They think Grace was Given to them So That they would then be empowered to produce the Performancec that would make them “good enough “ to merit Heaven.
No, my performance doesn't make me "fit for heaven". Only the blood of Jesus does that.
Of course, the blood of Jesus affects my performance (Hebrews 13:12, Hebrews 10:29, 1 John 1:7).
But it is not my performance that makes me fit for heaven. I am made fit for heaven because of my faith in Jesus Christ.
Through faith, I have received the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:14); and through the Spirit, I bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23); against which there is no law.
So there is no law that I would violate as I bear the fruit of the Spirit...
Does that mean that I am made fit for heaven through bearing the fruit of the Spirit (and the fact that no law is violated by me)?
No, I both am justified and bear the fruit of the Spirit because of faith.
Faith is the root of both my justification and my behaviour that you say makes me fit for heaven.
But I am fit for heaven not because of the behaviour but because of the faith that produces the behaviour
................................................faith....................................................
........................................../......................\...........................................
...................................justification............bearing the fruit of the Spirit.................
I am the REAL “ Chief of Sinners” ( step aside, Paul) yet because I simply REST in Paul’s Gospel Of 1Cor15:1-4 , God takes ALL of my sins and puts them on His Son and in Turn, takes the Perfect Righteousness Of His Son and puts “ that” on me! I am FAR from perfect, yet God “ IMPUTES” me with the very Righteousness , the very PERFECTION of His Son!
Of course, there is the flip side to that...that God imputes the perfect righteousness of Jesus to the one who does what is righteous (1 John 3:7).
Anyway , you guys who are still “ working “ towards “ your” perfection......just how Perfect does one have to be to “ make the Grade? 90% perfect? ......76% perfect? ......51% sounds good enough—- you made it past the half- way Point haven’t you? Work on that exact per centage number and get back to us, will ya?
The perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to me and I am growing up into the righteous life that the Lord sees as the finished product of my life and into the righteousness that is Jesus' perfect righteousness.
I am not saying that in living the life practically that God desires of me, I am justified...for I have been justified by His blood...
But I have a clearer conscience because of walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit.
When I was still living a Romans 7:14-26 lifestyle, my conscience afflicted me and I became discontented with a lifestyle of sinning...and this is the right attitude for anyone living such a lifestyle to have (see Romans 7:24). It led me to graduate from living like hell (in a Romans 7:14-25 lifestyle) to graduating into Romans 8...
Meanwhile, I’m gonna kick my feet back , Perhaps have a beer , and listen to some Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac...care to join me , my Kiwi Brother in Christ ? God bless us all !
Now we see where your doctrine is coming from, if you listen to that kind of music.
It is not that I am saying that you must not listen to that kind of music as a Christian (as though I were being legalistic about it); I am only saying that it is not expedient and not edifying and therefore, while it may indeed be lawful, the fact that you enjoy it says something about you.
Personally, I enjoy music that is edifying and that honours and glorifies the Lord. I could listen to "Fleetwood Mac" or "The Rolling Stones" if I wanted to...but that has all the appeal to me of a Drano Enema...
There is no such thing as a "license to sin or license for immorality."
The Bible tells us that false teachers would come in the last days teaching that grace is a license for immorality (Jude 1:3-4 NIV)
The “ lie” was a JOKE! A five year old would see it! My God, what kind of people am I Dealing with here? And I expect them to understand Scriptural “MEAT ?”....... the mind reels.......
NKJV:
Pro 26:18, Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,
Pro 26:19, Is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, “I was only joking!”