One Of The Criticisms That Grace Faces...

One of the criticisms leveled against the message of Grace is, that it is lax on "sin". The assumption is, "it's all Grace now, so you can do whatever you want, without any consequences." 

Not one Grace preacher I know of, says that. 

Regardless of whether anyone says that or not, I think, this criticism stems from the belief that people can be controlled by the Law; sadly, without realizing the fact that the Law actually empowers one to sin (see 1 Cor 15:56). 

A lifestyle of destruction destroys us, but it does not affect God's love for us. There isn't a big enough boulder that can separate us from His love for us (see Rom 8:38-39). 

Despite what we feel about the man, God unconditionally loves Ariel Castro, the man who, for a decade, imprisoned and used three young women as sex slaves, in his basement. While God's love is offensive to most people, it does not negate the law of sowing and reaping - which is why Castro is in a jail right now. 

God's love towards the human race has nothing to do with one's good or bad actions. He loved us from before the foundations of the world. Unlike most of us do with each other, we don't earn God's acceptance with our actions. We are already accepted and reconciled in God (see 2 Cor 5:18-19), whether we have the experiential reality of it, or not. It's a gift - it is called Grace (see Eph 2:8-9). 

Regardless, I love all the heat that the message of Grace is getting now. It simply means that nerves are being struck left and right, for the better. You can't make a good chicken curry without stirring the pot. : )

Thou shalt be Free

Biblically speaking, we can only live either by law or by grace. Choosing to live by the law requires that one must keep all (I cannot pick and choose from the 10 commandments and the 600 plus sub commandments) the laws with absolute perfection. There isn't a slightest margin for error (James 2:10). I cannot pull the "I'm trying my best" card.

The religion comes in with blithe ignorance and proclaims that, "all you have to do is keep the law and God will smile at you" and place the sincere believer on a never-ending treadmill, when the the fact of the matter is, not one of us can score a 100 out of 100. And this is precisely why we need a Savior!

The purpose of the law (let's not forget that it was not even given to the gentiles) then, was to reveal man's inability to reach God's perfection with his self-effort. Not one action qualifies us to be in right-standing with Him. Not one action of ours qualifies us to receive His blessings. The only route through which we can receive anything from Him is by grace through faith. 

Law leaves us guilty and helpless, which in turn draws us to receive His grace and mercy. The heavy-lifting was already done by the rabbi from Nazareth. All we do is acknowledge and receive the free gift - the glorified Him. Law weighs us down while He frees us.

Golf Balls

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a golf ball at Tiger.

He that has been made righteous (not self-righteous), let him know that it is purely by grace (unmerited, unearned, undeserved Gift of God) that you have been saved and made righteous, before you decide to condemn the man.

Remove grace from the picture; all of us are in the same boat. I realize it is a tough pill to swallow, especially for the religious crowd, but if you doubt my statement, read James 2:10.

None of us can judge him (or anyone), because, often times people judge others based on the presumed notion that they are somehow "better" (self-righteous) than the other for whatever reasons. James 2:10 proves that one little lie keeps me in the company of the "worst" criminals without me lifting one finger. This is why there is none righteous by their own merits and all of us needs the gift of grace, which is freely available.