Any preaching that puts a large emphasis on man's ability to fail, mess up, or sin insults the finished work of Jesus Christ and His grace (or ability) to deliver, redeem and save us from sin! Every act of sin results from your mistrust and unbelief in His love and grace for you.
The preaching and teaching of the gospel is not about pointing out the sin in the world, but it is pointing out that Jesus is the one who has saved us from our sin. Whenever sin is focused on, there is always some sort of performance requirements attached to the message. “You need to clean yourself up and live right for Jesus. You need to be good and follow the rules”. Really? Where does it say that in the bible? It simply is NOT possible to punish people into purity.
Let me just say that good behavior does not save you, Jesus Does! There is not one good person in heaven. Romans 3:12 says there is not one that doeth good, no not one. It is not our good works that saved us, it is his kindness and love that saved us. Trying to keep a set of rules or adhere to a religious program man has created in order to avoid sin, in effect you have just entered into sin through lack of trust and unbelief.
Look at Titus 3:4-7.
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
Another big but in the bible. Study the 3 verses before this one to find out why this big but is here. What appeared? The kindness and love of God “our Savior”. I love what one of my grace mentors says. here's a quote from Malcolm Smith. “God's love for us is so great and so vast, without condition, that it appears scandalous to those who are religious and works/performance oriented. God who is love refuses to be God without us. He is the one that must come where we are. He is unalterably, unconditionally, unendingly for you”.
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Why did it appear? How did it appear? How did He save us? “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy...”
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;
He didn't just give us a little bit. He gave us abundantly through Jesus Christ our what??? Savior.
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Oh Oh. Here's another one of those “sacred cow” killing verses. It shoots the performance mentality right out of the Christian coffers. “Being justified by GRACE.” It doesn't say by our performance, or by our works, or by being good. It says by GRACE. Then it goes on to say we don't have to work to be heirs, but we are being made heirs. No doing, just being.
Again. This is all the Word of Truth. The Word is God and God cannot lie. So if you disagree with this, take it up with Him, because I didn't say it, He did. Also, whatever he says becomes truth, because He cannot lie.
I guess the final thing I would say that God cannot do is take away your right to choose. He will not take away choice. If He did, then He would control you all the time and you would be a puppet. However, that is not the government of God. It's not how He set it up.
He gave man free choice from the very beginning. He didn't have to plant the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the same garden. He certainly didn't have to put them right together. Then he tells Adam of all the trees in the garden he may freely eat, but not of this tree. Adam made a choice and God allowed him to choose, even though He knew Adam would make the wrong choice.
He's the same with us today. His love and grace is so vast that He allows us choice even when He knows we will make the wrong one. God allows in his wisdom what he could easily prevent by his power. He could control us, but He does not. God will always let you have choice. He will let you have your own way, not to spoil you. He will let you have your own way to reveal to you what it is that's destroying you.
Here's a quote from Graham Cooke which so describes why God cannot take away your freedom to choose. "If you really knew God, you would know the last thing He wants to be is in control. He is in CHARGE, but He is not in control. Why? Because if God was in control of your life, you wouldn't have any freedom, you'd be controlled. The Bible says it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. So God doesn't want to control our lives, He wants to teach us how to be mature."
Finally, I encourage you to study this teaching by Dr. Paul Ellis entitled “Is God Sovereign”? It will further explain this whole notion of God being in control and that He is Sovereign. Religion is what tries to control you. I ran across his website “Escape to Reality” in the beginning of 2018. I've yet to find anything that I disagree with him about. In fact, his teachings serve more to confirm the teachings I've presented on this website. We call it the Ridiculous, Radical, Inexhaustible Grace of God. Time to face the Truth. Grace and Peace.
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