As a doctor evaluates all aspects of your body during a physical, we help you evaluate all aspects of your walk with Christ. The Christian faith requires a certain amount of knowledge in order love God and love others. If we are to love God, then we have to know who he is; we have to know his message (the Gospel); and we have to know something about how he brings us from an unbeliever to be with him eternally.
At first blush this poll statement seems a bit over the top. The common opinion among many is that you have “do good” or “be good” to make it to heaven.
This common wisdom contradicts the words of Scripture. Leviticus 19:2 proclaims that we need to be holy as God is holy. That is we must be set apart from the moral imperfections and impurities of they world since God is. This seems like an impossible standard for us to achieve since everyone regardless of their faith would agree that “nobody’s perfect”.
Surely, God doesn’t mean that we have to perfect. But he does as he cannot accept any impurity or imperfection (sin) into his presence lest he become imperfect or impure.
When’s the last time you crossed a threshold? Say you’ve had trouble losing more than 25 pounds and when you stepped on the scale you had lost 30. Or say as a salesperson you had never earned your way into your company’s President’s Club. Then one year you did. In both cases, you crossed a threshold. You did something that you have never done before.
Now, wouldn’t it be great if you could break through the threshold of some of the sins that bind you? No longer would they be habitual. Nor would they hunt you down, begging you to act on your desire.
This may seem like a harsh statement, but it gets to the heart of what grace is and isn't. Grace is not an obligation, but a free gift that is simply given from someone’s good pleasure. In the Bible, God freely gives his favor out of his good pleasure and according to his will. He is not obligated to extend it to anyone, let alone everyone. This is the dangerous side of grace.
Consider what God says to Moses in Exodus 33:19 (ESV), "And he said, ‘And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.’"
It's the Lord's call and there is nothing we can do about it.
In today’s relative world, absolute words offend. Yet in Scripture, absolute words fill its pages. For instance, terms like righteous, pure, true, right and holy are used hundreds of times to describe God.
His own words testify to his absolute nature. He is not kind of pure; he is pure. Nor does he mostly tell the truth; he tells the truth…always. He is just 100 percent of the time while he loves 100 percent of time. These attributes make him absolutely pure and perfect.
Psalm 145:17 reveals to us that “The LORD is righteous in all his ways…” Everything he does from speaking the universe into existence (Gen. 1); bringing about the flood (Gen. 6); sacrificing His only Son; to creating your life with all of its ups and downs is right. He did not make any mistakes, nor will He ever.
Moreover, his laws that he instructs us to obey are true and pure. When we obey them our hearts are filled
Examine Your Knowledge
This common wisdom contradicts the words of Scripture. Leviticus 19:2 proclaims that we need to be holy as God is holy. That is we must be set apart from the moral imperfections and impurities of they world since God is. This seems like an impossible standard for us to achieve since everyone regardless of their faith would agree that “nobody’s perfect”.
This may seem like a harsh statement, but it gets to the heart of what grace is and isn't. Grace is not an obligation, but a free gift that is simply given from someone’s good pleasure. In the Bible, God freely gives his favor out of his good pleasure and according to his will. He is not obligated to extend it to anyone, let alone everyone. This is the dangerous side of grace.