Does God's Grace mean we can now wallow in sins as we like? Certainly not!

Believers, do you remember the story of Balak and Balaam and how the former hired the latter to curse the children of Israel? Balaam tried to curse them from three different locations but ended up blessing them according to God’s will instead. Check out part of what the Lord caused him to say at his second prophecy-

20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;

He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

21 “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob,

Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel.

The LORD his God is with him,

And the shout of a King is among them.

God did not observe iniquity in Jacob nor did He see wickedness in Israel. But wait a minute. Look what Moses told the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 9:6-7 after Balaam failed in his bid to curse them and as they were about to cross the River Jordan into the Promised Land –

“6 Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. 7 Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.”

The children of Israel were rebellious and stiff-necked throughout their journey in the wilderness, including their time in Moab when Balaam tried to curse them, yet the Lord did not observe iniquity or see wickedness in them! This is a shadow of our life in Christ today! God sees us as righteous apart from works because His Son and our Saviour Jesus shed His blood to save us. His word says of how He sees we who believe in 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."

But many preachers and consequently, churchgoers find it hard to believe God's Word. Believer, beware of such who say or imply that the blood of Jesus is not enough to make the sinner who believes righteous in the sight of God and never experience His wrath; those who say you have to depend on doing or add works of the law (human striving at being godly/righteous) to the finished work of Christ in making the sinner who believes righteous, when God's word says "the arm of flesh (human effort) will fail."

Believers, if the blood of bulls and goats offered continually year by year could cause our Heavenly Father not to observe iniquity in Jacob, how much more us believers in Christ today that have been cleansed once for all (one-time payment!) by the blood of His Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ?! How much more will we who have been blessed with abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness through our Saviour Jesus Christ live in triumph over sin and death through Christ! (Romans 5:17.)

Believers, our being free of the curse and entering our promised land (rest in Christ) has got nothing to do with our own righteousness or the good or bad things we do. It is not earned; much like how the children of Israel did not enter their own promised land because of their own righteousness as recorded by Moses in Deuteronomy 9:6 above. We enter Christ’s rest because God loved us so much that He gave His Son to die for us. He took our place on the cross and made us righteous. As the righteousness of God in Christ, we are free from every curse, generational or otherwise, as it is written in Galatians 3:13 “Christ has delivered us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…”

Believers in Christ, we are not under law but under grace. In Christ, having Him as our Righteousness and no longer depending on human effort at keeping the Law in order to be godly, the Lord has blessed you and no one can reverse it. Like the stiff-necked and rebellious children of Israel whom Balaam could not curse, God does not observe iniquity in you, even with your sins and imperfections, because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has satisfied His fiery anger and judgment that should fall on you.

But does God's undeserved, unearned unmerited favour mean that it is okay to be stiff-necked and rebellious towards God? Are we saying that we can now go and be wallowing in sins because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? 

Certainly not! 

The Gospel of Christ (Grace) is the power of God to salvation, even salvation from sins. You see, freeing us from our sins is the reason why Christ gave Himself for you and I.: 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."

Let's take our blessed brains to church. Why would our Saviour Jesus Christ who came to save us from our sins use those very sins that He came to save us from as an excuse for not saving us? This is akin to an oncologist dad refusing to treat his own beloved child who has cancer and even punishing the child because the child has cancer. Christ came to save us from the cancer that is sin, not condemn us. If we could save ourselves, He would not have needed to come and die for us.

God hates sin – stealing, murder, budget padding, running a red light, lying about how you are almost at work when you haven’t even left the house, not loving your neighbor as yourself (which no one can do on their own), all sin. God is against all these things. He sees the damage and death that sin brings to His beloved children so He sent His Son to save us from our sins- Matt. 1:21.

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Sin is like a disease. It is the default mode of everybody that is descended of Adam according to Romans 5:19 - "For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous."

Thanks to the preaching of a wrong doctrine in many places of worship, many churchgoers are trying to be godly/righteous by keeping the Law and suppressing the sinful nature inherited from Adam using human effort aka the arm of flesh. The aim of this false doctrine is to keep one separated from Christ. Galatians 5:4 tells us how a person gets cut off from Christ the Vine-

"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."

But these false preachers say committing sin is what makes one fall from Grace. This is akin to saying that a person with disease (Sin) has to heal himself before he can qualify to receive the medicine (Grace) that will make him well. Without Grace, sin has dominion. Grace that these false preachers are trying to cut people off from is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ and He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin: See 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 many are being deceived by Satanic pastors that they can overcome sins and be godly (be like God) by human effort. The same strategy was used to deceive Eve. Being in Christ is not deciding to be good by human effort now that we are born-again. See what God's word says of man's ability to be good in 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."

God's word says human effort (the arm of flesh) will fail, is powerless and cannot. Of ourselves, there is no good in anyone of us. But Pride in the arm of flesh (human effort at obedience) that will fail says:

"No, I can. God must be wrong. I still have some good in me. I can keep the law and resist temptation to commit sin. Faith without works is dead so I must and I can do works of the Law to prove that I am godly and have faith using my own will-power.”

Believer, of ourselves, there is no good in anyone. Many "pastors" and churchgoers go about deceiving people that they can be godly (be like God) by human effort at keeping the Law that gives the knowledge of good and evil. This is the same strategy that Satan used to deceive Eve in the garden when he told her that she would be like God (be godly) if she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Being in Christ is NOT deploying human effort or trying our best to keep the Law in order to be righteous or make heaven as false doctrine peddlers teach- this is the sure way to get cut off from Christ- 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."

Being in Christ is not suppressing sinful urges using human effort (arm of flesh) at keeping the law. the arm of flesh will fail and when it does, the sinful passions associated with being in the flesh (dependence on human effort at attaining godliness) will explode in a volcanic eruption of sinful deeds that lead to death (see Romans 7:5.) To be "in the flesh" is to depend on human effort in order to be righteous or live a godly life. Such are not led by the Spirit.

Trying to be godly by human effort aka the arm of flesh that will fail is a symptom of having the old/sinner nature inherited from Adam. Remember: "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." Romans 5:19.

The one who is trying to be godly/righteous by his own human effort is not a new creation in Christ. He has the old/sin nature. He does not believe what 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."

Believer, don't be deceived like Eve. Satan and his ministers behind many pulpits know that depending on human effort (arm of flesh) at keeping the Law in order to be like God (godly) will cause sins that lead to death to multiply in your life! See Romans 7:5-

"For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death."

See the New Living Translation: "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 flesh" is the "old/sin nature" that all mankind inherited from Adam. The arm of flesh (human effort at living a godly life) will fail and when it does, those suppressed sins and those "I can never do that" situations that many pride themselves in will explode in a volcanic eruption of sinful deeds that lead to death (Romans 7:5.)

Remember Isaiah 64:6 – "We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

Because of the sin nature inherited from Adam, man's best works of righteousness done by human effort are like menstruation rags in God's sight. This is what many churchgoers are yet to understand:

"By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." Romans 5:19.

From the above verse, we see that committing acts of sin is not what made all mankind sinners. Adam's disobedience did. Everyone descended from Adam inherited this sin nature. No matter how much a sinner tries to be good and keep the law, as long as he does not have Christ as his ONLY source of righteousness, he is still a sinner because of the sin nature within. This is the same way that a banker driving for Uber after work or having a shop somewhere does not change the fact that the banker is a banker. The one with the sin nature 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 sin nature is characterized by dependence on human effort at living a godly life, expecting God's wrath for sins and doing things to get re-righteous with God after sinning. Whatever "good works" or law-keeping that comes from a vessel that harbours the old nature is like a menstruation rag in God's sight according to Isaiah. When activated by the law that many are trying so hard to obey in order to be godly, the one with the sin nature cannot but produce sins that lead to death (Romans 7:5.)

Believer, Christ rid us of this sin nature when we believed. Colossians 2:11 says of His work in us:

"When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature."

Remember "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." Romans 5:19.

Just as doing good works cannot make a churchgoer with the sin nature become righteous in God's sight, in Christ, having Him as our Righteousness and Strength, we cannot sin God's gift of righteousness to us away. In fact, it is only when we receive God's abundance of grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ that we get to live in triumph over sin and death- Romans 5:17-

"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 death that we escape in Christ is a process. Lack, sickness, depression and every earthly ill are "death begun." Remember Adam did not drop dead physically on the day his death sentence came into effect.

This is God's Word: you will live in triumph over sin and death through Christ when you receive God's abundance of grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ. You will not continue to live in sin.

But many call themselves liars by disbelieving God's word and by following after the example of Satan when he deceived Eve by saying that we need to deploy human effort (the arm of flesh that will fail) at keeping the letter that kills in order to be godly aka "be like God." These are the ones who say things like:

"Yes you are saved by Grace through Faith but we still have to keep the Law in order to be godly and as a guiding principle for morality so that we don't fall from Grace and miss heaven."

Believer, Christ SUFFERED and DIED to make us GODLY (be like God). Isaiah prophesied about His suffering and "what He will accomplish" for us in Isaiah 53:11-

"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."

Believer, only God's gift of righteousness to us in Christ will suffice to make us righteous and save us from wrath and He gives FREELY to all who believe.

Salvation in Christ is not behaviour modification or supressing sins by the arm of flesh (human effort) that will fail. Salvation in Christ is being transformed to the image of the Lord’s glory, from glory to glory by the Holy Spirit. As we are being transformed, our thoughts, words and actions cannot but align with the work of the Spirit within. Believer, this is what Christ came to do: 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."

By God's Grace, don't let any wolf in sheep's clothing deceive you into thinking that of yourself, you have some good in you to overcome sin by human effort at keeping the Law. Believer, all of us are earthen vessels, weak of ourselves. The Good News about Christ is the treasure in us. His strength is made perfect in weakness. He is our boast in the "much fruit" that we get to bear because we are united with Him, the Vine (John 15:5.)

Isaiah 64:6 shows us the true nature of the man that depends on himself to produce works of righteousness, even many who profess Christ but still think that their arm of flesh (human effort) can contribute an iota of righteousness to their account in their quest to live godly life :

"But we are all like an unclean thing,

And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;"

"Menstrual rag" in the original Hebrew.

Like Peter who ended up denying Christ three times when circumstances were favourable, the reason why many think they can stand and resist sin by their own power is because a temptation that is bigger than them has not come their way. There is no good in man; no good in anyone of ourselves. James 2:10 says - "For whosoever shall keep the whole law yet stumble at one point, he is guilty of all."

God's word says "all have sinned." One of the most foolish things that anyone can do is to have a "my sins are better than your own" contest. "All have sinned" and the wages of sin is death. All sinners will die. James 2:10 above shows us that without Christ as our Righteousness, the one who only lied about his homework is in the same boat of unrighteousness as the thieving, pedophile, serial killer. This does not seem fair until we see from Peter's experience that 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. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 counsels us:

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."

Believer, if it were not for God screening and filtering our tests and trials and providing the Way of escape that brings us out victoriously, we would all be wallowing in heinous sins. Notice God does not just provide the Way and leave you to figure out how to escape? The Way Himself - Jesus Christ - "will bring you out of it victoriously."

This is the story of anyone outside of God's gift of righteousness to us in Christ:

"But we are all like an unclean thing,

And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;"

Imagine the unclean thing here as a vessel (man) with a smelly dead rat (sin nature inherited from Adam) that produces maggots (acts of sin) in it.

The pot smells and the maggots crawl within and all over the outside of the pot/vessel (sin manifested) attracting flies, vultures and other carrion eaters (sickness, lack, curse, all earthly ills and death.)

Some vessels are right now residing in cold weather where their dead rat is frozen and does not smell/produce maggots, This represents people with the sin nature evidenced by believing that they are being upright and holy by their own human effort. This was where Peter was when he was boasting that he would not deny Christ. But the vessel (man) cannot control time and chance: life does not conduct SWOT analysis before throwing challenges or heat at anybody. Expose that seemingly holy vessel to the heat of the Sahara and you will see sin manifested because of the sin nature within.

God not allowing us to be tempted beyond what we can bear is the "skeleton" that keeps many upright and able to move but the flesh (human effort) in many believes that it is upright by its own effort.

Believer, we all need God's saving Grace to save us from sin and death. Our Saviour Jesus Christ rid us of the sin nature that produces sin when we believed. In Him, instead of the "sin nature" that produces a harvest of sinful deeds that lead to death, we now have His "righteousness nature" so we get to produce a "harvest of good deeds for God." (Romans 7:4-5)

In Him, we get to live in triumph over sin and death. (Romans 5:17 NLT)

2 Corinthians 4:7 says: "But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves."

Believer, we are earthen vessels, powerless of ourselves. What our Saviour does through His Spirit that dwells in us is continuously wash we earthen vessels clean with the water of the Word of faith (not the law), all through no effort of ours.

Once the heart is believing right, your actions and behaviour will line up with the work of the Spirit within (2 Corinthians 3:18.) The dead rat (sin nature inherited from Adam) is no more. We are a new creation in Christ: having His righteousness nature, we cannot but produce the fruit of the Spirit and do exploits to the glory of God, yet not us but Christ in us. He Himself said in John 15:5-

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

These are works of faith- done by Christ in us, through us and for us; this is how come "Faith without works is dead" - not by bearing fruit by human striving as false preachers twist this verse to mean but bearing much fruit by the power of God at work in us, so we cannot boast in the flesh (human effort).

With our insides cleaned and being transformed by the Spirit, the maggots outside the vessel will vanish too and with none crawling out to replace them because the inside is pure and not stagnant! Not only will you Live Right and not continue in sin, you will do exploits "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." - Philippians 2:13.

ALL OF THESE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR HUMAN STRIVING AT BEING GODLY. This is why we sing: "Tis no longer I that liveth but Christ liveth in me."

With God's gift of righteousness to us in Christ comes no condemnation. It is Christ's "neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more."

Believe Right and you will Live Right.