Falling from Grace: Don’t Waste Your Life or the Lives of Others

by Eldon DeBoer

A prominent concern that the Apostle Paul had for the believers of Galatia is expressed in 4:8-11:

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. (NIV)

How could Paul have wasted his efforts on the Galatians? They had heard the true gospel and believed in Christ. They had received everlasting life by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (cf. Galatians 3:1-5). Yet Paul feared he had “wasted [his] efforts on” them because they apparently were buying into the same false message that Peter was approving by his behavior (2:11-12. Another article, which is available upon request (edeboer@tnics.com), “Acting in Line with the Truth of the Gospel,” addresses this in detail). They were “observing” certain laws that they thought were of God and apparently were thinking that this was necessary in order to secure their righteous eternal standing with God. Before believing in Christ for justification they had been “enslaved” by “those weak and miserable principles” and now they were returning to these rules thinking they must live by them in order to secure or remain secure in a right standing with God. Therefore Paul’s concern for such believers in these verses may be summarized this way:

Do not enslave yourself to a set of rules for fear that you will lose what cannot be taken from you. To do so is to live a wasted life.

Paul feared for the Galatians because they were in danger of living wasted lives. If his teachings of the grace message were not applied, his work with them would have been “wasted . . . efforts” because of the tragic result that their lives would remain unfruitful before God. This applies to believers through the present time. For, you see, believers in Christ will live forever with God whether or not they grasp and apply the message to the Galatians. They may live a wasted life or they may walk by faith applying the law of love because of Christ’s love for them and receive eternal rewards (Galatians 2:20; 4:10; 5:1-5). Paul indicates this in greater detail in Galatians 5 where he pointedly declares,

You have become estranged from Christ [have faded away from Christ], you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4; NKJV)

This verse sets forth the fact that those who attempt to be justified by the law have “become estranged from Christ” and “have fallen from grace.”

Some translations use words stronger than “estranged” which do not fit the larger context of this letter. The word translated “estranged” in the New King James is katargeo and may be rendered “faded away” in keeping with how it is translated in the following verses with reference to fading glory.

2 Cor 3:7 - But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,

2 Cor 3:11 - For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

2 Cor 3:13 - and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.

When a believer in Christ has fallen from grace by assuming he can secure his right standing with God by keeping a law he thinks is of God, the tragic result is that he has faded away from Christ in his experience, in his walk with Christ.

Believers in Christ who seek to secure their right standing with God or think that they can remain secure with him by obedience to the Law or a rule that they think is of God, “have faded away from Christ.” Their walk with Christ becomes that which is not compatible with grace because of their works orientation. If the people addressed had believed in Christ like Abraham did (Galatians 3:8ff.), they had not lost their eternal standing with God in Him, which is impossible (cf. Ephesians 1:13-14). But their relationship with Christ Jesus had been severely damaged. Believers in Christ who continue to try to “be justified by law” cannot have a meaningful and intimate personal relationship with Jesus. A grace oriented, meaningful relationship with the Savior in this life on earth is maintained only as a believer walks with Him by faith, obeying Him out of gratitude for having been completely justified by faith (Galatians 2:16-20; cf. Colossians 2:6-7).

By seeking to secure their right standing with God for eternity by obeying a set of rules, believers have “fallen from grace” in their experience with Christ. They no longer trust in Christ Jesus alone to provide their justification. Since they are seeking to be “justified by law” they have “fallen from grace” from the standpoint of their relationship with Christ in time. Instead of drawing strength and power from the Lord Jesus as they walk with Him by faith like Paul did (Galatians 2:20), they seek to be secure in their relationship with Him by obeying “rules and regulations” (4:9-11). Those who seek to secure a right standing with God in this way have become “burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (5:1). They have once again become enslaved to the law and know little or nothing of the freedom they could have in Christ. Therefore they have “fallen from grace” in their relationship with Christ Jesus here and now in time. Said another way, they have fallen out of favor with Christ in this life as they keep striving to be justified before Him by their obedience.

A Wasted Life is a Life that Has “Fallen from Grace” Galatians 5:13-24

There are two possible tragedies presented in Galatians that result from “falling from grace.”

1. Those who have fallen from grace live in danger of having a wasted fruitless life.

2. Those who have fallen from grace live in danger of leading others into a wasted fruitless life.

Believers who “attempt to be justified by law” do not communicate the grace message by the way they live their life and certainly cause confusion by what they communicate verbally to explain their behavior. Therefore they are ineffective as true ambassadors for the clear message of God's grace in Christ Jesus.

To whom does Galatians 5:4 apply?

It applied to believers in Antioch who were buying into the message of “the party of the circumcision.”

It also applied to the believers of the churches in the region of Galatia to whom Paul was writing who also had become confused by their false teachings.

Whenever believers in Christ attempt to secure their righteous standing with God (to be “justified by law”) by their obedience to any rule or rules, they have “fallen from grace,” they have faded from Christ. This does not mean they have lost their eternal standing with God, but that their life in relationship to Christ in time here on earth is no longer grace-based. They fall from grace in practice but not from their position in Christ.

Peter had fallen from grace in practice, but not in position.

To a limited extent Galatians 5:4 may have been applied to Peter (2:11-15). The application is limited because Paul does not explicitly state that Peter actually bought into the false message of the legalistic Jews. Peter feared them and therefore he had fallen from grace by what he communicated by his behavior. He had fallen from grace in practice, while remaining in Christ positionally for all eternity.

While this letter to the Galatians does not explicitly state that Peter himself was trying to be “justified by law” it clearly is implied in chapter 2 that his behavior would have communicated that he had sided with those those who were communicating this false teaching.

Believers Who Are Free to Have a Fruitful Life by the Spirit

In contrast to those who have fallen from grace, those who are of Christ walk by the Spirit of God by faith in love and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). They also are enabled by the Spirit to have victory over sin in their life:

And those who are Christ's (who have not “become estranged” from Him as stated in 5:4) have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24).

Believers have the wonderful gift of the Spirit and are thereby able to put to death the sinful flesh and manifest the fruit of the Spirit. This is what should to be characteristic of their lives.

In contrast to those who walk by the Spirit, are those who are guilty of the sins from the sin list in Galatians 5:19-21. Believers who have faded from Christ may be found guilty of these sins:

• Contentions/enmities/antagonistic

• Jealousies/envy

• selfish ambitions/selfishness

• dissensions/party spirit

• heresies/factions/disagreements
• sexual sins

• idolatry

• sorcery

• drunkenness

• orgies/carousing

Some believers often question the eternal salvation of people guilty of sins they consider to be particularly “gross” that are included in this list. The fact of the matter is that their behavior also falls in line with living according to the sinful passions of the flesh if they are guilty of practicing any of these sins. As they themselves attempt to secure a right standing with God by keeping the Law or a law that they assume might prove that they are justified, when they might become guilty of say, "selfish ambitions," they are no better off than someone guilty of "orgies/carousing" before God.

What God desires is that believers walk by the Spirit so that they will have an inheritance in His kingdom. Believers who keep on living by the fleshly sinful nature will have little or no inheritance in Christ's kingdom. They will have lived wasted lives. This includes those who think that they must prove that they have been justified by keeping a set of standards while they themselves remain guilty of what they would consider to be lesser sins.

Conclusion

A life lived in slavery to the law to attempt to secure or retain a right standing with God is anathema (under a curse). Do not waste your life and the lives of others by enslaving yourself to laws of God for fear that you will lose what cannot be taken from you.

Believers in Christ will live forever with God whether or not they grasp and apply the message to the Galatians. They may live a wasted life by falling from grace or they may walk by faith applying the law of the love of Christ because of His love for them (Galatians 2:20; 4:10; 5:1-5; cp. 1 John 4:19).

The Gift of Life, the Gift of Righteousness and Motivation for Good Works

By Eldon D. DeBoer, Pastor-Teacher

The Apostle John in the Gospel that bears his name repeatedly presents Jesus’ teaching that eternal life is received by believing in Him (John 20:30-31). The Apostle Paul emphasizes in his epistles that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is a gift from God (justification) received also by believing in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16; cp. Ephesians 2:8-9). Since the gift of life and the gift of the righteousness of Jesus Christ are received only by believing in Him, what should be the motivation for good works?

Free to Us, Costly to God

God presents the truth of His love and grace in Christ Jesus so that we will respond in faith (John 1:12, 14-18; Romans 1:7; 5:1, 5-11). While the gifts of life and righteousness are gifts from God with no cost to us, God’s work in providing these gifts was very costly to Himself. The cost to Him was the suffering and the horrible pain associated with His death (Matthew 27:46). The Apostle Peter makes a powerful point of this cost to God in contrast to what people typically view as valuable (1 Peter 1:17-21). His emphasis concerning the great cost of our salvation to God follows the challenge to believers to live a holy life (1:3-16). While life with God and the righteousness of Christ are gifts received by faith, God calls us to live a holy life. We are to set apart our life in moral purity to God.

Motivated by the Love of God

It is abundantly clear in the New Testament that motivation for good works should come from a deep appreciation for the gifts God has so lovingly given to us by His grace. The Apostle Peter, along with the other apostles who wrote of God’s plan for our life, calls us by the Spirit to live a life of thankfulness in obedience to God for the gifts He has given. Far from sinning that grace may abound (Romans 6:1), we are to be motivated to please our Lord because we have received such wondrous gifts from God at great cost to Himself. Our faith is to be truly alive with fruitfulness revealed by such things as generosity and controlling our tongues (James 1:17 – 3:12). It is God’s desire that we freely respond to His love out of love for Him by pleasing Him by living according to His standards (1 John 4:7-19).

Motivated by Love, Not by Fear

When it is understood that life eternal and the righteousness of Christ Jesus are received as a gifts by faith in Him, then we believers in Christ are free to love God and our neighbors without fear. We obey God and want to please Him not out of fear that we need to prove that we in fact have received these wondrous gifts. No, since we fully received the Spirit of God when we believed in Christ (Galatians 3:1-5), we have God’s enabling grace by His Spirit to please Him and should be motivated by His love for us in Christ (2:16-20). The gifts of life and righteousness are not obtained, retained or maintained by good works. If this were the case, our motivation would not be from a heart of love for God.

How different the motivation for good works is for those who think that they must “line up and fly straight” by obeying God to some extent to obtain eternal life with Him. Many people who say they “believe in God” would also say that they must be good to some extent in order to enter and enjoy His heaven forever. So their motivation for obedience becomes something other than love for God for the gifts He has given.

Yes, all too many think that everlasting life must be earned by their own efforts. They have the same problem that the Jews had that lived in the first century (Romans 10:1-4). They have been deceived to think that they can obtain the righteousness of God by their works. They are sadly mistaken and, consequently, their motivation is from fear of God’s wrath upon them because they think they must be good to appease His anger.

The motivation on the part of those who think that they must retain or maintain life eternal and righteousness by their good works is also from a heart of fear. They believe that if they do not perform good deeds to some extent (usually they have a short list of things they think they must do) they should question whether or not they have in fact received the gifts of life and righteousness. Their motivation is also from the fear of never having received these gifts or losing them. They do not obey God out of love for Him.

In relation to the thinking that true believers must perform at some level of obedience in order to prove they have received the gifts of life and righteousness is the perspective of those who observe and conclude that the behavior of other professing believers is not up to true “Christian” standards. In contrast to Paul’s challenge to the Corinthians, the assumption is often made that they must not be saved (1 Corinthians 3). This thinking often comes from misconceptions about their own salvation. Because they perform what they think are good works to some extent, they think that they are proving that they are in fact saved. They are basing their assurance on their good works. What, then, is their motivation for doing what is right before God? Is it out of love for Him with a view to the great cost of their salvation that was completely paid for by the suffering of Christ? It would seem not. But, as is often true, they may have the problem that many believers in Christ have. Often believers in Christ hold contradictory sets of beliefs. They may believe that salvation is truly a gift from God but failing to prove one has received the gift reveals the person was never truly saved. Thus they reveal by their assessment that their own motivation for good works is performance based. They may experience a level of fear on a bad day or week and may conclude that they themselves are not truly saved. (I have personally read the testimony of a popular bible teacher who confessed that on a bad day filled with what he considered serious sins, he questioned whether or not he was truly saved. Such a testimony and thinking comes from a misconstrued theological framework about salvation and is connected to why he strives to do what is right.)

So what does it matter? Well, it matters a great deal to God for He desires that His people freely serve Him from hearts of love for Him because of His love and His grace message. How different the thinking of believers who clearly understand that one’s performance is not the basis for assurance of possessing or retaining the gifts of life and righteousness. They believe God’s Word in that He has declared that they possess His life and righteousness through faith and faith alone in Christ Jesus (John 6:47; Romans 4:1-4). As the Apostle Paul so clearly taught, the huge debt of sin can never be paid off by any amount of good deeds (Galatians 2:16). People who understand the grossness of sin and the huge debt to a holy God that they owe because of their sin should understand that they can never pay off the debt. Christ Jesus completely and totally paid for our sins on the cross of Calvary and we receive His righteousness and His life through faith in Him. Therefore, since we already possess these fantastic gifts bought and paid for by His death, we should freely serve and obey Him out of love for Him. As the Apostle Paul so succinctly wrote,

“For the love of Christ constrains (motivates) us, because we judge thus:

that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live

should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

No Longer Confused about the Grace Gospel Message

by Eldon DeBoer

A boy grew up with parents who were very dedicated Christian people. His mom and dad loved the Lord Jesus. No doubt about it. While still quite young, this boy’s mother shared with him the truth of Jesus Christ. His mother told him of Jesus’ love and His sacrifice for his sins and the sins of the world by His death on a cross. The boy believed in Jesus Christ as his Savior for life everlasting and deliverance from sin and death. However, something else was included in the message the mother shared with her son that day. She told him he must invite Jesus into his heart. Now who would not want to do that? Who would not want to invite the most loving and caring Person whoever lived into his life? So the boy did just that. He invited Jesus to come into his heart. But then confusion set in. As time passed the boy began to wonder, “What else do I have to do to know that I will live with Jesus forever.” He would hear such things as the need for “a salvation experience” and wondered if he had had one. With reference to eternal salvation, he would hear sincere people say such things like, “Surrender your life to Christ." "Make Jesus Lord of your life." Commit your life to Christ." "Give your life to Jesus.” "Give your heart to Christ." And of course he would hear the familiar, “Invite Jesus into your heart.”

Ridden with the guilt from knowing that he could never live up to the standards set before him, he became more confused and disillusioned about the Christian life. He very seldom talked about Jesus with others because he did not know where to begin or end in sharing His good news—if it was good news. But when the boy was about twenty years of age, he met some people who were excited about the teachings of a particular pastor. He began to listen to this pastor too and his eyes were finally opened to what must be done to receive eternal life. He learned from the Bible what soon became obvious to him that what God requires to be delivered from sin and death and to receive eternal life is that each individual person must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He reflected on this a great deal and came to the realization that he had believed this when he was a young boy. But then he immediately had become confused by what was added to the good news of Christ. He was thankful and remains appreciative of being blessed to have parents who loved the Lord Jesus and were sincere about sharing what they had been taught. But he could not help but be angry about being confused for so long concerning what the true grace gospel message is. Thankfully, however, the needful challenge to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” as told to a searching soul of old, had became crystal clear to him (Acts 16:31). He now could rest in the truth that Jesus Christ had granted him eternal life through faith in Him. Nothing more needed to be done. Jesus had come into his heart and life, not on the basis of an invitation, but upon believing in Him (Galations 3:26 - 4:6). Christ had done all the work on the cross of Calvary to provide for his eternal standing with God and what God asked him to do was to believe in Him. Now he could meaningfully share this truly good news with others with confidence so that they could have a truly biblical “salvation experience.”

The boy I’m talking about was me. It still saddens me and concerns me greatly when I hear dedicated Christian people add to the grace message of the good news of Christ Jesus. However, the confusion and possible disillusionment can be remedied. Like the pastor-teacher that the Lord brought into my life, we can be used of the Lord to clarify the grace message for the benefit of others so that they also can truly rest in Jesus’ love and grace.

The Grace Gospel Message and Making Disciples
Early on in the opportunity of making disciples of Christ Jesus it should be communicated to a believer that his or her possession of Christ's righteousness and eternal life did not come about because she or he asked Jesus into his heart, committed her life to Christ, gave his life to Jesus, surrendered his life to Christ, turned from sin, made Him Lord of her life or the acting out of any other work or deed such as being baptized, confirmed, participating in the Lord’s Supper or church attendance. While these things are important in the life of a disciple (with some possible exceptions concerning certain traditions), they do NOT communicate the good news of eternal salvation in Christ Jesus. Those who present such things as part and parcel with receiving deliverance from sin and death or, worse, as crucial in receiving eternal life, distort the true gospel and message of grace in Christ Jesus! While a person can truly be born again if the true grace gospel is included in a garbled message, typically confusion about the Christian grace-way of life results. Such emphases are not compatible with the grace message of receiving eternal salvation as taught throughout the Bible and especially communicated in the Gospel of John, Romans, Galatians and Ephesians. It should be communicated to a disciple that his or her eternal standing with God and the necessary requirement of the possession of the righteousness of Jesus Christ (justification) are received by believing in Him and nothing else. This is important so that the message of grace in Christ Jesus is the solid foundation upon which the ongoing growth of His disciple is built.

When an emphasis is placed upon doing a work as necessary in receiving eternal salvation as part of the good news, confusion about the Christian grace-way of life in a disciple’s walk with God may result right from the very beginning. The outcome of this may be a return to keeping the law or a set of rules to secure or maintain a right standing with God. When the emphasis from the beginning is placed upon something that must be done other than or in addition to believing in Christ Jesus, a believer may possibly become a slave to set of rules concluding that such activities are necessary in order to retain an eternal righteous standing with God (2 Corinthians 3; See earlier article in this blog.).

Committing one’s life to Christ, surrendering to Jesus, giving one’s life to Him, turning from sin and making Him Lord of one’s life certainly are the practices of a faithful disciple (1 Peter 3:15; Revelation 3:19-20). But these important good works are carried out NOT to receive or secure one’s eternal standing with God in Christ Jesus. These good works should characterize the life of a believer more and more out of gratitude to the Lord Jesus because it is understood that His righteousness and eternal life with God have been provided and received as gifts from God upon believing in Him (Romans 6:1 – 8:16; Ephesians 2:8-10).

Your questions and/or comments concerning these matters are welcomed (edeboer@tnics.com).

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2008

Challenged to lay down your life "by the mercies of God"

by Eldon DeBoer

In Romans 12:1-3 the Apostle Paul presents the following challenges:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."

Did you notice the "therefore" and "by the mercies of God" in the beginning of verse one? Without an awareness of the grace of God made available to us through Christ Jesus (Romans 3 - 11) and without the availability of His"mercies" to receive and apply the challenges from His Word, we are incapable of offering ourselves as a "living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God." As the Spirit moved the Apostle Paul to write in verse three above and elsewhere (Galatians 2:20; 5:1-16; Colossians 2:6-7), we must draw upon the Lord's grace and keep trusting in Him for the ability to apply His Word in our life.

The transformation into the likeness of Christ Jesus comes about as we renew our minds with the truth of His Word (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18). And our minds are especially renewed as we keep before us the wondrous love and grace seen in our Lord Jesus Christ. By His grace our Lord Jesus will enable us to apply the challenges from His Word for His glory as we keep on walking with Him by faith.

So may we keep on laying down our life as a sacrifice to the Lord that is set apart to Him, drawing upon His grace and mercy to do so. (The word construction--especially the verb forms of the Greek text in 12:1--indicates that this is something we may resume every time we realize we have stopped laying down our life like God calls us to do.) Like the branches that produce grapes draw upon the vine for the needed nutrients to produce fruit, may our life produce spiritual fruit that is acceptable to the Lord Jesus as we draw upon His strength (John 15:1-13; cf. Philippians 4:13).

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2008

Grace or Law, Freedom or Slavery

by Eldon DeBoer

What follows are additional explanations related to what is stated at the top of the page of this blog.

The sad commentary on the lives of many believers in Christ Jesus is that while they once understood that they have been delivered from their sins and eternal death by God's grace in Christ Jesus, they now are living their life under the Law. Sadly, many believers have become confused about God's grace plan for their life much like the Corinthians to whom Paul wrote long ago. The result is that they do not have the joy of true freedom in Christ but, sadly, they are living a life of slavery to rules and regulations that they think they have to obey in order to know that they are secure in their eternal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Just reading through 2 Corinthians 2:14 – 6:2 should cause us to draw these conclusions:

> The Law of Moses can only bring death.
> The Spirit of God is the One who gives life.
> In Christ there is freedom to be transformed into His likeness by His love and grace.

Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 3:6:

"[God] has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant (the contract agreement God signed with the blood of His Son) --not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

What is Paul’s main point? The Law of Moses had its God-given purpose. It brought death and illustrated the reasons for death. It was a message of condemnation (3:9). We have disobeyed God’s Word. We have sinned against God and therefore we die. Left to ourselves we will live in torment and be forever separated from God.

What is it that kills? What is it that can only produce death? It is God's Law that "was engraved in letters on stone" (3:7). Only the Spirit of God is able to make us alive in Christ through faith in Him (2 Corinthians 4:13-16; cf. 3:16). Only through faith in Christ is the veil of the Law taken away with its fading glory (3:14).

At the very moment that we believed in Jesus Christ, we died with Him when God identified us with Him in His death (5:15; cp. Ephesians 1:13-14). God has reconciled us to Himself by means of Christ’s work in our place (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Christ Jesus took our sin upon Himself so that we might receive God’s righteousness (5:21). Paul clearly taught that this was appropriated to us not by any works or obedience to God's Law (His rules) but by believing in Jesus Christ.

Consequently whenever any human effort or obedience is presented as a requirement to remain right with God and as a requirement for deliverance from sin or maintaining one’s eternal relationship with Christ Jesus, only confusion can result. There is the real danger of the veil remaining over the hearts of believers who once understood the grace message of the gospel but have become confused. Any true transformation into the likeness of Christ Jesus is impossible as long as the believer views his obedience as necessary in order to keep what God says that he already possesses--namely eternal life.

But don't take my word for it. Carefully study and think through what Paul is teaching, beginning in 2 Corinthians 3. You will probably find that this is not easy reading material. You are in good company. The Apostle Peter admitted that Paul's writings were "hard to understand" (2 Peter 3:15-16) But keep working at it. The reward is fantastic. You might realize once again the freedom found in God's grace message for your life.

The mirror of God’s grace in Christ Jesus is blurred by setting forth any requirement of obedience to the Law or God's rules for maintaining one's eternal relationship with Christ Jesus. The message of grace in Christ is distorted. And consequently believers return to slavery to the Law.

The only way the Spirit of the Lord ministers and gives life is by turning to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, believing that He and He alone saves and guarantees everlasting life. He can give us life with God forever because of who He is and what He has done for us on the cross of Calvary. Likewise, the Spirit of the Lord is the One who brings about our transformation into the likeness of Christ by His grace as we keep fixing our eyes on Christ Jesus in faith, keeping in mind His love for us as we continue to trust Him for His strength to apply His Word.

Is obedience and pleasing the Lord Jesus important? Of course!!! But we experience the freedom of His grace only when we obey Him in gratitude for His love and for the many gifts He has given, not because we fear that if we do not keep obeying Him He will take away what He in fact has freely given us through faith in Him.

Jesus Christ made it possible for us to enter heaven by His suffering and death in our place. By believing in Him we receive everlasting life with Him. The wondrous love that Christ Jesus has for us includes our position in Him, giving us resurrection bodies and rewarding us for faithful service. Paul brought this into view in 2 Corinthians 4:14-5:13. Then he explained (the explanatory gar in the Greek text introduces 5:14) to the Corinthians that he and Timothy did what they did because they understood the significance of Jesus Christ's love for them:

2 Corinthians 5:14. For the love of Christ constrains (or motivates) us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15. and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
16. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

The love that Jesus Christ so clearly demonstrated to us by His suffering and death on the cross provides real substance for the meaning and application of grace in our life. In verse 14 Paul uses the verb sunecho (pres.act.ind.). It is translated “constrains” or “controls” in other English versions. How Paul uses this verb elsewhere helps us understand its meaning. When we comprehend the love Christ has for us, it "hems" us in (Luke 19:43), it "presses" us to act (Philippians 1:23). The grace demonstrated by the love of Jesus Christ has everything do with being properly motivated to please the Lord when we obey His commands. This is how the grace of God revealed by the love of Christ for us instructs and trains us (cf. Titus 2:11-14).

The only way the Spirit brings about transformation is by God’s grace in Christ Jesus. It is all His work in us and through us. When this is not the emphasis, when this is not understood and applied, there is a real danger that believers have received the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

We should not put up with a message that is a message of death that kills. Study Paul's concern for the believers in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4. The false teaching that declares that God's rules must be kept in order to retain one's eternal relationship with Christ is in opposition to the message of grace. This false teaching will keep people in slavery to those rules. How can anyone rejoice in a message of condemnation and death? Yet, many believers today continue to "put up with it easily enough" (2 Corinthians 11:4 in the NIV), as is evident by what is commonly taught and practiced by many.

We are delivered from sin and death and receive eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ. And we are transformed into His likeness by His Spirit as we keep fixing our eyes on Him and His Word with faith in Him to enable us to obey.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:1-18).

We are free to become more like Him only as we obey Him in response to His love and grace.

If you have questions about any of the above, send me an e-mail (edeboer@tnics.com) and I'll be please to do my best to respond.

Like Paul did for the leaders of Ephesus, I entrust you to God "and the message of His grace which is able to build you up . . ." (Acts 20:32). Only this wonderful message of grace is able to build you up in your relationship with God.