Myth Busters

Have you ever heard the phrase, "We are under grace, so our sins don't matter"? Is this TRUTH or a MYTH?

The enemy has used religion to twist the Word of God in order to DECEIVE believers into thinking they can abuse God's grace. Grace is given freely for those with a repentant heart. However, if we never truly repent and turn from our sin, are we not abusing the sacrifice Jesus made?

Have you been abusing the grace of God? Now, before you answer the question, consider this. Do you willfully sin? Are you living your life like the rest of the world, using grace as an excuse to sin frequently and without remorse? Knowing something is wrong and foolishly thinking there will be no consequence for it because you're under God's grace is not what it was intended for. Grace is not a free pass to sin. If this is your mindset, then unfortunately, you have been abusing the grace of God.

We must do some soul searching and see if we truly believe what the Bible says about grace. The Scriptures below my challenge you, stretch you, and make you think twice about abusing the grace of God.

FRUITS OF THE FLESH

The flesh reaps corruption. Nothing about our fleshly desires and actions will bring good fruit. Instead it can cause havoc in our lives, making a chain reaction of sins.

AS A CHILD OF GOD, YOU MUST WALK AWAY FROM THE FOLLOWING THINGS: GALATIANS 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

We are to walk in righteousness, which is right standing with God. We have been given this gift of righteousness, through the blood of Christ. We are also meant to walk in the Spirit. Listed below are the fruits of the spirit.

AS A BELIEVER IN CHRIST, YOUR LIFE SHOULD REFLECT THE FOLLOWING:

GALATIANS 22-26 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

​23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

what is your INHERITANCE?

The Bible is very clear. Without repentance, certain we cannot not inherit the Kingdom of God. I'm definitely not saying you can lose your salvation. Only God knows what is in your heart. However, if you choose to turn a blind eye to God, you may be sowing seeds of corruption in your life. Your inheritance as a believer should be the Kingdom of Light, not the kingdom of darkness.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither FORNICATORS, nor IDOLATERS, nor ADULTERERS, nor HOMOSEXUALS, nor SODOMITES,

10 nor THIEVES , nor COVETOUS, nor DRUNKARDS, nor REVILERS, nor EXTORTIONER'S will inherit the kingdom of God.

The verses above call out those sins of the immoral Corinthian Church members. According to Paul, those acting upon their sinful nature, without repentance, were not true brothers and sisters in Christ. They were only playing the part and failing to understand the inseparable correlation between belief and behavior. The church to which they belonged, failed to discern that their confession of faith was bogus. Nothing about their behavior was reflective of a follower of Christ. As a result, they were removed and their sin was exposed.

The good news is the verse that follows:

1 CORINTHIANS 6:11

11 And such WERE some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

When you truly repent and turn away from such things, you become justified in Christ - just as if you never sinned! That's the goodness and GRACE of God. BUT, you must first REPENT & TURN AWAY from your sin to receive that grace.

ACCOUNTABILITY

As Christians, we are accountable for the truth we know. Everyone has to walk out their salvation on their own. Not everyone is called to be teachers or pastors. However, we are all called to live a life that reflects the Scriptures we claim to believe. With that accountability comes responsibility.

Everyone will stand before God one day to give account for what we did on this earth. Before that day comes, you might want to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I pouring my life into the Kingdom of God, staying in the Word and being a light in this world?

2. Am I choosing to be a spiritual baby, barely digging into the Word and just scraping by.

3. Am I like the pony believers in the Church or Corinth, pretending to be a follower of Christ?

Which one are you? It's hard to examine yourself and find out where your heart truly is. The truth of Gods Word is sobering and we all need a reality check. Everyone will be accountable in the end, that is a truth we cannot escape. Once we are shown the truth of our actions, we must repent and turn from that sin. The truth you know will set you free, but you have to make a choice!

A PROPER FEAR OF THE LORD BRINGS WISDOM AND BLESSINGS

PROVERBS 9:10

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. DEUTERONOMY 11:18-21

18 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.

Fear of the Lord isn't cowering and looking over your shoulder as if you could be struck down at any moment. A proper fear of the Lord is honor and reverence for the Creator of the Universe and His Word. Choosing to live by the principles set before us will only bring wisdom and blessings into your life. When you have a healthy respect and awe for our God and savior, you WANT to live a life worthy of His Word! As you walk out your life in life with scripture, those blessings will follow!

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for giving me ears to hear what your word says about grace. I choose to be honest with myself about what I believe. I choose, right now, to repent and come clean before you. Help me stand fast in faith, and not waver to the belief system of the world. Thank you for the wisdom to see the truth in a world full of myths. Thank you for your great grace. Forgive me for abusing it and using it as an excuse to live like the world. Thank you for loving me enough to send Jesus and set me free!

In Jesus' Name

Amen