Saturday, May 12, 2012

"Cheap Grace"-Misusing Paul's Writings

The "cheap grace" crowd, such as Joseph Prince, teaches that the Law of God (commandments) are no longer binding on Christians.

So where do they get this "cheap grace" from and down play the Law of God, or even go as far as to reject it outright?

Christ gave us the outline of the Old Testament Scriptures- ...which were written in the law of Moses (Known as the Pentateuch, the 1st 5 books of the Bible), and in the prophets (Divided into the former prophets, primarily historrical, and latter prophets, primarily future prophecies), and in the psalms (Also known by some as the poetic books), concerning me. Luke 24:44

So they don't get their rejection of the law from the Pentateuch, where God wrote His Law with His own finger in stone - And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. Exodus 31:18 Or from the Prophets, whether former - to obey is better than sacrifice, 1 Samuel 15:22 or from the latter - I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing. Hosea 8:12 Nor do they get it from the psalms - O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119:97

They don't get it from the four Gospels, where He lived the Law as our example and said on the night of the Last Supper -If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15

They don't get it from the General Epistles of  James, Peter, John & Jude.
*But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. James 1:22, 2:10,11
*....because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, 1 Peter 2:21,22
*For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 1John 5:3 2John 1:6
*For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, Jude 1:4 OR in the NLT I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God's marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. OR in the NIVUK For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God.... OR in the AMP For certain men have crept in stealthily [[gaining entrance secretly by a side door]. Their doom was predicted long ago, ungodly (impious, profane) persons who pervert the grace (the spiritual blessing and favor) of our God into lawlessness and wantonness and immorality,

They don't get their "cheap grace" from the Revelation - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14 As for the Remnant And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, Revelation 12:17

They get their ideas of "cheap grace" and downplaying the Law of God from distorting out of context the writings of Paul.

Peter warns us about the writings of Paul-- ....even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things;
* in which are some things hard to be understood,
* which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest,
* as they do also the other scriptures,
* unto their own destruction.
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2 Peter 3:15-17

Paul was always worried about those who were not ready for the deeper things, for the meat of the word, because they had not yet mastered the milk of the word I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 1 Corinthians 3:2 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. Hebrews 5:12

What does Paul REALLY teach?
Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? Romans 2:21-23
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Romans 6:15

A Summary of Paul:
For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23
And what is sin?
...for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4

We are NOT saved by keeping the Law, but we can be lost by violating it. We are to keep the Law because our hearts are right with God, and it is a reflection of that. Also, as for His Law, the real beef they have with it is that they don't want to keep the Sabbath, lets just be blunt.