The Ultimate Deception

The ultimate deception was clearly described to us in 1 Cor. 6:9-11 this past Sunday. That deception is that someone can be a born again Christian and continue to live a life of sin, and think they will still go to heaven. The most horrifying aspect is that t he person who deceived doesn't know they are. In my many years as a Christians, God's grace has often been argued as the basis for excusing sin to me by those who are living a sinful lifestyle. And this seems to be the appeal that most wayward Christians use. But what does Scripture say regarding the grace of God? In Rom. 6:1-2 Paul actually uses that same argument and analyzes it.

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"

Here we have a classic example where someone would say, the more I sin- the more God's grace abounds. Is that then a basis and license to continue in sin? The force of the Greek is more powerful then the English. But the phrase in Greek  Me ginomai  literally means- May it never come to pass in the least bit! The idea is clear- There is never an occasion in which we can excuse sin with God's grace. To do so is actually to blaspheme and make a mockery of God. The reality is, "How can we who died to sin continue to live in sin?

We die to sin by our union to Christ through faith. Because Christ died to sin and died for sin, by faith we have also died to the sin principle no longer being under its dominion. Although many times it will rear its ugly head in our lives, we are no longer a salve of sin but have been set free from sin.
 Whenever we tell ourselves we can sin and claim the grace of God, we are lying to ourselves and doing ourselves great harm. How can we over come this tendency to deceive ourselves?

We need to overcome lies with the truth. One time I heard a man say, "instead of listening to ourselves we need to preach to ourselves." Often we deceive ourselves by listening to our flesh and listening to the lies. When those time come we need to instead walk in the spirit, and preach to ourselves. Preach?Yes! Preach! the only way we can over come a lie is with the truth!

The reality is- grace is to lead us to humble repentance not continual and brazen sin. One such example of man who was transformed and humbled by God's grace was John Newton. John Newton was a brute of a man in the slave trading industry in the 1700's. One night when there was a storm his ship almost sunk. While it was filling with water he called out to God to rescue him, and God showed grace. As a result Newton came to faith in Christ and was transformed into a new man. He immediately gave up slave trading and dedicated his life to ministry. Several years later he would be a tremendous influence on a man called William Wilberforce. Wilberforce a member of the English Parliament would spearhead and champion legislation to abolish slavery in Great Britain. That's what grace does. It changes lives. It changed the life of Newton. The life of Wilberforce.  And the life of many black men and women who were victims of the slave trade in Great Britain. No wonder John Newton wrote one of the timeless hymns on the grace of God. Amazing Grace.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
We have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.