GraceUncovered

Authors home articles Gracelife

GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

944. You Are Not Under Law but Under Grace (No “Balance” Required)

by

The Christian religion has notoriously attempted to mix the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ with a hodgepodge of works-based rules and requirements that will vary with great extreme from one denominational brand to the next. Leapfrogging through various Bible verses which are often taken out of the context of the New Covenant can leave people in a place of uncertainty when it is based upon our doing instead of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Our conversation will examine the inconsistencies in mixing various aspects of old covenant law with the assurance we have in Christ by faith. Paul made a simple and yet profound statement that is easily overlooked: "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14).



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

942. “Hey Paul, Issue a Retraction About Your Teaching” (Signed, the Jerusalem Church)

by

We're nearing the conclusion of our series on the challenging time of transition after the resurrection related to Gentile controversies from the book of Acts. Taking a look at Acts 21, where Paul went to Jerusalem to address some issues head-on ... knowing he may end up suffering or even facing death. This would have been about a decade after the heated debate centered around Gentiles back in Acts 15 with other apostles and elders. This time, he met with James and the leadership council from the "church headquarters" in the city. Paul was eager to share what God was doing among the Gentiles and they all rejoiced. But there was still a barrier causing a division or separation between Jews and Gentiles. That barrier of hostility was connected to the law of Moses which was still being embraced among the church leadership and their community.

Many Jewish people were also coming to believe in a risen Jesus, but remained zealous or fervent for the Mosaic law ... a law that Paul had been teaching was abolished and a ministry of death and condemnation from which Jews had been fully redeemed. These newer believers who were passionate for the law were unhappy to hear Paul was proclaiming these things and some wanted death for him. During this private meeting, those who were present from the Jerusalem church attempted to convince Paul that he should squash the rumors of his teachings, denouncing them as empty hearsay, and declare he also was zealous for the law and traditions of Moses ... while participating in an old covenant cleansing ceremony. But ultimately, Paul would not compromise his message, as he would escape death for a period of time and primarily spend the rest of his days as a prisoner ministering a gospel of grace apart from works.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

941. Gentiles – And Eating Strangled Meat Sacrificed to Idols

by

Continuing in our series about the controversies in the early years of the church regarding salvation for Gentiles and whether Jewish religious law should apply to them, we compare what James said in Acts 15 to some things Paul said about the question of eating meat that had been sacrificed to an idol. In the effort to alleviate confusion about whether Gentiles should follow the law of Moses, the declaration given in writing ended up eventually causing more confusion among non-Jewish believers in Christ. It was a significant disruption in their everyday lives.

There is quite a contrast with what Paul would say to Gentile converts in comparison to the original letter that was sent from James and the church council a few years earlier. But considering the cultural clash about some issues in that day between Jews and Gentiles, his bottom-line exhortation would be ... in spite of them being free from law and that all things were lawful ... to filter everything through love while considering those who may be weaker in faith and are more susceptible to a guilty conscience.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

940. The Judgment: Gentiles Remain Free From Moses (Except for the Fine Print)

by

The scene takes place about a decade or so after it came to light that Gentiles could be saved. In Acts 15, a contentious debate occurred between apostles and other Jewish elders and leaders in the early church at Jerusalem. Should non-Jewish believers in Christ be forced to abide by the Mosaic law ... as these believing Jews thought they were still supposed to follow? Gentiles never had the law. James provided a compromise of sorts. He sided with the team of Peter and Paul - that Gentiles should not be burdened with the law in the same way as Jews - but it often gets skipped over that he made exceptions to the "rule." James listed four things from the law that he felt Gentiles should do going forward.

We'll begin to take a look at these lawful line items, and what it would mean for the Gentiles of that time within their culture as they would be trying to live in harmony with nearby Jewish believers who still embraced Moses. These four things were not merely 4 commandments out of 613 from the law, but were more like categories which would involve much more than what it initially looked like on paper, and would unnecessarily result in a much bigger burden than what would have been initially understood.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

939. Confusion and Controversy: Gentiles Required to Keep the Law? (Acts 15)

by

After Peter's revelation of Gentiles coming to faith - which coincided with Paul arriving on the scene - non-Jewish people were beginning to believe in Jesus and to receive the Spirit resulting in eternal life. The wildfire began to spread throughout certain regions. But it collided head-on with Jewish believers in positions of high authority who jumped to the wrong conclusion that these believing Gentiles needed to adhere to circumcision and other aspects of the law of Moses in order to be truly saved.

It resulted in "no small dissention" and "much debate," and it was suggested that the Gentile converters gather for a meeting at the church headquarters in Jerusalem, where Paul and Peter (among others) would meet with the apostles, the council and elders to determine if Gentiles who never had the Mosaic law should be required to follow it as those Jewish believers in Jerusalem assumed they were still required to do.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

938. Gentiles No Longer Denied: “Revered Paul” to the Rescue

by

In Acts 13 and 14, after what may have been close to a decade after the resurrection, Paul was in the early days of his ministry of the gospel to Gentiles and also Jewish people. He and Barnabas connected in the region of Antioch for about a year, finally opening the message of salvation available to Gentiles found through faith in a risen Jesus.

But first they addressed Jews who gathered at the nearby synagogue on the weekly Sabbath to hear a customary reading of the law of Moses. Some received their gospel message, but just as many did not ... and the city became divided. Jews who were advocates for the old law didn't appreciate being told that only Jesus could bring them forgiveness and freedom—while the law never could.

This ... combined with Gentiles coming to faith in Christ ... led Paul's Jewish contradictors to stone him while in one particular city, and dragged him out of the town to be left for dead. This would just be Round 1. The bell would ring, and Paul would get up and head boldly back into the ring, undeterred by those who threw rocks while they were clinging to the stone tablets.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

937. The Gentile Denial – Peter Accused by Other Apostles and Jews

by

Continuing with the 4th program in our series about Gentiles coming to faith in Christ, after God revealed to Peter that non-Jewish people could be saved and should no longer be considered unclean as they were under the Mosaic law ... the word about this had reached other apostles and Jewish believers. In Acts 11, Peter was "called on the carpet" and accused of doing the unthinkable by not only rubbing shoulders with some of those dirty Gentiles, but also eating grub with them that was prohibited by the law.

Peter would go on to explain his story of the vision he had about Gentiles coming to faith and receiving the Spirit, but it's another example of how even witnesses to the risen Jesus and early believing Jews were still of the mindset that they were to abide by the old law—unaware that outsiders could even be saved. Adding Gentiles to the equation would complicate their message of law and grace ... and even divide many of these believers for many years to come.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

936. The Gentile Denial: The Dog Days Are Over

by

Under the Mosaic law of stone tablet commandments, Gentiles (non-Jewish people) were considered unclean outsiders who were to be avoided by (old) covenant people. They fell into the same category as camel casserole, bacon burgers, and lobster for lunch. Therefore, in the first number of years after the ascension of Jesus, believing Jews were sharing the good news with other Jews ... and not the outsiders. Some might ask the question why the apostles would have assumed the law was still in effect when Paul made it clear that it had been abolished and brought to an end. On the other hand, until Peter had his vision (Acts 10) telling him this was now different, why wouldn't they assume the law was still in place? Paul hadn't made the scene yet with his revelations about the gospel because he was too busy having Christians killed.

Let's try to put ourselves in their sandals as we look through these pages. We'll take a look at something Jesus told his disciples when He had sent them out during the time of His earthly ministry. Plus, let's not forget about the "dog woman" who approached Jesus back at that time when the law was still in place (before the cross).



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

935. The Gentile Denial – God Intervenes With a Vision

by

Program #2 in our series shows Peter receiving a vision from God about unclean food prohibited by the Mosaic Law. God told him to eat it, but Peter replied saying he would never eat anything that was considered to be common or unclean. God responded by telling him not to call anything unclean that He declared to be clean. Of course, the next day Peter put two and two together when he realized that there was also something else considered unclean by the standard of the Mosaic law ... it was Gentiles.

By God's direction, Peter would end up going to meet with a group of Gentiles. He pointed out to his host, Cornelius, that it was considered unlawful for a Jewish man like himself to meet with the outsiders of other nations (Gentiles). But when God's Spirit fell upon those (formerly) considered unclean ... Peter's Jewish friends were amazed and astonished at what they saw (they had not witnessed this before). Although it was nearly a decade after the cross, Gentiles were finally receiving God's Spirit and being saved ... all thanks to a new revelation about the law being set aside and taken out of the way.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

What is the Whole Counsel of God?

by

Tell people the good news of God’s unconditional love, and I can guarantee that some will chide you for not preaching the whole counsel of God.

Tell people about the goodness of God, and some concerned person will say: “You’ve got to preach the whole counsel of God, brother.”

What they mean is, “You should tell people to do stuff – repent, confess, turn from sin, work, etc. – to earn the free gifts of grace.”

Earn the free gifts of grace?!

What a strange thing to say. How can you compensate God for his priceless gifts?

I am a big fan of repentance, but repentance may not be what you think it is.

I’m also a big fan of confession, but confession may not be what you think it is either.

And turning from sin? Well any time you turn to Jesus you will turn from sin. It’s inevitable.

Sidebar: The issue is not what you are turning from but Who you are turning to. The Pharisees turned from sin every day but they never turned to Jesus. Turning from sin doesn’t make you righteous, just religious.

What is the whole counsel of God?

Paul told the Ephesians “I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Some translations say, the whole will or whole purpose of God.

The whole counsel and the whole purpose are synonymous with the whole gospel because God’s will is always good news.

What is the whole counsel of God that Paul proclaimed? He tells us three verses earlier:

I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:24)

The whole counsel of God is the gospel of his grace. Period.

“Just grace?!” says the serious man.

Grace and nothing but. Not grace-plus-your-confession, nor grace-plus-your-works – just grace.

“I can’t accept that,” says the serious man.

Well, you wouldn’t be the first person to have a problem with grace:

The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God… (Luke 7:30)

Isn’t that interesting. Those who loved the law rejected God’s counsel. Who else did the Pharisees and law-teachers reject? Jesus (see Mark 8:31)!

What is the whole gospel? Jesus is. He is the whole counsel and the complete will and the eternal purpose of God.

If you want to know what God is like or what he thinks, look to Jesus.

If you want to preach the counsel, the whole counsel, and nothing but the counsel of God, then preach Jesus and nothing else. He is both the will of God made flesh and the means by which God’s will comes to pass.

Jesus is the Good News.

How not to preach the gospel

I have written else on how to teach the gospel of grace, but let me finish by showing you how not to preach the gospel: Add stuff to it.

If you take all the blessings of God – his love, favor, forgiveness, acceptance, healing, provision, deliverance, etc. – and tell people they must do stuff to merit them, then you are diluting the gospel of grace. You’re preaching a mixed gospel of grace-plus-works.

Grace is no longer the whole gospel; it’s only part of some horrendous frankengospel.

Whenever we add things to the gospel of grace we dilute its strength and empty the cross of its saving power.

What do these gospel additives look like?

I am sure you know them. They are called prayer and fasting, Bible study, the spiritual disciplines, tithes and offerings, Christian duty, the virtues, works of service, ministry, self-sacrifice, helps, missions, outreach, submission, sowing, etc. In the hands of graceless religion these good things become death-dealing burdens.

If you think you must do them before God will bless you, you have fallen from grace as hard as any Galatian.

Religion is cruel

Imagine a thirsty man crawls out of the desert and you say to him, “Drink this pure spring water.” That’s good news for the thirsty man. He doesn’t need to do anything except receive what you are offering.

But if you ask that man to run a marathon before you give him the drink, it’s no longer good news. It’s torture.

Telling a thirsty man he must pray for an hour before he can drink is not good news. Nor is telling him that he must keep the rules, play the game, and do what he’s told. This isn’t good news; it’s bad news. It’s a form of bullying that hammered the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Laodiceans and many other believers since.

And telling the thirsty man he may drink provided he pays later is no different. In fact it’s worse because you given him a taste of freedom before binding him with obligation.

Want to see change in your life and the lives of others? Then follow Paul’s lead and preach the whole gospel of grace without adding anything to it.

This emphasis on what we must do before God will bless us is a doctrine of demons. It’s poison in the water. The true gospel is additive-free. It’s grace from start to finish.

If you would preach the whole gospel then preach Christ alone.

Jesus is all you need.

—

Did you know that in just a little over two years the Grace Commentary has become the largest grace-based commentary? Here is a picture our progress.

934. The Gentile Denial – The First Decade After the Cross

by

This is the first in a series of programs about the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) seemingly not having the gospel preached to them for nearly a decade after the cross and resurrection of Jesus. It may surprise some believers and even avid Bible readers that the focus in those early years by the apostles and other Jewish believers was to spread the message of Jesus to their Jewish brethren. This is very interesting since Jesus plainly stated they should go to all nations. Also, the many prophetic scriptures from the Old Testament looked forward to Gentiles coming to salvation.

After Jesus ascended and the Spirit came down upon people ... even Peter's speech in Acts chapter 2 quotes the prophet Joel, looking to a day when God's Spirit would be available to all and that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So how did Gentiles seem to fail to show up on the radar for 7 to 10 years when it came to spreading the message of salvation through Jesus? People can speculate as much as they want, but one thing is certain ... it had to do with the Mosaic law that they thought was still in effect.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

Get the book

What Does it Mean to be Alienated from God?

by

Perhaps you know the story of Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda of the Imperial Japanese Army.

When WW2 ended, it was a time of great joy and celebration. Prisoners were set free, and millions of soldiers went home to their families.

But not Lt. Onoda. The dutiful Onoda did not believe broadcasts announcing the end of the war, so for the next 29 years he hid in the jungles of the Philippines refusing to come home.

Knowing he was still out there, the authorities tried to reach him with the news. However, Onoda dismissed leaflets left by the islanders as enemy propaganda. He considered letters, family photos, and newspapers dropped from planes as nothing more than clever tricks.

Eventually, the Japanese Government sent Onoda’s former commanding officer into the jungle with orders for him to stand down. Relieved of duty, Onoda emptied the bullets from his rifle and turned in his weapon. For him the war was finally over. He returned home to a hero’s welcome.

For three decades Lt. Onoda was engaged in a war that existed only in his mind against an imaginary enemy he feared and distrusted.

Sadly, this is how some people relate to God.

Alienated in their minds

Some people are opposed to God in their minds or they think God is gunning for them on account of their sin. They have not heard there has been a cessation of hostilities, that the war has been won and the Prince of Peace now sits on the throne.

Ignorant of this good news and fearful of God they are lying low in the jungles of religion or self-deception.

God hates them—or so they think. His anger is mounting. So they live under a lie, refusing to come home.

In ten years as a pastor and forty years as a churchgoer I have met thousands of believers who tell you they believe the gospel, but their lives reveal a different story.

Instead of reaping from the gospel of peace, they are plowing the hard ground of D.I.Y. religion. Instead of drawing with joy from the wells of salvation, they are baking bricks in the pits of performance-based churchianity.

They may be smiling on the outside, but on the inside they are anxious, insecure, and battling with guilt and condemnation. Fearful of upsetting a touchy God they are trying to do the right thing and make themselves pleasing to the Lord. But since they are never sure if they have done enough they have no peace.

Others run hard after the favor of God but they never seem to arrive. They study the scriptures, fast and pray, and do all they are told, but the promised blessings of the Christian life—God’s forgiveness, acceptance, provision and so on—always seem just out of reach.

Yo-yo believers

Squeezed between the demands of a holy God who expects nothing short of perfection and the flawed performance of their own broken lives, Christians are among the most neurotic people on the planet. Like yo-yos they are up one day but down the next. They are testifying on Sunday but confessing on Monday.

Each time they stumble they promise Jesus they will try harder next time but it’s no use. They feel like frauds and wonder what will happen to them when their shortcomings are eventually exposed.

The number one reason why many Christians are joyless and tired is because they have never heard the gospel of grace. I know it’s hard to believe but it’s true—the gospel is almost never preached.

Visit any church or switch on a Christian TV channel and chances are you will hear anything and everything but the undiluted gospel. You will hear a mixed gospel that leaves people fearful and insecure.

Don’t blame the preachers. Many of them are doing the best they can. But they can’t give what they haven’t got, and they can’t preach what they haven’t heard.

The gospel is good news. This is what the word “gospel” literally means: good news. By definition, any gospel that leaves you fearful of an angry and judgmental God is no gospel at all. It is not good news.

Any gospel that leaves you insecure and uncertain, forever wondering, Am I accepted? Am I forgiven? is not good news.

Any gospel that demands you sign up for a lifetime of progressive sanctification and yet offers no guarantee that you will ever make it, is not good news.

Any gospel that forces cripples to jump through hoops of religious performance is no gospel at all.

And now for the news…

The gospel is the glad and merry news that God is good, he loves you, and he will happily give up everything he has so he can have you.

Contrary to popular belief, God is not mad at you. He is not even in a bad mood. The good news declares that God is happy, he is for you, and he wants to share his life with you forever.

Jesus is the proof.

On the cross God showed that he loved us while we were sinners and that he would rather die than live without us. And through the resurrection he proved that nothing—not even death—can separate us from the love that is ours in Jesus Christ.

Through our representative Jesus our heavenly Father has joined himself to us, promising never to leave nor forsake us. We stand secure, not on our feeble promises to him, but on his unbreakable promises to us.

And that’s it: God loves you and wants to be with you.

It’s simple but it’s the biggest truth in the universe. We will spend eternity discovering in a billion different ways the limitless expressions of his unending love. This is what we were made for—to receive and respond to his divine love. This is the fundamental law of our existence and the reason for our being.

This is the best news you ever heard.

—–

Extracted from Out of the Jungle: Why the Good News May Be the Best News You Never Heard, a free ebook you get when you sign up as a subscriber to Escape to Reality.

Categories

Recent Posts