As I "Googled" certain ministers of the Gospel who preach GRACE rather than legalism, I found exactly what I thought I'd find: Criticism and Name Calling (False Prophets).
This makes me a bit sad.
Grace is not a popular message. People would much rather be given a set of rules to follow - a standard to measure against. And if we accept the Gospel of Grace, it takes away our "scales" on which we measure another believer's "credibility." (God forbid that we should relax our stone throwing arms!). And if the believer cannot stand (in our sight) then the poor unbeliever has no chance at all.....
We are a people/society that has been birthed (physically) and nurtured on the "do's and don'ts" of society and the 10 commandments. Rules and regulations, we love them. It is foreign to us to even try to undertand that a person could be driven/compelled to do what is right unless we first point out to them what is WRONG.....
Grace doesn't work that way. The new covenant of Christ doesn't work that way.
Do you realize that Jesus was beaten to the point that his internal organs were exposed so that we would NOT have to be bound by rules and regulations? Good works count for nothing.
Now, no doubt some will be "rising up" right now and thinking that I am endorsing "license" to sin....No, my friend, not at all....hear what the Apostle Paul says, and I agree
"For the love of Christ compels (to be "compelled" is to be driven/directed/guided) us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh (We cannot make an assumption about any person based on what we SEE). Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;old things have passed away (we are compelled to do NEW things...things that follow after the teachings of Christ and the Scriptures); behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. " 2 Cor 5:14-21 - (words in italics are MINE and meant to be emphatic - not adding to).
Grace. Not works. Lest we brag (or condemn).
LOVE compells us to follow Christ, and love alone. GRACE is how we obtain that love. Grace alone.
No, Grace preaching is not popular. And although that makes me a bit sad, I know that God is in control...His Word will accomplish what He sent it to do (The WORD became Flesh)...through Grace.....regardless of the critics....Amen, and Amen.
(the picture may appear to have nothing to do with the writing, but when I painted this last year I entitled it, "We are His Masterpiece - He applies the Blood"...hope that makes sense.)
