The Perversion Of Grace

Grace is not a license to continue in sin. It is not an excuse to live our lives any way we please. Today grace is so often used to undermine the seriousness of continued sin. Many preachers preach grace without the warnings of the scriptures. Their hearers have their ears tickled with pleasant words and pet doctrines/teachings. grace Webster 1828 2. Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source      of all the benefits men receive from him.     And if by grace,then it is no more of works. Rom.11. 3. Favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing      the heart and restraining from sin.     My grace is sufficient for thee. 2 Cor.12. 4. The application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner.     Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Rom.5. 5. A state of reconciliation to God. Rom.5.2. 7. Spiritual instruction, improvement and edification. Eph.4.29. 8. Apostleship, or the qualifications of an apostle. Eph. 3.8. 9. Eternal life; final salvation. 1 Pet.1.13.10. Favor; mercy; pardon.

perversion  Webster 1828
 PERVER'SION, n. [L. perversus.] The act of perverting; a turning from truth or propriety; 
 a diverting from the true intent or object; change to something worse. We speak of the 
 perversion of the laws, when they are misinterpreted or misapplied; a perversion of 
 reason, when it is misemployed; a perversion of Scripture, when it is willfully 
 misinterpreted or misapplied, &c.


Ephesians 2 ISV

1You used to be dead because of your offenses and sins 

2that you once practiced as you lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient. 3Indeed, all of us once behaved like them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for wrath, just like everyone else. 

4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love for us 5even when we were dead because of our offenses, made us alive together with the Messiah (by grace you have been saved),raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly realm in the Messiah Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might display the limitless riches of his grace that comes to us through his kindness in the Messiah Jesus. 8For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God 9and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting. 10For we are God’sj masterpiece, created in the Messiah Jesus to perform good actions that God prepared long ago to be our way of life.

Romans 6 ISV

1What should we say, then? Should we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2Of course not! How can we who died as far as sin is concerned go on living in it?

• Paul asks a very serious question here. If we have died to sin, how can we go on living in it? Believers do not have an excuse in the scriptures to sin or go on sinning. He repeats this phrase in verse 15. We are not to sin. If we do we should repent quickly, turn from it and follow Jesus the Messiah. 

3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into union with the Messiah Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore, through baptism we were buried with him into his death so that, just as the Messiah was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too may live an entirely new life. 5For if we have become united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old natures were crucified with him so that our sin-laden bodies might be rendered powerless and we might no longer be slaves to sin. 7For the person who has died has been freed from sin.

8Now if we have died with the Messiah, we believe that we will also live with him, 9for we know that the Messiah, who was raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10For when he died, he died once and for all as far as sin is concerned. But now that he is alive, he lives for God. 11In the same way, you too must continuously consider yourselves dead as far as sin is concerned, but living for God through the Messiah Jesus.

• When we read what the scriptures say it is very easy for us to assume we are obedient. Brothers and sisters we must "make our calling and election sure". Paul makes it clear "Now if we have died"...."we will also live with him". He is giving us very serious warnings along with great and wonderful promises to those who obey. 

12Therefore, do not let sin rule your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. 13Stop offering the parts of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have been brought from death to life and the parts of your bodyi as instruments of righteousness to God. 14For sin will not have mastery over you, because you are not under Law but under grace.

• Paul speaks to believers here of their serious personal responsibility to not let sin rule over them. He makes it very clear that believers should not let sin rule in our mortal bodies. Being under grace means sin will not have mastery over a believer. This is very sobering and a call to us to forsake sin and pursue holiness. 

15What, then, does this mean? Should we go on sinning because we are not under Law but under grace? Of course not! 16Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

• In verses 15 & 16 we see the same people who are told they are not under the law, but under grace are warned that being a slave to sin leads to death. This would appear to be eternal death as obedience to God leads to righteousness. No matter what death it is we should want no part in it and today's teachers as a whole do not warn God's people!

17But thank God that, though you were once slaves of sin, you became obedient from your hearts to that form of teaching with which you were entrusted! 18And since you have been freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

• It appears that the ones Paul is writing to do not have the issues he addressed. However, his warnings are given to them. It does not make sense he would warn believers who were currently practicing obedience if it was not possible to move away from their position.

19I am speaking in simple terms because of the frailty of your human nature. Just as you once offered the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater disobedience, so now, in the same way, you must offer the parts of your body as slaves to righteousness that leads to sanctification. 

• Paul again speaks to us about our own personal responsibility to be obedient and slaves to righteousness which leads to sanctification. He tells us we must. Much of the teaching of God's grace has forsaken these principles. Grace has become the "doctrine" focused on while the people are being disobedient and continuing to practice sin. Many of these people lead fruitless lives. By ignoring the whole counsel of God these teachers have in affect "perverted grace" and many preachers along with their members may be lost. Huge churches can be built by pastors who become wealthy, simply by perverting grace.  

20For when you were slaves of sin, you were “free” as far as righteousness was concerned. 21What benefit did you get from doing those things you are now ashamed of? For those things resulted in death. 22But now that you have been freed from sin and have become God’s slaves, the benefit you reap is sanctification, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in union with the Messiah Jesus our Lord.

• Why is Paul warning of eternal death if his hearers could not find themselves there?