WHAT IS TO PERVERT THE GRACE OF GOD



In the letter of Judas, we find a serious warning of a certain kind of people and attitude that always has existed among bad elements of Christianity, and even more nowadays.

“For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”
Judas 1:4

Perversion of God’s Grace is not exactly abuse of God’s Grace, but a more sinister distortion with a very high degree of destructing power, with a very convincing appearance of godliness.

WHAT IS THE PERVERSION OF GRACE

There are two main types of distortions of God’s Grace that have always affected the Church of Christ through history, but one is more dangerous than the other and it is necessary to distinguish them:

ABUSE OF GRACE: Consists in the irresponsible practice of sin, knowing that what it is being done is sinful, but it is committed all the same, under the vagrant thought that eventually we will repent, and everything will be settled and fixed.

This attitude is not the casual fall into sin that every believer experiences every now and then; it is a complacency in sinfulness, a setting in a sinful lifestyle on a permanent basis. The Christians who fall into this kind of behaviour, carry the feeling of guilt which they try to put aside and conscious of their sinfulness, still have the Holy Spirit’s voice fighting with their souls to come back to righteousness.

Even though this is a serious condition and they run the risk of eventually become cauterized to any sense of remorse and lose themselves, there is still an open window in their souls for God’s voice calling them to repentance.

PERVERSION OF GRACE: Consists in contravening consciously the express will of God as expressed in the Scriptures, under the belief that because some one has been justified by Grace once and for all, sinful acts are not counted against them, because God’s Grace and Salvation on them is irrevocable.

People who fall into this deception, believe that their salvation is assured under all circumstances, to the point that even if they live in sinful behaviour, this will not bring any condemnation from God over them.

This condition, which involves technically an abuse of Grace as in the case above, it is of a more serious nature, because of the belief that their actions are beyond accountability based on their faith in Jesus’s atoning sacrifice. This eradicates from those who live under this deception, all sense of remorse and any desire to change, placing themselves beyond the scope of repentance.

Cases like this have always existed. Not only Judas mentions them in his letter, but also Paul speaks of them in his letter to Romans (Romans 3:8; 6:1-2, 15), and historians say that that was the case also with the ancient sect called the Nicolaitans, mentioned in Revelation 2:14-15.  

THESE DAYS

Today, this phenomenon is not different.

There are bad elements who claiming to be practicing Christians, dedicate themselves to the pursuit of pleasure and sin; given themselves to the use of drugs, alcohol, adultery, fornication, swindling and all kinds of deceit for personal gain of any kind. They do this consciously that it is wrong and against God’s Will, but they do it all the same, thinking that their evil actions will not be accounted against them by God, because of their Christian profession of faith.

This is a deadly deceit from the devil, and we all must be always alert of not falling into this trap.

Sensual gratification of any kind alters perception. This can be physical or mental, and if it is attained through illicit means, it can be spiritually blinding, to the point of distant ourselves from God’s voice, by killing in us all conviction of sin.

WHAT TO DO

The best way to prevent falling into this condition, it is necessary to pray always, every morning and evening; read the Scriptures every day, occupy our time in positive productive activity, participate regularly of Holy Supper, and keep an active fellowship with other active Christians of good standing.

This will maintain our spirits in constant closeness to the Holy Spirit’s voice, our minds in awareness of what is truly right and wrong and busy in positive concerns, while putting mirroring ourselves before the testimony of other Christians.

What the devil wants, is to isolate us from other Christians, cut off our communication with God, and take away from us all guidance of truth; to dismember us once weakened by all of these.

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man”.
Luke 21:36

Omar Flores
   

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