Thursday, August 31, 2017

About that “grace” thing….

Let’s talk about “grace” for a moment.   People keep mistaking "grace" as carte blanche to continue sinning. "We're under grace and Jesus forgives everything we do!" Well...not really, because there's more to it.  If you have a habit of committing adultery, don’t think for a second that you’re “forgiven” because, according to Scripture, your soul is in mortal danger as there is NO sin sacrifice for continued, deliberate sinning.

We once had an email exchange in which someone kept trying to get us to overlook his pastor’s penchant for adultery, insisting he was such “a good guy and a great pastor, and he’s really sorry.”  Well, okay, but if he’s so sorry, why doesn’t he stop?  Does he not realize that knowing you’re sinning but continuing anyway constitutes DELIBERATE sin?  Apparently he’s never read the Torah to find out what happens to people who refuse to live according to YHWH’s rules!

YHWH gives grace to those who didn't know about, or were lukewarm toward His Divine Rules, so that they can repent and turn from their sins/stop the sinning and begin to do things according to His Torah. But there is an end to His grace and mercy for those who refuse to repent and turn from their sins.  Take a look:

Numbers 15: 30 "'But an individual who does something wrong intentionally, whether a citizen or a foreigner, is blaspheming ADONAI. That person will be cut off from his people. (CJB)

Hebrews 6: 4. But they who have once descended to immersion and have tasted the gift from heaven and have received the Ruach haKodesh 5. and have tasted the good Word of Elohim and the power of the world to come, 6. cannot again sin and a second time be renewed to repentance; or a second time execute him on a stake and insult the Son of Elohim. 7. For the earth that drinks the rain which comes often upon it and produces the herb that is of use to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from Elohim. 8. But if it should put forth thorns and briers, it would be discarded and be approaching closely to a curse, and its end would be a conflagration. (AENT)

NOTE: Huge contrast between Aramaic and Greek. The Greek reads: "once having been enlightened..." This "enlightening" seems logical until we look at Aramaic: "But they who have once descended to immersion..." The difference is acute, since baptism is clearly a subject being introduced just two verses earlier. The reason for the Greek redaction to "enlightenment" may well have been due to early Gnostic influence that stressed Mashiyach's knowledge over his actual power and incarnation of Deity. See also Hebrews 10:32.

Hebrews 10: 26 For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but only the terrifying prospect of Judgment, or raging fire that will consume the enemies. (CJB)

The above Scripture is not referring to those unclean bondages that dwell in our flesh but to the conscious choices believers make. It refers not to our unintentional sins but to those we pursue knowingly and willingly.

2 Peter 2: 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for a person is slave to whatever has defeated him. 20 Indeed, if they have once escaped the pollutions of the world through knowing our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah, and then have again become entangled and defeated by them, their latter condition has become worse than their former. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the Way of righteousness than, fully knowing, to turn from the holy command delivered to them. (CJB)

How many of today's believers behave in a way they know is sinful and yet they go ahead and do what they feel like doing, anyway? That's because they mistakenly think Divine grace covers intentional sin. That is a huge misconception! Divine grace has made wonderful provision for unintentional sin. But there is no provision for intentional sin. The Bible tells us so.

Deliberate, premeditated sin is willful disobedience and rebellion against ELOHIM. It results in severe punishment or even loss of our salvation.

Leviticus 26: 23 If, in spite of all this, you refuse my correction and still go against me; then I too will go against you; and I, yes I, will strike you seven times over for your sins. (CJB)

1 Corinthians 6: 9. Or don't you know, that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of Elohim?* Make no mistake! Neither sexual sinners, nor idol-worshippers, nor adulterers, nor the corrupt, nor men who lay down with other men, 10. Nor the oppressors, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of Elohim. (AENT)

FOOTNOTE: Compare this to Matthew 5:17-20, where we are told that breaking the least commandment of Torah and teaching others to do the same makes a person "least in the kingdom" but they still get in. Y'shua implies that those with more serious sins won't make it in: "Depart from me, workers of iniquity, I never knew you"; but here, Rav Shaul gives a more specific list of what will keep them out.

1 Corinthians 6: 17. But he that joins himself to our Master (Y'shua), is with him one spirit. 18. Flee from sexual sin. For every (other) sin which a man commits, is external to his body*; but he that commits sexual sin, sins against his own body. (AENT)

FOOTNOTE:Actually the sexual sin goes deeper than the body, as the note on Romans 1:26 shows. But the other point is also that a sexual sinner brings sin upon himself rather than his partner, and vice versa, unless rape or abuse is involved.

It is not sin per se that causes a person who professes to be a believer to be eternally estranged from YHWH; rather, it is our surrender to sin which causes our faith and faithfulness to dim or completely die out. We flirt with spiritual disaster if we - by our thoughts, words, and conduct - deny Messiah, reject grace, spurn redemption, and push away the Holy Spirit.

For more, please check out our website’s article about deliberate sinning.

2 comments:

  1. Dear Soul:
    This humble comment is in response to two of your recent posts:
    The Friday, September 1, 2017- Are Gentiles required to obey Torah?; and thisone, your Thursday, August 31, 2017, - About that “grace” thing….

    Wow. i am in absolute shock dearest Carmen.

    Firstly, i found your site awhile back, and have learned so much.

    Secondly, i ABSOLUTELY KNOW in my heart that this is TRUTH what ye write here.

    Thirdly, i am in SHOCK, because since last Sabbath until now in which i am writing this
    to you THIS Sabbath, i have been living against everything you have written in these two posts!

    i feel like you wrote them for me. i lived this week in extreme sexual lust for women and almost completely neglecting HIM.

    "Does he not realize that knowing you’re sinning but continuing anyway constitutes DELIBERATE sin?  Apparently he’s never read the Torah to find out what happens to people who refuse to live according to YHWH’s rules!".

    "But they who have once descended to immersion and have tasted the gift from heaven and have received the Ruach haKodesh 5. and have tasted the good Word of Elohim and the power of the world to come, 6. cannot again sin and a second time be renewed to repentance; or a second time execute him on a stake and insult the Son of Elohim."

    "For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but only the terrifying prospect of Judgment".

     "but to the conscious choices believers make."

     "But there is no provision for intentional sin."

     "Deliberate, premeditated sin is willful disobedience and rebellion against ELOHIM. It results in severe punishment or even loss of our salvation."

     "18. Flee from sexual sin."

     "but he that commits sexual sin, sins against his own body."


    This un-worthy lowly dog wants to thank you sister!

    i only hope HE will forgive me, as i fell prodigal son not once but so many times.
    Knowing the truth is one thing, KEEPING/OBEYING HIS TRUTH is the hard part.

    i am an older man never married, no children. But raised other peoples children in my past in sin.

    i need a wife. i also have no one whom follows HIM and so all i have is a few web sites like yours to learn from, and just knowing in hope that you and others are out there is more helpful than you may know.

    your 2 posts scared me, for you not only hit the nail right on the head HARD IN TRUTH,
    but, i have not prayed, to HIM for forgiveness for days of my sexual sin.

    i cannot seem to overcome this sin. i am very strong for a long time, THEN, my sin overcomes me and i commit sexual sin. Wash, rinse repeat that cycle!

    i need a wife whom is follower of the Way, and keeps HIS Torah.

    i cannot even find one single person though whom follows this, and am always the one trying to show others in what i believe.

    i feel my judgement on HIS GREAT DAY is going to be deep fried dog.


    un-worthy lowly DEEP FRIED in HIS Fire of a dog.






















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    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous - thank you for your heartfelt post. The thing is, we are ALL sinners, and the key is to repent and STOP the sin. We ARE forgiven once we do that. But if you we don't quit, we WILL suffer the consequences.

      It takes willpower and a true fear of God, to quit the sin. You truly seem to be worried about this, so surely, you can find a way to stop doing what you're doing.

      Once we realize that what we're doing isn't pleasing to God, we HAVE to stop. If we don't, we're catering to our sinful nature ... and consequently, to satan whose only goal is to take as many away from God as he can before the hellfire consumes him permanently....

      A few years ago I wrote a book about a couple of lesbians who - once they discovered they were living in sin - decided that their love for God was greater than their love for each other, and they stopped. It wasn't easy, but they realized that eternal life with Him was more important than their short life here on earth.

      To find peace within yourself - and to make peace with God, you truly need to find your way to that mindset as well. I pray you'll be able to find the strength to do that!

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