Glory to God! I trust you’re well and enjoying your Inheritance in Christ Jesus.
We’ve been talking about the Words of the Lord Jesus Christ as the basis, foundation and source of all Doctrine. Without this understanding, instead of producing Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we end producing Church and Movement Members who’re divided and divisive.
Today I want to look at what the Apostle Paul taught with regards to Grace. Did he really teach what we’re hearing today or did he agree with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ never taught the modern-day take on Grace which claims that in the end, we’ll be judged according to what the Lord Jesus Christ did and not according to what we did. And nothing could be further from the truth. Paul never taught it either because he received his Message from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:5-6 says, ‘But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; WHO WILL RENDER UNTO EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.’
This is what Paul taught. On Judgment Day, God will render unto everyone, whether they be Believers or unbelievers, according to what they did. Every man means every man, that means everyone, including us Christians.
Paul then clarifies this further in Romans 1:7-8 says, ‘To them who by patient continuance in WELL DOING seek for glory and honour and immortality, ETERNAL LIFE. But unto them that are contentious, and DO NOT OBEY THE TRUTH, BUT OBEY UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, indignation and wrath.’
Those who continue to DO good throughout their lives, will be given Eternal Life. Eternal Life in this case is not Christ living inside us, we already have that. He’s talking about living in Eternity with God.
But those who DO evil will be rewarded with the Wrath of God. This is totally in line with what we studied yesterday about what the Lord Jesus Christ taught. This is also at odds with everything the modern grace teaching claims.
Romans 1:9-11 says, ‘Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that DOETH EVIL, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace to every man that WORKETH GOOD, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.’
God is no respecter of persons. He’s going to judge both Believers and unbelievers, the Righteous and the unrighteous, Jews and Gentiles, Ministers and Congregation Members. This is going to happen whether we believe it or not. God is going to judge everyone according to what they did.
He’s no respecter of persons. He doesn’t have one standard for the Church and another for the world. He won’t judge the world according to what they did and us according to what He did.
2 Corinthians 5:10-11 says, ‘For WE MUST ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that EVERY ONE may receive THE THINGS DONE IN THE BODY, according to that HE HATH DONE, WHETHER IT BE GOOD OR BAD.’
We’ll all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ and be judged according to what WE DID while in this physical body, not according to what He did. If we did Good, we’ll be rewarded with Eternal Life or the Kingdom of God, if we did evil, we’ll be rewarded with the Wrath of God.
Any tree that bears bad fruit will be cut down and thrown into the Fire. That’s what the Lord Jesus Christ taught and that’s what Paul taught as well.
Paul then says this in the next verse, ‘Knowing therefore THE TERROR OF THE LORD, WE PERSUADE MEN.’ Paul knew the Terror of the Lord. He knew that God judges sin with Death, as a result, he persuaded others to live upright and holy lives, otherwise they’ll be burned with the wicked in the Lake of Fire.
Why would Paul talk about the Terror of the Lord with Believers if he preached once-saved-always-saved? In fact, Paul was always warning Believers.
Acts 20:31 says, ‘Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.’
Why would a Grace Preacher warn the same Church for a period of 3 years, night and day, with tears? What was so wrong? What was he warning them against?
Paul was warning them against the Wrath of God. He was warning them that if they lived licentious lives, they would die in the Lake of Fire like the wicked. He preached exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ preached.
Colossians 1:27-28 says, ‘…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Whom we preach, WARNING EVERY MAN, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus’
Even though the Apostle Paul preached ‘Christ in you’ like most do today, his ‘Christ in you’ came with a strong warning. Why did he warn the Church so much? If we won’t be judged according to what we did but according to what Christ did, why the warning then?
Surely if we’ll be judged according to what Christ did we should have absolutely nothing to be warned about. When was the last time a grace preacher warned you for 3 years, day and night, with tears?
Galatians 5:19-21 says, ‘The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I WARN YOU AS I DID BEFORE, THAT THOSE WHO LIVE LIKE THIS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM GOD.’
Those who live after the flesh will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Those who DO EVIL will not inherit the Kingdom of God or Eternal Life. Notice how Paul was not warning them for the first time. Why was he warning them if once-saved-always-saved is true?
Something is wrong Church! We have misinterpreted Paul. Those who distort his Letters do so to their destruction. Which means, they themselves will be judged with the wicked in the Lake of Fire.
Galatians 6:7-9 says, ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in WELL DOING: FOR IN DUE SEASON WE SHALL REAP, IF WE FAINT NOT.’
The modern grace message claims that the Lord Jesus Christ got what we deserved so that we might get what He deserves. That’s just false.
Notice how Paul prefaces his statement with DO NOT BE DECEIVED. That message is nothing but deception. We are most certainly each going to get what we deserve.
If we sow to the flesh, meaning if we DO EVIL, we’ll reap or be rewarded with corruption or destruction. We’ll be destroyed. But if we sow to the Spirit, meaning if we DO GOOD, we’ll reap or be rewarded with Eternal Life.
Paul was consistent in this matter and never deviated from it.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, ‘Or do you not know that WRONGDOERS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD? DO NOT BE DECEIVED: NEITHER the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men[a] 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers WILL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD?’
Wrongdoers will not inherit the Kingdom of God. What’s a wrongdoer? it’s someone who does wrong. That’s what the Apostle Paul taught. Notice also how he warned the Church not to be deceived.
The current grace message is not scriptural. Neither the Lord Jesus Christ, nor the Apostle Paul taught it. It’s one of the deceptions of the Last Days. We’re going to be judged according to what we did.
Yes, we’re saved by Grace through Faith. We can’t work for being born again, but we’re most certainly expected to live holy and upright lives as a result.
Let me conclude the Apostle Paul again, this time from Colossians 3:25, ‘Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.’ Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for the wrong he or she did. It doesn’t matter whether that person is a Believer or an unbeliever, God is no respecter of persons.
Paul taught what the Lord Jesus taught. He himself was a Disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ who lived by the Doctrine of Christ. He in turn, taught others the same Doctrine so that they may also become Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we’ll do the same, we’ll overcome our identity crisis and become Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That concludes our series. I hope you enjoyed it and found it meaningful.
Glory to God!