Day: July 20, 2021

A License to Sin?

by JacobUncategorized

Some say that God’s grace gives us a license to sin. But this is not only incorrect, it’s perilous to us in our walk with Jesus.

The body of believers, since the time of the Apostles, has been beset by heresies. Paul knew this as well as anyone, and he repeatedly wrote staunch warnings against false teachings. He wanted to make sure that those who truly followed Christ stayed true to their faith and did not stumble in the wind.

Yes, even in those days; those old days when travel between towns could take days or even weeks, false doctrine and heretical beliefs spread like wildfire and threatened to corrupt a person’s faith in the risen Christ.

Today, this effect is ever the more potent.

In the modern day, ideas can circle the globe instantly. As I write this, it occurs to me that people from other continents may read this – and they may read it just minutes or hours after I post it.

A thousand years ago, a message may have taken months to make it from one side of a continent to another, if it made it at all.

But now, ideas spread instantly and effortlessly. They spread seamlessly. Can this be a great thing? Absolutely! Can it be used to help people, build the Kingdom of God, and do great works for Him?

Absolutely. That’s why I blog 🙂

Yet this vast internet of information, this vehicle for transmitting ideas, thoughts, and calls to action, can be dangerous. It can lead to the spreading of heresies and false doctrine.

These false doctrines have one lasting outcome: they damage the faith of the person who believes them.

But I’m not here today to discuss how false doctrine or heretical teachings spread. I’m not writing to discuss strategies for fighting them. Rather, I’m here to single out and analyze one particular heresy that is extraordinarily popular in today’s evangelical scene.

And that heresy, quite simply, is this – that the grace given to us through Christ can serve as a license for sin.

This is a destructive doctrine. It is as far removed from Scripture as you can get. It is poisonous. It ruins lives. It damages faith. I believed it once – more recently than I’d like to admit, in fact – and looking back, I realize just how destructive it is to true, genuine faith in the risen Lord.

Nothing good comes from it. It promises a life of ease, but yields only pain, heartache, and brokenness.

What Makes it So Dangerous?

One of the biggest ways that this “doctrine” is so dangerous lies in its deceptive power.

Think about it.

We know the following things as Christians:

  1. We are all sinners in need of a Savior (Rom. 3:23)
  2. Jesus Christ came and died for the forgiveness of sins (John 3:16, Rom. 10:9, 2 Cor. 5:15, etc.)
  3. If we believe in Him and call unto Him for salvation, He will save us because He cannot be unfaithful to His own. (2 Tim 2:13)

To the mature or passionate believer, these facts are reason for immense celebration. They look upon their Lord with love and with great respect. They have been forgiven much, and because of their thankfulness to God, the thought of sinning simply “because it’s covered by the blood and will be forgiven” is offensive to them.

But it’s not the same way with everyone.

For immature believers, or those who may only believe that they’re believers, these facts can be interpreted as a license for sin. I’ve heard it many times in my own life, and furthermore, I’ve heard it most often from the youth – “Well, I can sin because Christ forgives me. I’m covered.”

They take their limited understandings of the doctrine of grace and they twist it to their own selfish ends.

They are using logic to make the assumption: since I’m a sinner, and since Christ died for all sins, then all I must do is believe in Him and confess Him with my words, and I will be saved from my sins. This means I can sin as much as I want, in any way I want, and Christ will still forgive me and I’ll go to Heaven.

Yes, to the immature Christian, this is logical. It makes perfect sense. That’s what’s so dangerous about this belief – it makes perfect sense unless you’ve really thought it through and walked in the faith a while.

It makes perfect sense, but it’s a trap. And a devastatingly tricky trap at that.

The Consequences of This Belief

Up until now, we’ve discussed how this belief works. It’s dangerous because it’s tricky. It’s dangerous because it’s deceptive. But why? If one is caught in this big snare, what makes it so bad?

The main reason is in the damage it does to the sinner’s conscience.

You see, we’re all born with a God-given conscience, or internal moral compass. Every human has one, whether they’re born into a Christian culture, a Muslim culture, a Hindu culture, or an atheistic culture.

In fact, if you travelled around the world throughout history, you’d find that the majority of cultures would have some sort of prohibition against killing others. You’d find prohibitions against rape, against violence, against taking advantage of people, and much more.

All human societies throughout history have had morality, and the morality has been – barring some differences – quite similar.

Now, returning to the notion of the built-in conscience, one of the biggest things that a person must realize is that he/she is a sinner in need of a savior. And your conscience, your sensitivity to sin, is what helps you to see this. This is why Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:23).

Notice the use of the word repent here. To repent is to change over, to confess and forsake, to be willing to leave something behind.

Repentance requires a person to see their sins, recognize them as bad, and then be willing to forsake their sins and turn to a new way of life – namely, the life Jesus calls them to.

However, note also that Jesus says another curious thing in that passage: “I have not come to call the righteous…” I must admit that when I read that verse for the first time, I was left in confusion.

After all, Romans 3:10 tells us, “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.” For the longest time, it didn’t make sense to me. But then, after some examination, it suddenly made perfect sense.

What Christ is talking about here is the difference between those who acknowledge and see the nature of their sins, and those who do not.

When Jesus walked the earth, His greatest opponents were the Pharisees. You’d have expected that those who would oppose Him most would have been non-Jews. Perhaps the Romans, or maybe some other faction of society, one would think.

But instead, it was those who claimed to be God’s own people.

They claimed to be of the Lord, but when Christ commanded them to repent, they refused. They called the Son of God a madman. They were “righteous” only insofar as they trusted and believed in their own abilities to save and distinguish them.

They did not recognize their own need for a savior because they thought themselves above such a thing. Hence, Jesus essentially said, “I have not come to call those who will not listen, but rather, those who do and can listen.”

Now, we’ll take this very concept and circle back to the concept of “the license for sin.”

You see, those Pharisees had hardened their hearts. They had dulled their consciences. You can harden your heart against God. That’s not popular to say in today’s world, but it’s true.

Contrary to what popular evangelicalism will tell you, words alone cannot save you. A profession of faith alone cannot save you. It can’t save you unless you’ve got the intention and heart behind it. God knows those who are truly His, and He also sees those who are just mixed in with the flock but don’t truly want Him.

For the one who sins because he “knows Christ will cover it,” there is grave danger.

There is a point at which a person will stop caring. There is a time when, after enough intentional, willful sinning, a person can harden their heart beyond repentance. They will essentially become a Pharisee.

They believed in the idea of grace, and they claimed to believe in the Son of God, but they simply used it as an insurance policy while they did everything they wanted to do.

They treated the grace of God as a cheap thing for so long, in such a hideous way, that they moved themselves beyond the ability to repent and forsake their sins in a turn to Christ.

Yes, it can happen. And if a person keeps on sinning, if he keeps on cheapening the grace of God to cover selfish desires, then there might come a day when repentance is impossible.

This is a scary message, but it’s truth. Yet there is GOOD news!

Finding Freedom From Sin

Does the Bible teach that you can fall away from God and be condemned, even in this life? It’s a tricky issue, but I think the answer is yes.

You CAN sin against, reject, and deny God for so long that you will be unable to come to Him and seek salvation.

But here’s the good news: if the thought of this causes you concern, sadness, or a desire to change from a pattern of sin, then you’re not condemned. Those who have rejected Christ completely and firmly, who have abused His grace repeatedly and feel no sorrow and no desire to change, are in grave danger.

Yet for you – if you feel in your heart that you want to change, if you desire freedom from sin and unity with Christ – there is still all the hope in the world! 2 Peter 3:9 says, 

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

You see, the God of the universe wants you. Go up to any random person on the street, and God wants them. Our Lord is so great that He does not will that any would perish.

If you’re stuck in a lifestyle of sin, this is your call to get out. If you’re slipping into the heretical idea that you can sin as much as you want because God will cover it, you need to repent of this idea. You need to turn from it.

Run from it as you would a dangerous animal.

As you run and turn from your sins, run into the grace of God. Accept His forgiveness with open arms and a willing heart. Hold nothing back within yourself. Commit all you are to Him. Commit your actions, relationships, decisions, life, career, words, and deeds to Him.

He wants all of it. And you will not be sorry for giving it all to Him.

As I mentioned earlier, there was a time when I believed that I could keep on sinning freely, because God’s grace covered it. After I realized that was incorrect and dangerous, I grew fearful that I was beyond saving.

In my anguish, I cried to the Lord out of a desperate heart.

He came in.

He came to allay my fears and correct my wayward heart. He taught me the importance of seeing Him as the all-sufficient God, of counting Him as my highest treasure for all time.

This has been a journey, and I’m still in the middle of it, but each day I can see His mercies fresh and new.

Brother, sister, it is my prayer today that you’ll seek the Lord. It’s my prayer that you will turn to Him with a heart of genuineness. And if you feel as though you’ve gone too far, pray to Him. Pray to Him with all you have in you. Cry out to Him.

Go to your knees and weep.

If you call to Him out of a genuine desire to be reconciled to Him, He will be faithful to show you the way. He will restore you.

A bruised reed and a smoldering wick He will not put out.

He will disciple you, lead you, and show you the true path to life in Him. He loves you, and He wants your heart above all things. He is not willing that any would perish, but that all would come to repentance.

Please, repent today. Repent while you’ve still got life in you, and awake from your spiritual slumber.

Repent, because His mercy, while great, will someday run out. Run to Him, and run to Him with everything you have.

Your God awaits you with great love and great mercy.

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Sowing and Reaping

by JacobBible / Christian Living

The “Law of Sowing and Reaping” is a universal and inescapable fact of life. We need to be sowing to the Spirit – here’s how.

Each spring, millions of people put seed in the ground in the hopes of growing something. Some people are farmers; they load up their large tractors with thousands of pounds of seed to sow hundreds of acres worth of crops. Others plant backyard gardens complete with tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, garlic, and potatoes.

But no matter what one plants and for what purpose, one thing holds constant: the plants you grow are determined by the type of seed you used.

Tomato seeds will produce tomato plants. Pumpkin seeds produce pumpkin plants. Corn seeds will grow corn plants. Lettuce and carrot seeds, as small and hard to plant as they may be, will develop into lettuce and carrots.

This is what we might refer to as, “The Law of Sowing and Reaping.” What you sow is what you get.

The Bible tells us that the same principle applies to our everyday lives. In Galatians, we read the following: 

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. [Galatians 6:7-10, ESV]

Each day, we are faced with decisions. Most of us don’t realize just how many choices we make on a daily basis. We choose whether to be stingy or generous, open or closed, available or distant. We choose what to buy. We choose what to say to our acquaintances, friends, family, and spouse. Every action at work is accompanied, in some form or another, by a choice.

Choices, choices, and more choices.

Each choice we make can be thought of as a “seed.” The action is the seed you plant; the consequences of that action are the things that grow as a result.

Just seeds will produce plants, actions will produce consequences.

Let’s re-read Galatians 6:7. 

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

Written by Paul the Apostle, Galatians was a letter to the churches in ancient Galatia (located in present-day Turkey). In this verse, Paul used some pretty strong wording to convey his message: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

You see, the first problem facing many of Paul’s readers – and many of us in the modern day – is that we lose sight of the fundamental truth that actions have consequences.

To really drive this home, let’s ask a question: when was the last time you made a decision based upon the idea that you would not experience consequences? In my case, I find that my ongoing struggles with sin are vulnerable points here. When I am tempted to cave to a certain sin, my mind will often ask itself a question, “Can I get away with this?”

You’re faced with the temptation to lust. I can get away with this, right?

You’re faced with the temptation to curse someone behind their back. They won’t hear me, so no one gets hurt… right?

Indeed, it is so easy to imagine that small actions done in complete secrecy will not harm you. They’re done in secret, after all!

Yet these so-called “secret sins” are not the only times we are led to disregard the teachings in this verse. Sometimes, we can become convinced that even the “big stuff” is stuff we can get away with. This includes activity such as hard drinking, partying, lying, sexual immorality, and even theft or other forms of crime.

There is always a temptation to think to ourselves, “Jesus is my savior, so my sins are covered. I can sin as much as I want.”

But that is a very, very dangerous way of thinking. This is what Paul was confronting when he implored his readers to “not be deceived,” because “God is not mocked.”

If we’re not careful, even the most diligent and faithful Christians can fall into the trap of believing that there is such a thing as consequence-free living. It’s also why Paul writes, in verses 7 and 8, 

...for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

That leads us to a very important dichotomy: there are two ways to sow.

The Two Ways to Sow

In Galatians 6:7-8, Paul shows us that we can either sow to our flesh or sow to the Spirit. These are the two umbrella categories that each and every action we take will fall into.

When one “sows to his flesh,” he is essentially planting the seeds of corruption and decay. In the Bible – and particularly the New Testament – there is a framework set forth that this world is a world of two camps: the flesh and the Spirit. The flesh includes all of our fallenness. When we sin, we please our flesh.

The flesh is inherently selfish and concerned with seeking gratification. Romans tells us,

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:6-8 [ESV]

In other words, the “flesh” is hostile to God. It is against Him and against what He wants to do in our world and in our life. That’s why Romans tells us that the mind set on the flesh is death. It doesn’t submit to God, and it doesn’t even have the capability to submit to Him.

When we take an action such as willfully disobeying God, we are sowing to the flesh. When we commit sin, we’re sowing to the flesh. What the verbiage has in mind here is this: sowing is an action. If you act in a way that pleases the flesh, that satisfies your sinful desires and seeks to glorify yourself rather than God, you’re going to reap brokenness. You’re going to reap corruption. You’re going to reap death.

Each action has a consequence, whether we see it or not.

Addiction to pornography, while perhaps not directly harming another person, has consequences for those who are addicted. Laziness, while it may seem innocent or benign, harms both the person who is lazy and those around him or her.

You cannot escape the law of sowing and reaping.

If you sow to the flesh, you’ll reap bad consequences. You will receive brokenness. That’s a guarantee. To think otherwise – to imagine that you can live a life of sowing to the flesh but escaping the consequences – is to mock God.

But let’s look at the flip side: sowing to the Spirit.

Just as consequences are guaranteed for every action done for the flesh, consequences are also guaranteed for each action done for the Spirit. These are good consequences! If you sow to the flesh, you’re going to reap corruption and brokenness. But what if you sow to the Spirit?

Galatians says you’ll reap eternal life!

Indeed, that is the hallmark of a Christian life which is truly in obedience to God and what He has for us. If you step out in faith, trusting the Lord for all your needs, you are sowing to the Spirit. If you seek Him, if you make time for Him, if you desire to please Him and follow His will for your life, you’re sowing to the Spirit.

Galatians tells us that you’ll be rewarded. In fact, the rewards to sowing in the Spirit are so vast that we probably will not – and cannot – experience them entirely in this lifetime. We cannot comprehend what that fully means for us.

Romans also shows us that the mind set on the Spirit is “life and peace.” Do you want peace in your situation? Do you want to have that peace which surpasses all understanding? Do you want to be that person who can stand in the middle of life’s fiercest storm and say, “It is well with my soul?”

Guess what?

Sow to the Spirit. It all starts there.

A Practical Application

We’ve looked at what is meant by sowing to the flesh and sowing to the Spirit. We’ve compared and contrasted them. But what does this dichotomy look like in our day to day lives?

It might be tempting to think that this is a question of rote obedience. We can approach this from the angle of, “If I do this, then God will do this.”

But that is the incorrect way to look at it.

As a Biblical example, the Pharisees of Jesus’s day were among the most outwardly-righteous people on the Earth. They prayed, they tithed, they read and memorized Scripture, and they never missed religious services. They were lauded by the Jewish community and looked upon as community leaders.

Yet Jesus’s harshest words were reserved for these men.

Christ made it clear that God did not accept the outward righteousness of the Pharisees. In fact, He hated it. There was no place for fake righteousness in God’s favor. And that has not changed today.

Rather than look to outward deeds – deeds of giving, tithing, “stopping sin,” or going to church – we need to look inward.

We need to ask ourselves, “Where is my heart? Why am I doing this?”

Do you need to stop sinning? Yes. God commands us to repent, which means nothing less than turning away from our sinful behavior and embracing His perfect plan. But rote obedience is not His answer. And if you try to battle your sins, whatever they may be, in your own strength, you will fail a hundred percent of the time.

If you battle sin and death in your own power, you are not truly “sowing to the Spirit.”

To truly sow to the Spirit, we need to focus on our hearts. We need to adopt a position of resignation. We need to wave the white flag. All too often, the storms of life find us doing everything we can to calm the waters on our own strength. That’s my natural setting. When a huge battle comes before me in my life, I will do all I can to win… and prayer is my last resort.

But prayer should be our first resort.

Our hearts should always be inclined towards God in a spirit of willing submission. God is our good Shepherd, and we – His sheep – know and obey His voice. By obeying God in love and humility, we are truly sowing to the Spirit. We are truly loving God. We cannot take a passive approach to our Christian walk – effort is involved in every relationship, including the one we have with God – but the source of our strength cannot come from ourselves.

The solution here is simple yet incredibly hard: rest in God. Rest in Christ.

Do you have a sin that seems impossible to overcome? Stop fighting it in your strength, and start fighting it in His strength.

Do you have situations that are beyond your control? Stop trying to control them. Stop trying to come up with answers on your own power. Go to Him.

Do you have issues that have no solution? Are you stuck between a multitude of paths, each one appearing rocky and uneven? Do not trust yourself. Go to Him.

Every time we fall before the Lord in a place of humility and submission, we sow to the Spirit. Every time we obey Him out of love and trust, we sow to the Spirit. Every time we display a righteousness that is NOT our own, but rather His, we sow to the Spirit.

Remember: no matter who you are or what you’ve done, you do not have to continue going down the path you are now. You don’t have to keep sowing to the flesh! You can start sowing to the Spirit today, and reap a reward of peace and life that will last with you into eternity.

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