Performance oriented religion attempts to read Matthew 1:21 as stating that Jesus came to save people from living a lifestyle of sin:
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
You will hear religious people say, "Jesus saves us FROM our sins and not IN our sins." Am I to conclude that the above verse implies that Jesus came to save people from habitual sins as religion claims? Jesus came to save His people (Jews in view in Matthew 1) from habitual sins and transforms them into occasional sinners? Instead of sinning much is to see people transformed into sinning less? That's what Matthew 1:21 is teaching? That was what the cross accomplished? Question, did Jesus come to save those “dead IN sin” according to Ephesians 2 or those who “habitually sin”? Was it "dead in sin" to be quickened to only be able to occasionally sin? Jesus work at Calvary fell short of perfection? God is pleased with occasional sinners? Only religion reads words back into a verse nowhere stated as they do in Matthew 1:21.
The religious people who emphasize the word “FROM” in Matthew 1:21 need to realize that the same Greek word is also translated “IN” 6 times in the KJV as well. Also, why would we assume "from" implies a person from going from "habitual" sinning to "occasional" sinning? I would assume "from" would imply completely and entirely and not habitually.
Saved FROM death habitually, occasionally, or entirely? We are said to be "delivered FROM the Law" (Romans 7:6) but is that habitually, occasionally, or entirely? Who shall separate us FROM the love of God? Was that habitually, occasionally, or entirely? I simply fail to see that when the word "from" is being described from God's point of view of a work He accomplished that habitual or occasional is implied. What God redeemed us FROM is permanent and perfect. Matthew 1:21 was not talking about us sinning less. God came to save us FROM our sins entirely.
Saved FROM death habitually, occasionally, or entirely? We are said to be "delivered FROM the Law" (Romans 7:6) but is that habitually, occasionally, or entirely? Who shall separate us FROM the love of God? Was that habitually, occasionally, or entirely? I simply fail to see that when the word "from" is being described from God's point of view of a work He accomplished that habitual or occasional is implied. What God redeemed us FROM is permanent and perfect. Matthew 1:21 was not talking about us sinning less. God came to save us FROM our sins entirely.
The word "from" is also translated 10 times as “for” but I still do not see a salvation from habitual sinning to occasional sinning lifestyle. The Pharisees would not be defined by religion as habitual sinners so did they need saving from a habitual life of sin? If religion is correct then Jesus only came to save Pharisees from unbelief because they were not by how religion defines it, "habitual sinners."
Seems like a waste of time to hear Jesus coming into the world to save us "from our sins" when not everyone was living a habitual life of sin at that time as how religion defines habitual sinning. Paul described himself as "blameless" when touching the righteousness which is in the law (Phil. 3:6). Did Paul need Jesus to save him from a habitual lifestyle of sin when he claimed to be blameless? Was it Paul's desire to become an occasional sinner? Paul should not have counted his righteousness as but dung when religion today places such high importance upon such a lifestyle. Religious people are obsessed with their performance. If Matthew 1:21 is stating that Jesus came to save people from living a sinful life then clearly it was not all men in view because some were blameless when it came to law. Would Enoch have needed Jesus to save him from a habitual sins?
I read of a Jesus who came “for our sins” (1st Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4; 1st John 2:2; 4:10), but religion prefers tricking the eyes into seeing, "from a lifestyle of sinning." It bothers the religious heart to believe that a person can be a habitual sinner that is enjoying the grace, love, and the forgiveness of God. They want "from our sins" to mean one no longer living in habitual sins. Their focus upon performance and habitual sinning as proof one is not saved is why they are miserable people who are easily rattled. They are fault finders in others proving they are very hard on themselves.
Can a person who is living in sin be happy? I see the Corinthians as happy. Can a person be religious and be happy? Now that is something I do not see in the bible because a law/sin oriented mind is bondage. The Galatians turned to performance and lost their joy (Gal. 4:15a). I know that those who are sin conscious tend to be unhappy people. This could be either those who seek to gratify their sinful desires or those who are trying their utmost to not gratify their sinful desires. It has much to do with the mindset.
I believe in living my life to the fullest. Does that imply that I am running around sinning with a high hand? Not at all! I know I have died to sin. I know that I have died to the Law. I have been made FREE (habitual or occasional) from sin. If speed limit laws were removed then I would not be driving my car obsessed with the speedometer. I simply can drive my car freely without fear of law enforcement pulling me over for breaking any speed limit laws. I certainly would not join some local fundamentalist church that would say, "You are not under the 55mph law but the police expect you to still obey it and we are here to enforce it" as that would still have me living "speed limit" conscious and in bondage to some law. Religious people would still be obsessed with the speedometer because they know that the old law that formerly existed said, "55 mph." The moment they drive 35mph is when they feel they are not doing enough and become fearful. The moment they drive 60mph is when they begin looking around in fear as well. Their eyes remain glued to the speedometer.
Does that mean that I do not sin because I know I have died to sin/law? Of course not, but I know that I am forgiven, my sins taken away, and God is NOT imputing a single sin to my account ever! Why would I live looking for speed limit laws? Why would I live sin conscious? I live in the reality that I am a new creation and no longer view myself before God in my old grave clothes. I see that I am loved infinitely and walk in such knowledge. Love is the fulfilling of the Law. Again, I do not pay attention to the laws abolished but to the law of love. Love says, "Driving this fast is dangerous and I do not want to risk the death of another" and I adjust my speed accordingly. Love is now in action and not law. There is no fear in love. You want to experience fear then the local church should suffice.
Love is NOT what I hear in religion. They often attack the very word. Preach the unconditional love of God and it works like a flushing agent as all the religious people will come running out to attack it. Don't believe me? Go to a bible forum and simply quote verses on the love of God and watch religious people qualify it.
Walking in love requires no religion. I do not need some religion to say, "Your hair must be this length. You must shave. Your skirt must be 2 inches below your knee. You must read your bible daily. You must be in church every time the door opens. You must join ministries in the church. You cannot listen to rock music. You cannot remove lint from the opposite sex clothing. You cannot use profanity. You cannot have a glass of wine. You cannot dance. You cannot play cards. You cannot gamble (even though the pastor invests in risky stocks). You cannot attend movie theaters. You cannot smoke. You cannot mix swim. You cannot watch Hollywood movies." This is NOT the grace/love walk but a walk of death/bondage that leaves you constantly feeding from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Love does not create such rules but many local churches do.
Love does not need a rulebook. Be careful of the phony religious love that attempts to define it their way. Love does not tell you to not listen to rock music but your local religion does. These are simply laws imposed upon you that will frustrate you because deep down many songs you like do not seem to pose any threats at all. Somehow that drum beat is from Satan to make you a weak and frothy Christian that only spews from the lips of religious people. Somehow, God only likes piano and organ music even though organ music was once considered of the devil by fundamentalists many years ago. Being told that you MUST be in some religious building on Sunday is why it is often an unpleasant experience for many as religion misquotes/misinterprets the verse in Hebrews about "not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together" that had NOTHING to do with Sunday church attendance or to prove you are saved nonsense.
You might be reading your bible 1 hour per day but if I were to say, "Unless you read 1 hour a day then you are not saved" is when your bible reading will become an unpleasant chore where you might doubt your salvation if you happened to daydream through what you read in your devotions. Funny thing is that nobody in Paul's day were reading the bible daily because there wasn't any bible yet. You will not find Paul's listeners with a pocket NT with the words of Christ in red. The Gentiles did not walk around with pocket scrolls. So where does this command to read your bibles daily because that is what a true believer would do come from?
I remember Dr. Ian Paisley back at Bob Jones University Bible Conference years ago saying that if you are not reading your bibles from Genesis to Revelation each year then you are backslidden???? No, Dr Paisley had a religious mindset that he was trying to impose upon others. It comes down to what a particular person passions or beliefs are that determines much of the rules you hear. I was told that if you did not have a passion for the bus ministry was to question your salvation. The salvation was questioned of females who did not wear head coverings in church services is something too I heard from the lips of people. Females who wore pants had their salvation questioned. I was at a supposed grace church where the pastor told me that they doubted the salvation of a certain young man because he did not do his devotions in the morning with them as they shared a home. Religion is insanity.
To withhold forgiveness, love, and kindness would not be a grace walk. A life that mocks, hates, and condemns people is not a grace walk. A person who embellishes or uses lies to advance his/her beliefs is not the grace walk. A life that retaliates against another is not the grace life. A life that ignores the needs of others is not a grace walk. A life that is mindful of sin is not a grace walk. A life that is critical and judgmental of others is not the grace walk. A life that only seeks to find faults in others and expose them to others is not the grace walk. A life that mixes a little bit of law for assistance is not the grace walk. Using slander to destroy the teaching of another is not the grace walk. A life that says that oneself is unworthy, sinful, and pathetic is not the grace walk. This mindset is death. There is no life and peace in it. Love cannot flow through such a mindset as it is unable to think whatsoever things are lovely, true, and kind.
The grace walk is not, "I must do my best to sin less." The grace walk is not, "Let my psycho-analyze my life for things I believe God hates." The grace walk is not, "Oh God, reveal my secret sins" as religious people love quoting David in the OT. The grace walk is not, "Oh God, where are you? Did I do something wrong? Are you angry and displeased with me?" The grace walk is not, "I better make sure my sins are all confessed and that I am not willfully sinning right now before I partake of the Lord's Table so God does not kill me" as that is performance oriented religion twisting the passage in 1st Corinthians 11. I have already done a blog on Partaking Unworthily that religion twists.
Grace walk would be your eyes off of what would be defined as rebellion to the Law (55mph). Why? The strength of sin is LAW!. The reason why we struggle is due to our trying to conform to law (Mosaic or religious). When a pastor says, "If you are saved then you will be doing this" is when you might discover the struggle to do what he defined as "this." People struggle to believe because they are told that they must do this thing called believing. This is why they wonder, "Did I believe enough? Did I believe the right way? Did I believe the right message?" They have redefined what believing actually is and now they struggle with it. Instead of believing that they are loved, accepted, and forgiven is them trying to believe to get loved, accepted, and forgiven.
Believing now becomes the one work they must do to get such things from God. Instead of believing the already true news concerning them is them trying to do this thing they call believing so that God will exchange their current so-called bad news with good news as that is the religious gospel. The bad news actually was, "You WERE (before Calvary) but NOW (after Calvary)." You can live in the false reality of the "were" that religion preaches or you can live in the reality that the gospel has brought you in "now."
You were "in times past" (before Calvary) but "now" (after Calvary). Religion still prefers reading "you were" as implying before you believed and the "now" as after you believed. Read Ephesians 2 (the whole chapter) carefully and notice that "in times past" clearly implied before Calvary and not when you believed. Gentiles were in "times past" aliens that referred to the old system that has passed away with the death of the testator. Read the chapter carefully. By grace we have been saved (verse 5) with no mention of doing anything. Grace is experienced and enjoyed through faith but many are still experiencing what feels like alienation as that was removed in Christ (Col. 1:20-21). Only the ignorant, the blind of heart, and the darkened mind experience the lie of alienation THROUGH unbelief (see Ephesians 4:18 "through the ignorance (not faith) in them" as they believe the lie and not the truth that there is no alienation), and only those experience the warm heart of God, already forgiveness of sins, and grace THROUGH faith. Faith does not make it a reality but faith beholds the already reality. It is either enjoy the already grace bestowed "through faith" or wander about thinking that God is angry and still distant from you "through ignorance" of an already truth that your ignorance refuses to accept.
Guilt often plagues the religious mind. The reason for guilt is because you consciously believe that you have failed. You believe you are in rebellion. Guilt has its proper place but majority of the emails I receive are people feeling guilty for the wrong reasons. If I wronged my neighbor then guilt is natural. If I said something harsh against a person then guilt is natural. If I violate the Mosaic law then guilt is NOT natural. "But should I not feel guilty when I sin against God?" You mean, should I not feel guilty when I do not obey the rules of my church and the OT laws? No you should not! You will have 613 reasons to feel guilty if you submit to the law. If you offend in one point will make you GUILTY OF ALL and that demands intense guilt. If offending in one point makes you guilty of all then did Jesus come to make us occasional sinners???
There is a reason Jesus came into this world and Hebrews 10:2 shares that there "remains no more conscience (guilt) of sins." The only problem is that religious people feel guilty for sins that keep repeating proving they do have a conscience of sins and many have a seared conscience (see my blog on seared conscience). If you often feel guilty then you have a religious mindset.
Now imagine being told, "If you are saved then you will not habitually sin." The one thing that will plague your mind is your repeat sins. You will be aware of a heart that now feels cold and dead. You will find certain sins still plaguing you. You will be worried about your motives. You will be questioning what are sins or not. You will question if you are doing enough for God. You are not free but now in bondage. You can lie to us or even yourself that you are not a habitual sinner but the rest of us know you are full of manure. You are not living the grace walk but the religious walk instead. You are unhappy, agitated, and often hard on yourself. Welcome to the world of religion. Your religion can be seen in how you talk to your kids and all the rules you impose upon them. It can be seen in how harsh you discipline them. It can be seen in how you talk about others. I can spot a religious person by how they talk about homosexuals or even Roman Catholics. I can spot a religious person by how they talk about themselves.
Grace frees us from an ungodly mind. How do you define an ungodly mindset? Ungodly mindset to males often conjures up, "Do not think sexual thoughts." You ask a female what an ungodly mind implies to her is often to hear something different. Often asking that question reveals what that person is struggling with because of how they answer it. What was the first thing that popped into your mind when I asked that question? Was your answer something you are currently struggling to overcome?
People wrongly assume that grace saying no to all manners of ungodliness is the same as Jesus telling the woman caught in adultery, "Go, and sin no more." Jesus simply was saying to her, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and (the) sin (adultery) no more (not even a single act of it again)." Jesus was letting her know that not even He condemns her but He also was not telling her to go back to what she was doing either. He was not saying, "Neither do I condemn you: Go back to what you were doing." He was saying, "Neither do I condemn you: Go, but not back to your adulterous affair anymore." Jesus definitely was not also saying, "Neither do I condemn you: Go, and stop habitually sinning from here on out." Jesus was only telling her that He was not condemning her even though caught in the very "act" of adultery and to go but not back to the affair she was having.
Religion today would have exposed her the same way the Pharisees did. She would have to first confess to her husband and then before the congregation by publicly apologizing before a group of people who would be looking down upon her for something only a few might have known about. Religion knows not love even though the love they have comes in the form of public humiliation. They would throw stones of shame upon her but that is the religious walk and not the grace walk. I was in an independent fundamental baptist church years ago where teenagers had to publicly apologize for fornicating before the congregation. Why did I need to hear about it? If only 2 people knew about it then why would 1000+ members need to hear about it? Religion is disturbing. So much for the love that HIDES a multitude of sins as this church exposes a single act for all to hear. Since when did the IFB become the FBI?
The truth is, if that woman was taken in the very act of adultery again would be to hear the same words from the lips of Jesus, "Neither do I condemn you." There is NO condemnation in Christ Jesus. If you want condemnation then the local church should suffice. Jesus was a man who did not retaliate but religion today teaches that Jesus is now a person that will retaliate. Jesus who said to turn the other cheek is now according to religion a person who will not turn the other cheek. The Jesus who said to forgive 70 times 70 is now according to religion one who cannot forgive the habitual sinner. Which Jesus will you choose to believe in?
Grace teaches us to deny all manners of ungodliness. However, religious people reads that verse in Titus as doing your utmost to abstain from sins that clearly has a focus upon the law or church laws. If grace means saying no to sin by doing our best to keep the law then why did Paul say to the Galatians that they had "fallen from grace" for observing a little law but spoke of grace abounding with the carnal Corinthians? One would think that the Corinthians were saying "yes" and that the Galatians were not saying "no" to all manners of ungodliness. This explains why I hear from religious groups that when we sin was when you failed to walk under grace at that moment and that is insane.
A mindset upon sin is an ungodly mind. Religious people do not even realize that they are ungodly even though they define godliness as living a life free from habitual sin. If being godly is doing your best to avoid sin then the Pharisees and even Jehovah Witnesses are the godliest people alive.
A godly mindset is one who lives free from it. It is the one who has his/her conscience purged with pure water. It is a mindset that is neither, "What sins can I do today because I am under grace?" or "What sins am I to avoid today to be blessed?" An ungodly mindset sees everything as impure.
The Mirror Bible had a footnote under Titus 2:12 that ends with:
the revelation of righteousness shows how completely God redeemed mankind in Christ and empowers us to cultivate an innocence consciousness instead of a sin consciousness.
I received so many emails from those who are struggling with some sin questioning their salvation. How is that walking in love? How is that walking free? They are in bondage. If they believe their lifestyle pictures rebellion then what is it in rebellion to? Grace or Law? They believe they are demonstrating rebellion against grace because they tell me, "If I truly believed then I would not be LIVING like this." They are still obsessed with the LIVING (performance). They still believe God is judging them. They believe God is still imputing sin. They believe God is still a little angry. They believe they cannot be saved until they are sinning less. They do not see that they in bondage to what religion promotes. You can only be in rebellion to something that you are living under. To be in rebellion to grace is to live under Law. I have died to the Law so where's the rebellion? Those who say, "I have sinned again!" are those who are in rebellion to the Law and are not walking the grace walk.
Remember, sinning can refer to erring concerning a truth and not some particular behavior. To believe God is angry with you, disgusted by you, withholding love from you, and is going to punish you is sin (erring from truth; believing a lie). We simply have viewed sinning as failing to keep the law. Get your mind out of the sinful gutter of a law/sin oriented mindset. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind and not according to the worlds religious system. Your true identity will not be found in how well you behave but it is only found in Jesus Christ, as He is, so are we in this world. Behold your glorious image by looking at Him (2nd Cor. 3:18) and no longer see yourself in the toilet through religious/law oriented eyes.
Seems like a waste of time to hear Jesus coming into the world to save us "from our sins" when not everyone was living a habitual life of sin at that time as how religion defines habitual sinning. Paul described himself as "blameless" when touching the righteousness which is in the law (Phil. 3:6). Did Paul need Jesus to save him from a habitual lifestyle of sin when he claimed to be blameless? Was it Paul's desire to become an occasional sinner? Paul should not have counted his righteousness as but dung when religion today places such high importance upon such a lifestyle. Religious people are obsessed with their performance. If Matthew 1:21 is stating that Jesus came to save people from living a sinful life then clearly it was not all men in view because some were blameless when it came to law. Would Enoch have needed Jesus to save him from a habitual sins?
I read of a Jesus who came “for our sins” (1st Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4; 1st John 2:2; 4:10), but religion prefers tricking the eyes into seeing, "from a lifestyle of sinning." It bothers the religious heart to believe that a person can be a habitual sinner that is enjoying the grace, love, and the forgiveness of God. They want "from our sins" to mean one no longer living in habitual sins. Their focus upon performance and habitual sinning as proof one is not saved is why they are miserable people who are easily rattled. They are fault finders in others proving they are very hard on themselves.
Can a person who is living in sin be happy? I see the Corinthians as happy. Can a person be religious and be happy? Now that is something I do not see in the bible because a law/sin oriented mind is bondage. The Galatians turned to performance and lost their joy (Gal. 4:15a). I know that those who are sin conscious tend to be unhappy people. This could be either those who seek to gratify their sinful desires or those who are trying their utmost to not gratify their sinful desires. It has much to do with the mindset.
I believe in living my life to the fullest. Does that imply that I am running around sinning with a high hand? Not at all! I know I have died to sin. I know that I have died to the Law. I have been made FREE (habitual or occasional) from sin. If speed limit laws were removed then I would not be driving my car obsessed with the speedometer. I simply can drive my car freely without fear of law enforcement pulling me over for breaking any speed limit laws. I certainly would not join some local fundamentalist church that would say, "You are not under the 55mph law but the police expect you to still obey it and we are here to enforce it" as that would still have me living "speed limit" conscious and in bondage to some law. Religious people would still be obsessed with the speedometer because they know that the old law that formerly existed said, "55 mph." The moment they drive 35mph is when they feel they are not doing enough and become fearful. The moment they drive 60mph is when they begin looking around in fear as well. Their eyes remain glued to the speedometer.
Does that mean that I do not sin because I know I have died to sin/law? Of course not, but I know that I am forgiven, my sins taken away, and God is NOT imputing a single sin to my account ever! Why would I live looking for speed limit laws? Why would I live sin conscious? I live in the reality that I am a new creation and no longer view myself before God in my old grave clothes. I see that I am loved infinitely and walk in such knowledge. Love is the fulfilling of the Law. Again, I do not pay attention to the laws abolished but to the law of love. Love says, "Driving this fast is dangerous and I do not want to risk the death of another" and I adjust my speed accordingly. Love is now in action and not law. There is no fear in love. You want to experience fear then the local church should suffice.
Love is NOT what I hear in religion. They often attack the very word. Preach the unconditional love of God and it works like a flushing agent as all the religious people will come running out to attack it. Don't believe me? Go to a bible forum and simply quote verses on the love of God and watch religious people qualify it.
Walking in love requires no religion. I do not need some religion to say, "Your hair must be this length. You must shave. Your skirt must be 2 inches below your knee. You must read your bible daily. You must be in church every time the door opens. You must join ministries in the church. You cannot listen to rock music. You cannot remove lint from the opposite sex clothing. You cannot use profanity. You cannot have a glass of wine. You cannot dance. You cannot play cards. You cannot gamble (even though the pastor invests in risky stocks). You cannot attend movie theaters. You cannot smoke. You cannot mix swim. You cannot watch Hollywood movies." This is NOT the grace/love walk but a walk of death/bondage that leaves you constantly feeding from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Love does not create such rules but many local churches do.
Love does not need a rulebook. Be careful of the phony religious love that attempts to define it their way. Love does not tell you to not listen to rock music but your local religion does. These are simply laws imposed upon you that will frustrate you because deep down many songs you like do not seem to pose any threats at all. Somehow that drum beat is from Satan to make you a weak and frothy Christian that only spews from the lips of religious people. Somehow, God only likes piano and organ music even though organ music was once considered of the devil by fundamentalists many years ago. Being told that you MUST be in some religious building on Sunday is why it is often an unpleasant experience for many as religion misquotes/misinterprets the verse in Hebrews about "not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together" that had NOTHING to do with Sunday church attendance or to prove you are saved nonsense.
You might be reading your bible 1 hour per day but if I were to say, "Unless you read 1 hour a day then you are not saved" is when your bible reading will become an unpleasant chore where you might doubt your salvation if you happened to daydream through what you read in your devotions. Funny thing is that nobody in Paul's day were reading the bible daily because there wasn't any bible yet. You will not find Paul's listeners with a pocket NT with the words of Christ in red. The Gentiles did not walk around with pocket scrolls. So where does this command to read your bibles daily because that is what a true believer would do come from?
I remember Dr. Ian Paisley back at Bob Jones University Bible Conference years ago saying that if you are not reading your bibles from Genesis to Revelation each year then you are backslidden???? No, Dr Paisley had a religious mindset that he was trying to impose upon others. It comes down to what a particular person passions or beliefs are that determines much of the rules you hear. I was told that if you did not have a passion for the bus ministry was to question your salvation. The salvation was questioned of females who did not wear head coverings in church services is something too I heard from the lips of people. Females who wore pants had their salvation questioned. I was at a supposed grace church where the pastor told me that they doubted the salvation of a certain young man because he did not do his devotions in the morning with them as they shared a home. Religion is insanity.
To withhold forgiveness, love, and kindness would not be a grace walk. A life that mocks, hates, and condemns people is not a grace walk. A person who embellishes or uses lies to advance his/her beliefs is not the grace walk. A life that retaliates against another is not the grace life. A life that ignores the needs of others is not a grace walk. A life that is mindful of sin is not a grace walk. A life that is critical and judgmental of others is not the grace walk. A life that only seeks to find faults in others and expose them to others is not the grace walk. A life that mixes a little bit of law for assistance is not the grace walk. Using slander to destroy the teaching of another is not the grace walk. A life that says that oneself is unworthy, sinful, and pathetic is not the grace walk. This mindset is death. There is no life and peace in it. Love cannot flow through such a mindset as it is unable to think whatsoever things are lovely, true, and kind.
The grace walk is not, "I must do my best to sin less." The grace walk is not, "Let my psycho-analyze my life for things I believe God hates." The grace walk is not, "Oh God, reveal my secret sins" as religious people love quoting David in the OT. The grace walk is not, "Oh God, where are you? Did I do something wrong? Are you angry and displeased with me?" The grace walk is not, "I better make sure my sins are all confessed and that I am not willfully sinning right now before I partake of the Lord's Table so God does not kill me" as that is performance oriented religion twisting the passage in 1st Corinthians 11. I have already done a blog on Partaking Unworthily that religion twists.
Grace walk would be your eyes off of what would be defined as rebellion to the Law (55mph). Why? The strength of sin is LAW!. The reason why we struggle is due to our trying to conform to law (Mosaic or religious). When a pastor says, "If you are saved then you will be doing this" is when you might discover the struggle to do what he defined as "this." People struggle to believe because they are told that they must do this thing called believing. This is why they wonder, "Did I believe enough? Did I believe the right way? Did I believe the right message?" They have redefined what believing actually is and now they struggle with it. Instead of believing that they are loved, accepted, and forgiven is them trying to believe to get loved, accepted, and forgiven.
Believing now becomes the one work they must do to get such things from God. Instead of believing the already true news concerning them is them trying to do this thing they call believing so that God will exchange their current so-called bad news with good news as that is the religious gospel. The bad news actually was, "You WERE (before Calvary) but NOW (after Calvary)." You can live in the false reality of the "were" that religion preaches or you can live in the reality that the gospel has brought you in "now."
You were "in times past" (before Calvary) but "now" (after Calvary). Religion still prefers reading "you were" as implying before you believed and the "now" as after you believed. Read Ephesians 2 (the whole chapter) carefully and notice that "in times past" clearly implied before Calvary and not when you believed. Gentiles were in "times past" aliens that referred to the old system that has passed away with the death of the testator. Read the chapter carefully. By grace we have been saved (verse 5) with no mention of doing anything. Grace is experienced and enjoyed through faith but many are still experiencing what feels like alienation as that was removed in Christ (Col. 1:20-21). Only the ignorant, the blind of heart, and the darkened mind experience the lie of alienation THROUGH unbelief (see Ephesians 4:18 "through the ignorance (not faith) in them" as they believe the lie and not the truth that there is no alienation), and only those experience the warm heart of God, already forgiveness of sins, and grace THROUGH faith. Faith does not make it a reality but faith beholds the already reality. It is either enjoy the already grace bestowed "through faith" or wander about thinking that God is angry and still distant from you "through ignorance" of an already truth that your ignorance refuses to accept.
Guilt often plagues the religious mind. The reason for guilt is because you consciously believe that you have failed. You believe you are in rebellion. Guilt has its proper place but majority of the emails I receive are people feeling guilty for the wrong reasons. If I wronged my neighbor then guilt is natural. If I said something harsh against a person then guilt is natural. If I violate the Mosaic law then guilt is NOT natural. "But should I not feel guilty when I sin against God?" You mean, should I not feel guilty when I do not obey the rules of my church and the OT laws? No you should not! You will have 613 reasons to feel guilty if you submit to the law. If you offend in one point will make you GUILTY OF ALL and that demands intense guilt. If offending in one point makes you guilty of all then did Jesus come to make us occasional sinners???
There is a reason Jesus came into this world and Hebrews 10:2 shares that there "remains no more conscience (guilt) of sins." The only problem is that religious people feel guilty for sins that keep repeating proving they do have a conscience of sins and many have a seared conscience (see my blog on seared conscience). If you often feel guilty then you have a religious mindset.
Now imagine being told, "If you are saved then you will not habitually sin." The one thing that will plague your mind is your repeat sins. You will be aware of a heart that now feels cold and dead. You will find certain sins still plaguing you. You will be worried about your motives. You will be questioning what are sins or not. You will question if you are doing enough for God. You are not free but now in bondage. You can lie to us or even yourself that you are not a habitual sinner but the rest of us know you are full of manure. You are not living the grace walk but the religious walk instead. You are unhappy, agitated, and often hard on yourself. Welcome to the world of religion. Your religion can be seen in how you talk to your kids and all the rules you impose upon them. It can be seen in how harsh you discipline them. It can be seen in how you talk about others. I can spot a religious person by how they talk about homosexuals or even Roman Catholics. I can spot a religious person by how they talk about themselves.
Grace frees us from an ungodly mind. How do you define an ungodly mindset? Ungodly mindset to males often conjures up, "Do not think sexual thoughts." You ask a female what an ungodly mind implies to her is often to hear something different. Often asking that question reveals what that person is struggling with because of how they answer it. What was the first thing that popped into your mind when I asked that question? Was your answer something you are currently struggling to overcome?
People wrongly assume that grace saying no to all manners of ungodliness is the same as Jesus telling the woman caught in adultery, "Go, and sin no more." Jesus simply was saying to her, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and (the) sin (adultery) no more (not even a single act of it again)." Jesus was letting her know that not even He condemns her but He also was not telling her to go back to what she was doing either. He was not saying, "Neither do I condemn you: Go back to what you were doing." He was saying, "Neither do I condemn you: Go, but not back to your adulterous affair anymore." Jesus definitely was not also saying, "Neither do I condemn you: Go, and stop habitually sinning from here on out." Jesus was only telling her that He was not condemning her even though caught in the very "act" of adultery and to go but not back to the affair she was having.
Religion today would have exposed her the same way the Pharisees did. She would have to first confess to her husband and then before the congregation by publicly apologizing before a group of people who would be looking down upon her for something only a few might have known about. Religion knows not love even though the love they have comes in the form of public humiliation. They would throw stones of shame upon her but that is the religious walk and not the grace walk. I was in an independent fundamental baptist church years ago where teenagers had to publicly apologize for fornicating before the congregation. Why did I need to hear about it? If only 2 people knew about it then why would 1000+ members need to hear about it? Religion is disturbing. So much for the love that HIDES a multitude of sins as this church exposes a single act for all to hear. Since when did the IFB become the FBI?
The truth is, if that woman was taken in the very act of adultery again would be to hear the same words from the lips of Jesus, "Neither do I condemn you." There is NO condemnation in Christ Jesus. If you want condemnation then the local church should suffice. Jesus was a man who did not retaliate but religion today teaches that Jesus is now a person that will retaliate. Jesus who said to turn the other cheek is now according to religion a person who will not turn the other cheek. The Jesus who said to forgive 70 times 70 is now according to religion one who cannot forgive the habitual sinner. Which Jesus will you choose to believe in?
Grace teaches us to deny all manners of ungodliness. However, religious people reads that verse in Titus as doing your utmost to abstain from sins that clearly has a focus upon the law or church laws. If grace means saying no to sin by doing our best to keep the law then why did Paul say to the Galatians that they had "fallen from grace" for observing a little law but spoke of grace abounding with the carnal Corinthians? One would think that the Corinthians were saying "yes" and that the Galatians were not saying "no" to all manners of ungodliness. This explains why I hear from religious groups that when we sin was when you failed to walk under grace at that moment and that is insane.
A mindset upon sin is an ungodly mind. Religious people do not even realize that they are ungodly even though they define godliness as living a life free from habitual sin. If being godly is doing your best to avoid sin then the Pharisees and even Jehovah Witnesses are the godliest people alive.
A godly mindset is one who lives free from it. It is the one who has his/her conscience purged with pure water. It is a mindset that is neither, "What sins can I do today because I am under grace?" or "What sins am I to avoid today to be blessed?" An ungodly mindset sees everything as impure.
The Mirror Bible had a footnote under Titus 2:12 that ends with:
the revelation of righteousness shows how completely God redeemed mankind in Christ and empowers us to cultivate an innocence consciousness instead of a sin consciousness.
I received so many emails from those who are struggling with some sin questioning their salvation. How is that walking in love? How is that walking free? They are in bondage. If they believe their lifestyle pictures rebellion then what is it in rebellion to? Grace or Law? They believe they are demonstrating rebellion against grace because they tell me, "If I truly believed then I would not be LIVING like this." They are still obsessed with the LIVING (performance). They still believe God is judging them. They believe God is still imputing sin. They believe God is still a little angry. They believe they cannot be saved until they are sinning less. They do not see that they in bondage to what religion promotes. You can only be in rebellion to something that you are living under. To be in rebellion to grace is to live under Law. I have died to the Law so where's the rebellion? Those who say, "I have sinned again!" are those who are in rebellion to the Law and are not walking the grace walk.
Remember, sinning can refer to erring concerning a truth and not some particular behavior. To believe God is angry with you, disgusted by you, withholding love from you, and is going to punish you is sin (erring from truth; believing a lie). We simply have viewed sinning as failing to keep the law. Get your mind out of the sinful gutter of a law/sin oriented mindset. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind and not according to the worlds religious system. Your true identity will not be found in how well you behave but it is only found in Jesus Christ, as He is, so are we in this world. Behold your glorious image by looking at Him (2nd Cor. 3:18) and no longer see yourself in the toilet through religious/law oriented eyes.
I only see Jesus coming to bare the sins of the world. I only see Jesus being made sin for us. I only see that by His death the WORLD was reconciled to God (2nd Cor. 5:19). I see that Jesus gave Himself for a ransom all (1st Timothy 2:6) and not for those who sin occasionally. I see that His death was a propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1st John 2:2). I see that His death has taken away the sin of the world (John 1:29). There is no fear of being a habitual or occasional sinner. The fear has been removed in Christ. To say, "I must clean up my act" is to experience rebellion to whatever laws you believe point to those "acts" in your life that must be cleaned up. Walking in love/grace will certainly lead you away from particular "acts" that are sinful. How? Often sinful acts do not flow from love and I am not talking about a glass of wine or listening to music that has a beat.
I do not need a law that says, "Do not commit adultery" because law might entice me to commit adultery. Love tells me to not commit adultery. Love tells me not to retaliate but murder often flows from a heart that knows not love. Love tells me to forgive. Love tells me to love my neighbor.
When love rules the heart is when you will find yourself not doing the things you formerly were doing. However, living by law will entice a list of sins you never struggled with before. Ever noticed all the things you struggle with after believing what your religion told you? You did not become love conscious but sin/performance conscious. Being love conscious is very different than being sin conscious. The sad thing is that after sharing this is to have people turn what I said into a law. They now will say, "If I truly had love then I would not have done such things." Their vicious cycle only repeats.
I will say this, if we discover the good works that Paul tells us to do and the sinful works to avoid then are hearts would easily rest. Avoid fornication. Avoid adultery. Do not lie. Do not steal. Do not murder. Give to those in need. Do not let the sun go down and remain angry. Love one another. Love beholds no evil in others as love is not a fault finder. Forgive one another. Think whatsoever things are true, lovely, and a good report. Cast out the bondwoman and her son.
The above was not exhaustive but did you find the above complicated? It only gets complicated when religion spews its poison and adds things. This is even why the very definition of faith in religion is confusing because they add so many things to it. You are always left wondering if you are doing enough. How do you know you crossed from habitual sins to occasional sins before a holy and perfect God? Religion will have you see everything as a sin to avoid. You will be questioning your motives and your very performance itself. You will be trying to impose more things upon yourself to do or not do.
I do not need a law that says, "Do not commit adultery" because law might entice me to commit adultery. Love tells me to not commit adultery. Love tells me not to retaliate but murder often flows from a heart that knows not love. Love tells me to forgive. Love tells me to love my neighbor.
When love rules the heart is when you will find yourself not doing the things you formerly were doing. However, living by law will entice a list of sins you never struggled with before. Ever noticed all the things you struggle with after believing what your religion told you? You did not become love conscious but sin/performance conscious. Being love conscious is very different than being sin conscious. The sad thing is that after sharing this is to have people turn what I said into a law. They now will say, "If I truly had love then I would not have done such things." Their vicious cycle only repeats.
I will say this, if we discover the good works that Paul tells us to do and the sinful works to avoid then are hearts would easily rest. Avoid fornication. Avoid adultery. Do not lie. Do not steal. Do not murder. Give to those in need. Do not let the sun go down and remain angry. Love one another. Love beholds no evil in others as love is not a fault finder. Forgive one another. Think whatsoever things are true, lovely, and a good report. Cast out the bondwoman and her son.
The above was not exhaustive but did you find the above complicated? It only gets complicated when religion spews its poison and adds things. This is even why the very definition of faith in religion is confusing because they add so many things to it. You are always left wondering if you are doing enough. How do you know you crossed from habitual sins to occasional sins before a holy and perfect God? Religion will have you see everything as a sin to avoid. You will be questioning your motives and your very performance itself. You will be trying to impose more things upon yourself to do or not do.
I fail to see a verse say that He came to save us from habitually sinning so that we can now have occasional mishaps. I do not see a Jesus who came into this world so we can sin less. I see a Jesus who came into the world so we no longer have to have a “conscience (or guilt) of sins” (Hebrews 10:2) where we can enjoy an abundant life. I see a God who remembers our sins no more (habitual or occasional). I see a God who does not impute sin to the world (habitual or occasional). I see a God of pure love that begets love. Love compels but law entices. As long as your "god" has a frown on his brow toward you where he demands A's will never issue love. This is why so many religious people try faking love, "I am only condemning you to the lowest hell because I love you and do not want to see you go there" sort of nonsense (see my blogs on homosexuality to see the love religion demonstrates). I was taught to say that nonsense too to people I addressed as alienated and under an eternal death sentence by my religious "god" when in the IFB.
Just read 1st Corinthians 13 and ask yourself, "If the love discussed in the chapter described me then would I be criticizing, mocking, or condemning others? Would I be retaliating against people? Would I be hateful, unkind, and critical of others? Would I be stealing, murdering, or committing adultery? Would I be lying, slandering, or speaking evil of my neighbor? Would I be withholding forgiveness?" You will discover that living under the law does not prevent such things but love does compel. Also, is what you read describe religion? Do you see 1st Corinthians 13 in most churches? You might see it demonstrated to those who obey the rules of the church but what of those on the outside of your church? How about Christians who became atheists? How about Roman Catholics? How about homosexuals?
1st Corinthians 13 and its definition of love would not be, "You cannot drink a glass of wine. You females cannot wear pants. You cannot play cards. You cannot watch movies. You cannot mix swim. You must use the KJV because we believe the 1611 was the only (pride) inspired version and all other version have its roots in the devil." When love does not rule the heart is when you will see their critical spirit attack you when you do not agree or promote something they are against. Love is not telling you such things but religion. Such things do not harm others. KJV onlyists often spew hate comments and will resort to slander and lies to advance their cause showing love does not rule their hearts. If love ruled their hearts then there would be no need to take many sources out-of-context as one well known KJV lady onlyist did. There would be no need to lie about what actually happened on the John Ankerberg Show where they claimed the NASV translator lost his voice that was a proven lie and the lie came from one of the KJV debators on that very program.
The few things I listed in the above paragraph are not offensive to people but only condemning religious people. Love rules the heart will be conscientious of others. Love will not say no to a glass of wine but common sense will say, "Do not get drunk." Love might say no to wine if a person in their presence might stumble by seeing you drink wine. BTW, those of the religious crowd will say that I am only condoning alcohol to excuse my drinking is to know that I DO NOT drink alcohol on a regular occasion. It is very rare that I have champagne (wedding toast) or a beer that I usually never finish. The last time I drank almost half a beer was back in July of 2014 (my mom's memorial dinner). I often have half a beer but rarely finish an entire 12oz glass once every 2+ years. My drinking hardly a glass of beer/wine almost always is tied to some special occasion. However, I see NOTHING wrong with a responsible person have a glass of wine/beer or two with a meal. I make no note of those who have 3 or 4 either as only religious people stare with the eye of condemnation because they know only judgment and not love.
It is interesting to know that the last time I was drunk was when I was involved with performance oriented religion. The last time I was drunk was in 1998. I was struggling terribly with religion at the time (I was a 5-point Calvinist and a militant Lordship Salvation advocate) and sometimes would drown out my mental anguish. I have met plenty of other Lordship Advocates who would briefly throw in the religious towel to drown out their pain caused by their religious god. My grace beliefs have not once said, "Life is hard. I just sinned again. Oh God, I strive so hard to live a life pleasing to you but I feel like a failure" that led me to want to give up and have drinks to silence the pain. I no longer live a life trying to bring glory to God but now live knowing that God is already glorified in me! The life I live springs out of that reality as Christ is glorified in me (John 17:10; Romans 8:30) and my life brings glory to God. We are the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:6,12). I do not study to see what I can do to be a workman not ashamed but I study to behold that God is well pleased with me that is why I am a workman never to be ashamed. I like how the New Life Version quoted 2 Timothy 2:15:
Do your best to know that God is pleased with you. Be as a workman who has nothing to be ashamed of. Teach the words of truth in the right way.
Be honest, if Jesus came to save us from habitual sinning then did you truly stop habitually sinning? Do you tend to find yourself questioning your salvation or whether you truly believed because of sin in your life? How successful then was your Jesus??? Just read 1st Corinthians 13 and ask yourself, "If the love discussed in the chapter described me then would I be criticizing, mocking, or condemning others? Would I be retaliating against people? Would I be hateful, unkind, and critical of others? Would I be stealing, murdering, or committing adultery? Would I be lying, slandering, or speaking evil of my neighbor? Would I be withholding forgiveness?" You will discover that living under the law does not prevent such things but love does compel. Also, is what you read describe religion? Do you see 1st Corinthians 13 in most churches? You might see it demonstrated to those who obey the rules of the church but what of those on the outside of your church? How about Christians who became atheists? How about Roman Catholics? How about homosexuals?
1st Corinthians 13 and its definition of love would not be, "You cannot drink a glass of wine. You females cannot wear pants. You cannot play cards. You cannot watch movies. You cannot mix swim. You must use the KJV because we believe the 1611 was the only (pride) inspired version and all other version have its roots in the devil." When love does not rule the heart is when you will see their critical spirit attack you when you do not agree or promote something they are against. Love is not telling you such things but religion. Such things do not harm others. KJV onlyists often spew hate comments and will resort to slander and lies to advance their cause showing love does not rule their hearts. If love ruled their hearts then there would be no need to take many sources out-of-context as one well known KJV lady onlyist did. There would be no need to lie about what actually happened on the John Ankerberg Show where they claimed the NASV translator lost his voice that was a proven lie and the lie came from one of the KJV debators on that very program.
The few things I listed in the above paragraph are not offensive to people but only condemning religious people. Love rules the heart will be conscientious of others. Love will not say no to a glass of wine but common sense will say, "Do not get drunk." Love might say no to wine if a person in their presence might stumble by seeing you drink wine. BTW, those of the religious crowd will say that I am only condoning alcohol to excuse my drinking is to know that I DO NOT drink alcohol on a regular occasion. It is very rare that I have champagne (wedding toast) or a beer that I usually never finish. The last time I drank almost half a beer was back in July of 2014 (my mom's memorial dinner). I often have half a beer but rarely finish an entire 12oz glass once every 2+ years. My drinking hardly a glass of beer/wine almost always is tied to some special occasion. However, I see NOTHING wrong with a responsible person have a glass of wine/beer or two with a meal. I make no note of those who have 3 or 4 either as only religious people stare with the eye of condemnation because they know only judgment and not love.
It is interesting to know that the last time I was drunk was when I was involved with performance oriented religion. The last time I was drunk was in 1998. I was struggling terribly with religion at the time (I was a 5-point Calvinist and a militant Lordship Salvation advocate) and sometimes would drown out my mental anguish. I have met plenty of other Lordship Advocates who would briefly throw in the religious towel to drown out their pain caused by their religious god. My grace beliefs have not once said, "Life is hard. I just sinned again. Oh God, I strive so hard to live a life pleasing to you but I feel like a failure" that led me to want to give up and have drinks to silence the pain. I no longer live a life trying to bring glory to God but now live knowing that God is already glorified in me! The life I live springs out of that reality as Christ is glorified in me (John 17:10; Romans 8:30) and my life brings glory to God. We are the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:6,12). I do not study to see what I can do to be a workman not ashamed but I study to behold that God is well pleased with me that is why I am a workman never to be ashamed. I like how the New Life Version quoted 2 Timothy 2:15:
Do your best to know that God is pleased with you. Be as a workman who has nothing to be ashamed of. Teach the words of truth in the right way.
There are certain sins that believers have that still plague them. Religion says (not the bible) that if one is actively fighting against their sins proves they are not living in it. OK, Jehovah Witnesses must not be living in sin because they fight against sins and so do many other cults. Does a man who gets continually drunk but hates his drinking and tries to stop drinking proving he is not a present tense drunkard? No, so it makes no sense to say that a person who keeps repeating a sin but hates it proves that he/she is not practicing it. Do you see how ridiculous their argument really is?
I think it is clear that "from our sins...for our sins" never was talking about habitual or occasional sins. This is when religion will read words back into the verse and will tell you, "He came to save us from the power and penalty of sin" but if saving us from the "power" of sin implies sinning less then did we really need Jesus at all? Pharisees and many cults of today do a far better job refraining from sinful practices than do many Lordship Salvationists today. This religious Jesus appears not to have supplied any power at all because cults do better than most Lordship religious folks do in abstaining from sin.
Let me say that I do view the IFB and Lordship Salvation as a cult. They deny this but if you look online at the definition of a cult then they fit it to the tee.
The religious person is expecting a Jesus to come into the world to save us from habitual sinning, so I guess we all can still wait for such a Jesus to come. However, we believe that a very powerful Jesus has taken away the sin of the world and not their wimpy false Jesus who only came to make us sin less? We focus on what Jesus accomplished but religious people focus on what they accomplish ("I thank thee God that I am not like that publican over there...Lord, Lord, have I not done MANY wonderful works...these things I have done from my youth up" as such comments spewed from the lips of those who are not sinning habitually but occasionally as defined by religion). Those who are obsessed with law/performance are those who are workers of iniquity and do not even realize it.
He certainly did save us from our sins but it does not say that He saved us from practicing our sins as much. You need to use a newer version that plays games with the Greek present tense to make you believe one cannot "continue in sin" even though the NASV has believers rebuked for continuing in sin (1st Timothy 5:20). Compare the NIV on 1st John 3:9 to the NASB on 1st Timothy 5:20 as we now have a contradiction.
Again, if Jesus came to save us from practicing sin then He did a poor job because there are cults who do a better job at refraining from sin than these Lordship Salvation and other religious people can do.
Again, if Jesus came to save us from practicing sin then He did a poor job because there are cults who do a better job at refraining from sin than these Lordship Salvation and other religious people can do.
Now how are you defining Matthew 1:21? Show me now from the context where it means, “not practicing sins” and not how you like to read words nowhere stated in that verse. Show me a verse that says, Jesus came to redeem or buy us back from practicing sins?? I think you should think twice before quoting Matthew 1:21 as a supposed proof text against what Grace accomplished and applied. If grace to you is simply sinning less then why question the salvation of cults that clearly sin less than you?
Keep in mind that Paul warned against those who would have you keep the Law. Paul said this concerning such religious people in Galatians 6:13:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
Does "keep the law" refer to the supposed occasional mishaps, habitual mishaps, or both? Is that what Paul was saying? Can you prove that your religion "keeps" the law better than the legalistic cult who does not believe the version of the gospel you do? Remember, you claim that Jesus gave you the power over sin that cults do not have so prove it? You condemn the Church of Christ and their works gospel so then prove that your Jesus gave you power over sin that they do not appear to possess? Just one example?? Anything?
If what religion claims is true where God puts within the believer a desire to “keep the law” then what do we do with the above verse in Galatians 6? Paul made it clear with "neither they" that clearly implied that not only the Galatians failed but the Judaizers as well. To be guilty of one point (occasional mishap) is guilty of all. If neither us or they keep the Law then why would God put an impossible desire within us to keep the law? How are we who are dead to the law, no longer under the law, and free from the Law supposedly given a desire to keep the Law something we dead and no longer under? Why put a desire that even religious leaders could not keep? It is because God does not put the Mosaic Law in our hearts. I do not have keeping Saturday holy in my heart. This explains why so many religious people are questioning their own salvation because all they see in themselves is repeat sins that they do not like to admit openly.
Be honest, you might claim that God has put in you the desire to keep the law but have you "kept the law"? Remember, the verse says that God will CAUSE you to walk in them, so prove how you are keeping the Law? Prove that you are doing what nobody else can do? Are you claiming that God has made the law something that you can now occasionally mess up on and be guilty in one point? Are you claiming that such is proof that you are saved because you somehow think you are sinning less? How are you sinning less? You stopped drinking, smoking, and using profanity? You go to church, pray, and read your bible? Can you share anything that separates you from the rest because I see those outside of your religious beliefs doing such things? What desires do you have that Jehovah Witnesses claim not to have concerning obeying the Law? Which of the 11 so-called apostolic tests (Lordship Salvation so-called Tests for Life) would a Jehovah Witness not pass? Just remember, "Neither they...keep the law" habitually and that implies you habitual sinner blinded by your religious self-righteousness.
You are NOT under the Law and God is not putting the Mosaic Law desires within your heart to supposedly habitually keep that contradicts the verse in Galatians 6 (It helps to understand Hebrews 8 and its Jewish audience). This law would be without a sin consciousness that is impossible under the Law of Moses. This is why we are justified from ALL things that the Law of Moses could NOT do. It was relational in Hebrews 8 and not based on the old covenant of, "Do and I will bless...Do and ye shall live...Do and have an inheritance." Tell a religious person that we are not under the law is when many will attack it. Religious person, you have yet to keep the law but you desire to put the rest of us in the same bondage you are in. No thank you! I like being happy and joyful in the Lord and not miserable, frustrated, and wondering if I am saved one moment and not the next because I cannot keep my mind off of my sins.
You have been saved from your sins and you can enjoy life without worrying or thinking about, "Is this a sin? Is that a sin? What would Jesus do?" A renewed mind is not a seared conscience that is perpetually thinking about sin that is a huge problem among religious people. To religious people, all things are impure. They live by guilt and fear that they call love for God. They live plagued with doubts. They live as judges of other people's behavior that aligns them perfectly with the Pharisees. This explains why so many people doubt Jesus saved them "from their sins" because they are too busy focusing on their sins. They live plagued with a sense of condemnation and all they do to remedy their situation is to listen to Christian music, read articles on assurance, buy the latest book, join ministries, read the bible, and pray to arouse "feelings" of assurance. It was the horrible life I once lived as a former fundamental Baptist who held to Lordship Salvation beliefs. It did not get all that much better when I embrace free grace either. Pure grace opened my eyes to behold an unconditionally loving God and a savior of the world. I live in the reality of sins ALWAYS forgiven. I live in the reality of love always abounding. I live in the reality that I am well pleasing in His sight always.
I see a Jesus who came to save us from sin entirely and not habitually or occasionally. I see a Jesus who truly has freed us from a sin conscience that you will not find at most local churches.
I see love as a mark of a person who is beholding the love of God. The love of God shed abroad in our hearts. Jesus told the disciples that others would know they are His disciples because they are not habitually sinning? Because they can now say, "Lord, Lord, have we not done many wonderful works in your name?"? Because they read their bibles daily? Because they choose only the KJV? No, because of the love they have for another. Love is often seen in good works toward others and not, "I stopped smoking, swearing, having a glass of wine with my meal, listening to music with a beat, and I make sure I spend two hours reading my bible per day." A new command Jesus gave, "That ye love one another." Love is the fulfilling of the law and not what your local church says you better be doing more of or else! Love, joy, and peace springs forth from Spirit and not the letter of the Law. Boredom, frustration, agitation, fear, doubts, critical spirit, and closed mindedness springs forth from religion.
How do I get this love? Throw out the religion and the clouds blocking the rays of God's pure love already bestowed upon you should begin to get noticeable. It is already embracing you but due to ignorance (thanks to religion) of an already reality is making you believe God is alienated from you and somehow angry. It is you beholding your sins and fearing God that is blinding you. The veil of the law covers your eyes. You must stop believing the lie of religion. You are loved but you condition that love upon performance. You are loved but you believe that you cannot be saved because you see habitual sin. You are striving to enter a room that you are already in. God has been reconciled to you at Calvary. God has already removed the alienation. You either believe that or you do not. You either believe the truth concerning you or the lie that religion claims you are (worthless, hellbound, and unforgiven) until you first meet certain conditions they lay out. I said this before, "If what you believe/hear makes you feel like crap then it is most likely crap you are believing/hearing." If truth does not liberate then it was never truth. Not liberate from habitual sins to occasional sins. Cast out the bondwoman and her son and live free. Cast out the religion and be free!