BOOK C
Lesson Five
Fallen From Grace
The scripture tells us that we can fall from grace. Now seeing as
everything we have is given to us by grace, then this is a very
serious thing. What causes this fault to occur in some people's
lives? Is it adultery, murder; divorce; blasphemy of the Holy
Spirit? what sin causes anyone to fall from the grace of God. Our
righteousness and our kingdom comes by His grace and so we can
loose everything ostensibly, if we continue down this avenue.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in
the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that
Jesus Christ is in you? ——unless indeed you are
disqualified.
Being disqualified comes throng every serious set of sin practises. Not adultery; divorce; murder or any of the other obvious sins that men and churches everywhere consider to be bad. God does not see like men, and men of God should see like God. No it was not fornication; idol worship; and all the sins of the children of Israel in the desert that finally got God to give up on a whole generation. No it was a lack of faith in the people. They fell from the qualification of being the receiver of the grace of God. Why? And how? Through going back to the law principles of life. Through wanting and walking in the flesh. Through pride motivating people to be fixed and bound on law principles. And not on faith principles. Joshua and Caleb were different spirits and God loved them, but everyone else had to die because they had the wrong spirit.
Grace Only Comes to the Humble
James
4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists
the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
1 Peter 5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
It is a choice to be humble, not a personality trait. It is a
free choice. Everyone can humble themselves. Everyone can become
as a child. Every kind of personality and character can humble
their hearts before the Lord. His way is given as a gift but men
want to earn their way to salvation and freedom and heaven. They
want to build a tower of Babel to heaven. God will not allow it.
He will never share His precious things with proud people.
Whole generations; geographical locations and eras of history can
be proud. God has to find a way to bring them to humility and
often the only way is to leave them to the judgement of their own
devices.
Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. To fall from grace is to loose everything in God's kingdom. Often this is seen with the loss of healing and the other gifts of the Spirit working for an individual. They have got supposedly Christian doctrines and ways of living. Reading the bible. Saying prayers. Going to church. And yet they still do not receive the grace of God. Grace and the good favour of God is not in their lives and yet they are seemingly doing everything right. This is a seeming paradox. To the human mind. How can you do everything right and still miss God.?? Yet this is what happens exactly and only the humble mind can receive it.
1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know
that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
Bible knowledge can actually cause us to loose the blessings of
God. A strange paradox of virtues. This seemingly good habit,
because of it's wrong motivation, can cause us to loose all the
blessings of God. the more we pray the less we get. The more we
read, the less we get. The more we rebuke, the less we get. The
more we stand, the less we get. Everything the opposite to the
way we would expect it to work. All because the heart attitude is
wrong. Pride seen in the operation of the reward systems,
disqualifies us for the blessings of God.
The Prodigal Son
The parable, more than any other, shows us that the returning
son, humbled as he was, received the fattened calf. The oldest
son had this available to him but never received it himself. It
was his but he never realised it. We can see by the attitude of
the eldest son that his attitude was wrong. he would not rejoice
with the return of his brother. he would not eat with them nor
enter in. He was not sad for the right reason but for the wrong
reason. He thought he was due more because of his service for
God, but he wasn't. New converts often get healed whereas
foundational members of churches cannot receive their healing.
It is not something easy to see. But, if in that, church there is the law principle operating. that leas people to expect healing or blessing as a reward for doing good, then grace become invalid and subsequently all the blessings that come with grace fall away. You have, in effect, fallen from grace. in this area. Perhaps you are still saved? Who knows? But you certainly are not going to get the blessings associated with the prodigal son, humbly returning to his father.
The VineYard Labourers
Mt 20:8 "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the labourers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’9 "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.10 "But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.11 "And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 "saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. 13 "But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?14 ‘Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 "So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen."
So then they expected more because they had worked more, but Jesus said, the reward is the same all round. You don't get more resting on the fact that you are a worker in God's field than anyone would get, even if they had just come.
Please write an essay of 500 words on "Salvation by Grace."
BOOK C
Lesson Five
Questions
