A Misconception of Grace
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING:- In this day and time of Christian Nationalism, Evangelicalism, White Supremacy, Twisted, Sugar-Coated, He Gets Us Christianity where everybody tries to use scripture to justify their cause regardless of how demonic, perverted, and unbiblical it is it is extremely important and imperative that we understand the Word of God, that we study to show ourselves approved unto God rightly dividing the word of truth according to 2 Timmothy 2:15 while holding fast our profession of faith without wavering because He is faithful that promised Hebrews 10:28. We must be steadfast unmovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord 1 Corinthians 15:58 and we need to understand the importance of Grace and most of Accountability. I am not talking this superficial accountability like Mike Johnson proclaimed that he and his 17 year old son was supposed to of had sometime ago that reported if either of them on their phone, computer, tablet, or any electronic devices had any pornographic encounters at all and he said he was glad to announce that at the time his son didn’t have any, but failed to say anything about his own. I am talking about true spiritual accountability the willingness to answer for one’s life, understanding it is the realization we are liable, responsible, and answerable for our actions in this life to God as Romans 14:12 says, “So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God”. We can’t go on since there is grace that we can continue sinning and carrying on anyway we see fit, there has to be accountability for the action that we do both naturally and spiritually.
PRAYER
SCRIPTURE: - Hebrews 10:26 “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins”.
The world and the worldly system operate on the misconception of grace and a twisted conception of common grace which pertains to the sovereign Grace of God being bestowed on all regardless of their belief in Him or not. For example: - Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” or Matthew 5:45 which says, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” and Luke 6:35 which says, “for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil”.
They feel that Christ has paid for all sins past present and future and therefore they don’t have to worry or answer for anything going forward, they can live and do whatever they want because it is covered and paid in full, failing to understand that Grace is not a license to sin and continue in weakness, but is the empowerment to overcome weakness and sin Titus 2:12 “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”. Like one song writer said, “I am free no longer bound no more chains holding me”. We have the freedom to chose not to sin, not to go contrary to the Will and Word of God.
Understand that Grace does not keep you from enduring the consequences of your actions. If you smoke 3 packs a cigarettes a day for years, it may cause you to end up with lung cancer. If you are habitually late for your job it may cause you to get fired. Those are consequences from your actions that have nothing to do with grace and grace will not protect you from the consequences of those actions.
To be covered or under Grace means that your sins are not imputed (assigned to something by inference from the value of the products or processes to which it contributes; estimated). You are not valued, and your relationship is not judged nor your righteousness rated by what you do, but because of who He is.
Grace is often summarized as the unmerited favor of God. It is getting what we don’t deserve based upon who He is. Grace is not stuff we receive but it is God Himself. Grace is a gift and not only is God the giver of the gift, but He is the gift, so GRACE is God Himself given to us.
When you understand that Grace is not stuff, Grace is not catch all basket or hat that everybody can just put on and think that whatever they do or however they act or whatever they say is ok as long as they add a scripture to it is fine like the Christian Nationalist are doing with the propaganda commercials they are putting on television trying to get people to join their racist agendas and use the scripture of Isaiah 6:8 which says, “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me” or how speaker of the house Mike Johnson misuses scripture and destroys the concept of Grace every time he tries to quote scripture to justify aggression, advance extreme views of so-called religious political propaganda, cover up blatant sin, lies, pornography, racist theology and agendas. Grace is used as a shield to hide behind instead of a mirror to look into, however; Grace is God Himself and that changes everything. At least that is the way it is supposed to be.
Romans 6:1 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”
Let me talk briefly about some misconceptions of Grace.
1. Grace is permission or License to sin: - Wrong - it is not permission or license to sin but the power to overcome sin. Because of Grace holiness is produced in us therefore Holiness is a product of Grace.
2. Grace makes us perfect: - Wrong - Romans 3:23-24 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. Grace doesn’t make you perfect, but it gives us perfect standing covered in Jesus’ blood before God free of guilt and shame.
3. Grace can be earned: - Wrong - Ephesians 2:9 says, “Not of works, lest any man should boast”. There is nothing we can do to earn Grace; it is not about us or what we do but all about God and who He is.
So now that we understand what Grace is and we understand the misconception of Grace let’s look at our responsibility to Grace.
Hebrews 10:26 “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins”.
This verse will interrupt your comfort and complacency because it doesn’t deal with weakness or the occasional slip but this deals with the willful and deliberate rebellion and disobedience the deliberate decision to sin and go against Grace/Salvation after it has been given. It deals with choosing to follow darkness after the light has been given.
This verse is not for the ones seeking a relationship with God but for those that know the way, those that have been established, those that have chosen to WILLFULLY – exposes the choice they made intentionally dissolves any denial – THIS IS ACCOUNTABILITY - the willingness to answer for one’s life, understanding it is the realization we are liable, responsible, and answerable for our actions in this life to God as Romans 14:12 says, “So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God”.
WATCH THIS: - When you line with TRUTH you inherit the blessings of truth that’s GRACE! When you WILLFULLY step out of line you suffer the implications of being out of line with grace NOT BECAUSE GOD CHANGED BUT YOU DID! Go back to the consequences of smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day the consequence of smoking 3 pack of cigarettes a day is you may get lung cancer that is not because God changed that is because of the choice you made.
This verse shows with clarity that it is our direction, our personal choice that ultimately determines our outcomes and not our intentions. There is a old saying that says the road to hell is paved with good intentions so often people intended to do something or intended to head a certain direction or intended to walk the straight and narrow but let the misconception of grace, the arrogance of pride, the draw of monetary status, or popularity and prestige pollute their judgment and they make the wrong decisions and head in the wrong directions intending to somewhere down the road turn around and do the right thing but instead end up compromising because of a misconception of grace.
CLOSINNG: - Hebrews 10:26 “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins”.
This verse is not to condemn you but to awaken you to transform you and make you aware of the intention of the choices you make. It is designed to cause you to understand that Grace is not a shield to hide behind, but a mirror to investigate and transform the outcome of the direction of your life both spiritually and naturally.
The choice is yours will you be transformed by looking into the mirror of Grace or will you sin wilfully after you have received knowledge of the truth knowing there is no more sacrifice, which means there is no more hope for sin. Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived God is not mocked for what soever a man soweth that shall he also reap”. Don’t be deceived by the misconception of Grace.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
