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The problem with condemning all christians into old covenant holiness, is it is not true.
In the gospels with have love, we have Jesus, we have redemption through the cross, we have praise, we have the holy spirit at work in our lives, we have a history, we have a need for sanctification.
The heresy comes in by identifying the need for change as wrong, and claiming we have already arrived.
It is clear faith is a walk, you start with an act of faith or belief.
The hyper-grace group wish to polarise the ideas into an us and them, when they are claiming something additional to scripture and super-spiritual. The idea is a new heart planted in a human body.
Yes in Jesus we are a holy people, a group of sinners walking with love in hearts that is purifying our behaviour, but we have not arrived.
As people of God we are called to be humble in heart, meek, pure, servant hearted. As sinners we are hurt and broken, that is where we are, but Jesus heals us and makes us whole over time.
What these people are trying to convince you is it is wrong to be real about ourselves and where we are, but imagine we have arrived and ignore the failure. It creates great elation but over nothing, as the only thing that has changed is your hope not who you actually are. Now if you have achieved and conquered, seen the Lord transform and become something else then Amen, but to imagine something that is not there is just insane.
In the gospels with have love, we have Jesus, we have redemption through the cross, we have praise, we have the holy spirit at work in our lives, we have a history, we have a need for sanctification.
The heresy comes in by identifying the need for change as wrong, and claiming we have already arrived.
It is clear faith is a walk, you start with an act of faith or belief.
The hyper-grace group wish to polarise the ideas into an us and them, when they are claiming something additional to scripture and super-spiritual. The idea is a new heart planted in a human body.
Yes in Jesus we are a holy people, a group of sinners walking with love in hearts that is purifying our behaviour, but we have not arrived.
As people of God we are called to be humble in heart, meek, pure, servant hearted. As sinners we are hurt and broken, that is where we are, but Jesus heals us and makes us whole over time.
What these people are trying to convince you is it is wrong to be real about ourselves and where we are, but imagine we have arrived and ignore the failure. It creates great elation but over nothing, as the only thing that has changed is your hope not who you actually are. Now if you have achieved and conquered, seen the Lord transform and become something else then Amen, but to imagine something that is not there is just insane.
O
1COR. 11:28. - But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
1COR.11:1. - Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
1JOHN 2:6. - He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.
29.
If you know that He is righteous, you know that every one that does righteousness is born of Him.
1COR.11:1. - Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
1JOHN 2:6. - He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.
29.
If you know that He is righteous, you know that every one that does righteousness is born of Him.
I don't feel condemned by my shortcomings.
I am saved, despite them.
I am forgiven of these shortcomings. I have received mercy and grace.
I am not trapped in them, continually, as I was before, but they do crop up from time to time.
We walk by faith, not by sight. If we were able to be Perfect Before God we wouldn't need faith, all we would need is ourselves and our perfection.
When we are before God not every mouth would be stopped, you would be able to say "Yeah, I did all that". Give me a giant break...
There is a part of me that is perfect and wants all of me to be perfect. But there is also a part of me that is not perfect and wants what it wants and doesn't care about being perfect. This is the work of God. His Word says I am His Responsibility.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Romans 8:29-31
[SUP]29 [/SUP]For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
[SUP]30 [/SUP]Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
[SUP]31 [/SUP]What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
I have full faith that I will be made perfect. I have full faith that I will be Saved all the way to the end. And it won't be by my work or my will. It will be the gift of God.
1 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
I am saved, despite them.
I am forgiven of these shortcomings. I have received mercy and grace.
I am not trapped in them, continually, as I was before, but they do crop up from time to time.
We walk by faith, not by sight. If we were able to be Perfect Before God we wouldn't need faith, all we would need is ourselves and our perfection.
When we are before God not every mouth would be stopped, you would be able to say "Yeah, I did all that". Give me a giant break...
There is a part of me that is perfect and wants all of me to be perfect. But there is also a part of me that is not perfect and wants what it wants and doesn't care about being perfect. This is the work of God. His Word says I am His Responsibility.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Romans 8:29-31
[SUP]29 [/SUP]For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
[SUP]30 [/SUP]Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
[SUP]31 [/SUP]What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
I have full faith that I will be made perfect. I have full faith that I will be Saved all the way to the end. And it won't be by my work or my will. It will be the gift of God.
1 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Hyper-grace - Do not do just acknowledge who you are and it will flow.
Jesus, Moses, the prophets, the apostles, - repent, obey, follow, do righteous things, Gods grace is enough if you repent to work despite stumbling. David stumbled but repented. Moses stumbled but repented. Peter stumbled but repented.
God is saying obey, and when you fail there is a sacrifice that washes you clean. It is the walk that matters, and when failure does occur dealing with it, properly.
Hyper-grace have abandoned the walk because the relationship matters despite the walk, and the walk will just happen.
History of humans, disciples, prophets is nothing just happens it is 100% a choice and a walk.
Now imitating someones behaviour, or following what they do, is the same meaning. The emotional reality is we get to a place by obedience that we did not expect. When you follow with a good heart you know what mercy, forgiveness, prayer from the heart, reaching out to people in love actually means. You discover you are something different than you expected because you begun to walk as a child of God in obedience, and the love flowed through you.
This is spiritual reality 101. It is strange these hyper-grace people do not testify to this reality, in being who they are in Christ.
Jesus, Moses, the prophets, the apostles, - repent, obey, follow, do righteous things, Gods grace is enough if you repent to work despite stumbling. David stumbled but repented. Moses stumbled but repented. Peter stumbled but repented.
God is saying obey, and when you fail there is a sacrifice that washes you clean. It is the walk that matters, and when failure does occur dealing with it, properly.
Hyper-grace have abandoned the walk because the relationship matters despite the walk, and the walk will just happen.
History of humans, disciples, prophets is nothing just happens it is 100% a choice and a walk.
Now imitating someones behaviour, or following what they do, is the same meaning. The emotional reality is we get to a place by obedience that we did not expect. When you follow with a good heart you know what mercy, forgiveness, prayer from the heart, reaching out to people in love actually means. You discover you are something different than you expected because you begun to walk as a child of God in obedience, and the love flowed through you.
This is spiritual reality 101. It is strange these hyper-grace people do not testify to this reality, in being who they are in Christ.
So you live by imitating Paul??
PLease keep in mind...JESUS had ascended and was no longer walking around on earth at that time. Paul and the Apostles were the only ones who were visible, had walked with JESUS and were part of the anointed power of the Holy Spirit. They were the only ones giving their lives and sharing the joy of CHRIST to a pagan world. In fact, Paul clearly stated several times to young converts to 'imitate" his walk. There was no other living, vibrant example to follow. There was no other Mentor nor NEw Testament Scripture to read. We are fortunate today to have the entire BIBLE. Once the newborn CHRISTIANS started to 'eat the meat" and wean themselves 'from the milk"...then , of course, JESUS CHRIST and His teachings were the Supreme example to follow. Personally, I glean spiritual knowledge from all the BIBLICAL characters because of one common thread: The anointing power of the Holy Spirit. Paul imitated CHRIST to the fullest, so if my life were half as effective as his was, with all the Supernatural events, I would be pleased because it is CHRIST who is our common LORD.
PLease keep in mind...JESUS had ascended and was no longer walking around on earth at that time. Paul and the Apostles were the only ones who were visible, had walked with JESUS and were part of the anointed power of the Holy Spirit. They were the only ones giving their lives and sharing the joy of CHRIST to a pagan world. In fact, Paul clearly stated several times to young converts to 'imitate" his walk. There was no other living, vibrant example to follow. There was no other Mentor nor NEw Testament Scripture to read. We are fortunate today to have the entire BIBLE. Once the newborn CHRISTIANS started to 'eat the meat" and wean themselves 'from the milk"...then , of course, JESUS CHRIST and His teachings were the Supreme example to follow. Personally, I glean spiritual knowledge from all the BIBLICAL characters because of one common thread: The anointing power of the Holy Spirit. Paul imitated CHRIST to the fullest, so if my life were half as effective as his was, with all the Supernatural events, I would be pleased because it is CHRIST who is our common LORD.
Two Religions: Works and Blood
Travel around the world and you would be forgiven for thinking there are thousands of religions and belief-systems. But in reality there are only two religions:
1. religion based on works
2. religion based on the blood of Jesus
People waste years studying different religions trying to figure out which one is best. But when you strip away all the packaging it’s actually a fairly simple choice: it’s either your works or his blood. Still, dealing with simple choices has never been humanity’s strong point. Just look at the history of religion…
The dummies’ guide to religion
From the time of Cain men have been trying to impress God with the fruits of their labor. And from the time of Cain God has been rejecting their offerings:
“The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.” (Gen 4:4-5)
Abel, you will recall, offered the firstborn of his flock while Cain brought a fruit basket. Why was Abel’s offering accepted while Cain’s was rejected?
“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous….” (Heb 11:4 NKJV)
Both Cain and Abel had faith, but Abel’s faith led to a more excellent sacrifice. Malcolm Smith, author of The Lost Secret of the New Covenant, writes that “Biblical faith never initiates an action; it is a responsive act of trust in a word from God” (p.105). What was Abel responding to? He was responding to the sacrificial gift God had given to Adam and Eve in the Garden. No doubt Abel learned from his parents how God had shed the blood of animals to hide their nakedness. By faith, Abel trusted that a blood sacrifice of this nature would make him pleasing to God and it did.
Abel’s faith was a response to what God had done, but Cain’s faith was in the work of his own hands. Abel considered what God had done, but Cain wanted God to look at what he had done. Big mistake. Instead of adopting God’s definition of an acceptable sacrifice, he tried to forge his own religion and was rejected. Cain got angry and went into a sulk. Look carefully at what God said next:
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Gen 4:7)
Cain had worked hard to please God. His offering was paid for by the sweat of his brow and the toil of his hands. It was a costly sacrifice, but it was a useless and unacceptable one nonetheless. God in his mercy pointed Cain back in the right direction, but Cain didn’t repent. Instead he murdered his brother and the rest is history.
Two brothers, two religions
Religion based on human effort was, and continues to be, unacceptable to God. You can toil and serve and bring costly sacrifices every day of your life and it will change your standing before him not one bit. He is a just God and you are a born sinner. You cannot buy your salvation with acts of charity. You cannot bribe your way into the Book of Life with your acts of righteousness. Don’t get angry like Cain, just repent and put your faith in the blood sacrifice given by God.
Of course this does not mean you should go out and slaughter some poor sheep! The blood of animals does nothing to take away our sins (Heb 10:4). Before the cross these things only had value because they pointed ahead to the blood of Jesus. We live after the cross. The Lamb of God has come and his one-time sacrifice was more than enough to account for all the sins of the world (Heb 9:26).
Jesus once said:
“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you,” (Jn 6:53).
Do you hunger and thirst for Christ and his righteousness? Or are you satisfied by the fruits of your own labor? Jesus made it plain that religion based on works is unacceptable to God and leads to death. But faith in his blood leads to eternal life and favor with God.
Two preachers
Just as there are only two religions, there are two kinds of preachers; those who say we are qualified by works and those say we are qualified by the blood of Jesus. These two preachers may look the same, but their messages could not be more different. Consider the following 10 contrasts…
The Works-Preacher says, you have to do stuff to stay saved. Make a mistake and you’re lost for eternity.
The Blood-Preacher says, Jesus’ blood has obtained your eternal and complete redemption (Heb 9:12). Nothing can separate you from the love of God.
WP: Don’t touch! Don’t handle! Touch no unclean thing and be holy.
BP: You are sanctified by the blood of the covenant (Heb 10:29), that is, by Jesus’ blood (Lk 22:20). We separate ourselves from unclean things not to become holy but because we are already holy and what fellowship does light have with darkness?
WP: You have to overcome in life’s trials and dress yourself in white clothes, otherwise he will blot out your name.
BP: It’s not about you. Jesus is your victory! Wash your filthy self-righteous clothes in the cleansing blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14). Rejoice, because he promised to never blot out your name.
WP: Say your prayers and have a quiet time every day. If you don’t remain in him, he’ll lop you off and throw you into the fire.
BP: Jesus said, “Whoever drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:56). Your “remaining” has nothing to do with having a quiet time. God has reconciled you to himself through Christ. Your reconciliation is something he did, not you. When you apprehend who he is and how much he has already blessed you, a healthy appetite will motivate you to discover more of him in his word.
WP: Beware of sin! It desires to be your Master.
BP: We are called to be Christ-conscious, not sin-conscious. His sacrifice did away with sin (Heb 9:26). We have been set free from our sin by his blood (Rev 1:5). Live free from fear and condemnation.
WP: When you sin, you need to confess to get forgiven again.
BP: You were forgiven 2000 years ago (Col 2:13). Jesus said your forgiveness is not based on confession, but his blood (Mt 26:28). His blood is a necessary and sufficient condition for your complete forgiveness (Heb 9 & 10).
WP: When you sin, you need to confess to get clean again.
BP: The blood of Jesus cleanses and keeps on cleansing you (1 Jn 1:7).
WP: Confession is good for clearing a guilty conscience. Ask the Holy Spirit to examine you and point out your shortcomings.
BP: The blood of Christ has cleansed your conscience so that we may be free to serve God (Heb 9:14). Because of Christ’s perfect sacrifice, the Holy Spirit chooses to remember your sins no more (Heb 10:17). He will only ever convict you of your righteousness in Christ (Jn 16:10).
WP: God is holy and lives in unapproachable light. Don’t even think about drawing near.
BP: You who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13).
WP: No one can see the face of God and live. Better stay safe and hang back.
BP: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled by the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:19-22)
Pastor Cain vs Pastor Abel
Who are you listening to? Where is your faith? Is it in death-dealing works of religion? Or is it in the life-giving blood of Jesus Christ? Are you striving to earn God’s favor or are you resting in the finished work of the cross?
It makes no difference whether you’re Catholic or Protestant, Episcopalian, Baptist or a member of the Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism.
If you are standing on the blood of Jesus, then you are completely forgiven, you are acceptable, and God’s favor rests on you!
Travel around the world and you would be forgiven for thinking there are thousands of religions and belief-systems. But in reality there are only two religions:
1. religion based on works
2. religion based on the blood of Jesus
People waste years studying different religions trying to figure out which one is best. But when you strip away all the packaging it’s actually a fairly simple choice: it’s either your works or his blood. Still, dealing with simple choices has never been humanity’s strong point. Just look at the history of religion…
The dummies’ guide to religion
From the time of Cain men have been trying to impress God with the fruits of their labor. And from the time of Cain God has been rejecting their offerings:
“The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.” (Gen 4:4-5)
Abel, you will recall, offered the firstborn of his flock while Cain brought a fruit basket. Why was Abel’s offering accepted while Cain’s was rejected?
“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous….” (Heb 11:4 NKJV)
Both Cain and Abel had faith, but Abel’s faith led to a more excellent sacrifice. Malcolm Smith, author of The Lost Secret of the New Covenant, writes that “Biblical faith never initiates an action; it is a responsive act of trust in a word from God” (p.105). What was Abel responding to? He was responding to the sacrificial gift God had given to Adam and Eve in the Garden. No doubt Abel learned from his parents how God had shed the blood of animals to hide their nakedness. By faith, Abel trusted that a blood sacrifice of this nature would make him pleasing to God and it did.
Abel’s faith was a response to what God had done, but Cain’s faith was in the work of his own hands. Abel considered what God had done, but Cain wanted God to look at what he had done. Big mistake. Instead of adopting God’s definition of an acceptable sacrifice, he tried to forge his own religion and was rejected. Cain got angry and went into a sulk. Look carefully at what God said next:
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Gen 4:7)
Cain had worked hard to please God. His offering was paid for by the sweat of his brow and the toil of his hands. It was a costly sacrifice, but it was a useless and unacceptable one nonetheless. God in his mercy pointed Cain back in the right direction, but Cain didn’t repent. Instead he murdered his brother and the rest is history.
Two brothers, two religions
Religion based on human effort was, and continues to be, unacceptable to God. You can toil and serve and bring costly sacrifices every day of your life and it will change your standing before him not one bit. He is a just God and you are a born sinner. You cannot buy your salvation with acts of charity. You cannot bribe your way into the Book of Life with your acts of righteousness. Don’t get angry like Cain, just repent and put your faith in the blood sacrifice given by God.
Of course this does not mean you should go out and slaughter some poor sheep! The blood of animals does nothing to take away our sins (Heb 10:4). Before the cross these things only had value because they pointed ahead to the blood of Jesus. We live after the cross. The Lamb of God has come and his one-time sacrifice was more than enough to account for all the sins of the world (Heb 9:26).
Jesus once said:
“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you,” (Jn 6:53).
Do you hunger and thirst for Christ and his righteousness? Or are you satisfied by the fruits of your own labor? Jesus made it plain that religion based on works is unacceptable to God and leads to death. But faith in his blood leads to eternal life and favor with God.
Two preachers
Just as there are only two religions, there are two kinds of preachers; those who say we are qualified by works and those say we are qualified by the blood of Jesus. These two preachers may look the same, but their messages could not be more different. Consider the following 10 contrasts…
The Works-Preacher says, you have to do stuff to stay saved. Make a mistake and you’re lost for eternity.
The Blood-Preacher says, Jesus’ blood has obtained your eternal and complete redemption (Heb 9:12). Nothing can separate you from the love of God.
WP: Don’t touch! Don’t handle! Touch no unclean thing and be holy.
BP: You are sanctified by the blood of the covenant (Heb 10:29), that is, by Jesus’ blood (Lk 22:20). We separate ourselves from unclean things not to become holy but because we are already holy and what fellowship does light have with darkness?
WP: You have to overcome in life’s trials and dress yourself in white clothes, otherwise he will blot out your name.
BP: It’s not about you. Jesus is your victory! Wash your filthy self-righteous clothes in the cleansing blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14). Rejoice, because he promised to never blot out your name.
WP: Say your prayers and have a quiet time every day. If you don’t remain in him, he’ll lop you off and throw you into the fire.
BP: Jesus said, “Whoever drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:56). Your “remaining” has nothing to do with having a quiet time. God has reconciled you to himself through Christ. Your reconciliation is something he did, not you. When you apprehend who he is and how much he has already blessed you, a healthy appetite will motivate you to discover more of him in his word.
WP: Beware of sin! It desires to be your Master.
BP: We are called to be Christ-conscious, not sin-conscious. His sacrifice did away with sin (Heb 9:26). We have been set free from our sin by his blood (Rev 1:5). Live free from fear and condemnation.
WP: When you sin, you need to confess to get forgiven again.
BP: You were forgiven 2000 years ago (Col 2:13). Jesus said your forgiveness is not based on confession, but his blood (Mt 26:28). His blood is a necessary and sufficient condition for your complete forgiveness (Heb 9 & 10).
WP: When you sin, you need to confess to get clean again.
BP: The blood of Jesus cleanses and keeps on cleansing you (1 Jn 1:7).
WP: Confession is good for clearing a guilty conscience. Ask the Holy Spirit to examine you and point out your shortcomings.
BP: The blood of Christ has cleansed your conscience so that we may be free to serve God (Heb 9:14). Because of Christ’s perfect sacrifice, the Holy Spirit chooses to remember your sins no more (Heb 10:17). He will only ever convict you of your righteousness in Christ (Jn 16:10).
WP: God is holy and lives in unapproachable light. Don’t even think about drawing near.
BP: You who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13).
WP: No one can see the face of God and live. Better stay safe and hang back.
BP: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled by the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:19-22)
Pastor Cain vs Pastor Abel
Who are you listening to? Where is your faith? Is it in death-dealing works of religion? Or is it in the life-giving blood of Jesus Christ? Are you striving to earn God’s favor or are you resting in the finished work of the cross?
It makes no difference whether you’re Catholic or Protestant, Episcopalian, Baptist or a member of the Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism.
If you are standing on the blood of Jesus, then you are completely forgiven, you are acceptable, and God’s favor rests on you!
This is a pompous formula way of dealing with relationships.
Gods problem with man is simple, man does not know God. When I use the word "know" I mean it in its complete sense, of knowing everything about Him.
Job thought he knew God, yet he failed, as we all do.
The problem is you the reader are different to me, and it is your relationship with God and everyone else that Jesus is addressing. There will be unique differences and issues the Lord will need to address, and there is no simple formula to this walk.
Jesus offers us the ultimate starting point of this walk. All we can do for each other is share where we have got to and what matters to us.
What grace7x77 is attempting is so simplistic, only those who have never really started would fall for it.
Who do you really care about? How do they effect your life and how you behave?
Jesus is calling us to see Him at the centre of our life and how we care. I know it sounds like jargon, and simply an idea, but love is boundless, relentless, it pursues us, takes us prison and makes us walk in righteousness.
But how we do this is hard. It is dealing with issues are they come up, learning to listen, to pray, to obey, to walk, to be a child of God, to know we are in the Kingdom, we are forgiven. You will hear similar things from Hyper-grace but they hate saying righteousness matters. That is a serious heresy, and denial of repentance and confession.
Rather than accept the walk, and stay with Jesus they would climb above and claim sin has no hold on them, they can walk without guides, ignore failure and why it happens, and be as lost as the world is, and yet claim to follow Jesus.
They would say because of the blood they are forgiven forever into the future no matter what they do. This is the end of heaven and righteousness if God worked this way.
Gods problem with man is simple, man does not know God. When I use the word "know" I mean it in its complete sense, of knowing everything about Him.
Job thought he knew God, yet he failed, as we all do.
The problem is you the reader are different to me, and it is your relationship with God and everyone else that Jesus is addressing. There will be unique differences and issues the Lord will need to address, and there is no simple formula to this walk.
Jesus offers us the ultimate starting point of this walk. All we can do for each other is share where we have got to and what matters to us.
What grace7x77 is attempting is so simplistic, only those who have never really started would fall for it.
Who do you really care about? How do they effect your life and how you behave?
Jesus is calling us to see Him at the centre of our life and how we care. I know it sounds like jargon, and simply an idea, but love is boundless, relentless, it pursues us, takes us prison and makes us walk in righteousness.
But how we do this is hard. It is dealing with issues are they come up, learning to listen, to pray, to obey, to walk, to be a child of God, to know we are in the Kingdom, we are forgiven. You will hear similar things from Hyper-grace but they hate saying righteousness matters. That is a serious heresy, and denial of repentance and confession.
Rather than accept the walk, and stay with Jesus they would climb above and claim sin has no hold on them, they can walk without guides, ignore failure and why it happens, and be as lost as the world is, and yet claim to follow Jesus.
They would say because of the blood they are forgiven forever into the future no matter what they do. This is the end of heaven and righteousness if God worked this way.
And we are back again to Myth 1: Hyper-Grace Preachers are Against Repentance
Hyper-grace preachers say there’s no need for repentance. They dismiss repentance as unbelief.” Actually, hyper-grace preachers are for repentance, not against it. We say things like “repentance is essential” and “repentance is to be our lifestyle.”
We are for repentance, for without it no one can receive the grace of God.
But what is repentance?
Repentance is one of those words that means different things to different people. Those with a performance-oriented mindset typically interpret repentance as turning from sin. It’s something you do (turn) as a result of something you’ve done (sinned). It’s fixing what you broke. It’s atoning for your mistakes. It’s sewing fig leaves to hide your shame.
In contrast, faith-based repentance is always done in response to something God has done. It’s the change of heart and mind that happens when you encounter His grace.
A mixed-grace gospel will define repentance in terms of a prescribed set of behaviors (e.g., turning from sin) and emotions (e.g., sorrow and grief). But insisting on the proper way to repent is tantamount to putting people under law.
The fruit of repentance may take 101 different forms—don’t limit God—but repentance itself is simply a change of mind.
It’s what the word literally means.
In the words of Watchman Nee:
Repentance … means a change of mind! Formerly I thought sin a pleasant thing, but now I have changed my mind about it; formerly I thought the world an attractive place, but now I know better; formerly I regarded it a miserable business to be a Christian, but now I think differently. Once I thought certain things delightful, now I think them vile; once I thought other things utterly worthless, now I think them most precious. That is a change of mind, and that is repentance. No life can be truly changed apart from such a change of mind. (The Normal Christian Life, p.132)
We all agree that repentance is a good thing and that there should be more of it, but how do we get people to repent? A mixed-grace preacher will use carrots (“Turn from sin if you want to see God”) and sticks (“If you don’t, you’ll pay the price”), but this is the way of the flesh, not faith.
This sort of repentance will lead you to trust in your own repenting efforts and miss grace. Consider the Pharisees. They turned from sin on a daily basis yet they did not recognize the Grace of God even as He came and stood among them.
Mixed-grace preachers say, “We need more preaching on repentance,” as though this would motivate people to repent. But it won’t. Only one thing is guaranteed in scripture to lead people to repentance and that is a revelation of God’s goodness:
… God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. (Romans 2:4b, ESV)
Repentance isn’t doing something about your sin. Repentance is responding positively to God’s kindness and grace…
How does a hyper-grace preacher encourage repentance?
By preaching the goodness of God as revealed in Jesus. A mixed gospel says, “You gotta repent or else,” but the hyper-grace gospel says, “See Jesus!” Old covenant repentance puts the focus on you and your badness, but new covenant repentance puts the focus on Him and His goodness.
When you see the Lord of grace looking at you with love and affection, you will repent. You will turn from sin to Him not because you have been bribed with carrots or threatened with sticks but because Jesus is more attractive than anything this world offers.
He is the Beauty who draws us to Himself.
Hyper-grace preachers say there’s no need for repentance. They dismiss repentance as unbelief.” Actually, hyper-grace preachers are for repentance, not against it. We say things like “repentance is essential” and “repentance is to be our lifestyle.”
We are for repentance, for without it no one can receive the grace of God.
But what is repentance?
Repentance is one of those words that means different things to different people. Those with a performance-oriented mindset typically interpret repentance as turning from sin. It’s something you do (turn) as a result of something you’ve done (sinned). It’s fixing what you broke. It’s atoning for your mistakes. It’s sewing fig leaves to hide your shame.
In contrast, faith-based repentance is always done in response to something God has done. It’s the change of heart and mind that happens when you encounter His grace.
A mixed-grace gospel will define repentance in terms of a prescribed set of behaviors (e.g., turning from sin) and emotions (e.g., sorrow and grief). But insisting on the proper way to repent is tantamount to putting people under law.
The fruit of repentance may take 101 different forms—don’t limit God—but repentance itself is simply a change of mind.
It’s what the word literally means.
In the words of Watchman Nee:
Repentance … means a change of mind! Formerly I thought sin a pleasant thing, but now I have changed my mind about it; formerly I thought the world an attractive place, but now I know better; formerly I regarded it a miserable business to be a Christian, but now I think differently. Once I thought certain things delightful, now I think them vile; once I thought other things utterly worthless, now I think them most precious. That is a change of mind, and that is repentance. No life can be truly changed apart from such a change of mind. (The Normal Christian Life, p.132)
We all agree that repentance is a good thing and that there should be more of it, but how do we get people to repent? A mixed-grace preacher will use carrots (“Turn from sin if you want to see God”) and sticks (“If you don’t, you’ll pay the price”), but this is the way of the flesh, not faith.
This sort of repentance will lead you to trust in your own repenting efforts and miss grace. Consider the Pharisees. They turned from sin on a daily basis yet they did not recognize the Grace of God even as He came and stood among them.
Mixed-grace preachers say, “We need more preaching on repentance,” as though this would motivate people to repent. But it won’t. Only one thing is guaranteed in scripture to lead people to repentance and that is a revelation of God’s goodness:
… God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. (Romans 2:4b, ESV)
Repentance isn’t doing something about your sin. Repentance is responding positively to God’s kindness and grace…
How does a hyper-grace preacher encourage repentance?
By preaching the goodness of God as revealed in Jesus. A mixed gospel says, “You gotta repent or else,” but the hyper-grace gospel says, “See Jesus!” Old covenant repentance puts the focus on you and your badness, but new covenant repentance puts the focus on Him and His goodness.
When you see the Lord of grace looking at you with love and affection, you will repent. You will turn from sin to Him not because you have been bribed with carrots or threatened with sticks but because Jesus is more attractive than anything this world offers.
He is the Beauty who draws us to Himself.
And we are back again to Myth 2: Hyper-Grace Preachers are Against Confession
“Hyper-grace preachers say it’s wrong to confess sins. They say confession is a form of unbelief.” Actually, every hyper-grace preacher believes in the power of confession. We say things like, “confession is good for you,” and “confession is healthy.”
But what is confession?
Like the word repentance, confession is a word that has been mangled in the machinery of manmade religion. Instead of bringing healing to the hurting and life to the dead, confession is seen as the cost of admission into the house of grace. “You wanna be clean? Then ‘fess up you miserable sinner! Tell God your dirty little secrets.” But that’s not what confession is.
To confess literally means to agree with or say the same thing as another.
Biblical confession is agreeing with God. It’s verbalizing faith in His goodness and acknowledging your dependence upon Him (Rom. 10:9–10). It’s saying, “God, I believe You are faithful and true and will do all that You promised.”
But some people have a different definition of confession. They think confession is something you must do to make yourself clean, righteous, and forgiven. “I have to review all my sins to receive forgiveness.” This is a dead work. Confessing-to-be-forgiven is like washing with dirty water. No matter how hard you scrub you won’t make yourself clean.
Faithless confession puts the focus on you and what you have done, but faith-based confession puts the focus on Christ and what He has done on your behalf.
Does that mean we should never confess or that it’s wrong to confess our sins? Not at all. Biblical confession is good for you.
It will help you to walk in the grace that God has provided…
One of the clearest descriptions of confession comes from Max Lucado:
Confession is not complaining. If I merely recite my problems and rehash my woes, I’m whining … Confession is so much more. Confession is a radical reliance on grace. A proclamation of our trust in God’s goodness. “What I did was bad,” we acknowledge, “but your grace is greater than my sin, so I confess it.” If our understanding of grace is small, our confession will be small: reluctant, hesitant, hedged with excuses and qualifications, full of fear of punishment. But great grace creates an honest confession. (Grace, p.83)
We don’t repent and confess to get God to forgive us. We repent and confess because God has forgiven us. Your repentance and confession won’t change God, but it will surely change you.
It will help you receive God’s life-changing grace. As Clark Whitten says, “Confession is for my healing, not for God’s forgiveness.”
Those who don’t understand this may point to 1 John 1:9 which seems to say God’s forgiveness is contingent upon our confession of sins. This scripture is so widely misunderstood that it gets mentioned in just about every book on grace. To paraphrase Andrew Farley, John cannot be saying God forgives us on account of our confession because just a few verses later he says we are already forgiven on account of Jesus’ name.
When you sin it takes no faith to beat yourself up and agree with the Accuser who calls you a sinner. It takes faith to look at the cross and say, “Thank you, Jesus, for carrying all my sin.” It takes faith to praise your Father for His superabounding grace that is greater than your transgression.
And it takes faith to agree with the Holy Spirit who says, despite what you did, you are still righteous, acceptable, and pleasing to God
“Hyper-grace preachers say it’s wrong to confess sins. They say confession is a form of unbelief.” Actually, every hyper-grace preacher believes in the power of confession. We say things like, “confession is good for you,” and “confession is healthy.”
But what is confession?
Like the word repentance, confession is a word that has been mangled in the machinery of manmade religion. Instead of bringing healing to the hurting and life to the dead, confession is seen as the cost of admission into the house of grace. “You wanna be clean? Then ‘fess up you miserable sinner! Tell God your dirty little secrets.” But that’s not what confession is.
To confess literally means to agree with or say the same thing as another.
Biblical confession is agreeing with God. It’s verbalizing faith in His goodness and acknowledging your dependence upon Him (Rom. 10:9–10). It’s saying, “God, I believe You are faithful and true and will do all that You promised.”
But some people have a different definition of confession. They think confession is something you must do to make yourself clean, righteous, and forgiven. “I have to review all my sins to receive forgiveness.” This is a dead work. Confessing-to-be-forgiven is like washing with dirty water. No matter how hard you scrub you won’t make yourself clean.
Faithless confession puts the focus on you and what you have done, but faith-based confession puts the focus on Christ and what He has done on your behalf.
Does that mean we should never confess or that it’s wrong to confess our sins? Not at all. Biblical confession is good for you.
It will help you to walk in the grace that God has provided…
One of the clearest descriptions of confession comes from Max Lucado:
Confession is not complaining. If I merely recite my problems and rehash my woes, I’m whining … Confession is so much more. Confession is a radical reliance on grace. A proclamation of our trust in God’s goodness. “What I did was bad,” we acknowledge, “but your grace is greater than my sin, so I confess it.” If our understanding of grace is small, our confession will be small: reluctant, hesitant, hedged with excuses and qualifications, full of fear of punishment. But great grace creates an honest confession. (Grace, p.83)
We don’t repent and confess to get God to forgive us. We repent and confess because God has forgiven us. Your repentance and confession won’t change God, but it will surely change you.
It will help you receive God’s life-changing grace. As Clark Whitten says, “Confession is for my healing, not for God’s forgiveness.”
Those who don’t understand this may point to 1 John 1:9 which seems to say God’s forgiveness is contingent upon our confession of sins. This scripture is so widely misunderstood that it gets mentioned in just about every book on grace. To paraphrase Andrew Farley, John cannot be saying God forgives us on account of our confession because just a few verses later he says we are already forgiven on account of Jesus’ name.
When you sin it takes no faith to beat yourself up and agree with the Accuser who calls you a sinner. It takes faith to look at the cross and say, “Thank you, Jesus, for carrying all my sin.” It takes faith to praise your Father for His superabounding grace that is greater than your transgression.
And it takes faith to agree with the Holy Spirit who says, despite what you did, you are still righteous, acceptable, and pleasing to God
The reality is hyper-grace want an argument.
Repentance is actually simple. If you go up to someone and want them to repent of what they did to you, two things are important.
1. They admit what they did was wrong
2. They will not do it again
If you do not admit what you did was wrong then you will do it again.
Confession
Confession is part of repentance, it is openly admiting that what was done was wrong. Whether you say it in words to God alone or to others, it is a factual experience.
I know the power of confession, in getting children to say sorry. By saying sorry, they have actually done something and it matters. It matters so much, often children will say afterwards, I do not mean it. There is a strange reality in life we can con ourselves we have confessed something but never said it, when in reality we like the feeling we have after a confession but not the action involved. Without the confession, often there is no action.
We are commanded to both repent, and confess. Confession of faith is also important, the actual statement, I believe.
Confession of praise matters. I found by just speaking out the glorious nature of God, His work in Jesus, my heart lifts.
Confession matters, it has spiritual significance.
Confession is also about speaking to yourself about where you are and where you are not. Yes we can beat ourselves up about our behaviour, but more practically sharing our struggles with others, and working through why and how we got there, often can unlock the reasons why we are trapped in this cycle of behaviour. This is what it means to walk in the light, to not be scared of who we are or the damage that has been done to us over time. If you do not bring the wounds to the Lord how can he heal them, when you continually deny you are wounded and pick away at the sores.
Repentance is actually simple. If you go up to someone and want them to repent of what they did to you, two things are important.
1. They admit what they did was wrong
2. They will not do it again
If you do not admit what you did was wrong then you will do it again.
Confession
Confession is part of repentance, it is openly admiting that what was done was wrong. Whether you say it in words to God alone or to others, it is a factual experience.
I know the power of confession, in getting children to say sorry. By saying sorry, they have actually done something and it matters. It matters so much, often children will say afterwards, I do not mean it. There is a strange reality in life we can con ourselves we have confessed something but never said it, when in reality we like the feeling we have after a confession but not the action involved. Without the confession, often there is no action.
We are commanded to both repent, and confess. Confession of faith is also important, the actual statement, I believe.
Confession of praise matters. I found by just speaking out the glorious nature of God, His work in Jesus, my heart lifts.
Confession matters, it has spiritual significance.
Confession is also about speaking to yourself about where you are and where you are not. Yes we can beat ourselves up about our behaviour, but more practically sharing our struggles with others, and working through why and how we got there, often can unlock the reasons why we are trapped in this cycle of behaviour. This is what it means to walk in the light, to not be scared of who we are or the damage that has been done to us over time. If you do not bring the wounds to the Lord how can he heal them, when you continually deny you are wounded and pick away at the sores.
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That's not spiritual reality 101.
That's following a carnal commandment 101.
You are saying to try really hard at following the law and when you fail, not if, then repent of your failure.
Why not just skip all that and come to Christ? It really is a much better covenant built on much better promises.
We rely on the performance of the Lord Jesus Christ and not our own. We rely on the sufficiency of God and not our own.
We rest. The Lord Jesus Christ works in us.
That is spiritual reality 101.
That's following a carnal commandment 101.
You are saying to try really hard at following the law and when you fail, not if, then repent of your failure.
Why not just skip all that and come to Christ? It really is a much better covenant built on much better promises.
We rely on the performance of the Lord Jesus Christ and not our own. We rely on the sufficiency of God and not our own.
We rest. The Lord Jesus Christ works in us.
That is spiritual reality 101.
A little story
When I was young I had a thought game. If God has a plan for my life, then if I go left or right, God wants one or the other.
So in everything if I ask the question, get an answer and follow I cannot go wrong.
The problem is God wants you to choose which way is best for you, and He is happy which ever you choose. Learning to choose matters not the choice. We are the expression of Gods love to mankind, a jewel of love in an earthen vessel.
But listening to hyper-grace the words are, "repent in this way and you are bringing yourself under law."
The divide here is knowing when you are loved and when you are doing what is safe. Sinning is most certainly not safe or good or righteous and must be avoided. Do you love your parents despite their rules at home or because of their rules.
You know their love is not because you obey the rules, the rules are there to make the household work. You obey the rules because you want the household to work, not to just keep the parents happy.
It is wrong to condemn or make repentance an evil act, or a wrong teaching. This is literally from Satan himself. No christian or follower of Jesus should ever say such a thing. No person who believes in righteous behaviour equally should side with sinful behaviour, and deny turning from sin is not a good thing. The world is caught in lostness because of sin, because of blindness to love, because of hurt and pain, because of not knowing God.
But somehow commited christians are preaching as if this is wisdom from on high, yet deny the very blood of Jesus who came to atone for sin. It is this serious a problem, and their very salvation is up to question because they do not understand the very nature of mans fall or Gods redemption.
If someone repents of doing wrong, amen. I do not care what they believe or how they believe, why they did something, it is just fantastic when someone sees doing wrong is bad, and turning away is brilliant. This is part of the spiritual reality of life not confined to christian faith but normal functioning relationships.
When I was young I had a thought game. If God has a plan for my life, then if I go left or right, God wants one or the other.
So in everything if I ask the question, get an answer and follow I cannot go wrong.
The problem is God wants you to choose which way is best for you, and He is happy which ever you choose. Learning to choose matters not the choice. We are the expression of Gods love to mankind, a jewel of love in an earthen vessel.
But listening to hyper-grace the words are, "repent in this way and you are bringing yourself under law."
The divide here is knowing when you are loved and when you are doing what is safe. Sinning is most certainly not safe or good or righteous and must be avoided. Do you love your parents despite their rules at home or because of their rules.
You know their love is not because you obey the rules, the rules are there to make the household work. You obey the rules because you want the household to work, not to just keep the parents happy.
It is wrong to condemn or make repentance an evil act, or a wrong teaching. This is literally from Satan himself. No christian or follower of Jesus should ever say such a thing. No person who believes in righteous behaviour equally should side with sinful behaviour, and deny turning from sin is not a good thing. The world is caught in lostness because of sin, because of blindness to love, because of hurt and pain, because of not knowing God.
But somehow commited christians are preaching as if this is wisdom from on high, yet deny the very blood of Jesus who came to atone for sin. It is this serious a problem, and their very salvation is up to question because they do not understand the very nature of mans fall or Gods redemption.
If someone repents of doing wrong, amen. I do not care what they believe or how they believe, why they did something, it is just fantastic when someone sees doing wrong is bad, and turning away is brilliant. This is part of the spiritual reality of life not confined to christian faith but normal functioning relationships.
You claim to be a christian for many years. You commit all your deeds and actions before the Lord. So do I.
I am honest though about my failures and me need for change and growth. The law is a set of ideas, commandments which summarise a lifestyle or existance in outline, it is up to us to fill in the blanks.
It is our nature to walk in this righteousness, not out of self justification but because we love the Lord.
But all you read is I am trying to earn my salvation. How could I? I know Jesus, there is no greater thing than he did on the cross to redeem me and show me who he is.
In your world only people who are self justifying could say what I am saying so I must be lying in your mind.
There comes a point where if you think someone is lying, there is no further they can go.
I am honest though about my failures and me need for change and growth. The law is a set of ideas, commandments which summarise a lifestyle or existance in outline, it is up to us to fill in the blanks.
It is our nature to walk in this righteousness, not out of self justification but because we love the Lord.
But all you read is I am trying to earn my salvation. How could I? I know Jesus, there is no greater thing than he did on the cross to redeem me and show me who he is.
In your world only people who are self justifying could say what I am saying so I must be lying in your mind.
There comes a point where if you think someone is lying, there is no further they can go.
And that naturally leads us to: Myth 5: Hyper-Grace Preachers say God is not Grieved by your Sin
“Hyper-grace preachers say God doesn’t care when we sin.” Actually, we say God cares very much because sin hurt the objects of his affection—us! Sin damages people, fractures friendships, and destroys families. Sin hurts you, and that makes your Father sad.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Eph. 4:30–32)
Is God oblivious to our shortcomings and sins? When you sin does he act like Sergeant Schulz and say, “I see nothing”? Of course not. God sees everything. Our choices bring him pleasure and pain. Paul would not have written, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” if that wasn’t possible.
But you need to understand why God is grieved. He’s not grieved because you disappoint him. (Since he knows everything you’ve ever done and will ever do, it’s not possible to disappoint him.) Nor is he grieved because you broke his rules. (You are worth more to him than any rule.) Our sins grieve him because they hurt his kids.
Look at the sins Paul lists above and you will see they are all relational sins. They are the sins of quarreling, backbiting, and being a jerk. When we act this way we hurt those around us and make our Father sad. When we sin out of anger we give place to the devil and open a door to trouble (Eph. 4:26–27). That doesn’t make your Father happy and it won’t make you happy either.
Critics of the hyper-grace gospel say things like, “Grace teaches that God turns a blind eye to our sin.” It would be more accurate to say, “Grace teaches that God chooses to remember our sins no more.” But that doesn’t mean our sins don’t trouble him. He is our loving Father. He cares deeply for us. He is not happy to see us destroy ourselves through sin.
If Jesus didn’t care about the effects of sin, he would not have gone to the cross. Nor would he have warned the churches in Revelation about their bad behavior and unhealthy habits.
The gospel declares that God’s love is unaffected by our choices, but it does not follow that we can act without consequences.
Your behavior matters to God because you matter to God. He wants you to prosper and thrive in every area of your life. He doesn’t want you opening the door to trouble by sowing to the flesh.
But even if you do—even if you make one dumb mistake after another—he will still be your Father and you will still be his dearly loved child. Your actions may be harmful and saddening to him but you will always be the apple of his eye.
Act like a sinner and you’ll grieve the Holy Spirit, but here’s what won’t happen: The Holy Spirit won’t record your sins, for he promised not to (Heb. 10:15–17); nor will he send you on a guilt-trip, for he’s the Spirit of grace not the spirit of guilt; and he won’t withdraw from you until you get your act together, for Jesus said he would never leave you (John 14:16).
When you sin, the Holy Spirit will always point you to Jesus.
He knows that as we behold the kindness and compassion of Christ, we become kind and compassionate ourselves. As we gaze at his forgiving face, we become forgiving. As we marvel at his beauty, we become beautiful. As we behold Jesus we are transformed into his shining testimonies of grace.
This makes the Holy Spirit happy.
“Hyper-grace preachers say God doesn’t care when we sin.” Actually, we say God cares very much because sin hurt the objects of his affection—us! Sin damages people, fractures friendships, and destroys families. Sin hurts you, and that makes your Father sad.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Eph. 4:30–32)
Is God oblivious to our shortcomings and sins? When you sin does he act like Sergeant Schulz and say, “I see nothing”? Of course not. God sees everything. Our choices bring him pleasure and pain. Paul would not have written, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” if that wasn’t possible.
But you need to understand why God is grieved. He’s not grieved because you disappoint him. (Since he knows everything you’ve ever done and will ever do, it’s not possible to disappoint him.) Nor is he grieved because you broke his rules. (You are worth more to him than any rule.) Our sins grieve him because they hurt his kids.
Look at the sins Paul lists above and you will see they are all relational sins. They are the sins of quarreling, backbiting, and being a jerk. When we act this way we hurt those around us and make our Father sad. When we sin out of anger we give place to the devil and open a door to trouble (Eph. 4:26–27). That doesn’t make your Father happy and it won’t make you happy either.
Critics of the hyper-grace gospel say things like, “Grace teaches that God turns a blind eye to our sin.” It would be more accurate to say, “Grace teaches that God chooses to remember our sins no more.” But that doesn’t mean our sins don’t trouble him. He is our loving Father. He cares deeply for us. He is not happy to see us destroy ourselves through sin.
If Jesus didn’t care about the effects of sin, he would not have gone to the cross. Nor would he have warned the churches in Revelation about their bad behavior and unhealthy habits.
The gospel declares that God’s love is unaffected by our choices, but it does not follow that we can act without consequences.
Your behavior matters to God because you matter to God. He wants you to prosper and thrive in every area of your life. He doesn’t want you opening the door to trouble by sowing to the flesh.
But even if you do—even if you make one dumb mistake after another—he will still be your Father and you will still be his dearly loved child. Your actions may be harmful and saddening to him but you will always be the apple of his eye.
Act like a sinner and you’ll grieve the Holy Spirit, but here’s what won’t happen: The Holy Spirit won’t record your sins, for he promised not to (Heb. 10:15–17); nor will he send you on a guilt-trip, for he’s the Spirit of grace not the spirit of guilt; and he won’t withdraw from you until you get your act together, for Jesus said he would never leave you (John 14:16).
When you sin, the Holy Spirit will always point you to Jesus.
He knows that as we behold the kindness and compassion of Christ, we become kind and compassionate ourselves. As we gaze at his forgiving face, we become forgiving. As we marvel at his beauty, we become beautiful. As we behold Jesus we are transformed into his shining testimonies of grace.
This makes the Holy Spirit happy.
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My experience of muslims
After spending many years talking to muslims I discovered one simple reality. Every idea that did not agree with the model in their head they rejected it. They took words with a general meaning and turned them specifically to their own interpretation.
This way of thinking got so bad, if it was written in the Koran it was ok, if not, it should be rejected. The meaning did not matter, because truth was only defined as koranic truth, any objective idea of truth was just thrown aside.
When I took words of the Koran and showed the ideas expressed there, I was then Satan deceiving them.
The hyper-grace group are doing exactly the same thing. Normal life, emotions, relationships are not the reference point, just their interpretation of legalism and grace or acceptance. Everything is polarised into these worlds.
What you will discover is you can take everything in life and polarise it this way, and it appears self consistent, especially if you ignore the ideas that contradict it. It becomes a prison out of which there is no escape, because the world of actions, behaviour, reference points have been removed. Faith then becomes supporting the thought structure and not being open to other points of view. That is how you know when you have fallen into this world, when all you can do is stick to one line of thought no matter what.
After spending many years talking to muslims I discovered one simple reality. Every idea that did not agree with the model in their head they rejected it. They took words with a general meaning and turned them specifically to their own interpretation.
This way of thinking got so bad, if it was written in the Koran it was ok, if not, it should be rejected. The meaning did not matter, because truth was only defined as koranic truth, any objective idea of truth was just thrown aside.
When I took words of the Koran and showed the ideas expressed there, I was then Satan deceiving them.
The hyper-grace group are doing exactly the same thing. Normal life, emotions, relationships are not the reference point, just their interpretation of legalism and grace or acceptance. Everything is polarised into these worlds.
What you will discover is you can take everything in life and polarise it this way, and it appears self consistent, especially if you ignore the ideas that contradict it. It becomes a prison out of which there is no escape, because the world of actions, behaviour, reference points have been removed. Faith then becomes supporting the thought structure and not being open to other points of view. That is how you know when you have fallen into this world, when all you can do is stick to one line of thought no matter what.