Sin
Make no mistake: sin IS, contrary to popular teaching, a "heaven or hell" issue.
The false grace message is very slippery. Jesus gives grace to OVERCOME sin, not to rationalize it. To rationalize sin with grace is what the Bible calls "taking the grace of God in vain":
II Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
It is true, we are saved by faith, but if it is saving faith...like you really believe, it should be active in changing your life...drawing you more and more under the leadership of Jesus. That is faith that saves. If your faith isn't changing you, then it isn't saving you:
James 2:17-20 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
All sin is definitely a heaven or hell issue. The issue isn't whether or not you fall into sin, the issue is whether or not you want to get out of it!
Calling a sinful lifestyle acceptable under the banner of grace IS a false grace message...it is one of the "deeds of the Nicolaitans." Jesus hates the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, especially as it gets expressed in sexual immorality:
Revelation 2:14-15 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Sexual sin, just like lying or any other sin, IS a heaven or hell issue if you justify it in the name of grace...you can't willfully reject Jesus' leadership and live with Him forever. This doesn't mean we pick fights with, or condemn, those outside of the Body of Christ for their lifestyle, but we are actually supposed to judge within the Body...and tell the truth about sin. Not to harm people, but to love them:
I Corinthians 5:9-13 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
This issue is going to become more and more important in the coming days. There is a very strong false grace message being released in this hour and it will deceive many. The message is cloaked in guilt...it is covered in language about the hurt the church has caused to people. The answer to the past hurts the church has inflicted is to become MORE loyal to Jesus, to agree with Him more, not less. Changing the definition of sin won't save anyone, and it will distance you from Jesus, who IS the power to love.
It is Jesus' kingdom that is coming. Therefore, His rules are the only ones that matter. Struggling with sexual sin is common to the vast majority of Christians, it isn't wrong to struggle, but calling sexual sin acceptable is evil. Period. Jesus isn't coming to occupy second place. If you don't want His leadership, you can't live in His kingdom:
Revelation 21:6-8 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The false grace message is very slippery. Jesus gives grace to OVERCOME sin, not to rationalize it. To rationalize sin with grace is what the Bible calls "taking the grace of God in vain":
II Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
It is true, we are saved by faith, but if it is saving faith...like you really believe, it should be active in changing your life...drawing you more and more under the leadership of Jesus. That is faith that saves. If your faith isn't changing you, then it isn't saving you:
James 2:17-20 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
All sin is definitely a heaven or hell issue. The issue isn't whether or not you fall into sin, the issue is whether or not you want to get out of it!
Calling a sinful lifestyle acceptable under the banner of grace IS a false grace message...it is one of the "deeds of the Nicolaitans." Jesus hates the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, especially as it gets expressed in sexual immorality:
Revelation 2:14-15 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Sexual sin, just like lying or any other sin, IS a heaven or hell issue if you justify it in the name of grace...you can't willfully reject Jesus' leadership and live with Him forever. This doesn't mean we pick fights with, or condemn, those outside of the Body of Christ for their lifestyle, but we are actually supposed to judge within the Body...and tell the truth about sin. Not to harm people, but to love them:
I Corinthians 5:9-13 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
This issue is going to become more and more important in the coming days. There is a very strong false grace message being released in this hour and it will deceive many. The message is cloaked in guilt...it is covered in language about the hurt the church has caused to people. The answer to the past hurts the church has inflicted is to become MORE loyal to Jesus, to agree with Him more, not less. Changing the definition of sin won't save anyone, and it will distance you from Jesus, who IS the power to love.
It is Jesus' kingdom that is coming. Therefore, His rules are the only ones that matter. Struggling with sexual sin is common to the vast majority of Christians, it isn't wrong to struggle, but calling sexual sin acceptable is evil. Period. Jesus isn't coming to occupy second place. If you don't want His leadership, you can't live in His kingdom:
Revelation 21:6-8 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
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