Galatians Chapter 5, Verse 1 — False Grace Vs. True Grace (Part 1 of 2) (Short Version)

Galatians Chapter 5, Verse 1 — False Grace Vs. True Grace (Part 1 of 2) (Short Version) [Print Document]

Galatians 5:1

“[1] Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Today, there are many teachers that say or imply through their sermons that God’s grace (or liberty) is the whole of the Gospel. They ignore the fact that without a justice system, which requires there be a penalty for rebellion against God, sin would increase and would only grow like yeast rising through dough.

They ignore the truth that if Christians continue living in sin, they would be resisting (i.e. hardening of the heart) God's conviction to repent from sin (Hebrews 3). They ignore the truth that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), which is not just physical death.

Mark 9 and Removing the Offense

They also ignore the truth that Jesus Christ told His 12 disciples (Mark 9:33,47-48) that if something leads them into sin, they must get rid of it, lest they be hardened through sinning, and be cast into the fires of Hell. In Mark 9, Jesus said:

[Mark 9:47-48]

"[47] And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: [48] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." To give you the context, verse 33 shows how Jesus was speaking to His disciples in a house. Earlier, they had argued about who would be the greatest among them. That is when Jesus instructed them to become like a child (in humility and faith) and to forsake sin. In Mark 9:33, we read: "And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?" As we saw in verse 47, Jesus taught His disciples that if something offends them, they must get rid of it, lest they be cast into hell fire. The word for offend is skandalizó in Greek, and it means "to entice to sin" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon). According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, "offend" means: "7. To draw to evil, or hinder in obedience; to cause to sin or neglect duty." So, Jesus, in essence, is telling His disciples that if, in the future, they go after something that leads them into sin, and do not forsake it, they would be cast into hell fire. This is crucial doctrine that the Church is missing in sermons, Bible studies, and Christian books.

The Foundation of God’s Grace

Galatians Chapter 5, Verse 1 — False Grace Vs. True Grace (Part 2 of 2) (Long Version)

Galatians Chapter 5, Verse 1 — False Grace Vs. True Grace (Part 2 of 2) [Print Document]

 "Eternal Security" — Is This True?

Galatians 5:1

“[1] Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

In the first part of this two-part article, we discussed how some Church leaders and teachers say, or strongly imply, that God’s liberty or grace is all that God has for Christians, even when they live in sin.

We laid the foundation, from Romans 5, for what grace is and how Abba Father God showed us His love by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins. And, we looked at Romans 6:16 and saw how one can actually become a servant of sin if he (or she) yields himself to serve sin.

Many teachers have taught that once you are saved from sin through Jesus Christ, you are always saved. They call this "eternal security." But, is this biblically sound? Does the Bible actually teach that born-again Christians can never fall away? We will examine this teaching in this second part of our article on Galatians 5:1.

Now, we will continue with Romans 6:16.

Expounding Romans 6:16

Romans 6:16 says: “[16] Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

The result of sin, when it is not dealt with by repentance from sin (which is forsaking sin), is death, and not righteousness. So, this verse in Romans is saying that sinning, and not forsaking sin, will produce death?

That is exactly what it and other verses in the Bible actually teach. Many teachers today ignore the plain meaning of the verses, or don’t teach them at all.

But, what kind of death are we talking about? Is it just physical death? Let’s look at Hebrews 10:26-30. It says:

Hebrews 10:26-30

“[26] For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, [27] But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Galatians Chapter 5, Verse 1 — False Grace Vs. True Grace (Part 1 of 2) (Long Version)

Galatians Chapter 5, Verse 1 — False Grace Vs. True Grace (Part 1 of 2) [Print Document]

Galatians 5:1

“[1] Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Today, there are many teachers that say or imply through their sermons that God’s grace (or liberty) is the whole of the Gospel. They ignore the fact that without a justice system, which requires there be a penalty for rebellion against God, sin would increase and would only grow like yeast rising through dough.

They ignore the truth that if Christians continue living in sin, they would be resisting (i.e. hardening of the heart) God's conviction to repent from sin (Hebrews 3). They ignore the truth that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), which is not just physical death.

Mark 9 and Removing the Offense

They also ignore the truth that Jesus Christ told His 12 disciples (Mark 9:33,47-48) that if something leads them into sin, they must get rid of it, lest they be hardened through sinning, and be cast into the fires of Hell. In Mark 9, Jesus said:

[Mark 9:47-48]

"[47] And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: [48] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." To give you the context, verse 33 shows how Jesus was speaking to His disciples in a house. Earlier, they had argued about who would be the greatest among them. That is when Jesus instructed them to become like a child (in humility and faith) and to forsake sin. In Mark 9:33, we read: "And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?" As we saw in verse 47, Jesus taught His disciples that if something offends them, they must get rid of it, lest they be cast into hell fire. The word for offend is skandalizó in Greek, and it means "to entice to sin" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon). According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, "offend" means: "7. To draw to evil, or hinder in obedience; to cause to sin or neglect duty." So, Jesus, in essence, is telling His disciples that if, in the future, they go after something that leads them into sin, and do not forsake it, they would be cast into hell fire. This is crucial doctrine that the Church is missing in sermons, Bible studies, and Christian books.

The Foundation of God’s Grace