The Gospel of Grace

When our Lord Jesus Christ was on Earth, did He heal the people because they kept the law (The Ten Commandments), or did He heal them out of Grace (Unmerited Favor)?

Clearly, our Lord healed the people out of Grace (Unmerited Favor). On the other hand, Jesus was not able to deliver people like the Pharisees and the Sadducees because, they approached Him with an attitude of self-righteousness, claiming to have kept the works of the law (The Ten Commandments), thereby rejecting Jesus's Grace, and ultimately they ended up rejecting Jesus. The Bible says:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” - Ephesians 2:8-9

When we read the Bible, we would notice that our Lord never ever said “narrow is the way” to the Samaritan woman (gentile woman) who has had five husbands, and was committing adultery with the sixth one who was not her husband. Instead, He said to her:

“…If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” – John 4:10

Today, there are sermons that are being preached based on the law (or a mixture of law and Grace), taking away hope, asking people to rely on their own efforts, their own righteousness, and not proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel of Grace. Sermons saying, when we sin, we go away from the Lord, and we need to come back and start over from the beginning once again, by doing good works, and by doing God's will. Such sermons will never explain to us from the Bible, what exactly is the will of the Lord. The Bible says:

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” - Ephesians 1:13

The above verse says that when we believe in the Gospel, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. As believers, when we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, how can we go away from the Lord? If we can repent and come back to the Lord, and do God's will all by ourselves, then why should Jesus die on the cross for us? In the Old Testament, if a person commits sin, they have to offer a lamb (symbolic of Jesus the Lamb of God) as a sin offering according to the Levitical priesthood. That blood sacrifice of the lamb would cover their sins for one whole year as specified in the law of Moses:

“And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.” - Leviticus 16:34

If the blood of bulls and goats can cover a person’s sins for one whole year, how much more will the precious and eternal Blood of Jesus do for a person, for lifetime?

The Bible says:

“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” - Hebrews 10:12

If we claim that the Blood of Jesus is only good enough for sometime, then we are equating and placing the Blood of Jesus at the same level as the blood of the bulls and goats. The Bible says:

“For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory” - 2 Corinthians 3:9

The ministry of condemnation is one that preaches the law, whereas the ministry of righteousness is the one that preaches the Lord’s Grace. In other words, any ministry that makes a person conscious of ones sins, comes under the ministry of condemnation. Whereas any ministry that makes a person conscious of the Lord’s abundant forgiveness by His Blood and His Grace, comes under the ministry of righteousness. Jesus's earthly ministry was the ministry of righteousness. The Bible says:

“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” - Acts 13:38-39

We see in Luke 7:36 onwards, the woman who wept at Jesus’s feet, washed His feet with her tears, wiped His feet with her hair, and kept kissing His feet. When Jesus was questioned, He answered saying, that she is doing so because she knows that she is forgiven much. In other words, though she was a sinful woman, when she was with Jesus, she was no longer conscious of her sins, but rather she was conscious of her abundant forgiveness and the Lords Grace upon her. The Cross of Jesus Christ is not a reminder of our sins, but rather it is a reminder of our abundant forgiveness. The reason our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross is because to redeem us from sin. The Bible says:

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". - Romans 3:23 says

It was while we were still in sin, God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us, and it was never because of something that we did. It was God who made the first move, and not us. When we stop relying on our own efforts, on our own strength, on our own righteousness, and start relying on His righteousness and His finished work on the cross, we are no longer under the law, but we are effectively under Grace. When we are under Grace, sin will not have dominion over us. The Bible says:

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” - Romans 6:14

In other words, sin will no longer control our life, but our Lord Jesus will be responsible for our life, correcting us, leading and guiding us into eternal life. It is easier to sin against two tablets of stone (The Ten Commandments), but it would be rather difficult to sin against a Savior who gave up His life for us on the cross.

When we are under the law, we are being our own leader. But when we are under Grace, we are walking under the leadership of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When the Early Church Christians had a discussion whether the believers should keep the law, Apostle Peter stopped them by saying:

"Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" - Acts 15:10

The Church at Corinth was the most carnal church, where the believers in the church were going to the temple prostitutes. Apostle Paul rebuked them under Grace saying:

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" - 1 Corinthians 6:19

He never ever rebuked them with the law (The Ten Commandments) saying "thou shall not commit adultery". Never has Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians ever say "narrow is the way" because the Church Age is all about the Good News of the Gospel of Grace. To such a church he writes in his letter saying:

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" - 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.

The mystery is the rapture of the church, which was revealed to Apostle Paul by the risen Christ.

Does this mean that all people who call themselves Christians will have eternal life and go to heaven?

The Lord clarifies this question through His word:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” - Matthew 7:21

In other words, not anyone who goes to church is a Christian, but only the ones who are sealed with the Holy Spirit. We get sealed with Holy Spirit the moment we completely start believing in "The Gospel" which is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. The Bible warns us about people who call themselves Christians, but do not believe in Jesus, but rather go to church for namesake or as an obligation. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1 are one such example. They were not believers, but they came to church to create confusion in the church pretending to be believers. Whenever the Bible addresses a believer, it states as “a certain believer”, “a certain disciple”, or “brethren”, but in the case of Ananias, he was addressed as “a certain man” meaning to say that he was not a believer. Such people do not have the Holy Spirit in them, and do not possess the gift of eternal life, therefore not a Christian.

What is the will of the Father? Our Lord Jesus Himself personally explains the will of the Father by saying:

"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" - John 6:39-40

The will of the Father is that, none should perish, but all should have eternal life by believing in His Son. If you are under the law, narrow is the way, but under Grace, you will have eternal life. Sin will not have dominion over us because the Lord's guarantee to us is:

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." - John 10:28-30

This is the reason the New Testament is known as the “Good News”.

Why should I believe in Jesus?

Jesus loves you, and He wants you to be happy, and lead a quality life. He wants you to know that He has paid the price for your sins by His Blood, and you have been forgiven by His one time and eternal sacrifice. He wants to be your Shepherd, prepare and lead you into eternal life, all you have to do is repent, believe in Jesus, and allow Him to take control of your life. When you allow Him to take decisions for you, you will no longer be a slave to your addictions, wrong relationships, or any other sin, because sin will have no control over you, as you will no longer be under the law, but under His Amazing Grace. At certain stages, when you go through tough time in life, you will have the peace of the Lord even in the midst of the storms, where you will be much more focused, and will not be distracted by the storms in your life. You will be at rest because you have put your faith on His finished work on the cross, and you will know that He is still on the throne, and He is in control of your situation. Jesus says:

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” - John 15:5

The people of the world everyday are trying to accomplish their goals and trying to be successful in their life in the absence of Jesus, believing they can find peace by relying on their own efforts. In other words, the people of the world are trying to be their own leaders, rather than depending on Jesus. Hence they rely on cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, etc., just to keep them going. Ultimately they end up empty, and feel that they have accomplished “nothing”. Jesus says:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - John 14:27

There is a worldly peace, which leaves a person empty, and there is a peace which the Lord gives, that quenches the thirst of anyone who depends on the Lord. This peace can never be obtained by one’s own efforts, no matter how hard a person works. Today the Lord is willing to offer you this peace so that you can lead your life in all its fullness, all you need to do is believe in the Son of the living God. Jesus says:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” - John 14:6

The Jews wanted to come before God the Father by their own efforts through the works of the law, without Jesus, hence the way was narrow for them. The Lord always loves you, He is with you, and He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). If you have put your faith in the Gospel of Grace, and believe in the Blood of Jesus rather than your own works, you are now a child of God.