[b]How Shall We Live, If We Are Under Grace?
Christianity today is full of tens of thousands of subgroups which call themselves ‘denominations’. It is often claimed that the barriers that separate each denomination are different doctrinal points. To me, a doctrinal difference is nothing more than a different amount of emphasis that is put on a certain verse or verses that are in the bible. Sometimes a doctrinal difference is created by throwing out certain verses, sometimes it is created by adding thoughts to certain verses that are not there. Sometimes it is created by looking at the New Testament and seeing half of the truth, while ignoring the dozens of verses that explain the other half. Some groups look at one side and focus entirely on that side, while other groups put their focus on the other side of truth. Sometimes wrong interpretations are made that appeal to many, thus creating a new denomination. Sometimes a piece of Truth is revealed that was not seen in the group before that time, and a split in the church occurs between those that will accept the truth and those that will not, thus creating a new denomination. However, if we look at the vast majority of denominations today, are these differences really the dividing line? What makes these groups different today? I submit to you that in most cases the dividing line between Christians is not a doctrine but a different standard.
\tI see today that in many churches unspoken standards are set up that, if broken, can cause anything from a dirty look to a division in the church. These standards are rules or laws that each church sets up to govern its people and determine who is “in” and who is “out”. If you break these standards regularly, the opinion becomes that you are probably not a Christian or at best you are a backslider. If you follow these standards perfectly then you become a pillar of the church, to be looked up to and praised. Your success or failure in the Christian life depends on how well you are able to meet these requirements.
\tThe standards themselves are usually not bad. They are often good things that the followers of Christ should be doing. The amount and severity of these standards ranges widely. They range from very low standards such as professing to be a Christian, trying not to hurt others, doing your best, and attempting to make it to church as often as possible, all the way to “high” standards such as dressing in an unworldly manner, avoiding movies, avoiding tv, avoiding secular music etc. For most churches, it seems, the standards fall right in the middle somewhere; no cursing, no drinking, no smoking, no R-rated movies, none of the ‘more serious’ sins such as adultery or premarital sex, being a friendly person and attending church regularly. The churches with the higher standards continually accuse the churches with the lower standards of being worldly, carnal and ungodly, while the churches with the lower standards continually accuse those with the higher of being legalists, and pharisees. Where are your standards at? What, to you, determines if someone is “in” or “out”? You may say it is faith in Christ, but what if someone professes faith in Christ and commits adultery? Where does he stand then? What if he commits murder or rape?
\tBrothers and Sisters in Christ, this message is written to those who truly want to follow God and live up to all that He has for us. What I am about to say is a hard saying, but one that must be accepted for it is of God and it is the ‘standard’ that the New Testament raises.
\tThese standards which we live by, these ‘values’ that we cherish as Christians, these ‘morals’ and things that make up ‘good character’ are completely and entirely of the devil and hated by Christ when they are set up in our lives as the standards by which we live. Satan laughs at our “high standards” and “good morals” Why? Because they are entirely derived from the Old Covenant, the Covenant that Christ died to destroy.
\tOur standards are an offense to Christ when our ‘holiness’ is found in them. “But, my holiness is found in Christ” you say, why then do you use these standards to determine who is ‘in’ and ‘out’, who is or is not a Christian?
\tInstead of looking to Christ we look to ourselves for holiness. Instead of living up to what Christ would have for us, we have found our holiness in a set of laws that we have invented. At least the Israelites attempted to find their righteousness in God’s standard! Though they could never find righteousness in the law of God, we are worse, for we try to find our righteousness in our own law!
\tWe are trying to put the New Wine into old bottles, and the church is bursting because of it. The world looks on with laughter as we bicker about small issues. We do not have a vision of Christ, so we have started looking at each other.
“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 24:48-51)
\tHave we begun to ‘beat our fellow servants’ in Christ? Have we lost the heavenly vision?
\tOur Old Covenant Christianity is not working. It has caused division and death in the professing church. It began with the Catholics and continues today in every denomination. We are under the Old Covenant, and I will be the first to confess that my Christianity was an Old-Covenant Christianity for years. Will we repent of this? Will we turn from this offense to Christ? Is Christ not worthy of the reward of His sufferings? He died to free us from this law, yet we continually turn back to it for
“it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Pet. 2:22)
\tSo what is the New Covenant? Shall we depart from all law, all commandment, depart from God’s word and live in sin? Shall we depart from all standards so we can be sure that our holiness is not found in the law. Certainly not! Paul says “Shall we continue in sin the grace may abound, God forbid!” (Rom 6:1). How are we to live as Christians then? If not standards, and if not lawless, then what shall we abide by? The real question is, what is God’s standard for the New Testament Christian?
\tThe standard that Christ has set up for us is far higher than any standard that our churches have set up, it is far higher than the Old Covenant standard that the Israelites could not live up to, it is, in fact, far higher than anything we have imagined. The standard that Christ has given to us through His death on the cross is nothing less than New Life. Jesus said “Ye must be born again”. Newness of life starts with faith in Christ. This does not mean just believing in Him, but believing Him. It is the beginning of a relationship that is based on the trust of a creature to its Creator. This is a relationship that bears fruit, and the fruit is not found in following a set of laws, but is found in new inner life. This, then, is the standard for those who have truly been saved: ‘I desire to do everything I do, from the minute I wake up to the minute I fall asleep, for the glory of God. If it is not glorifying to God, not only do I abstain from it because I know it is wrong, but I abhor the idea of it because I love the Creator who died for me.’ Is this your standard of living? Is this what you abide by daily? Are your days filled with the question “What can I do right now to glorify God”?
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Paul said “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom 12:1)
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Does this standard put some of our other standards into perspective? Where do PG movies that use Gods name in vain and include violence fall into this standard? Is God glorified when we waste our God-given time enjoying watching such things? How about lusting after women? In your view, isn’t it just as bad as adultery now? We would never have used foul language under our old standard, but now what about something so ‘small’ as complaining? We would never have murdered someone under the Old Covenant, but where does anger fall now? Can we now place that in the same category as murder... since all of these things are disgusting, offensive and hurtful to our Lord and Savior? All of these put Jesus on the cross, why have we been putting emphasis on some of these and not others for so long? It is because we love the Old Covenant, because it pleases our flesh more to abide by a set of rules than to abide in Christ. There is far less to give up when we have our own standard!
\tThe reason that this standard is far higher than anything we could have imagined is because it is far higher than anything we could produce. Man is only able to produce an outward holiness. He is able to follow laws that only require self control, but man cannot eliminate those deep inner sins that he is daily made aware of through his conscience. Pride, anger, jealousy, lust, selfishness, self pity, envy and the like are the sins that we will continually fall to as long as we are under the Old Covenant. And so, man is convicted and condemned by his conscience for these things until he either sears his conscience or gets on his knees and begs for mercy. Have you done that yet? Have you begged for mercy, for freedom, for Life?
\tGod has commanded that all of these things are eradicated in your life. Has pride been eradicated? Has lust? Envy? Anger? The elimination of these sins is the fruit of a deep and real relationship with the Creator who has not only promised you freedom from these, but commanded it under the New Covenant. Have you found freedom under the New Covenant or are you still struggling under the Old?
\t Do you find yourself under Romans 7(struggling, failing, misery), or under Romans 8 (freedom and victory)? How did Paul move from Romans 7 to Romans 8? He humbled himself and recognized his state when he said “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”. The second step was that of faith. He said “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Have you found salvation in Jesus Christ?
\t“The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, soul AND body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calls you, who also will do it” (1 Thess. 5:23-24)
\tDo you believe this verse? When we put our faith, not in doctrine, not in standards, not in our flesh but in Christ Himself to save us from the body of sin, that is when we will find salvation for our entire “Spirit, Soul and Body” so that we can be kept “blameless” unto the coming of our Lord.
\tPraise God that He “did not call us to be impure (enslaved to sin, defeated, joyless), but to live a holy life” (1 Thess 4:7). Thank God He did not bring us out of the world to live a miserable, defeated existence, but to live a holy, victorious Christian life! “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified...that each of you should learn to control his own body... for God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject any man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit”(1 Thess 4:1-8). He who rejects this instruction does not believe God, but accuses Him of deception. Will you believe God right now for your salvation from sin? He is able to save anyone, even wretched miserable you, from your body of sin.
\t“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” (Rom 6:11-14) Grace is not freedom to sin, but freedom from sin! It is the power of God to save us from our old master; sin. “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Rom 6:15-16).
\tAnd finally, my brothers and sisters, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh (the old covenant, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh the pride of life), but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (to make alive) your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear (we have not been called out of the world to remain in bondage to it, we have not been freed from our flesh to remain in bondage to it we have not been freed from the law to continue to serve it); but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
\tIs that your Christian walk today? Have you found the freedom that is in Christ? Is Christianity something you have added to your life? Is victory over sin something you are seeking so that you can have an easier Christian walk? Or, have you seen the suffering of Christ, His death on the cross for your sins, and now desire to spend every moment glorifying God in whatever way He would have you doing it? What standard are you living by? Is it a set of laws, a minimum standard for you to follow in order to remain a “good Christian” or is it a desire to do the maximum for God because He is worthy? Only one of these roads leads to Life, the other is an offense to God. Which road are you on? Have faith in God. He has freed you!
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 12:1)
