American Grace

post 115

Watching the TV show Wretched with Todd Freil on Friday, he received a letter from an individual who was concerned about his own dual reaction to sin.
He described an immediate check in his spirit when he does something wrong, allowing him to go immediately to God and get it right through repentance.

But he also described other times he has no such check and seems to be missing that internal confrontation.
This concerns him… as it should.

Mr. Freil, normally quite scripturally adept, took the standard American Christian approach to dive under the blanket of grace and tell the young man in essence; grace fixes everything so don’t worry about it.

While this is generically correct, it is specifically flawed. The message God is actually sending this young man was entirely missed.
This is a very common problem in American Christianity today.

Galatians 2:21 tells us plainly “…Do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

Now the context of this passage warns of stepping out from under the life lived in Christ under grace to take up living under the law. We get that part easily as American Christians.
But follow the full intent of this passage and we find in 2:16 that “man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ…”

This passage is specifically speaking of justification.
The Law or Grace, are simply vehicles of choice to attempt to attain this justification.

So while Mr. Friel has diligently and accurately steered this young man away from the approach of law to seek this justification, he failed to point him on the correct path of grace. And we just read that apparently grace can be frustrated.
Like the law, grace is just a path to someplace else. Grace is not the destination.

Galatians 2:17-18 asks; “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor."

Is the Law the only thing which we destroyed though entering into grace?
Did we not also destroy the power of the old man?
Have we not died unto the old man?
After all I am crucified with Christ! (Galatians 2:20)

This young man should be instructed that by observation he will find that the sin for which he no longer receives a check in his spirit, is sin he already knows is offensive to God.
God has already dealt with him personally in this area, but he continues to build again that thing which he and God had destroyed. In other-words he can’t keep his spiritual eyes off “the other woman”.
This is being found a sinner while seeking to be justified in Christ. But Christ is not a minister of sin!
This also frustrates grace.

This is a very dangerous place to play.

Galatians 3:1-3 “O Foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth,…?” “…are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”

Yes, the Galatians were troubled by returning to the law,
But don’t miss the whole point of where our justification is found.
Not in grace, but through grace!
Grace is not the goal, it is the vehicle by which we find justification.
Do not be bewitched, God does not justify the heathen in faith, but through faith.(v.8)

So if we use grace to stop in faith and not progress through faith to justification, we remain in the sin which grace has provided a path through, then we fail the grace of God.

When we loose the check in our spirit, it is because we have frustrated the grace of God.
We must live in grace, “live” is a word of action, not sleep in grace, a word of inaction.
In other words; use the grace to achieve the goal, which is a life in Christ far beyond the besetting sin.
Grace is the ticket to reach the goal of a real and powerful life in Christ.
Grace is the train ticket, not the train.
Faith is the train not the destination.
The daily presence of God is the destination.
If you are sitting at the station gleefully waving your ticket with no real intention of actually taking the train because you don't want to leave your stuff, then my friend you are missing the whole purpose of the ticket!
This destination cannot be found while remaining in sin, which you know you have already been shown to be sin.
Hebrews 12:14-15 tells us we must actually be successful in diligently following holiness. Otherwise we will fail of the grace of God, and never see the LORD.

Is this suggesting we return to the Law? Of course not!
Peter was able to walk on the water only as long as he kept his attention fully on Jesus.
Likewise you will only be able to live in justification through grace when you too keep your attention fully on Jesus.

The American “dirty grace” is an abomination unto God.
I call it American because it is a very common practice here, but clearly this is not new, and not exclusive to America.

The secret to successful accomplishment is not diligent labor. That is the law.
But to turn your full and undivided attention to Jesus your Savior, abandoning all other worldly affections which turn your attention...even a little.
Did Peter walk on the water through understanding, or intelligence, or practice, or even great effort or sacrifice?
Of course not!
How did he walk on the water?
Answer this, and you will also answer how you can live in justification through grace.
"But walking on water is impossible!"
Exactly!
It cannot be done from our side of the equation. Neither can a justified life.
Yet Peter did walk on water, and we too are told we must be justified.
The power for both is found only when focused on the source. Jesus.

Let us have grace, So that by the power of grace we have the vehicle to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29 paraphrased)

Just as Peter could not walk on water while swimming in it,
You cannot walk in grace while swimming in sin.
It just cannot be done!

The lie of American Christianity with its false application of grace, is that you are free to live in sin and be pleasing to God. It is the same heresy of the Catholic Church; free to live in any sin as long as you go to confession. This is abomination and comes very close to blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. (I John 1:6) Grace is rather provided so we can live above sin, and available to clean us up when we periodically fall into sin. (I John 2:1)
As long as you have your ticket of grace, you can get back on the train if you fall off.
Get out of the gutter dear Christian, you have been hanging around in there far too long and are covered in sewage!
A shower only works once you come out of the mud.

Matthew 13:22 goes so far beyond American Christianity today, and deals not with wickedness, but simply the genuine cares of this world. Even the very justifiable cares of our daily obligations have the ability to choke the word and make us unfruitful if we do not diligently apply the grace of II Peter 1.

How much more the sin which God has already dealt with in your life, that you have put back on because it is comfortable?

How serious is your Christianity?
Only a few will find the narrow gate! Matthew 7:14
Be one!

As Todd ends his show every night; “Now go serve your King”!

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Please jump ahead to Soul's Delight
http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2010/11/souls-delight.html