in heinous sins. But we often think we did good all by ourselves. To the person who thinks that he is “good” and can overcome temptation by himself: you think you can never be gay or steal or murder- you who don't know what will happen within the hour? Peter too thought he would never deny Jesus, until his circumstances changed. After his boast in the arm of flesh (human effort at not denying Jesus,) Satan asked for him to sift him like wheat, and he lied profusely. 

Never trust yourself. Anyone who is boasting in his own ability to avoid doing the unthinkable is making himself into a target to be sifted like wheat by Satan, just like Peter after he boasted in his own strength. Failure is always the result. Only when we receive God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ do we get to "live in triumph over sin and death through the One, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:17. 

To any who might miscontrue God's grace as meaning: “So you are saying that it is okay for a pastor that is fornicating to continue to fornicate”, understand that without God's saving grace, that pastor will continue to fornicate forever. It is only by grace that he can stop fornicating. The more one tries to obey the law, the more sin has dominion, 

“For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace.” Romans 6:14

But this verse is taught in reverse in many places of worship today. Many ministers are boldly telling their congregation to obey the law and do its works in order to get right with God. This action has this effect:

“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.” Galatians 5:4.

This is smack where Satan where everyone to be so his agents are pushing this demonic doctrine in order to keep the flock under sin's dominion and separate/cut off the flock from Christ.

In Christ, even the vilest offender who believes gets to be transformed to godliness and right-living and it has got nothing to do with human effort. Only in Him do we reign over sin. 

The gospel is Grace- undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour. Grace never condemns. Grace saves, even salvation from sins. Grace is a Person: Jesus Christ. 

Christ did not come to make it okay for us to sin or "accommodate" sin. NEVER!!! Sinful deeds lead to death (Roman 7:5) and God does not want any to perish. He loves us so. Without Christ- Grace-personified, sin will multiply, "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14.

But many think they have the issue of committing sins under wraps by their own power. This is a symptom of the "old nature" and the height of pride and foolishness, to rely on the arm of flesh (human effort at overcoming sin) that 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. For example, I can't watch pornography. Not "won't". "Can't." I literally cover my eyes when actors display intimacy on TV. Praising me for my porn "restraint" is pointless because pornography is naturally repulsive to me and any display of intimacy is naturally embarrassing for me to watch. This is just not an area of temptation for me. God screened and filtered  it out of my radar.

But some people have been tempted beyond what they can bear in this area and will continue to watch it forever.... unless they are saved from it. The more they try to stop sinning by the arm of flesh (human effort) that will fail (law-keeping,) the more sin has dominion.

Proverbs 16:30 (TPT) says: "It’s easy to tell when a wicked man is hatching some crooked scheme— it’s written all over his face. His looks betray him as he gives birth to his sin."

Imagine a 3-months pregnant woman thinking that it is by her own power that she is preventing her fetus from being born. Sin is like pregnancy. Those who think they can stop themselves from sinning don't know that they are not commiting particular sins because labour has not started. When the labour pain aka temptation is too much for them to bear, like Peter who denied Jesus, they will give birth to their sin. The sinner who trusts in himself cannot stop giving birth to sin when it is time to give birth. With time, those suppressed sinful desires will explode in an unstoppable volcanic eruption of 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."

Christ came to save us from our sins. Titus 2:14 says of Him: “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.”

Notice “free us from every kind of sin”? No sin is too big or too heinous for Him to save the sinner who believes from. No sinner is too vile for Him to transform. If we could save ourselves from our sins, Jesus would not have needed to come and save us.

Without God's saving grace, a pastor that is fornicating will continue to fornicate and wallow in sins forever. The law that he tries to obey condemns the best of us. But grace saves the worst of us. Grace is the power of God to salvation, even salvation from sins. 

The difference between life and death is God’s saving Grace- undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour. His name is Jesus Christ. He paid the wages of our sin; died our death. Only in Him do we get to “live in triumph over sin and death”. (Romans 5:17.) 

Preach Grace and Grace will save His people from their sins.