Who is the author of Grace?
One Author.
One Book.
One Message.
One Heart.
Love.
When we gratefully receive all of God's Word, it enables us to hear clearly, live victoriously and love supernaturally.
There is a very dangerous theology that is resurfacing in the Body of Messiah. It is esoteric in nature and states that once we come to faith, we remain sin free. While it's true that Messiah died for all sins past present and future; He teaches us that there is a process of sanctification. Professing faith in Messiah is an extremely important first step in our walk of faith. There is the first step, but then there are many more steps, each of them bringing us closer and closer to the LORD. The closer we get to the LORD, the greater our love is! As our love grows, our obedience will grow, and so will our joy! We're not entitled to anything, but we gratefully receive the grace that was poured out and live a life worthy of that calling! In God there is no darkness at all. As we walk with Him, He continually washes us by His Word, He removes that darkness, those worldly patterns and thoughts and behaviors, and makes us more like Him. He has drawn us by His love, we respond with repentance, and allow the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit in keeping with repentance. This is vital to living the abundant life!
Greasy Grace is the enemy of revival, because it is the enemy of repentance.
Repentance is the first word of the Gospel. It's what Yochanan (John the Baptist) preached. It's what Kefa (Peter) preached. It's what Rav Shaul (Paul) preached. It's what Yeshua preaches. Grace and repentance are symbiotic. One cannot survive without the other. Repentance is the first step for those professing faith, and a life that produces fruit in keeping with repentance is the way of Messiah's disciples. Now, I am not a revivalist, nor am I a revival scholar, but I've read enough accounts of revival to know that it all begins with humans becoming conscious of the reality of who we are and who God is. We become cognoscente of our sin. He offers forgiveness. We become cognoscente of our apathy. He offers new life. The understanding of our spiritual reality is the first step to having the veil removed and begin seeing things with the eyes of God. God is the author of repentance!
So, how do we continually see things from a heavenly perspective? Through relationship with the Living God. He gave us His Word, so we could have His heart. We gives us prayer so we can give Him our heart and listen to His. He washes our minds with His Word, and all of it is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword!
If the enemy can deceive us to think that only some parts of God's Word are applicable, or worse, that the LORD had any other motive other than love when He inspired the prophets to write, then the enemy has us right where he wants us. We have suddenly assumed the throne of our own hearts and have made God into our own image. Greasy Grace rarely focuses on the LORD purifying us from sin. It takes the super happy motivational parts of God's Word, but avoids tough passages that call the believer to repentance and holiness. My warning is that the GG doctrine is a deception that will produce a rebellion against God's Word, a rebellion against God, and it will usually translate into rebellion against authority structures.
Do I believe in Grace? Absolutely! I am saved by it! Do I believe in the Law? Absolutely! It's perfect and revives the soul (Psalm 19). Do I believe in the One who gave it all to the prophets as an expression of His Love? Absolutely! It would have been enough for Him to call our father Abraham, confirm His covenant to our forefathers, but He did more than that! He delivered us from the bondage of Egypt and sin to make us holy, purchase us with His blood and wash us with His Word. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not promoting that Gentiles live like their Jewish. I am promoting that every believer should love God and all of His Word.
Please, do not believe people or televangelists that turn you against some part of God's Word. This was the initial trick in the Garden of Eden and now the enemy is using the SAME tactic on God's people. It is so very sad because it produces death.
God offers life, and teaches us by His Holy Spirit what a Kingdom life looks like, through His WORD. All of it! He has granted us atonement, and loves us so deeply, even when we sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Who is the author of the Law?
Who is the author of Grace?
One Author.
One Book.
One Message.
One Heart.
Love.
Scriptures to chew on:
1 John 1:7-9
New International Version
1 John 2
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Messiah Yeshua, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
2 Peter 1:19-21
New International Version
19 And we have the
word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay
attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day
dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Messiah Yeshua. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.Matthew 5:17-20
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18
I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the
smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means
disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches
others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but
whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in
the kingdom of heaven. 20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the
kingdom of heaven.
