Teaching that leads us away from grace…

“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Galatians 2:21).

Let’s face it, some individuals seem to have better outward behavior than others…and they know it. “Thou shalt not” is their mantra in life. It seems their mission in life is to drive others back into bondage rather than draw them to the freedom, liberty, and victory which are in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Perched on a lofty pedestal of self-righteousness they attempt to bring others up to “their” pious lifestyle and they often hurl their condescending judgments on others who do not look, smell, speak, act, behave, and believe exactly like they do. It’s sickening…to others and to God. Come on! There is absolutely no righteousness in any of us apart from the mercy and grace of God which is in Christ Jesus. Remember? You could do nothing good enough to merit the favor of God before salvation and you cannot do it now. We needed a substitute then and we still do.

If you’ve trusted in the death of Christ on the cross for YOUR sins, His burial, and His resurrection, then you are made the righteousness of God in Him. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was the only substitute who could satisfy the just demands of God. That’s grace!

Do you know this? Do you realize you cannot ever be good enough to satisfy the holy and just demands of God? That’s grace. Grace is God reaching down through Christ to helpless, hopeless, and homeless mankind to give them eternal life. God declaring you to be righteous even though you are still a sinner is beyond human understanding, logic, or reasoning. But it’s true. That’s grace.

Now that you’ve come to Christ in faith and He has showered His abundant grace on you, will you frustrate the grace of God by returning to the law of commandments and attempt to keep them? Stop lying to yourself, you cannot! Righteousness does not come by keeping the laws of God, righteousness comes solely by Christ. That’s grace. And now, we live the Christian life by that grace which is ours to the full through Christ. Grace does not inspire us to live a sinful lifestyle.

If you understand grace, then you understand it is grace that equips us with all we need to live the Christian life. Grace frees, the law binds. Grace says yes, the law says no. Grace to forgive, grace to walk in truth, grace to give, grace to receive, grace to love, grace to obey, grace to forbear, grace to be kind, grace to back off and let God work in some ones life, grace for patience, grace for holiness, and grace for sin. Grace is as effective now as it was when you first trusted Christ. “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” If I should ever start directing you to a human being and stop directing you solely to Jesus Christ, please ignore me!



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One Response to “Teaching that leads us away from grace…”

  1. Don Says:

    Thank you again for such a timely message. Paul (the Apostle of Grace), reminds us in Romans 5 “where sin abounded,grace much more abounds.” That truly is Gods grace.

    Thank you, for the reminder of the freedom we have in Christ. I would love to see you preach this at NBBC.

    In Christ,

    Don DeSimone
    Gal 6:10