Approaches to the Gospel of Grace || BIC Abeiku Okai

ABEIKU OKAI SERMON OUTLINE (EP 001) 8102021

TEXT: John 1:17

The message of grace has been met with three basic approaches:

1. THE VAIN RUNNERS

The first are those who welcome the message with joy and run with it to the extreme, without really understanding it and claiming nothing matters or nothing is needful again because of grace. To such extremists, anything call law is an antithesis to grace, forgetting that it is the Law of Moses regarding salvation, justification, and sanctification that is opposed to grace because it seeks to produce its own righteousness apart from the righteousness of God, which is in the Gospel and revealed from faith to faith. But there still exists, for the believer, the following five laws:

1. Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2)

2. Law of the Spirit of life in Christ (Romans 8:2)

3.  Law of Faith (Romans 3:27)

4.  Law of Liberty (James 1:25; 2:12)

5. Law of Righteousness(Romans 9:31-32)

This basically means we who are under grace are not antinomians. While we do not need the law of Moses to live morally right, the five laws above, which are all one in essence, help us to live right as pleasing to God and helpful to the spiritual well-being of our souls and others. For the very grace that gives us liberty is revealed as the teacher of moral uprightness: 

"Teaching us that, denying  ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live  soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age..." (Titus 2:12)

"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty;  only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the  flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)

Some of these extremists, out of ignorance, claim everyone is saved regardless of faith.

2. THE HATERS

Being ignorant of the above, there are those who approach the message or preachers of grace as those who give license to sin. Therefore, such people shun the message and even see the preachers of grace as those sending others to hell and allowing all manner of immoral lifestyles to exist in the church. Such opponents are usually filled with resentment and hate to the extent that they attack, misquote, and vilify the messengers. 

I have personally received my fair share of such unwholesome criticism both on and off the internet simply because I stopped preaching the law and began preaching grace. There are also those who will never invite me to their churches because to them, "I give license to sin." Paul faced similar criticism from such people who twist our message and claim we allow evil under the guise of grace;

"And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, 'The more we sin, the better it is!' Those who say such things deserve to be condemned." (Romans 3:8, NLT).

3. THE TRUE GRACISTS.

Forgive my use of the word, Gracists, for I find no better word to describe these people who have truly given their hearts to Christ and submitted to the Person, Purpose, Principles, and Power of Christ through the Gospel of His Amazing grace. 

To such people, it is all about Christ. The new birth is a result of the finished works of Christ. Salvation is by grace through faith alone, no works of man justify him. Heaven is not a place we are going to but a place we currently dwell in Christ. We only wait for the redemption of our body to be spiritually united with Christ in His Kingdom. God is good all the time, not sometimes. God never sends anyone to hell but people go to hell by rejecting Christ through faith. Our love for God is an effect, not a cause, of His love for us. Good work is a result of salvation, not a means to salvation. We are sanctified, justified, and made righteous in Christ by faith. Sins we're forgiven on the cross, not when we confess or stop ABC, and that we confess Christ daily, not sin. Behavioral change must come from within, not from without just to be religiously pious. Above all our salvation, being anchored in Christ, stands sure in this promise from the Saviour Himself:

"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;  neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given  them to Me,  is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch  them out of My Father’s hand." (John 10:28-29). 

CONCLUSION

We have no reason to run vainly with the message of grace. There is the need to diligently study the scriptures, confirm the doctrinal themes and properly understand the message before you move with it. 

For the haters, the best advice is that be open to the Holy Spirit and don't let tradition and religious piety to please men lead you away from the only gospel, which reveals the righteousness of God from faith to faith. (Romans 1:16; Galatians 1:6-9) 

God bless you. I pray that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened in Jesus' Name. Amen.

BIC Abeiku Okai 

Anathallo Chapel International 

KNTC - Kingdom Nationals Theological College 

0249287855