Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? (Galatians 5:7)
There is an element among us, who profess to be striving to follow the New Testament pattern in faith and
practice, that has apparently decided that the root of most, if not all, of the bad found among the churches is
our alleged over emphasis on obedience to God’s commands and keeping His law. It has been said that this is the
cause of the lack of love, judging others, comparing ourselves among ourselves, fear, and anxiety found among
our members.
What is their remedy for this perceived sickness that has stunned our growth, both spiritually and numerically,
for lo these many years? It is that we need to buy into their brand of grace and love. In their mind-set we
cannot really reach our potential in the race set before us until we lay aside the weight of an obedience
oriented gospel. Most of these will testify of their own spiritual soaring above most of the rest of us now
that they have discovered the cause of their past unhappiness as Christians.
Given the great amount of emphasis in the New Testament on obeying the gospel/truth we wonder where these
fellows get the idea that our over-emphasis on obeying causes so much havoc in the church. Their frequent
references to and quotations from denominational grace oriented writers gives us a pretty good idea. One would
do well to remember that even in doctrinal matters that “evil company corrupts goods habits.” (1 Corinthians
15:33 NKJV). One needs to spend more time with the Apostles and prophets and less time with some of the popular
religious writers of today.
The net results of their new-found over-emphasis on grace and love has caused them to subscribe to the old
Protestant doctrine of salvation by grace only without their even realizing it. The grace only doctrine is that
our salvations is solely by grace with works being the fruit of our salvation/justification and not any part of
the cause of it.
Here is a sample from the internet blog of a brother who has been pretty vocal in expressing his view that we
have over-emphasized obedience and law.
“We don’t carry out our marriage responsibilities to be married - we do them because we’re already married and
through them we’re expressing our love for our spouse. We don’t do works to be saved - we do them because we’re
already saved and through them we’re expressing our love for Christ.”
(Allen’s Bible Resources,
http://allenbibleresources.com/?p=4539&ref=nf)
He certainly would not say that we are not saved by baptism. But this is the same language used by the
grace/faith only teachers for years to deny that baptism (a work) is essential to salvation - i.e. baptism is a
work that we do because we are saved and not to be saved. If this kind of thinking does not lead eventually to
his denying baptism’s saving us, it will more than likely influence others to adopt the grace only
doctrine.
Now it will not do to say that by “works” they do not mean the acts we do in response to faith in order to
become Christians, like repentance and baptism, but works we do after becoming Christians. Repentance and
baptism are still works that we do to be saved not because we are saved. Even belief itself is a work that we
must do. (John 6:28-29).
As to the works of obedience we do after becoming Christians, Paul clearly shows that they contribute to our
salvation in the end:
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12 - Italics mine eob).
He is speaking of our obedience as Christians and calls it “work(ing) out (our) own salvation.” So while we
should do these works of obedience out of love because we have been saved from past sins, we also do them in
order to work out eternal salvation. This is also done “with fear and trembling” - things that should not be in
the life of a Christian according these brethren. This does not contradict Paul’s statement about salvation
being “not of works” in Ephesians 2:8-9. It is still not of works in the sense of perfect obedience or law
keeping. God has ordained that those saved by grace through faith should walk in good works (verse 10). These
are good works in which we walk, having something to do with our eternal salvation. This is what Paul is
writing about in the Philippians passage.
These brethren do not understand the biblical teaching on either grace or works.
Let’s examine the New Testament teaching on grace. Grace is God’s answer to sin, but not God’s license to sin.
The latter verses of Romans chapter 5 shows that grace is sufficient remedy for sin and the first verses of
chapter 6 shows that it not a license to continue in sin:
“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus
Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall
we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 5:20 - 6:2)
Grace is no excuse for relaxing our diligence to keep the law of God. Nor is it an excuse for not having a
healthy fear of breaking God’s law. Without grace there would be no relief from sin - law breaking. Grace
relieves our fears and anxieties about sin because we know if we sin (and we all do) we have an Advocate with
the Father in Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7-2:1). But, it does not relieve us of any of our responsibility to give
all diligence to avoid sin. We are told to “avoid every form of evil.” We are warned if we go on sinning
wilfully that we insult the spirit of grace. (Hebrews 10:26-29 NASB). What if one wilfully relaxes his efforts
to avoid sin? That would get precariously close to sinning wilfully.
I have been trying to preach “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) since 1954. I have heard it preached
by many others over those years. I have not seen the neglect in emphasizing grace that many of these brethren
see. I have preached and heard brethren preach the need to deny ungodliness and worldly lust and to live
soberly, righteously and godly in this present world which the Bible says the grace of God teaches us (Titus
2:11-12). We have taught that Christians show their love to Jesus by observing all things he has commanded us
(cf. 1 John 5:4; Matt. 28:19, 20). We have urged Christians to be careful to avoid all sin, just as Paul did.
All in the context of love for God and the need to obey him. We have tried to preach as Paul wrote to the
Ephesians:
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath
given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all
uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor
foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no
whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of
Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God
upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.” (Ephesians 5:1-7)
Now such warnings against disobedience and the wrath of God would not fit into the prescribed preaching pattern
of these new grace oriented brethren. Seems to me that Paul was pretty balanced. He preached following God as
dear children and to walk in love as Jesus loved us. He also emphasized Christ’s great act of mercy and grace
by offering himself a sacrifice to God for our sins. But he also warns of the consequences of disobeying God by
committing sin, naming many of them, and sternly warning that by doing such things they would bring God’s wrath
upon them as children of disobedience.
From my observation this has been the pattern of our teaching and preaching for all these many years. In all of
this we have been very careful not to encourage people to relax their attitude toward strict obedience to God
and trying to please him. We have urged people to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure by
avoiding sin at all cost and when they do succumb to temptation and sin, then the grace of God is available to
pardon their sin.
We have urged brethren to serve God out of both love and fear. Not love only nor fear only, but both. Jesus
taught both as legitimate motives to serve and obey. He said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John
14:15). He also said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather
fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) We see no reason to put either
motive on the back burner, because there is room for them both on the front burner.
Now to the matters of “works.” The confusion over works is due to not understanding the different kinds of
works of which the Bible speaks. For example, the Bible declares in one place that Abraham was not justified by
works and in another place that he was justified by works. (Romans 4:2; James 2:21). Either this is a
contradiction or there are different kinds of works. In Romans, he was not justified by works of the law or
works that would earn him justification, making God obligated to him as a matter of debt. But in James, he was
justified by works of faith. The Hebrew writers says by faith, Abraham obeyed (Hebrews 11:8).
No one that I know among gospel preachers has ever taught or implied one can be saved by works in the sense of
perfect law keeping. No one has ever kept the works of law perfectly. When the law is broken (sin), keeping all
the rest of the law cannot erase the sin. The only way that salvation could be of works in this sense is
through perfect law keeping. This does not happen, hence it is not of works, but of grace that takes away the
results of broken law, sin. But we must respond to that grace with an obedient faith. A faith that works by
meeting the conditions of pardon. A faith that leads to repentance, confession and baptism. (Roman 10:8-17;
Acts 2:38). After being pardoned, faith leads one to walk in the light by “avoid(ing) every form of evil,”
“serv(ing) God acceptably with reverence and godly fear,” and “do(ing) good to all men.” When one falls short
in that effort his faith leads him to avail himself of God’s grace by turning to God in repentance and
confession of sins with the assurance that God is faithful to forgive him. In this manner one continues to be
saved by the grace of God. But if he continues in sin, he will be lost.
I hope brethren, especially young minds, will not be sucked into this bogus grace oriented concept in their
desire to reach new heights of spirituality and joy in serving the Lord and relax their vigilance in being
ready unto every good work and to avoid sin at all cost. True spirituality and joy can only be found in doing
all you can to please God by not sinning against Him with the knowledge that, when you do sin, you have an
Advocate with the Father in the person of Jesus Christ whereby you can be forgiven. (1 John 2:1). And remember
after you have done all he has commanded you still have no right to boast: “So likewise ye, when ye shall have
done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was
our duty to do.” (Luke 17:10)
