You’ve heard me say this before, but it bears continuous repeating, because it is such a profound Truth. “Holiness is not a requirement for God to have a relationship with you.”
That statement right there immediately lets me know where people truly are in their understanding of the grace of God. Those who are religious or legalists will bristle at that statement. Then proceed to lay out the effort that has to be put forth through works to make oneself holy. Well, lets see what scripture has to say about this Truth. This teaching will be a little longer than usual. I wanted to keep it all together and not break it up into two parts.
Romans 5:6-8.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
So when we were powerless Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrated or commanded his own love for us while we were yet sinners. Now you need to study scripture and not just read it. This says without exception that Christ died for you and me at the time we were still sinners. That’s what it says. So why all the argument?
Did you miss the part about “while we were still sinners”? If we were sinners, that concludes that there is a point in time when we are no longer sinners. That point in time is when we receive what Jesus did and make Him Lord of our lives. He died for the ungodly and the sinner. Why? So they would have a way to be set free from the law of sin and death.
Just look at Romans 6:6,7 and Romans 8:2. If you’re still having a problem with the truth that you are no longer a sinner, but are now righteous in Christ Jesus, go to the teachings “Sin – No Longer An Issue” and “Sin Has Been Abolished”. Or you can pick any number of teachings on this website, because this wrong belief that we are still sinners is such a sacred cow, I destroy that untruth continuously throughout these teachings on the grace of God.
The argument ensues because of wrong believing based on religious teachings that are in error. Teaching the “have to” and “thou shalt not” messages only serve to put people in bondage to the law. Old covenant or law always causes you to look at yourself. New covenant or grace always causes you to look at Christ crucified.
Ephesians 2:1-9.
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
Up until the next verse you can see what the law is pointing to. Exactly where we used to be and what we used to be. AAAHHH!!! Here comes one of those big buts in the bible.
4 BUT because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
Did you notice that? It was his great love and rich mercy that saved us. Not anything we could do and certainly not the law. Just look at verse 5.
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
This confirms what I just stated above. His great love and mercy made us alive with Christ. He moved us from verses 1-3 to where we are now. The “But” in verse 4 erases everything before it and sets us onto the truth that follows.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
Who raised us up? Who seated us with Him in the heavenly realms? This stuff is really easy. It takes religion to make it hard and there’s always enough of that to go around.
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Here we see exactly why He raised us up and seated us with Him in Christ Jesus. I don’t need to repeat what it says. Just study it. Do you see it? It’s right there.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
When scripture, which is inspired by the Holy Ghost, repeats itself quickly, we better take notice, because it’s God making sure we don’t miss a very important truth. Here Paul repeats what was said in verse 5. In other words, Paul is writing under the unction of the Holy Ghost and saying “Just in case you missed what was said in verse 5 about works verses grace, let me say it again and make it real clear”.
Here’s another set of scriptures that fit this pattern of making sure we don’t miss what’s being revealed. It’s in the New American Standard Version. No comment necessary. Just study it for yourselves and notice the immediate repetition in verses 8 and 9 concerning being cursed.
Galatians 1:6-9.
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Here are some other scriptures for you to study that further bring the truth and not just some religious opinion. Colossians 1:27 and Colossians 2:8-10. There are numerous other scriptures, but that should be enough for now.
Okay. Here is the next one. “Old testament prophets call your sins to remembrance. New testament grace filled preachers call your righteousness to remembrance.”
Romans 3:21. “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;”.
Might as well throw Romans 4:13 in there. “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Who is Abraham’s seed? WE ARE!
Galatians 3:29 – “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”.
What promise? That we should be heirs of the world. Come on. If we are Abraham’s seed, and we are, the promise is not just to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through righteousness. It’s simple step logic. Just follow it through, but let me warn you. It will destroy your religion.
Okay, one more. Romans 10:3. “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
It just doesn’t get any clearer than that. It’s right there in front of your eyes. The question is will you set aside your wrong believing and opinions about what you think truth is, or what you’ve been wrongly told is truth, for the real truth of what scripture says. They were “ignorant” of God’s righteousness. That’s key. It’s not that the people are stupid or idiots. It’s just that they are ignorant to the truth. That means simply that they do not know this, or haven’t been taught it before.
That’s the burden we have. To teach this the way Paul taught it. Radically and with great persuasion. People are not dumb. They just haven’t heard it taught this way. The sad part is, some will reject it even after hearing this great, good almost too good to be true news. Now that’s dumb!!!
Old testament preachers tell you what’s wrong with you. New testament grace filled preachers tell you what’s right with you, because of what Jesus has done, in spite of what’s wrong with you. Now look at these actual events. You will see the comparison between grace and law. The differences are vivid.
The first miracle Moses (who represents the law) did was to turn water into blood. This resulted in many people dying.
The first miracle of Jesus (who is grace personified) was to turn water into wine. This resulted in celebration and life.
The law was given by Moses at Mt. Sinai on the day of pentecost. About 3,000 people lost their lives (Exodus 32:28).
In the New Testament under grace, the Holy Spirit was given on the day of pentecost and about 3,000 people were saved (Acts 2:41).
In Old Testament before Mt. Sinai and the 10 commandments (law), the children of Israel were under the Abrahamic covenant of grace. Not one died, their clothes lasted and when they murmured God’s favor increased (food, water).But then comes Exodus 19:8. The people told Moses (who told God) – “All that God requires and demands of us, we are well able to perform”. In other words, God, stop assessing or blessing based on your goodness and start assessing, judging and blessing based on our obedience.
Effectively they exchanged covenants from grace to law. So, God had no choice. He gave them 10 laws because they wanted to be judged based on their performance. After this, they started to get sick, they died, the water was bitter, their clothes rotted, and their journey was difficult. Does this sound familiar?
Jesus delivered us from the law by the finished work of the cross. That means we are under grace and not law. Nevertheless, there are still believers who are living today as if the cross never happened. Still fighting to be under the Old Covenant of law. Trying to live under the law. Trying to be justified by their efforts. By so doing, they are negating what Jesus has already done.
So right here let me drop in this prophetic word. “Until you fully understand and receive the FINALITY of the Cross, you’ll never achieve or experience the Power of the Resurrection”.
In the Old Testament God says “I will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:7).
In New Testament God says “I will remember your sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12 & Hebrews 10:17).
God has made the old covenant obsolete. It has been obliterated. Hebrews 8:13. “When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear” (NLT). Why are people fighting to hang onto something that is dead or obsolete?
Hebrews 10:8-10 goes on to say “He takes away the first to establish the second”. Second is always better than the first. Second Adam better than the first Adam. New Covenant better than the Old Covenant. Grace is much better than the law. Then there is the statement in Genesis where it says “the evening and the morning, first day”. What does that mean? Evening is dark and morning brings the light. Weeping may last for the night, but Joy comes in the morning. He takes away the first to establish the second.
Hebrews 10:10. “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time” (NLT).
This takes me right back to my opening statement. “Holiness is not a requirement for God to have a relationship with you”. That verse says I’m holy, not because of anything I’ve done, but because it was God’s will for me to be made holy by the sacrifice of his Son. So I’m holy because God sacrificed his Son to make me holy. I’m made holy. I don’t or didn’t make myself holy. Yeah God!!!! Way to go!!!!
Before we stop, lets look at a contrast between Elijah (Old Covenant) and Jesus (New Covenant).
Elijah declared a drought as God directed. For 3.5 years there was no rain or dew. Rain speaks of the Spirit. Dew speaks of favor. So for 3.5 years there was no spirit and no favor. Then on Mt. Carmel, the judgment of God came down. God’s judgment consumed the sacrifice that was placed on the altar. As a result, people died by the numbers.
Jesus’ ministry lasted 3.5 years. During that time He was full of the Spirit and favor from God. When he went to the cross and declared “it is finished”, the judgment of God screamed down out of heaven directly on Jesus. However, this time the sacrifice consumed the judgment forever and people from that time forward received newness of life and are still being saved.
So with Elijah (Old Covenant), the judgment consumed the sacrifice. With Jesus (New Covenant), the sacrifice consumed the judgment.
To sum this up. There is a definite difference between grace and law. It’s God’s will that we live in a life of victory under the purchased grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not under the strict confinement of the law with all the rules and performance requirements that go with it.
As long as you believe that obedience to the law is the method for winning acceptance from God, you will continue to have a problem with sin.
Grace is God’s willingness to use His power and His ability on our behalf even though we don’t deserve it. Time to get set free from the bondage of religion, law, and legalism. Remember, Grace is not justice, because it’s above fair. Grace and Peace.
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