"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ..."

Believers, God's grace is not a license to continue in sin. It is the key to right living! Because the Holy Spirit transforms us (2 Corinthians 3:18), we find that the law is fulfilled in us, but not by us. We get to live right by accident! Nothing to do with our efforts; all to do with our Saviour Jesus. This is why we sing: "Tis no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me."

The message of the cross is illogical to human reasoning and rightly so. Our Christian life is a mystery to the world and not subject to human logic or common sense! The bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21:

18 "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."

21 "For since the world through all its [earthly] wisdom failed to recognize God, God in His wisdom was well-pleased through the [c]foolishness of the message preached [regarding salvation] to save those who believe [in Christ and welcome Him as Savior.]"

Christ is Saviour, even Saviour from sins. Matthew 1:21 says of Him:

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

But many who profess Christ do not see the need for His salvation in this area. They believe that they can save themselves from sins and try to "logic" out the message of Christ, calling it a license to sin!

Paul was wrongly accused of preaching that it is okay to sin because of Grace. See Romans 3-

7 “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights His truthfulness and brings Him more glory?” 8 And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned."

Pastors and leaders, are people saying the things that were said about apostle Paul of you? Are people wrongly accusing you of preaching that it is okay to sin because of the grace of God that is through Christ? Are you preaching the same gospel that Paul did in Acts 13:38-39 -

38“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in Him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do."

And Romans 3: 26 "...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."

Are you preaching that the Way to get right with God is to believe in Jesus Christ? Are religious Pharisee-types who depend on their own ability to obey the law to be made right with God bashing you for the message that you teach? Rejoice if this is you! This is why Paul uttered the famous words:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ..."

But this verse has been twisted by some to mean not being ashamed to preach inside bus or boldly posting bible verses on the Internet. No! Even Satan can preach inside bus and quote bible verses. The MESSAGE that is being preached is the issue. Is it the message of Christ: Righteousness by faith and not by works?

This is the crux of the gospel of Christ: Righteousness by faith. This is the message of Christ:

Romans 3: 26 "...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."

Back then in Paul’s time, as it is today, preaching God's Grace was something that religious people who preached that you had to keep the law, pay tithe, be godly (be like God) by your own will-power and sow seed before God can bless or deliver you frowned upon! Some Jews, whose life had been all about obeying the law of Moses to get from God and escape His wrath were ashamed to preach this gospel that said: "So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

This teaching seemed lazy and like an excuse to sin to those unbelieving Jews as it does to many today, but see how much grace children “want to sin:” can you imagine having so much regard and awe for God's law that you feel guilty and condemned for the sin of erroneously responding with ‘12 o’ clock’ when it was really 12.02 after someone asked you for the time?

Can you imagine feeling great guilt for using hyperbole in a sentence, even when everyone understands that what you said is not to be taken literally, e.g. feeling condemned for saying "he spilled water all over the floor" when the water didn't really cover the entire floor?

That should give some insight into how much regard we grace children have for God’s law and how much we “want to sin.” Perfect obedience is required of all who are trying to obey it to get right with God and no one can ever achieve this according to Romans 3:20. The law is not bothered about why you sinned or whether it was a mistake or a little joke. Every sin will be punished to the uttermost. And with God, there is no middle ground. There is no "I will do my best and God will see that I have really tried and consider me." This is to be "neither cold nor hot." One is either under law or under Grace.

Plus, boasting or depending on human effort-driven works (fasts, seeds, obedience) or that non-existent ability to be good (live a godly life) in man is akin to the physical flesh of man boasting that it can move about, play football and score goals by itself. God's mercy in man (even unbelievers and wicked sinners) is the "skeleton" that holds many upright. This is His goodness that leads to repentance.

For we who are in Christ, Christ Himself holds us upright. To us, He is "The Lord our Righteousness."

If God took away His restraining hand that restrains us from sins and which makes many churchgoers and unbelievers believe that they can be good and successful by their own will-power, we would all fail and devolve into committing the worst sins - collapse into the helpless heap of flesh that we are of ourselves. Paul addressed this in Romans 1 where a group who “suppress the truth” of righteousness by faith (verses 16-19) DEVOLVED into sin after “God lifted off His restraining hand…” —

“24 This is why God lifted off His restraining hand and let them have full expression of their sinful and shameful desires…”

If God lifted off His restraining hand that restrains us from devolving into committing heinous sins and let us rely on our human effort and will-power at keeping the law in order to be saved or for whatever reason, we would all see the full expression of the sinfulness of man.

Before Grace found us, many of us had been trying so hard to fulfill the law so much that it brought us to the end of our tethers- no matter how hard we tried, we could not. This is the exact purpose of the law: to show everyone up as guilty before God. See this in Romans 3:19-20:

"19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."

Also Galatians 3:19- "Why, then, the Law [what was its purpose]? It was added [after the promise to Abraham, to reveal to people their guilt] because of transgressions [that is, to make people conscious of the sinfulness of sin], ..."

Believer, let’s be for the law for the purpose for which it was given: the law was not given for us to keep in order to attain righteousness. The law was given to show how sinful we are.

Good works are EVIDENCES of our salvation in Christ. They are not CONDITIONS. When the believing is right, right living will follow. Because "No longer I that live but Christ lives in me," we get to live a life of moral excellence that is in line with and even exceeds that which the law demands. We get to give more, even beyond the lawful regulations of the tithe. But try to obey the law and sin will strengthen its grip, "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.

Believers, beware of those who say " Yes, we are saved by grace but we still have to obey the Ten Commandments and do good things in order to remain saved." Here is a warning from the word of God for such preachers of this "neither cold nor hot" message in Acts 13-

38“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in Him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do."

40 Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said,

41 ‘Look, you mockers,
be amazed and die!
For I am doing something in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe
even if someone told you about it.’”

Believers, let's beware of feeding on the different gospel that Paul spoke of in Galatians 1. In Christ, our Heavenly Father will never ask you to do certain things, "play your part" or be a certain way before He saves and blesses you. For every demand made of us, Christ is the Supply. Romans 8:32 clearly states that

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

FREELY! He gives us all things freely and not because we "sowed a seed." Only when you know that you receive freely can you give freely.

All you need to do to be saved, even from sins, is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ Himself saves from sins and transforms the sinner who believes to live right. Even our believing is by His grace, according to John 6:43-46 (MSG)-

"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. This is what the prophets meant when they wrote, ‘And then they will all be personally taught by God.’"

Our salvation in Christ covers being saved from hell to heaven, deliverance from all earthly ills/molestations by the enemy and deliverance from the power, pleasure and penalty of sin. Christ does it all. If human effort is involved, it is no longer grace (Romans 11:6) and we would be able to boast and look down on people who are yet to experience Christ's salvation from sins. But see Romans 3:

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."

BELIEVER IN CHRIST, WITH CHRIST AS YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, YOU WILL NOT CONTINUE TO LIVE IN SIN. THE HOLY SPIRIT TRANSFORMS US, NOT MORE RULES AND REGULATIONS THAT KILL. See 2 Corinthians 3:18-

"But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed to the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

We are transformed by the Spirit of the Lord as we keep on seeing Christ as our righteousness, even though we don't have it all together yet. Beware of those who tell the sheep to rely on the arm of flesh that will fail to transform them to godliness but reject the power of God to transform the sinner who believes in Jesus.

In summary, when you work, Christ rests. When you rest, Christ works. See the typology of Sarah and Hagar as the two covenants of Law and Grace in Galatians 4. Sarah (Grace) did not need Hagar (Law) to raise Isaac (the church.) Grace is enough.

Our Heavenly Father in Christ loves us so much. Believe Right and you will Live Right!