IS GRACE A PASSPORT TO SIN?
I have shared this message before in 2016 but I feel the need to add some more information and repost it,because people keep asking me the same question. They ask me why we should live a Holy life yet the bible says we are saved by Grace.
I realise that these people may not have been around at the time I shared this and it is basically an explanation of why we still need to live a holy life even if Christ died for us on the Cross.
Many people think that by Christ death, they have an automatic passport to Heaven, and hence can live any kind of life they want.
Many people like using the phrase ‘We are saved by grace’ as an excuse to sin and to stay away from works that is,living a holy life. Believers in the same are also the ones who insist on saying,God looks at the heart and not on the outside appearance. They also say anyone believing in outward holiness and works is being legalistic.
BUT WHAT IS GRACE?
I will quote the same scripture they use as an excuse to sin and I will explain it.
Ephesians 2:1-10.
1.”And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
MEANING
Verse one says that we were dead because of the sins we used to do,but now He has made us alive by bringing us to Him.
2.”In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3.among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
MEANING
2 and 3 say that we were dead because of our trespasses when we walked like the rest of the world according the Prince of the air who is the devil. It says we fulfilled the lusts of the flesh and of the mind and we were by nature children of wrath,which means we were doomed for destruction.
4.But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5.even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
MEANING
4 and 5 say that even though we were dead in our trespasses,God loved us and saved us because of his great MERCY and love. He saved us by GRACE. We did nothing to deserve being saved but he chose to save us.
6.”And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7. that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8.For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,9.not of works, lest anyone should boast.
MEANING
7-9 say through our faith,he has saved us. Not because we did anything to deserve being saved lest any man should boast that he saved me because of what I did. We were sinners but he chose to save us. He showed us kindness when we did not deserve it. No one did anything in order to be saved but it was by purely by His GRACE.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO AFTER BEING SAVED BY GRACE?
10.For we are His WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus for GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
MEANING
Now that He has saved us by his grace when we did nothing to deserve it,we must produce not not just works but GOOD works which God planned that we should walk in. We have come to the light and we must do GOOD WORKS AND NOT EVIL WORKS.
Being saved by Grace is like the following Story.
A man who loved drinking was walking home one night and happened to fall in a ditch. He stayed in that ditch for a long time but someone happened to pass by and decided to pull him out of the ditch. The man was not obliged to remove him out of the ditch but chose to remove him out of his MERCY which is the same as GRACE.
Romans 6:1-2 says,”What shall we say then?Should we continue to sin that GRACE may abound?certainly not!How shall we who have died to sin live any longer in it? ”
This verse is asking this question: Should the man who fell in a ditch throw himself back because he was saved by mercy?So that the man who saved him should have mercy again? Certainly not.
We show our Faith in God by our works.
Titus 3: 3-7 ” For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WE HAVE DONE , BUT ACCORDING TO MERCY HE SAVED US, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Matthew 15:18-19 also says whatever is seen on the outside starts from the heart. Is it possible to stab someone to death but say,what am doing is just on the outside,in my heart,I love you? Certainly not.
Is it possible to dress half naked but say I intend to dress decently in my heart? Impossible.
That is why Matthew 16:27 says,”For the Son of man will come in the glory of His Father with His Angels and WILL REWARD EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS.”
James 2:18 also says,”Show me your Faith without works but I will show you my FAITH BY MY WORKS”
James 2:26 also says,Faith without works is dead.
If being saved by God’s Grace means not having any works,the bible would not have listed things which one should avoid in order to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Grace is simply undeserved kindness shown to someone.
Revelations 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
These lists are not comprehensive of what can hinder one from inheriting the Kingdom of God, but one needs the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which can be achieved through prayer. He is our guide to Heaven.
Any one teaching people that being saved by Grace is an opportunity to sin is swinging the gates of Hell wide open for their Congregation.
Galatians 5:13-16 says,”You have been called to liberty. But do not use Liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. I say then,walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”
So where is Christ in all this? Where does He fit in?
Isaiah 64:6 “ALL OUR RIGHTEOUS IS LIKE FILTHY RAGS BEFORE GOD.”
This is where Christ comes in. Even if you and I try our very best to dress modest and don’t steal,lie etc. WITHOUT JESUS CHRIST,we CAN NOT MAKE IT TO HEAVEN. The bible says He is the ONLY way to Heaven and that is why we have to believe in Him. We show our belief in Him through obeying what He tells us and He tells us that we must live a Holy life.
It is for this reason that one can ONLY go to Heaven by believing in Christ, and show this belief through living a Holy life.
It is also for this same reason that one can spend their lives giving to the poor etc but not make it to Heaven because they did not believe in Jesus. People who believe in doing good can spend their lives giving to different charities but not make it to Heaven because they lacked Christ. He is the ONLY way to Heaven.
This is why we must preach Jesus and repentance to all the world so that many can be saved.
BE HOLY,FOR I AM HOLY! 1 Peter 1:16.
End
Write a Reply or Comment
You should Sign Up account to post comment.
or