Cheap Grace

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (I John 2:1) Have you ever met a "Christian" who claimed they didn't sin? I know a fellow who said he had not sinned in 20 years. One day he backed into a persons' car in a parking lot. He drove away from the damaged vehicle without leaving a note. Several days later, he admitted to himself "That was sin." He blew a 20 year no sinning streak. The truth is this gentleman had been very boastful and arrogant about his "Sinlessness". He constantly ridiculed his wife and was critical of his children. He was living in a fantasy world and the only person he was fooling was himself. Many believer practice "Cheap grace" this means they live as though God ignores or condones their sins. However Scriptural forgiveness is real, that means our sin is real and must be dealt with. We can't ignore it, we can't deny it, that's not grace, its a lie. Cheap grace means living without the demand of obedience upon us. When we disregard obedience to God then nothing can be labeled as "Sinful". No act is clearly right or wrong, this means there is no need of forgiveness. In the verse above John reminds us that we fall short of keeping God's commands. He also reminds us that where there is forgiveness available, it follows that certain actions whether thoughts, words or deeds, can be dealt with only when one confesses and is forgiven (I John 1:9-10). Cheap grace is grace minus obedience, which in essence is no grace at all. In this passage John is casting a glance at those who have left the church, for they undoubtedly claimed to know God. He is saying here that obedience is the manifestation or evidence of knowing God. Obeying God's commands does not require perfect obedience, if by perfect we mean living without sinning. Obedience points to the consistency of our discipleship, not to individual acts taken in isolation. Obedience is our response to a living God and not a check list of rules. God gives us the direction of obedience, its "Walking in the light," as striving to conform our character to that of God. Knowledge of God always expresses itself in obedience, and obedience is always measured by concrete actions. Jesus' obedience was made manifest in the ultimate sacrifice of His life on the cross. The child who knows his parents well also knows their expectations well. The child who loves and respects her parents, honors their expectations. The idea that knowledge of God expresses itself in obedience has its roots in the Old Testament. The prophets especially spoke of knowing God, though more often they rebuked the people for not knowing God (Jer. 9:6). A lack of knowing God did not imply intellectual inadequacy, but rather moral failure to a lack of faithfulness and obedience. Are you walking with the Lord in the light of His Word? Are you obeying the light He gives you? In discipleship nearness is likeness, are you walking close enough to Him that His character is beginning to rub off on you? Have you learned that grace isn't cheap? Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Sin of Knowing Better

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17). Never is ones faith so empty as when he only offers well-wishes to a cold and hungry person. Some times we can commit the sin of being a "Useless fig tree." When Jesus told us to "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me" He means there are things we ought not to do and things we ought to do. When a person comes to Christ there are things that get cleaned out of a new converts life. But there are things that are also added to the believers life. Sinful living leaves, prayer, Bible reading, church going and telling others about Jesus moves in (Matthew 28:18-20). The idea that a Christian can be pleasing to God by turning from evil and then sitting idle while others advance the work of God is the sin of omission. Certainly we understand that we must abandon Satan's vices, however the enemy is just as happy if we sit down and do nothing. Several verses are worth our consideration. "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you." Note the doing part. "It is more blessed to give, than to receive." Here the emphasis is on giving. "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel." Here witnessing (proclaiming) is emphasized. Christ told us that He is the Vine and we are the branches, as we abide in Him there will be fruit produced in our lives. We need not (nor can we) master all that God has commanded us to do at once. Just as a new baby struggles in its first attempts to crawl, when we are born again in Christ, our ability may not match our desire to be fruitful. However, we learn that as we are persistent in our efforts, God will prune away the sins which hinder us, and at the same time He empowers us to become more fruitful. This Holy Spirit led fruit bearing reveals the glory, power and love that is found in Christ to those around us. God desires that we avoid the sins of omission. What is the Lord asking you to do in His Kingdom? How obedient have you been? What do you need to clear out of your schedule to make time for His schedule? Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Prayer as Worship

Many people do not pray. The self-sufficient do not pray, they merely talk to themselves. The self-satisfied will not pray, they have no knowledge of their need. The self-righteous cannot pray; they have no basis on which to approach God. In contrast note the words of the Psalmist “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice,”- Psalm 95:6-7. Psalm 95 is a model for approaching God in prayer. It begins with praise and thanksgiving. The apostle Paul seldom mentioned prayer in the New Testament without conveying an attitude filled with gratitude. "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers" (Ephesians 1:16) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6). The Bible speaks of three levels of communicating with God in prayer. Each level is saturated with praise and thanksgiving. At the beginning of our Christian walk, we tend to make prayer lists and present our requests to God. There is certainly nothing wrong with this. The leaves of my first Bible are filled with hand written prayer requests. James 4:2-3 says, "You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." David expands this point by saying, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psalm 66:18). We come to the Lord with confession, praise, worship and petition. We will struggle in prayer if we do not get beyond level one. This is the level at which the communication is only one way. The second level of prayer is a level of personal and two way communication. Have you ever tried to build a relationship when you did all the talking? Prayer is the language of our relationship with our heavenly Father. We need to hear His voice as we personally and humbly approach Him. The word hear means to listen so as to obey. Knowing God's ways leads to His rest. There is no rest in a hardened heart. "Learn from me and you shall find rest in your souls" (Matthew 11:29). God's prayer list will probably not be the same as ours. The first items on God's list are issues that concern our relationship with Him. So if there are unresolved moral issues that we have never confessed to God, rest assured they will be at the top of His list. That is why the psalmist cautions us not to harden our hearts. We should actively deal with whatever comes to our minds during prayer. There is nothing we can't talk to God about because He already knows the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. When prayer becomes personal, we begin to pray more. Intercessory prayer, the third level of prayer, then becomes possible. There is a great need for true intercessors. Intercessors are Christians who are intimate enough with God to hear His voice and obey. Intercessors hear from God, sense the burden to pray and continue in prayer until the burden lifts. Seldom, if ever, is intercessory prayer undertaken in public. Intercessors usually pray in the privacy of their homes. often late at night, sometimes praying through the night. God accomplishes much of His work through these dear saints who know how to intercede for others. I believe God wants us all to intercede on behalf of one another. Consider asking the Lord to "teach you to pray." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.