The Gospel of Grace: The Reality of Our Union in Christ

I am shocked over how quickly you have deserted the grace gospel and strayed away from Christ who called you to Himself by His loving mercy. I’m frankly astounded that you now embrace a distorted gospel of salvation by works! 7 That is a fake “gospel” that is simply not true! There is only one gospel—the grace gospel! Yet you have allowed those who mingle law with Christ’s grace to confuse you with lies. Galatians 1:6-7 TPT first edition


 We've been in an ongoing study of the Gospel of Grace. That is the Good News of Jesus Christ and all He has accomplished for us in the Finish Work. We've seen the Reality of our Righteousness. We saw the Reality of the New Creation, what it means to be made new. We've also exposed the dangers of Religious Traditions and mixture. 

 Today, I sense the leading to share on another reality of this great Gospel. Our perfect union with Christ. We are united with Him. We are in Christ. This is a powerful truth. Under the Old, those who knew God had the benefit of God being with them. That is good knowing God is with you. 

 The New Covenant though goes further. Not only is God with those who believe, But He is also in those who believe. This is this Union with Christ. God is dwelling within His people. Becoming more God inside minded produces boldness in our relationship with the Father. 

 This Union with Christ is seen many times in the New Covenant. Romans 6 declares we are united with Him in Resurrection life. Ephesians tells us Christ dwells within by Faith. Paul shows we are found in Him, having a Righteousness of Faith and not of works and performance.
9 and become one with him, no longer counting on being saved by being good enough or by obeying God’s laws, but by trusting Christ to save me; for God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith—counting on Christ alone. Philippians 3:9 TLB 

 This is this Union with Christ. Being in Christ, not just walking with Him. With this powerful revelation of what Christ did for us in the Finished Work, it leads us to eradicate an enemy to mankind that plagues so many especially in our fast-paced, social media driven world. The scourge that plagues many, loneliness, feelings of isolation, being disconnected, especially in your relationship with God. 

 I want you to hear the words of Jesus Himself, the Person of Grace. 

32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. John 16:32 NKJV (Emphasis mine)

 This truth needs to be rooted and grounded in our hearts and renewed thinking. We are NEVER alone, for the Father is with us. We've seen already just a few passages that reveal God is not just with us but in us. How can we ever say that we are isolated and disconnected?

 You see, the enemy has a scheme. The tactic this defeated foe uses is to place a question mark where God places a period. When he first appeared his words to Eve were to question what God said. 

 So he uses trying circumstances and difficult seasons to try and convince you that you are isolated. That you are alone, and apart from everyone. That your situation is unique and not like any other. That no one will understand what you're experiencing or rather what you're going through. 

 The tactical assault will come this way, hath God really said He is with you? The defeated devil will lie trying to convince you that God is not with you. The defeated enemy will utilize his most powerful ally, religious tradition to move you into thinking God is so far from you and that your brothers and sisters in Christ want nothing to do with you. 

 The defeated foe likes to remind you of your failures and shortcomings. Thoughts of past failures or present struggles come in waves and the defeated devil using tradition says you've sinned once too often. You've messed up too often. Or will lie saying no one likes you. You're too different. None of the brethren want to fellowship with you. The enemy wants to discount Grace, the precious Blood, and the Finished Work, by speaking religious traditional concepts to you repeatedly. Don't believe the lie, Jesus' perfect redemption perfectly cleansed us and made us righteous once for all time. 

 The devil is a defeated liar. Jesus triumphantly defeated him in the glorious Finished Work. Jesus tells us the Father is with Him. He is not alone. Are we not in Christ Jesus? Are we not hidden in Him? Is He not found in Him? If Jesus and the Father are not separated, then neither are we. 

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, Ephesians 2:13-14 NKJV

Under this New Covenant, because of the Finished Work believer, you are not apart from Christ, ever. You are not far from Him. There exists no disconnect between you and God. There is no time or place wherein God leaves or turns from you. God is with us and abides within because of the precious Blood of Christ. God has, nor ever will, turn His back on you.

 In this perfect Union with Christ, we are never alone. We have God with us always. Loneliness, feelings of isolation, sensing a disconnect are all the lies of the World, wrong thinking, and the defeated enemy. The Father is with us, Christ is in us through His Spirit, we are never alone!

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The Gospel of Grace: Overcoming Traditional Religious Concepts

I am shocked over how quickly you have deserted the grace gospel and strayed away from Christ who called you to Himself by His loving mercy. I’m frankly astounded that you now embrace a distorted gospel of salvation by works! 7 That is a fake “gospel” that is simply not true! There is only one gospel—the grace gospel! Yet you have allowed those who mingle law with Christ’s grace to confuse you with lies. Galatians 1:6-7 TPT first edition

 We've been in an ongoing study of the Gospel of Grace, the Good News of Jesus Christ and all He's done for us. We've seen the reality of the truth of God's Word. We've seen the reality of the New Creation, what it means to be a New Creation in Christ. We've seen the reality of Righteousness. We've seen the reality of the New Covenant.

 Today, I want to address an issue that is essential in understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness. That is fully embracing what Christ accomplished in the Finished Work. In order to do this, we must first relinquish traditions that bring doubt and confusion concerning God's best for us. So today, I want to address the importance of overcoming traditional religious concepts. 

Jesus the Person of Grace, made it clear, tradition makes the Word ineffective in your life. Think about it. Before you heard the Good News of salvation by faith, you lived your life apart from God, lost and spiritually separated from God. The Finished Work was complete. Jesus had accomplished all He came to do. Redemption was already available yet until you acted upon this truth you remained lost. The truth was ineffectual until you knew and understood it.

13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:13 NKJV

 So let's look at some of the most common traditional religious concepts and see the truth of the Word eradicate that falsehood.

 There's something the matter with you!
 I am using this phrase to include several common misconceptions. Traditional Christian gatherings with their songs and sermons can be summed up this way; God is good, Jesus was perfect, but you are bad. Sadly, many unconsciously feel that if they haven't been reminded how bad they are they really didn't have a truthful, sincere, faithful worship service.

 I've even heard some ministers say things like its good to "beat up" the sheep with our preaching, just don't "beat them down." In essence, saying harsh preaching is productive because it beats them upward. Meaning it causes them to improve their behavior patterns. 

 Another misconception under this banner is the guilt syndrome often associated with it. Phrases such as "you're coming up short" or "you know you could be doing more." Sometimes it displays itself with leaders parading someone in front of others who volunteer their time. Or one who gave a large donation. Or who supposedly spends hours in prayer and Bible study. The unspoken point is if they did this much surely you can do more. 

 These concepts rob us of experiencing the sweetness of an intimate relationship with our Father. Guilt, comparing ourselves to others, introspection motivated by shame, only produce a fractured view of God, it produces an orphan mindset. The Truth removes these errors.

 The Truth of the Word says we are made the Righteousness of God in Christ.  The Truth says we are accepted in the Beloved.  God tells us who we are not man. Our value and worth are seen in the great price Jesus paid for us. God is good, Jesus is perfect and because of the Blood, there is nothing the matter with you.

God's Love and mercy have limits.
 Just listening to the messages of some ministers and it seems God is still angry and filled with rage. That at any moment He is poised to pour out wrath. I can't count how often I've heard preachers say God's going to have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah if He doesn't judge America. 

 The message many cling to is the idea that though God judged sin in the body of Jesus on the Cross, He is still judging nations today for their sinful living. Many proclaim God loves you to the lost but when the lost act lost the message turns to God will get you for that! 

 The truth of the Word overrides this tradition. 

8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Psalm 145:8-9 KJV 

How clear can this be? This is who God really is. Isaiah prophesied of the New Covenant that God would never be angry with us. Know the truth, God is forever satisfied with Jesus' once for all sacrifice. He is not pouring out judgment for sin. Jesus bore the sin of mankind. God is faithful and just.

 You can exceed and exhaust His Grace.

 Many traditional preachers will casually mention Grace but quickly dismiss it when discussing the failures and shortcomings of believers. It's as if Grace was the cover charge for your entrance into God's family but your conduct is what really matters, that is it's what keeps you in the family.

 Grace is good but we need more preaching on commitment. We need more preaching on sacrifice. We need more preaching on obedience. They are very works minded. They see believer's sin and they invent some mysterious line that can be crossed where they forfeit their eternal salvation by sinning too much. Inquire as to where this line exists and they can't pinpoint its location but are just certain it exists so straighten up or you'll cross this line.

 The truth clears up the confusion.

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29 NKJV

 His Grace is inexhaustible! His mercy is new every morning. You've never gone too far. God will never leave you or forsake you. 

 God is the author of your trouble, tribulation, tragedy.

 Listening to some leaders it seems God plots, plans or preordains disease, destruction, devastation, and death. Like God in His infinite wisdom has some mysterious motive for killing your offspring or bankrupting your business. 

 This concept is such a deep-rooted stronghold in the minds of so many believers. It has helped create major theological schools of thought. When in reality, mankind experiences harsh and difficult circumstances and want to assign God some role in it. As if it would cause God to be less than omnipotent if He didn't at least allow it. 

 The problem with this concept is that it removes any and all personal responsibility for our life choices. It also puts a blight on the character of God. It turns God into a puppet master. 

 The truth cancels this terrible traditional concept. Jesus was God manifest in the flesh. Not one place do we see Jesus sending famine or pestilence to a nation. We never see Jesus cause someone to become disease ridden or bankrupt. Jesus healed all who came to Him, He didn't make them sick or afflict them a terminal illness. He never killed a child so God could have a flower in Heaven.

 The truth is we live in a fractured fallen creation. That's why bad things happen. Sometimes the enemy tries to attack, that's why Jesus gave us the authority to enforce satan's defeat. Sometimes people's poor choices cause heartache. Still, sometimes we don't always know why bad things happen. 

 What we do know is that God is always good. He is a good Father. We praise Him in the midst of the mystery. The truth of the Word says He is faithful and just. Jesus Himself said if you've seen me you've seen the Father. The truth causes us to trust Him more and more especially in dark times. We couldn't trust Him if He was the One bringing the tragedy.

 In summation, we can always trust in God. When we remove traditional concepts our relationship with God flourishes. We see God is for us and not against us. We don't feel abandoned or shut out from His presence. We don't wallow in guilt or shame. We know His Grace is inexhaustible. We know He is our good Father and always has our best at heart. 

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The Gospel of Grace: Understanding Mixture

I am shocked over how quickly you have deserted the grace gospel and strayed away from Christ who called you to Himself by His loving mercy. I’m frankly astounded that you now embrace a distorted gospel of salvation by works! 7 That is a fake “gospel” that is simply not true! There is only one gospel—the grace gospel! Yet you have allowed those who mingle law with Christ’s grace to confuse you with lies. Galatians 1:6-7 TPT first edition




 We've been in an extended study of the Gospel of Grace, the Good News of Jesus Christ and all He's done for us in the Finished Work. We have seen already that this Gospel is not a religion. We've seen the reality of the New Covenant. The reality of our Righteousness and the New Creation. 

 Today, it seems good to address this issue of "mixture." That is the mixture of Grace and Law. The mixture of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. As one minister said the mixture of Law and Grace is a confusing cocktail.

 This issue of mixture was one the Apostles dealt with extensively at the beginning of the Church. If you read Romans, Galatians, and Acts you will see it clearly. When Peter was told by God don't call common or unclean what I've called clean, this was the Good News that this salvation wasn't just for Jewish people. 

 Showing how powerful and influencing this mixture can be, look at Peter in Galatians 2. God Almighty told him specifically that the Gentiles were not unclean and salvation was available to them. Yet, Peter refused to eat with the Gentile believers because some Jewish leaders were present and he feared them. Paul openly challenged him. 

 Even with God Himself giving one a vision and spoken confirmation, this concept of mixture overrode the truth. That shows us how powerful mixture can be. It feeds off religious fears and concerns. Paul called it hypocrisy and a misrepresentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Mixture defined

 What is meant by the phrase mixing Law and Grace? To be clear, Paul and Peter are seen in their Epistles citing some Old Covenant passages and events. It doesn't mean that the entirety of the Old Testament passages are not Scripture. Quoting the Old Testament doesn't constitute mixture in and of itself.  For we can find Christ in the Old concealed. 

This Mixture is more clearly stated as Grace and Law-keeping. That is anytime we try to earn, achieve, receive what Christ procured at the Cross for us by our own efforts, our performance, our goodness, and spiritual disciplines. One reason so many fall into this trap is they don't understand what it means to be righteous.

 Righteousness is right standing with God. That is divine acceptance and approval with God apart from our doing. If one seeks forgiveness, favor, wholeness, by doing then they are mixing Grace with Law. They are mixing their works with Christ's perfect work. 

 Look at this event in Galatians 2 between Peter and Paul and you will clearly see what mixture is. Peter knew already that we were made Righteous by Faith and not our works. He wasn't living under the yoke of burden of Law-keeping any longer. Then when some Jewish believers who were operating in mixture came Peter wanted to "fit in", he wanted their approval. He was in fear over them. 

 To identify mixture we must have a full grasp of the Good News Gospel of Grace, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Keep it centered. If your minister asks for volunteers in the Church, that is not mixture. If leaders are involved in outreach ministries to the community and they ask for help or resources that doesn't mean they are proclaiming mixture. 

 Now if they said, volunteer or you won't be healed or you will let God down, then that would be mixture. So what is Law and Grace mixture? It's when we seek acceptance and approval and favor and blessing from God based on our doing, on our performance, on our good deeds. 

 Another area that we must address is this idea of mixing the Old Covenant with the New Covenant. In Acts 15 we see a clear picture of this. The Judaizers wanted to ensure all believers were Torah observant. They wanted them to be circumcised and to keep all the Law. Look at Peter's words.

10 So why on earth would you now limit God’s grace by placing a yoke of religious duties on the shoulders of the believers that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 Don’t you believe that we are introduced to eternal life through the grace of our Lord Jesus—the same grace that has brought these people new life?” Acts 15:10-11 TPT

Peter knew the truth and that's why Paul did publicly withstand him and correct him. Look at the powerful words Peter used here. By mixing the Covenants we are limiting God's Grace. 

 Want to know what falling from Grace is? It's when we fall back into Law-keeping. When we mix the Old Covenant with the New. 

 The Old Covenant is obsolete. It is completed in Christ. This statement draws some ire from many folks. You know there is a reason for this. Perhaps, we have not been more clear in our articulation of the New Covenant. 

 When it comes to theology, men can be downright nasty. People begin to label everything and if you have a certain label now your an enemy to this person or that one. I enjoy studying theology but I am cautious about labeling everything. 

 Oh, you believe the Old is obsolete, you must be a replacement theology follower. Oh, you believe you can't lose your salvation, you must be a Calvinist. And on and on the labels are thrown around. I am no Calvinist and do not ascribe to replacement theology. 

 When we say the Law is fulfilled and the Old is complete what are we saying? Are we saying God has no more dealings with Israel? If we say yes then we are dismissing passages of Scriptural promises. If we say no, some will then say we are for Believers being Torah observant. Oh brother. Religious traditions are serious strongholds in people's minds.

 Stay with the Word and you won't be bogged down in the muddy path of religious traditions. God's Word is the truth, not tradition. God has made certain promises to the people and the Nation of Israel. God is a God who keeps His promises. I would be denying clear Scripture to say that God has no more dealings with the Nation of Israel. Look if He made promises to them to preserve them and broke that promise could we trust God with our eternal salvation? 

 Though what I just said is the truth, then this mixture crowd raise up and try to get Christians to blend Old Covenant practices with New Covenant Grace. Many are Gentiles and push the Church to be more Torah observant. They side with some Messianic Jewish leaders and wish the Church to embrace its "Jewish roots".

 I have actually heard these people teach that the Bible is fallible because the KJV doesn't use Hebrew terms to describe God, that they don't refer to Jesus as Yeshua and such. I was astounded to see a church in America declare that when the council in Acts 15 convened the Church cut away its Jewish roots and thus miracles were sporadic and the Church got weaker. 

 These Judaizers love to quote Paul in Ephesians about the one new man that comes from Jews and Gentiles. The problem is the one new man they describe is the one new Gentile who now lives more like a Torah observant Hebrew. They use poor exegesis to substantiate their claim. 

 What Paul was illustrating is the Powerful New Covenant. The One New Man is not a Torah observant Gentile. The One New Man is the man that had never existed before. That is the Born Again man. That is the one who is a New Creation in Christ Jesus. The New Man who is Righteous, forgiven, secure, accepted and approved by Christ Finished Work and not performance. 

 Some of these Judaizers advocating Covenant mixture claim they are only wanting to honor God and His Word, the Torah. I've said this before but it bears repeating. If people want to show honor then honor God's New Covenant, which is a Covenant of faith not sight. To embrace shadows and not the substance is to walk in unbelief. Under the Old, you could "see" your righteousness by how you kept the holy days, honored the Sabbath, and abstained from forbidden foods. It is not a light thing to God to try to mix the Covenants and to teach the Saints that keeping or honoring or observing holy days, feasts, manners and customs is honoring God and His Word when the substance has already appeared and fulfilled all the shadows by His redemptive Work. We are to honor the Finished Work and His New Covenant and keep it free from mixture and error.  

 In summation, rejoice in the Good News. Rejoice that Jesus procured our total salvation by His once for all sacrifice. Stay with the New Covenant and God's Grace and find lasting hope, help, and wholeness. Stay with the Gospel truth, that Christ is our Righteousness and not our doing, not our efforts and achievements.
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