Some people say “I’m just a sinner saved by grace”. I ask those people…what do you mean by that? Do “saved” people fornicate, lie, steal or get drunk?
Perhaps, if you’re going to say we’re all sinners you should define what you mean by sin.
There are sins of ignorance and sins of intent (Numbers 15:27–31).
We can make mistakes, however a “saved” person does not commit intentional sin.
Being “saved” is more than a repeat-after-me prayer. It’s more than acknowledging Jesus’s death and resurrection. It’s being filled with His Spirit.
“…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
— Romans 8:9 (KJV)
The Holy Spirit cannot dwell in an unclean vessel.
The vessel has to be purged before it can be filled an used by God.
“…Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”
— 2 Timothy 2:19, 21 (KJV)
How do we purge our vessel?
Step one — come to God in broken, humble submission, yielding yourself fully to His influence.
Grace (charis) means the divine influence upon the heart.
In Ephesians 2:8&9 Paul wrote
“For by grace are ye saved through faith…”
Faith is always connected to action.
“By faith Noah…prepared an ark…”
— Hebrews 11:7 (KJV)
Faith is our response to divine influence.
In Matthew 22:11–13 a man was cast out of the wedding feast for not wearing the provided garment.
Salvation is the garment provided by grace — however, we put it on through faith.
Remember Zacchaeus? He made restitution. He returned what he had stolen, as part of his repentance process (Luke 19:8).
In Acts 19:18–19 they burned their expensive books on witchcraft.
In Acts 26:20 the people were told “repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.”
So, why did Paul write
“For by grace are ye saved through faith…not of works…”
— Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)
These are dead religious works as opposed to those done in response to divine influence.
So many church groups proclaim “we’re all sinners”, “nobodies perfect”.
I want to ask you…Is that how Jesus preached? Did He say “go and continue to sin” or “go, and sin no more”? (John 8:11)
Did Paul say “continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Or did he say,
“…God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
— Romans 6:1–2 (KJV)
What did John say?
“He that committeth sin is of the devil…”
— 1 John 3:8 (KJV)
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin…”
— 1 John 3:9 (KJV)
Martin Luther taught that we’re saved by faith alone, however in his mind faith was disconnected from deeds.
In his 1521 letter to Philip Melanchthon (Letter to Melanchthon, August 1, 1521), Martin Luther wrote:
“Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger… Pray boldly—you too are a mighty sinner. … No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a F sacrifice for our sins? Pray boldly, for you too are a mighty sinner.”
(From Luther’s Works, Vol. 48: Letters I, Fortress Press.)
Here we see the idea that Jesus was punished in our place to pay our sin debt. Paying someones debt is like paying their speeding fine. The fine is paid but the behaviour doesn’t change, they keep on speeding.
That’s why the bible doesn’t say Jesus paid our debt, it says He “bought”, “purchased” or “redeemed” the church. Redeem means payment of a ransom. Ransom implies deliverance from bondage— the church was delivered from bondage to the law of sin and death by Jesus’s blood.
What does Jesus’s blood represent?
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood…”
— Leviticus 17:11 (KJV)
Blood represents life. Jesus’ blood represents the Spirit of His life.
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” — Romans 8:2
The Spirit of His life is self-sacrifice.
The New Covenant was founded upon self-sacrifice — the ultimate expression of love.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
— John 15:13 (KJV)
Walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25) is walking in love. Love works no ill to his neighbour (Romans 13:10) because it is self-sacrificial.
If we walk in the Spirit we’ll not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. On the contrary, we’ll produce the fruit of the Spirit— love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, self control…” (Galatians 5:22–23)
When Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed the 5000, many followed Him because they enjoyed the food (John 6:26). Their belief was superficial and self-serving.
However when Jesus said,
“Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
— John 6:53
many stopped following Him (John 6:66).
At the last supper Jesus said,
“Drink ye all of it;
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
— Matthew 26:27–28 (KJV)
Drinking His blood means participating in His death, putting off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9) through repentance.
I’ve made it clear in previous videos that I believe all things written in the law and prophets were fulfilled in the first century.
The new heavens and new earth “wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13), is the New Covenant kingdom — a present spiritual reality.
So what is this righteousness? Is it one that allows us to continue in sin because we can’t help it?
Is Christ’s righteousness something we drape over top our old carnal selves? Or does Christ’s righteousness mean being…
“created in Christ Jesus unto good works…” (Ephesians 2:10),
being “created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24),
being “a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17),
with a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26) that doesn’t want to sin?
According to Revelation, nothing spiritually unclean can enter or abide in the New Jerusalem.
“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie…”
— Revelation 21:27 (KJV)
There are no weeds in this garden/city, only Abraham’s spiritual seed (Galatians 3:29) — those with the faith of Abraham, producing good fruit (Matthew 7:17) in response to divine influence.
Like a caterpillar, we must weave our own chrysalis, we must die to self before we can emerge a “new creature”, transformed and free.
God forgives our sin, not because we believe Jesus died "in our place” but because we died with Him through repentance proven by deeds (Romans 6:6 Galatians 2:20).
Jesus said,
“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
— John 12:24
When a seed falls into the ground it absorbs the surrounding moisture that softens it’s outer shell causing it to fall away as the new plant emerges from within it. The seed dies in the sense that it gives way to the new plant.
A seed cannot take root in hard, stony, or thorn-filled ground (Matthew 13:3–23). Only in “an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15) — one prepared by godly sorrow and repentance.
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…” (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Just as a wild horse has to be broken before it is useful, God can only work with a broken and contrite heart.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”— Psalm 51:17 (KJV)
If we believe that Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us when we gave mental assent to what He did “in our place,” and that His righteousness hides our true self which is doomed to never stop sinning, we’re like Peter who “followed him afar off” (Luke 22:54).
Jesus requires that we are truly there — eating His flesh, drinking His blood, internalising the kingdom and then living it out in our daily walk from a heart of love.
God bless as you study to show yourself approved.
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