YOUR STANDING IS WRAPPED UP IN JESUS

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joaniemarie

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2017
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#1
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[TD="class: yiv1846555968mcnTextContent, align: center"]Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 2:17[/TD]
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[TD="class: yiv1846555968mcnTextContent"][h=2]- NOVEMBER 16 -
YOUR STANDING IS WRAPPED UP IN JESUS[/h][HR][/HR]
In the Old Testament, the Israelites’ standing as a nation before God was wrapped up in the standing of their high priest. What the high priest was before God, so was the entire nation before God.

If the high priest sinned, he brought guilt on his nation, and God would reject the entire nation no matter how law-abiding the people were or how faithful they were in bringing their sacrifices.

Conversely, if their high priest was without fault and acceptable to God, God would accept the whole nation even if the people were sinful.

Unfortunately, the high priests of Israel often failed because like any human being, they were imperfect.

Thank God that today, you and I have Jesus as our High Priest, who is 100 per cent Man and 100 per cent God. As our High Priest, His standing before God is always right. Jesus is always acceptable and pleasing to the Father. Therefore, we can never lose our acceptance with God because as our High Priest, Jesus only brings righteousness on His people.

In heaven right now, Jesus our High Priest is seated at the right hand of God the Father. (Romans 8:34) This means that God does not look at you. He looks at Jesus. If Jesus is good, you are good. If Jesus is accepted, you are accepted. If God sees Jesus perfect, then He sees you perfect. If Jesus is righteous, then you are righteous. And we know that Jesus our High Priest is good, accepted, perfect and righteous, which means that that is how God sees us!

My friend, you cannot lose your right standing because Jesus Christ isyour High Priest. To lose your standing, Jesus has to lose His standing first. But we know that we have in Jesus a High Priest who is perfect and who cannot fail. So you need never be afraid or conscious of your faults when you come before God. Because your standing is completely wrapped up in Jesus your High Priest, you can come to God boldly and receive all that you need from Him!

Destined To Reign Devotional Pastor Joseph Prince



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joaniemarie

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2017
3,198
303
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#2
Since God sees Jesus as righteous., He sees us as righteous. This truth will set the Christian free from striving to be good enough. It's a gift we received at the time we got saved. When I read "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" It's understood now I must SEE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (not mine) I must go before God the Father clothed in Jesus righteousness. Only then will all these things be added unto me.

And so it has been for me since finding out the meaning of Jesus righteousness given to the Christian. We go by grace through faith in Jesus righteousness. This is the Lord our righteousness.

No matter what we do as Christians., if it is not done by the righteousness of faith in Christ's finished work alone., our Christian lives will not work the way they are supposed to. Freely we have received freely we give. I've also considered the reason many are not being healed or cleansed is because we have not received ourselves. So now in sharp contrast to my previous Christian life., now I freely receive and am learning to freely give.

 
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Destined To Reign Devotional Pastor Joseph Prince


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What he is saying as usual is NOT TRUE. Every jew would laugh this guy out the room if he came talking that nonsense. The israelites were not responsible for the personal sins of the high priest. The only time it would have any effect was if the transgressions occured while he was carrying out his duties as a high priest. (There were other types of sacrifices that dealt with personal sins.)

The way Jo$€ph "Hyp€rgrac€" Princ€ tries to twist this is that no matter what you do, God is happy with you. God is thrilled, you are just so awesome (because of Jesus!!).
Unfortunately for Joe here, we got many bible verses to the contrary including:

Colossians 3:5-6
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

I specifically chose Colossians because I know yall dont even consider what Jesus said new covenant since yall dont realize how a testament works. [Jesus spoke His testament when on earth and then when Jesus died and resurrected it came into effect.]
Remains to be seen if even Paul's letters are old covenant.
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,167
12,761
113
#4
What he is saying as usual is NOT TRUE..
You are right. This is just more Joseph Prince nonsense. But I will not waste any more time on him. There comes a time when you have to leave people who love false doctrine to continue enjoying their false doctrines.
 

FlSnookman7

Senior Member
Jun 27, 2015
1,125
135
63
#5
Not sure I agree about the high priest thing but you are of course correct that we who are in Christ are righteous because of what He did and not because of what we do. When we realize our true identity and walk in the light of that truth then the fruits of the Spirit flow from that. Thank you Jesus!
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,167
12,761
113
#6
Not sure I agree about the high priest thing...
There's much more than the high priest thing which is totally false. Take a look and this and give it some serious thought:

In heaven right now, Jesus our High Priest is seated at the right hand of God the Father. (Romans 8:34) This means that God does not look at you. He looks at Jesus. If Jesus is good, you are good. If Jesus is accepted, you are accepted.

A babe in Christ reading this, or someone not well-grounded would rightly conclude that one can live any way one pleases but "He does not look at you". So live like the devil, because "He [only] looks at Jesus". If you know your Bible (and I believe you do) then this is pure nonsense and false doctrine.

While God imputes the righteousness of Christ to those who sincerely believe the Gospel, He still looks at us and examines our lives. So while we are justified by grace through faith, we cannot live as we please. But Prince has no warning about that.

The modS really need to place a warning on every one of these *gems* from Prince: BEWARE, FALSE TEACHER ON BOARD.
 

BenFTW

Senior Member
Oct 7, 2012
4,834
981
113
33
#7
There's much more than the high priest thing which is totally false. Take a look and this and give it some serious thought:

In heaven right now, Jesus our High Priest is seated at the right hand of God the Father. (Romans 8:34) This means that God does not look at you. He looks at Jesus. If Jesus is good, you are good. If Jesus is accepted, you are accepted.

A babe in Christ reading this, or someone not well-grounded would rightly conclude that one can live any way one pleases but "He does not look at you". So live like the devil, because "He [only] looks at Jesus". If you know your Bible (and I believe you do) then this is pure nonsense and false doctrine.

While God imputes the righteousness of Christ to those who sincerely believe the Gospel, He still looks at us and examines our lives. So while we are justified by grace through faith, we cannot live as we please. But Prince has no warning about that.

The modS really need to place a warning on every one of these *gems* from Prince: BEWARE, FALSE TEACHER ON BOARD.
Oh yay! Another accusation of licentiousness. What's new? :rolleyes: Sorry, it gets old.
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
8,877
4,331
113
#8
You are right. This is just more Joseph Prince nonsense. But I will not waste any more time on him. There comes a time when you have to leave people who love false doctrine to continue enjoying their false doctrines.
And that time is when?
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
8,877
4,331
113
#9
There's much more than the high priest thing which is totally false. Take a look and this and give it some serious thought:

In heaven right now, Jesus our High Priest is seated at the right hand of God the Father. (Romans 8:34) This means that God does not look at you. He looks at Jesus. If Jesus is good, you are good. If Jesus is accepted, you are accepted.

A babe in Christ reading this, or someone not well-grounded would rightly conclude that one can live any way one pleases but "He does not look at you". So live like the devil, because "He [only] looks at Jesus". If you know your Bible (and I believe you do) then this is pure nonsense and false doctrine.

While God imputes the righteousness of Christ to those who sincerely believe the Gospel, He still looks at us and examines our lives. So while we are justified by grace through faith, we cannot live as we please. But Prince has no warning about that.

The modS really need to place a warning on every one of these *gems* from Prince: BEWARE, FALSE TEACHER ON BOARD.
Can you post any quotes to back up your post?

Dr Michael Brown one of the main opponents to J Prince met to together.

The following link is the results of the meeting. Not sure if you read it. If not here is the link to read

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/in-the-line-of-fire/62639-my-meeting-with-joseph-prince

I have to be honest when I wanted to come back to to church and didn’t know how to.
Grace was a stumbling block for me.

I googled Grace and as a result came across E2R. Paul Ellis.

I read the articles. I e-mailed PE and he responded personally and walked with me for months.
As a result I started to understand grace, the true grace of God.

He loves me he loves Bill. He said “Bill just get this, just understand this, there is nothing you can do to earn his love”

Just so you know I am not a ‘Hyper Gracer or greasy gracer’ as some may label.

I do not use God’s grace a license to sin.
I don’t think JP and PE promote that either.

I love Jesus and want to be like him.
Thats what I seek after.
 

stonesoffire

Poetic Member
Nov 24, 2013
10,665
1,829
113
#10
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[TD="class: yiv1846555968mcnTextContent, align: center"]Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 2:17[/TD]
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[TD="class: yiv1846555968mcnTextContent"]- NOVEMBER 16 -
YOUR STANDING IS WRAPPED UP IN JESUS


[HR][/HR]
In the Old Testament, the Israelites’ standing as a nation before God was wrapped up in the standing of their high priest. What the high priest was before God, so was the entire nation before God.

If the high priest sinned, he brought guilt on his nation, and God would reject the entire nation no matter how law-abiding the people were or how faithful they were in bringing their sacrifices.

Conversely, if their high priest was without fault and acceptable to God, God would accept the whole nation even if the people were sinful.

Unfortunately, the high priests of Israel often failed because like any human being, they were imperfect.

Thank God that today, you and I have Jesus as our High Priest, who is 100 per cent Man and 100 per cent God. As our High Priest, His standing before God is always right. Jesus is always acceptable and pleasing to the Father. Therefore, we can never lose our acceptance with God because as our High Priest, Jesus only brings righteousness on His people.

In heaven right now, Jesus our High Priest is seated at the right hand of God the Father. (Romans 8:34) This means that God does not look at you. He looks at Jesus. If Jesus is good, you are good. If Jesus is accepted, you are accepted. If God sees Jesus perfect, then He sees you perfect. If Jesus is righteous, then you are righteous. And we know that Jesus our High Priest is good, accepted, perfect and righteous, which means that that is how God sees us!

My friend, you cannot lose your right standing because Jesus Christ isyour High Priest. To lose your standing, Jesus has to lose His standing first. But we know that we have in Jesus a High Priest who is perfect and who cannot fail. So you need never be afraid or conscious of your faults when you come before God. Because your standing is completely wrapped up in Jesus your High Priest, you can come to God boldly and receive all that you need from Him!

Destined To Reign Devotional Pastor Joseph Prince


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To know this in this manner causes the response to be to the Lord, all I am is Yours Lord.

We love Him because He first loved us. Me! :)
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,167
12,761
113
#11
Can you post any quotes to back up your post?
Bill,
All we need is Scripture.
He loves me he loves Bill. He said “Bill just get this, just understand this, there is nothing you can do to earn his love”
And every believer understands that grace is unmerited love and favor. We cannot earn salvation or God's love.
I do not use God’s grace a license to sin.
And that's good, because too many have been taught that grace is a license to sin.
I don’t think JP and PE promote that either.
Well then JP should have posted a properly balanced message, differentiating between justification (standing) and sanctification (state). To tell someone who may not even know the Scripture "This means God does not look at you" is to falsify the truth. God does indeed scrutinizes every believer, and "if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves... and we make God a liar".

JP has been exposed over and over again as a false teacher, not just here, but on many sites. Yet we have to put up with these deceptive messages which have half-truths or plain lies.
 
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Joidevivre

Senior Member
Jul 15, 2014
3,838
271
83
#12
Yes - it is true that we are given the righteousness of Christ, and never lose our standing in the Father's eyes. But what Prince never seems to mention are the things we need to deal with in order to be of "earthly good" - to forsake anger, bitterness, sins, etc., to become the expression of Christ to the world.

It is like Prince only teaches half of the message. We start from the premise of being accepted because we are in Christ, but then we must grow from a babe in Christ to one that is mature. That does take some work and self discipline.
 

stonesoffire

Poetic Member
Nov 24, 2013
10,665
1,829
113
#13
Babes don't work to grow Joi. They just get fed, and diapered, then put to bed. All with love.

Young men overcome wickedness. The fight against principalities and powers in high places. How ? By the Word. There is our work. Believe, and speak faith. Sometimes needing a little help.

Fathers? Well, look at Paul.
 

stonesoffire

Poetic Member
Nov 24, 2013
10,665
1,829
113
#14
The fruit of Holy Spirit includes self control. We can try to control, usually it's the tongue. But, no man can tame that bugger.

Solution? Be filled with the Spirit.

Am pretty sure you know these things. :)
 
Sep 14, 2017
900
23
0
#15
Therefore, we can never lose our acceptance with God because as our High Priest, Jesus only brings righteousness on His people.
My friend, you cannot lose your right standing because Jesus Christ isyour High Priest. To lose your standing, Jesus has to lose His standing first. But we know that we have in Jesus a High Priest who is perfect and who cannot fail. So you need never be afraid or conscious of your faults when you come before God. Because your standing is completely wrapped up in Jesus your High Priest, you can come to God boldly and receive all that you need from Him!
Hypergrace teaching.
Why is it the mods wrote a warning about teaching this stuff & then totally ignore every devotion written on it?
Yes, I blame joaniemarie for posting heresy, but I blame the mods more because they KNOW she's teaching it against their warnings.
If they could come on here and explain their rationality concerning this, maybe I could wrap my head around it.
 
Sep 14, 2017
900
23
0
#16
Yes - it is true that we are given the righteousness of Christ, and never lose our standing in the Father's eyes. But what Prince never seems to mention are the things we need to deal with in order to be of "earthly good" - to forsake anger, bitterness, sins, etc., to become the expression of Christ to the world.

It is like Prince only teaches half of the message. We start from the premise of being accepted because we are in Christ, but then we must grow from a babe in Christ to one that is mature. That does take some work and self discipline.
Half truth IMO is the worst kind of lie.
 

joaniemarie

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2017
3,198
303
83
#18
Can you post any quotes to back up your post?

Dr Michael Brown one of the main opponents to J Prince met to together.

The following link is the results of the meeting. Not sure if you read it. If not here is the link to read

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/in-the-line-of-fire/62639-my-meeting-with-joseph-prince

I have to be honest when I wanted to come back to to church and didn’t know how to.
Grace was a stumbling block for me.

I googled Grace and as a result came across E2R. Paul Ellis.

I read the articles. I e-mailed PE and he responded personally and walked with me for months.
As a result I started to understand grace, the true grace of God.

He loves me he loves Bill. He said “Bill just get this, just understand this, there is nothing you can do to earn his love”

Just so you know I am not a ‘Hyper Gracer or greasy gracer’ as some may label.

I do not use God’s grace a license to sin.
I don’t think JP and PE promote that either.

I love Jesus and want to be like him.
Thats what I seek after.



Me too Bill. The love of God in Christ is an amazing truth that has set me free from so much baggage from my past Christian life. Thank you for posting the link of Michael Brown and J. Prince. I'll be sure to watch it after this post.

What you have learned is the same thing I've been learning too and it's exciting. I like P.Ellis and enjoy his informative website that answers many of the questions Christians have about so many Bible questions. What a gracious man he is to have helped you through to see the love of God in Christ. Yes., taking the grace of God in Christ seriously (as if your life depends on it) is very misunderstood and as you can see on my thread here., gets attacked as do all who try to share about it. My life does depend on it. I get up in the morning and think about His love for me. I go about the day aware that He is watching over me and caring for me as never before. I totally depend on Him to do this now as never before. I never had this before and I know it's the Holy Spirit ministering the truth.

It makes me all the more need to share here on CC and to keep on sharing about the grace and truth that Jesus brought in. When we know that we are loved due to Jesus and Him alone., His love compels us to want to follow Him with all our heart. Just as Jesus said it would when we believed. His Holy Spirit washes over us with the rivers of living water John 7:38-39 and we know it's true. His love and grace is real and it gives us the power to believe for all He tells us in His Word.

The human mind says we can't possibly obey if we are not afraid of God. We can't possibly follow Jesus if we think we can simply lean our entire being on Jesus for everything..,surely we must work hard and suffer doubts and fears... No., we are not to fear. They don't know that without Jesus and abiding in His love and grace., we cannot do anything that strengthens the inner man. Without His love we will be afraid and will not have a strong consolation as the Bible says we should have.

Faith is believing and having hard faith in that kind of love. The kind of steadfast constant love that never changes no matter what we do. No matter what we think of our selves., no matter how much condemnation the devil throws at us we will stand because we know and have been taught and are continually being taught each day that God loves us unconditionally in Christ. Because Jesus made us worthy and He stands in for us.

I'm sorry for the ones who posted here in their anger and misunderstanding. I believe the enemy doesn't want this kind of love and grace taught because when it is taught., the church becomes strong and will not be fooled by the wiles of the devil who never wants us to know the extent of God's love for us in Christ.


The height and length and breath of His love when we begin to believe by faith that it's real and it's ours., gives the kind of freedom to walk on this earth with a boldness that doesn't come from us. And Jesus is glorified in that kind of faith in Him. And God the Father is pleased. And the Holy Spirit ministers to our spirit that it's true. That we are the righteousness of God in Christ. It's then we can do the work that we were called to do.
Thank you again Bill for sharing on this thread. You made my night!



 

joaniemarie

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2017
3,198
303
83
#19
Yes - it is true that we are given the righteousness of Christ, and never lose our standing in the Father's eyes. But what Prince never seems to mention are the things we need to deal with in order to be of "earthly good" - to forsake anger, bitterness, sins, etc., to become the expression of Christ to the world.

It is like Prince only teaches half of the message. We start from the premise of being accepted because we are in Christ, but then we must grow from a babe in Christ to one that is mature. That does take some work and self discipline.

The work we do in order to be of any earthly good is to be Christ minded. That is the higher calling that actually will take care of the other things you mentioned. Just like Mary and Martha., Martha thought all her work was what Jesus was interested in. But Mary is the one who chose the right thing., the better thing. Martha was worried and troubled about many things. (just like so many people are here on earth) but Mary knew the answers will be there when she listened closely to the Savior.

The more mature thing is to grow in faith believing. Learning not to worry or toil about life here is the more mature and more grown up thing to do as believers. Not looking to the obvious of our limited understanding but stepping out and believing Jesus for all He says and has promised. Faith is looking away from us and towards Him. Hebrews 11:1 is our calling and it is what pleases God. Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation the title deed) of the things we hope for being the proof of the things we do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)

Without that kind of faith it is impossible to please God. When we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness., it means we see Jesus righteousness and go in His name., not our own. That is how we work out what Christ has worked in us at the time of our salvation. That is how all these things will be added unto us. There is no other way.

 

joaniemarie

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2017
3,198
303
83
#20
My Meeting With Pastor Joseph Prince

10:30AM EST 1/26/2017 MICHAEL BROWN

Joseph Prince with Dr. Michael Brown (Courtesy)On Friday, Jan. 20, while ministering in Singapore, I had the pleasure of spending two and a half hours with Pastor Joseph Prince, delving into the Scriptures in Hebrew and Greek, discussing the points on which we differed and highlighting the points on which we agreed. Without a doubt, the points on which we agreed far outnumbered and outweighed those on which we differed.
When I wrote the book Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Movement, I reached out to the main authors I quoted in the book, asking them for permission to quote their writings if I went beyond the normal publishing guidelines, also asking them if they would like to reconsider any of their positions.

But I did not reach out to Pastor Prince, wrongly assuming he would not be interested in dialoguing with me based on my experience with some previous leaders who refused to interact. I apologized to him for my failure to do so, and he graciously received that apology.
He also wanted to make clear that he strongly differed with the positions of some of the others I quoted in my book, and what grieved him was not that I misrepresented his position when citing him but rather that he was cited side-by-side with some others whose views he strongly rejected.

Additionally, Pastor Prince felt that I have not accurately represented those who follow his Bible teachings regularly and how this has helped many around the world lead disciplined, holy, victorious and Christ-centered lives. He explained that his ministry office regularly receives testimonies from people who have been set free from the destructive bondage of sin, from those who have been liberated from the shackles of pornography and from those set free from severe drug addictions through his preaching of the gospel of grace.

Although I gladly acknowledged those testimonies and said I also heard similar stories from those who follow his teachings (because of the wonderful truths he delivered) I reiterated that I had also heard opposite stories from those who had become complacent and fleshly (because of what I believed were errors in his teaching).

Pastor Prince maintains clearly that those who have become complacent and fleshly do not understand the gospel of grace, and he would be the first to warn them that they are not living under God's grace and to share with them Romans 6:14: "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace." He believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that people who have an accurate revelation of God's grace have the power to lead holy and victorious Christian lives. For Pastor Prince (and of course, for me as well), grace is not the license to sin; it is the power to break free from the bondage of sin.

Our principal area of disagreement remains his teaching that the moment we are saved, our future sins are already pronounced forgiven (in contrast with the idea that our future sins are paid for but sin is not pronounced forgiven until it is committed and brought to the Lord). But to repeat, our areas of strong and vibrant agreement are much greater than our areas of disagreement, and I want to shout out those areas of agreement to the world.

First, we both agree that it's all about Jesus. He must be central. He must be the focus of our lives. We must draw all people to Him and His atoning work on the cross. Pastor Prince also said that, rather than just say, "Jesus, Jesus" all the time, we should get back to the biblical emphasis: Lord Jesus. And I say Amen to exalting Jesus as Lord.

Second, we both agree that many (if not most) believers often struggle with guilty consciences, failing to realize the depth of God's love for them and failing to understand what Jesus did on their behalf, and so it is essential to ground them in grace. I also shared with Pastor Prince that whenever I teach on the errors of hyper-grace, I begin by extolling God's true grace, seeking first to open us that glorious revelation. And I told him that, at FIRE School of Ministry, in the first semester, we do our best to ground our students in the love of God and in their identity in Jesus.

Third, we both agree that God calls us to holiness, sin is terribly destructive, and true grace will be manifest in a holy life. Prior to our time together, he sent me a compilation of video clips in which he stated plainly that if a man in his congregation claims to be a believer and is living in adultery, he will tell that person plainly he is not living under grace (otherwise sin would not have dominion over him) and needs to repent, drop that other woman and go back to his wife. He said he would also question whether that man was a real believer, since a true believer may fall into sin but will not practice sin.

In his own words (from a forthcoming chapter he wrote for a joint compilation on grace),
"If you hear of any 'grace' teaching that tells you it is all right to sin, to live without any regard for the Lord, and that there are no consequences to sin, my advice to you is to flee from that teaching. You have just been exposed to counterfeit grace. Genuine grace teaches that believers in Christ are called to live holy, blameless and above reproach. It teaches that sin always produces destructive consequences and it is only through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ that one can be set free from the dominion of sin."

He then asks, "So how do we know if someone is truly living under the grace of God?"
His answer: "We look at their lives."
And so, "If someone is leaving his wife for his secretary and tells you he is under 'grace,' tell this person that he is not under grace but under deception! ... Genuine grace doesn't compromise God's holy standards and condone sin; it is the answer that gives people power to live glorious lives zealous for good works."

Fourth, we both agree that sanctification is progressive, meaning the moment we are saved, we are forgiven, declared righteous, and set apart as holy, but now we must grow in holiness. To quote his own words again, "true grace does teach progressive sanctification," and, "As believers, we cannot become more righteous, but we can become more sanctified or holy in terms of how we live our lives. ... The more one grows in grace—the more one is washed again and again by the water of the word of God's grace—the more one grows in sanctification and holiness."

He rejected strongly the idea, put forth by another "grace teacher," that progressive sanctification is a "spiritually murderous lie."
Fifth, we both agree that the Lord corrects us, and even disciplines us, and we both agree that included in the preaching of grace is the calling to "exhort, and rebuke with all authority" (see Titus 2:15). We agree that true born-again believers will feel uncomfortable in their sins (because of their born-again spirits and because of the Holy Spirit) and will have a genuine desire to find a way out of sin. We agree that the only way out of sin is to point people to Jesus.

Pastor Prince believes the primary role of the Holy Spirit is to remind us we are the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Cor. 5:21, John 16: 10) and that this understanding is critically important in helping people to turn from sin. While I also believe that this is an important role of the Spirit, I believe His primary role when we sin is to lovingly reprove and correct us, thereby pointing us back to the Father (see Rev. 3:19, 22). Obviously, these two emphases go hand in hand.

Sixth, we both agree that God's Law is glorious and holy and beautiful and that, in Pastor Prince's words, "True grace teaching upholds the moral excellencies, values and virtues espoused by the Ten Commandments." But we understand that, "The Ten Commandments are so perfect in [their] standard and so unbending in [their] holy requirements that Galatians 3:11 states that no man can be justified by the law in the sight of God. Justification before God can only come by faith in Christ."

The Law, as designed by God, exposes our sin and brings us to the end of ourselves, thereby bringing us to the foot of the cross where grace and mercy flow. Not only so, but "when God's people are under grace, not only do they fulfill the letter of the law, but they also exceed it or go the extra mile."

Seventh, we both agree that any form of universalism or any denial of future punishment for the lost must be categorically rejected, and we agree that as recipients of grace, we share a burden for the lost, wanting to reach everyone with this glorious message, also believing in Romans 1:16, to the Jew first.

Eighth, we both agree on the importance of commitment to the local church and the authority of the local church, recognizing how many so-called grace preachers have broken away from both, to the harm of their own souls.
In our meeting, we shared our mutual love for the people of Israel and our desire for them to be saved, we shared our abhorrence of counterfeit grace, and we each lovingly challenged the other to consider certain points before the Lord. And, in the midst of our current differences, we agreed to do our best to expose what we both believed were counterfeit grace errors.

It is my prayer that these errors will continue to be exposed and that God will use us to point His people to His glorious grace that has appeared in Jesus, which "teaches us to say 'no' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age" (Titus 2:12, NIV). And where I have a blind spot or a misunderstanding of God's Word, may the Lord give me grace to see it, and where my brother has a blind spot or a misunderstanding of God's Word, may the Lord give him grace to see it.

I'm sure Pastor Prince will come under attack for meeting with me and welcoming me warmly as a brother, and I'm sure I will come under attack for doing the same with him. And so, to each of you who find fault with us for having this dialogue in the Lord, I encourage you to pray for us and, more importantly, to ask yourself if you too agree with our points of agreement here. If so, join us in shouting them out to the rest of the church.

May God's true grace be exalted; may counterfeit grace be exposed.
 
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