Would you really get sick with cancer just so that you can enjoy the cure?

Believer, our sins are what qualify us for God's abundant Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ. And all have sinned. We all qualify. No matter who we are, we were all destined for hell until God made Jesus to be sin for us: 2 Corinthians 5:21.

"For God made the only One who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with Him."

Based on and ONLY on Christ's sacrifice for us, Romans 5:9 says of God:

"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."

Beware of false doctrine peddlers who say you are no longer righteous because you sinned and that God will pour His wrath on you and the devil will catch you unless you redo the "one time" sacrifice of Jesus by making "sacrifices" and keeping the law to get back in God's good books! These are the ones that ask questions like "So you are saying I can go and be sinning anyhow because I am under Grace?"

Believer, let's put all the bickering aside. The letter (law) kills- no matter which side of it one is eating from- good or evil, just like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that Adam and Eve ate of in order to be godly (be like God.)

Understand that this side of heaven, no human being can EVER be sin-free or even a bit clean by human effort at keeping the law; absolute righteousness is required of all who are keeping the law in order to get right with God (Deut. 28:15). Not even the Pharisees and teachers of religious law could achieve it.

We often forget that the Pharisees that hated Christ and His teaching believed wholly in keeping the Law in order to be godly. This was their life. They weren't people who could not wait for the synagogue service to finish so they could go and commit murder and fornicate. They did their best to keep the law in order to be godly and obtain favour from God, but they always fell short. They were just as guilty and condemned as the woman that they caught in adultery and brought to Jesus to test Him.

The irony of it all is that God Himself walked in the Pharisees' midst as Man but they could not obtain favour from Him. This is what law-keeping to get right with God does: it blinds people to the saving power of Grace-personified, Jesus Christ. Christ says to such who still try to keep the Law to earn a ticket to heaven today:

"But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:20.

This is God's word. It will not change. It stands forever and condemns all who depend on their non-existent ability to keep the law to get God to look favourably on them- nobody can beat the Pharisees at keeping the law.

Law and Grace don't mix. Christ does it all. But there is something about the arm of flesh (dependence on human effort at obedience) that wants to be relevant in the story of our salvation. That something is Pride. God's word says human effort (the arm of flesh) will fail, is powerless and cannot: Romans 7:18-

"For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it."

But Pride in the arm of flesh (human effort) that will fail says: "No, I can. I still have some good in me. I can keep the law and do good all by myself."

CHRIST says in John 15:5- ".“I am the sprouting Vine and you’re My branches. As you live in union with Me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from Me you are powerless."

But do you know how a person is separated from Christ? See this Galatians 5:4-

"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."

Satan knows this. His ministers are working hard in churches to keep the flock focused on keeping the law to get right with God! They cause many to reject God's gift of righteousness to us in Christ. Such keep going around in a cycle of sin and dependence on their "church daddy" for things to do in order to be saved from earthly ills and death in hell. Believer, all we need to do to be saved eternally is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and even this we do by His grace alone.

In Christ, we are not under law but under Grace; it is no coincidence that Christ often calls us His sheep and He our Shepherd in the gospel. Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd will never abandon or cast away we His sheep because we fell or defecated on ourselves. In fact, we are clean and productive for Him ONLY because of His work in our lives. Without Him, our lives would be an endless spiral of uncleanness/unrighteousness. Until Christ comes for His saints at the Rapture, this is what He said He is doing in our lives:

"Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over Me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent Me is in charge. He draws people to Me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do My work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End...." John 6:43-46 (MSG).

People who can put themselves together don't need His saving Grace. Jesus came for the sick, not those who have their sin act together by themselves (Mark 2.) His "Neither do I condemn you" makes us "go and sin no more."

God's gift of righteousness to us in Christ everlasting and apart from works. Romans 3:21 says: "But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago."

Also Romans 5:16 says of God's gift of righteousness to us in Christ: "And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins."

Notice: "...but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins."

Some "Christ professors" who hold on to their "a menstrual rag" righteousnesses from keeping the Law (just like the Pharisees) read these things and not only DISBELIEVE but also DENY GOD'S WORD! As if we who are under Grace invented God's word that is WRITTEN. God's word says in Romans 3:28:

"So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

But these Christ professors (they are not believers) challenge God and say "No! You have to obey the Law in order to be made right with God and be godly."

John 3:16 is very clear: whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life. But false doctrine preachers try to add law-keeping using human effort aka the arm of flesh that will fail as terms and conditions for salvation in Christ.

Isaiah 53:11 tells us what Christ accomplished for us at the cross:

"After He has suffered, He will see the light of life. And He will be satisfied. My godly servant will make many people godly because of what He will accomplish. He will be punished for their sins."

Christ died to make us godly aka "be like God."

But like Satan who deceived Eve (that God had already made to be like Himself) into believing that she would "be like God" aka be godly if she did something by human effort, these false doctrine preachers say we have to keep the law in order to be godly aka "be like God." Believer, in Christ, we are already like God! Christ did the work! This is God's word but such deny Christ!

Such false doctrine preachers twist Scripture like "Faith without works is dead," "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound" and "Be doers of the word alone and not hearers" to lead the flock astray, enrich their pockets and stroke their "self-righteousness" egos. Peter spoke of such in 2 Peter 3-

"15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction."

These Scripture twisters are those "Christians" who say things like:

"So we can just go and be sinning anyhow because of Grace ? So I can go and kill someone and God won't mind? We have to keep the Law in order to be holy."

To such, we ask the questions: Why would anyone deliberately become sick just to enjoy the cure? Would you really throw yourself in front of a speeding trailer just because your Father owns the best hospital in the world where your healing is assured?

Peter's denial of Jesus is a picture of why people sin: the temptation is more than they can bear. By grace, let's not deceive ourselves like Peter who thought he could keep the law - "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" - but ended up denying Christ three times. The reason why we are not committing particular sins and why many think they can keep the law (dead works) is because God did not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.

To any who, like Peter, is saying to himself: "I can never do that," see 1 Corinthians 10:

"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."

If God lifted His restraining hand that restrains us from sins, we would ALL be wallowing in horrid horrid sins by now. There is an account of this happening to a group that rejected the Truth of the gospel of Christ in Romans 1. 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 boast about their non-existent ability to keep the law. The arm of flesh will fail. Never trust yourself. Trust in the Lord with all your heart!

Beware of those who keep you focused on your sins that lead to death and tell you that your attainment of godliness and favour from God is in your arm of flesh aka human effort at doing right. What Christ said in John 3:14-15, right before the most popular Bible verse (John 3:16), is not just to fill up space:

14 “And just as Moses in the desert lifted up the brass replica of a snake on a pole for all the people to see and be healed, so the Son of Man is ready to be lifted up, 15 so that those who truly believe in Him will not perish but be given eternal life."

1 Corinthians 15:56 says "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law."

The Israelites that were dying from the venom (sting of death aka sin) of the snakes that had bitten them only had to look expectantly at the bronze snake on the pole (Christ on the cross) to be healed. Just imagine what would have happened if they had rushed off to kill the snakes, offer sacrifices, keep the law, tell God they would never complain again or pray to God to forgive them- all pictures of trying to get right with God by doing what the law commands? Their focus would no longer be on the bronze snake but on their human effort.

Their law-keeping antics would have given the snake venom (sin) time to spread and thus more power destroy- remember 1 Corinthians 15:56 says "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law."

The snake venom (sin) would have had dominion - "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace."

They would have died. Nothing they did could have saved them. Only looking; for us today- believing Jesus.

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:

"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." Romans 5:17.

Jesus came for the sick, not those who can have their sin act together by themselves (Mark 2.) His "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more."

Believer, the gospel of Christ cannot be "logic-ed" out by our fallen human reasoning- "The law is not of faith" is a popular bible verse. Trying to obey the law in order to get right with God is the definition of faithlessness. But this is illogical to many:

"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.

Believer, by Grace, stop trusting in dead works (works of the law) to get you salvation from hell and all earthly ills. This action will only cause sin to strengthen its grip over your life:

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

Satan knows this so his ministers in many churches have been actively preaching keeping the Ten Commandments to get right with God as the way of salvation for a long, long time. No friend. This way seems right to common sense, but it is the way to death that Proverbs 14:12 speaks of:

"There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

The letter (the Law) kills. The Spirit gives life and with the Spirit of the Lord, it is neither by might nor by power. Believer, this is the crux of the message of Christ: RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH. Romans 3 gives a summary of the message of Christ. It says of God:

"26...for He himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

Believer, trust in Christ to save you from your sins and cause you to live right. This is what He came to do:

"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." Titus 2:14.

Believe Right and you will Live Right!