Romans 6:1-23
Someone might have sent some of my articles on grace to "Chuck Swindoll",
and this is what "Chuck" said about grace: "Believing in grace is
one thing... living it is another". It would have been better put
had "Chuck" said: "Believing that we are saved by grace, instead of
"Believing, IN grace." There's no such thing as "Believing in grace."
However, there is such a thing as "Believing that we are all saved by
grace apart from our works through the perfect work of grace in Jesus."
Now, the question is: "How do we live out grace?"
Friends, even the most scholar, theological, eloquent, and well known
large ministry preacher's aren't exempt from legalism. I don't really
know all of what "Chuck" might have said or taught along the lines of
his catchy phrase on "Believing in grace is one thing... living it
is another." But I take it that "Chuck" more than likely attached
some sort of performance doctrine on how one should live out grace.
In the past, as it will continue to be in the future, there have been
some ministers that have preached sermons on how one is to live out
grace. So how does one live out grace?
Well, according to one of my old time 'Babble College' professors, Dr.
Mitchell, grace is lived out by moral behavior, and faithfulness to
God. In other words, if you are doing the good then you are living out
grace, but if you are doing the bad then you are believing in grace
but your actions don't reflect your believing in grace. Friends, I have
heard and I still hear sermons that connect the living out of grace
with the fruit of the Spirit. Unfortunately, as good as it may all sound,
and as good as ministers like "Chuck" may impressively, intelligently
and eloquently put it, it is impossible to live out grace, and to think
that it can be lived out by some sort of performance on our part.
I personally believe that the only way to live out grace is by simply
acknowledging that it was Christ who lived it out for us all. For the
apostle Paul made it very clear by saying: "There's none righteous,
no not one". If grace is to be lived out by our own righteousness, then
it is for certain that we are still under the law. In my own daily life
I live out grace without having to monitor how many things I've done
right and how many things I done wrong. I live your average normal life.
One of constant mistakes and at time one of good deeds, but a life that
is constantly under grace because of the unconditional love of God towards
me. Grace is simply something that God had to do for us that He knew
we couldn't do for ourselves.
Enough said about "Chuck." Moving right along, we come to verse 12 of
Romans chapter 6. Now, here's where the religious snags, and the out
of context preaching begin. I have had people angrily point their finger
right at my nose and say: "There, it says in verse 12 that we should
not let sin reign in our body, and that we shouldn't obey the lust of
sin." Friends, this is what happens when we lose sight of what the entire
letter of Paul to the Romans is all about...'grace versus law." The
question now becomes: "How do we let sin reign in our body, and how
do we obey the lust of the sin?" The answer to the question should have
become clear to all of us by now.
If it hasn't for some of you, then I suggest that you go back to chapter
one through 5 and review it all once again. Friends, attempting to justify
ourselves by the works of the law, and trying to be pleasing to God
through our own self-righteous performance is what would cause sin to
once again reign in our lives (if such thing were to be possible) If
only Evangelical's knew how blessed they really are, that even in their
ignorance God still covers them with grace. For if it were to be possible
that one can fall from grace, then that would mean that they would fall
right back under the curse of the law.
Friends, we don't have to review 5 previous chapters of Romans to be
able to understand verse 12. All we need to do is go back 4 verses and
read how we are all dead to sin and if we are all dead to sin because
of what Jesus did on the cross for us all, and we are now all alive
unto God, then how in the world can sin possibly still be reigning in
our lives when we are all dead to it? Come on now! Let us all put on
our thinking hats and stop thinking with our sitting end. This simple
teaching and common sense message that I bring you is nowhere near to
what you hear from the 'Penny Hinn's' of this world .
Now, the same common sense that I just applied to verse 12 can be said
of verse 13. Questions: How do we yield our members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin? Where does sin gets it's strength from? In
which of the chapters of Romans do we find Paul saying that sin gets
its strength from the law? If the law is where sin got its power of
condemnation from, then what did it take for sin to be dealt with once
and for all? How can we be so deceived by preachers, and the pulpit
into believing that God can once again declare us as 'instruments of
unrighteousness' when in Christ He has declared us all as 'instruments
of righteousness?'
Come on now! Someone has been lying to us, and someone has been acting
schizo and perverting the truth of the Gospel, and it hasn't been God!
So if it hasn't been God, then who do you think has been deceiving,
perverting and lying to us for all of these years? It has to be none
other than organized religion, and Evangelical Christianity; and they
are still continuing to deceive many. Look at what verse 13 continues
to say that we should do: "But yield (give the right of way)
yourselves unto God, as those that ARE alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness unto God."
Now, the question once again becomes: "How do we yield ourselves
unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and as instruments
of righteousness?" Please don't ask the: "Chucky" eloquent crowd or
the "Hinn" charismatic crowd this question. Friends, we don't yield
ourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead works of the
law, nor as instruments of righteousness by any of our works. We simply
yield ourselves unto God by simply acknowledging that it was Christ
who made it all possible, by His perfect work on the cross, to present
us all before the throne of God as holy, righteous, without blemish,
spot nor wrinkle.
If you want something to rejoice, shout and jump up and down about,
well verse 14 is where you will get that chance: "For sin SHALL NOT
have dominion(rule or control) over you; for you ARE NOT under
law, but under grace." Now, for some of you, verse 15 will burst
your bubble of joy after reading verse 14. But not to fear or worry
because what you will read about verse 15 on my next article will keep
you rolling for joy. I hope and trust that the Gospel of God's grace
and the understanding of law versus grace is becoming that much clearer
to all of you; and the freedom and unconditional love of God's grace
is causing your hearts to become that much more established in peace.
Continuing on with verse 15...
Grace and Peace
Eddie Narvaez
PS If you are enjoying the teachings, please let
me hear from you.