Grace, What Most People Don't Know

Image Credit: Jubile E. Lewis https://www.flickr.com/people/77601953@N03/

(Hebrews 12:14-16) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: looking carefully lest there be any man that falls short of the grace of God; 15 lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright.

In verse 14, Paul is instructing us to follow after peace with all men and holiness as a part of our daily living. That is easier said than done. The important factor to why it is so difficult for us to walk in peace with man and God is found in verse 15; “looking carefully lest there be any man that falls short of the grace of God.” The key element to walking in peace and holiness is the grace of God. I am alive today, because of the grace of God.

The grace of God operates in everyone’s life, saved or unsaved. When this verse speaks of “falling short” of the grace of God, it is referring to us falling short of receiving His grace and not God giving it. God is not taking His grace away from you or me, but we willing allow ourselves to fall away.

(John 1:17) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The law was established through Moses. Mankind, at the time of Moses, had to govern his fleshly desires by a set of rules (the Law of Moses) because they had no inner strength. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and now abides within the believer as the Holy Spirit. Now the law identifies sin, but the Spirit of God now lives within us as the governing force of our lives.

(Galatians 5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace.

In Galatians 5:4 it tells us that you cannot have it both ways. The scripture states that if you find your justification in the Law of Moses, then you are severed from Christ. Then it says that if you are severed from Christ, then you are fallen away from grace. Christ and grace cannot be separated. They are one in the same. If you attempt to take one of them out of the equation the other one automatically becomes void.

(Galatians 2:21) I do not make void the grace of God: for if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Righteousness refers to our relationship with God. The scripture above says that if our righteousness (relationship) with God is through the Law of Moses, then Christ died for nothing. If our salvation is based on keeping the Law of Moses, then Christ would not have to die for our sin, but we know this is not the case.

(Ephesians 2:5, 8, 9) even when we were dead in sins (God) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), 8 for by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

These scriptures tell us that God has made us alive together with Christ and by grace we are saved. Again the two are inseparable. Verse 8 and 9 tell us that our salvation is established in grace and not in our own works or physical ability; it is a gift from God. Grace is available to anyone, from God, as a gift. Gifts don’t cost the recipient anything.

(Romans 6:14) For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace. We are no longer under the law, but under grace.

Grace has taken the place of the law, because Christ has taken place of the law. There are many reasons why people fall away from the grace of God. One reason is because the church is not teaching on the grace of God. There are still multitudes of churches that adhere to the law rather than accepting that Christ fulfilled the law (judgment) by dying on the cross for our sin. How can someone embrace the grace of God when all they know is the Law of Moses? Salvation through the Law of Moses would mean that a person’s salvation would be based on their own goodness instead of Christ sacrifice. Again, if that would be the case then why would Christ die for our sin if our honest work could do the trick? People can fall away from grace by lack of knowledge, because the Bible says that in order for mankind to receive from God they have to first believe. A person cannot believe in anything unless they are taught.

Pastor’s children that grow up under stiff observance of the law are also subject to falling out of grace. I even know that certain Christian families raise their children by homeschooling them (and there is nothing wrong with that). The problem comes when they are cut off from society. Christians are to separate themselves from worldly concepts that are against Godly character, but total isolation is not the answer either. Christ never separated himself from the sinner. He dined with them and ministered to them. In order to operate in grace one must accept the world for what it is and not run from it. If we separate ourselves from the world then we separate ourselves from grace as well, because grace is there for the sinner.

These are a few incidences where people fall away from grace. Most of these situations are caused by ignorance and the lack of proper teaching. What happens when we fall from grace? Let’s go back to our original text for the answer: (Hebrews 12:15, 16) looking carefully lest there be any man that falls short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. The opening scripture tells us that when we fall away from grace, a root of bitterness will spring up and trouble you, which will cause some to be defiled (sin). Without grace there will be a root of bitterness which will cause some to return to sin (be defiled). For the people who go to church every week and never see the goodness of God working on their behalf, there will eventually be a root of bitterness that springs up in their heart, because they don’t know about God’s grace. For the individual that tries to do everything right to gain heaven will sooner or later develop a root of bitterness, because they don’t understand that the grace of God is not earned, it’s free. Pastor’s children and Christian children raised in strict homes will develop a root of bitterness because they have never experience the true grace of God, because they are raised under the letter of the law instead. This is why so many Christian children leave home to go to college and give up on their faith. Abused children struggle with bitterness because they never see the Grace of God in operation in their parents or caregivers who are suppose to emanate God.

These are the reasons why so many people have been turned off from attending church or becoming Christian. Verse 16 states, "that when that root of bitterness goes unchecked, sin begins to abound in the individual’s life like fornication (sexual exploration) or profane person, as Esau, who for something insignificant sell his soul for bodily fulfillment." I was growing weary after 17 years in ministry because I did not understand the Grace of God. I was sliding away from grace and growing in bitterness. It wasn’t until I found a ministry that teaches on God’s grace, that I started seeing how much bondage I was living in depending on myself instead of God’s grace. Do you feel bitterness over the answers of life? Do you find it hard to have peace with certain people? Have you been turned off from God, just because you don’t understand His grace for you? I would invite you to visit this ministries website. The pastor’s name is Joseph Prince and I urge you to take the time and listen to some of his teachings on God’s grace. It can truly transform your way of thinking about God and His grace. Blessings to you all in the Grace of God.

Please click on the link below to be directed to Joseph Prince Ministries: http://www.josephprince.org/