The

PaulGospel That
Preached
THE NEW COVENANT OF
GOD’S UNMERITED FAVOR

Paul Edwards

L S Ministries

Auckland, New Zealand

Copyright © 2016 by Paul Edwards

ISBN 13: 9781533449450

ISBN 10: 1533449457

Published by Light & Salt Ministries

All rights reserved under international copyright law. Contents may not be reproduced
in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version® of
the Bible. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, copyright ©
1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by
permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright
© by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from the Living Bible, copyright © 1971
by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc.,
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 Dedication

We all have defining moments in our relationship with God and I will never
forget the day that the Lord spoke these words to my heart, “you’ve been
made righteous by the blood of Jesus”. In an instant my life was transformed,
yet I had very little understanding of what this meant. All I knew was that
something had profoundly changed. My life up until that point would be best
described as, “zealous without knowledge”. I read the Bible most days and
not just once a day, in fact I referred to it constantly throughout the day, yet I
lacked knowledge. Knowledge of what, you might ask? And the answer was
grace. Later on that same day I was with a group of people. There was a
couple who had just returned from China. I didn’t know them all that well but
I was bursting, in fact the feeling I had inside was so overwhelming I thought
I was going to explode. So I turned to this lady and said, “I’ve been made
righteous by the blood of Jesus”. She looked at me without answering, she
smiled and then she said, “it’s great isn’t it”. She knew it and so did I. My
sincere hope is that you also will discover the altogether lovely Lord Jesus,
who has made you the righteousness of God in Him. This book is dedicated to
you. Come and sit at Lord Jesus feet; it is finished.
 Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Gospel That Paul Preached

Chapter 2 Sin Conscious
Chapter 3 Conviction of Sin
Chapter 4 Repentance
Chapter 5 Confession
Chapter 6 License to Sin
Chapter 7 Falling from Grace
Chapter 8 Condemnation
Chapter 9 Dealing with Conflict
Chapter 10 The Whole Counsel of God
Chapter 11 See Yourself as God Sees You
Chapter 12 You Are What You Believe
Chapter 13 Listen to Jesus
Chapter 14 Listen to Moses
Chapter 15 Listen to Elijah
Chapter 16 It Is Finished
Chapter 17 Revival

End Notes
 Introduction

EVERY WEEK MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS around the world celebrate

Communion. Familiar verses are quoted from the Bible, such as “this is the
blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the remission of
sins.” Many believers probably know the verses by heart, yet how many
understand the reality of the New Covenant? If you were to ask believers
today if they knew where the New Covenant is in the Bible, most probably
wouldn’t know. However, many people know exactly where the Ten
Commandments are, and herein lies the great tragedy. The New Covenant is
the “good news.” Through Jesus Christ and the finished work of His cross,
the way God relates to us has forever changed. If that is true, then it has also
changed the way that we relate to Him. Grace, the unmerited favor of God
toward man, is a gift that can only be received. You can’t earn it, and even
through your most monumental failure, you can’t forfeit it. However, you can
frustrate the grace of God toward you through what you believe. When Paul
wrote his second letter to Timothy, he was coming to the end of his
assignment. After the things he’d seen and done in his lifetime, I’m sure he
felt a sense of urgency at the task set before Timothy. He understood the
danger and the challenges facing the church. He wrote about it extensively in
almost all his letters—the mixing of the Old Covenant law with the New
Covenant grace. And so he writes to Timothy, encouraging him with these
words:

Study to show yourself approved. A worker that need not be ashamed.

Rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

At the very heart of these words is man’s standing with God, which the Bible
calls righteousness.1 To enjoy relationship with God requires absolute
perfection. The good news is that Jesus is the believer’s righteousness,2 and
we are made the righteousness of God in Him.3 And this comes freely by
grace to those who believe that Jesus is Lord and that He has been merciful to
our unrighteousness, and our sins and lawless deeds He remembers no more.4
There was a time when righteousness was based on obedience. The good
news is that through the finished work of the cross, the Old Covenant has
been made obsolete,5 and a New Covenant based on better promises is now
here.6 We are no longer under law but under grace!7 Failure to understand
this and the mixing thereof creates confusion, condemnation, and death. So
many believers today are robbed of confidence and assurance, fearful of an
angry God who holds their sins against them, when God Himself has sworn
by an oath that He will never be angry with you or rebuke you. This is the
covenant of peace that He makes with YOU.8 There was a time when God
remembered the sins to the third and fourth generations of those who hated
Him.9 The good news is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to
Himself, not counting men’s sins against them, and He’s given to the church
the word of reconciliation,10 and this is it: “God loves you.”

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4)

Rightly dividing between the Old and New Covenant will totally transform
your life and your relationships, and you will once again enjoy the intimacy
of God’s Presence like you did when you were born again. Learning to
interpret scripture through the lens of the New Covenant of God’s unmerited
favor is exhilarating. You will rediscover that true understanding can only
come through relationship with Him. Yet it’s not always easy to let go of
things that are familiar and that you have always believed, having received
them from learned men and women. I challenge you to be like the Bereans,
who received Paul’s message with enthusiasm and met daily with him,
examining the scriptures to see if they supported what he said.11
 CHAPTER 1
The Gospel That Paul Preached

Study to shew thyself approved unto God

(2 TIMOTHY 2:15)

THE APOSTLE PAUL WROTE MORE than half of the New Testament, and his life
and ministry feature more prominently than those of any other person in the
book of Acts. He grew up in a culture that was dominated by legalism, and
his worldview was firmly based in the Law of Moses—that is, until he met
Jesus Christ the risen Lord. From that moment on until his last breath, it was
all about Jesus, the power of God that brings salvation for all who believe,
and he was not ashamed to proclaim it.1 The key to understanding that
statement is the main problem that beset his ministry, which is man’s
standing with God, which the Bible calls righteousness. For someone to
declare and proclaim that you can enjoy right standing with God irrespective
of your performance in life simply through believing in Jesus Christ and His
finished work was akin to a trap leading to spiritual and moral ruin.2 Christ’s
crucifixion was an act of suffering and shame, yet this was the very place that
God chose to make atonement for sin. For the Jews, it was blasphemy to even
suggest such a thing. They simply could not reconcile this because their
worldview was based on obedience to the Law of Moses (the Ten
Commandments).3 For the gentiles, it was the same. While the Law of Moses
was given to Israel for their covenant relationship, the gentile worldview is
essentially the same: “do good, get good; do bad, get bad.” Everyone is under
this burden you might not recognize it or even be conscious of it, but it is
there. It condemns you for your faults and failures, yet it doesn’t lift a finger
to help you. Over time, this exacting standard will strip you of the illusion
that you will ever be “good enough” no matter how hard you try. Even when
you think you’ve “made it,” you realize there is still one thing that you lack.
Eventually this protracted, painful process will hopefully bring you to the end
of yourself, and you will recognize your need for Someone to save you.
When Adam and Eve broke the law4 by eating from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, their relationship of dependence upon God to provide for all
of their needs ended. Their choice to live life independent of God may have
given them the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong, but without
relationship it was impossible to enjoy the holistic prosperity that God
desired to provide. And everyone who is born of the flesh is in the same
position—separated from God, spiritually dead— in first Adams
transgression.5 Paul addresses this in chapter 7 of his letter to the church in
Rome. He writes, “I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to
do bad, but then I do it anyway.” If you’re not born again, you don’t have a
choice—you can only depend on yourself. Even if you are born again, you
can still live life depending on yourself, completely ignorant of the fact that
there is a brand new person living on the inside of you. Either way, you get
the same result: a wretched life that is characterized by a perpetual cycle of
failure and defeat. When you live life according to your condition your focus
is limited to the natural realm and your five senses. Striving, trying harder,
failure, disappointment, and the resulting condemnation kills people. On the
other hand, to be spiritually minded is to live life according to your position
in Christ, the righteousness of God. This is living life according to your true
identity. It’s the revelation that you’re a brand new person through Jesus and
His finished work that produces life and peace.6 Trying and trusting are poles
apart, and this is not a play on words—it’s a matter of life and death. When
God looks at the world, He sees Jews, gentiles, and the church,7 so it doesn’t
really matter if your worldview is the Law of Moses with its “thou shall” and
“thou shalt not” or the prevailing performance-driven worldview of “do good,
get good; do bad get bad”8—all are under the law.9 The law always puts the
demand on you to provide; the good news is that grace supplies. The gospel
brings an end to this old way of the letter that kills to the new and living way
of the spirit that gives life.10
THE GOSPEL OF GRACE

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and
unto the Greeks foolishness. (1 Corinthians 1:23) KJV

The good news is that through Jesus Christ, all who believe can enjoy eternal
right standing with God. Furthermore, it has always been God’s intention for
man to relate to Him on the basis of His righteousness and not our own.

19 But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the
Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot. 20 It
is true that He was chosen and foreordained (destined and foreknown
for it) before the foundation of the world, but He was brought out to
public view (made manifest) in these last days (at the end of the times)
for the sake of you. (1 Peter 1) AMP

The gospel makes it clear to all that Jesus Christ is the standard that God
accepts. Jesus Christ is the believers’ righteousness,11 and you can enjoy
relationship with God forever simply by believing. You can’t improve your
standing with God any more than you can weaken it through your
performance in life. It’s a permanent right standing by faith from first to last.
There are only two kinds of righteousness, yours and God’s, and God relates
to no man on the basis of self-righteousness. Jesus addressed this in the
gospels when He said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Today people still
hold to this self-righteous worldview of “do good, get good; do bad, get bad.”
And how many believers still live their lives on the basis of “don’t sin and do
what’s right”? The good news is that Jesus died to end that “old way.” If you
could do what is right and not do what is wrong, then you wouldn’t need God
anyway. Through your own efforts, you cannot qualify for God’s acceptance
any more than you can be rejected. The only performance that counts is that
of the wonderful Lord Jesus and the finished work of His cross. God does not
relate to you based on your righteousness; instead, He relates to you on the
basis of Jesus righteousness, which you receive as a gift. This is the New
Covenant of God’s unmerited favor. Through the shedding of Jesus blood,
you have been made the righteousness of God in Him. This is the good news.

17 For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed,

both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed through the
way of faith that arouses to more faith]. As it is written, the man who
through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith.
(Romans 1) AMP

What, then, was Timothy to study? The answer is found in Paul’s message in
his gospel. Paul says that he did not receive his gospel from men but from
God. What exactly does that mean for you? You can have plenty of
information, but that in and of itself is not enough. It has to be revelation if it
is to produce life. When you behold the Lord Jesus and meditate on His
finished work, your mind is renewed, your life is transformed, and the real
gospel—the gospel of grace that Paul preached—becomes the focal point of
your life and ministry.12 To say “life and ministry” is only a partial truth;
Paul just called it “the life I live.” It’s no longer I who live but Christ who
lives in me (Colossians 2:20). Our mission has never been about what we can
do for Jesus, it’s about what He can do in and through us—that’s the gospel
Christ in me, God living in man and finding expression of His life through
relationship.

In Acts 13, Paul is preaching in the synagogue in Antioch. The following is

the essence of his message:

38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is

preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who
believes is justified from all things from which you could not be
justified by the law of Moses. (NKJV)

Paul’s gospel is the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor. There is no

qualification required; your part is simply to believe that Jesus is Lord and
that He has been merciful to your unrighteousness, and your sins and lawless
deeds He remembers no more.13 That’s the “bottom line” of the New
Covenant, Jesus Christ and the finished work of His cross. Paul presents the
same message in his second letter to the church in Corinth:

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5) KJV

Jesus did not represent us; He became us, and we are born again, the same as
Him, when we believe:

17 In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to

completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence
for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him],
because as He is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4) AMP

We are made the righteousness of God in Him. Righteousness was imputed to

Abraham because he believed, and God called him friend. We who believe in
the Lord Jesus are made the righteousness of God in Him, and God calls us
His children. Your born-again spirit is identical to Jesus Spirit, now and
forever. It won’t ever need upgrading; it’s as perfect now as it will ever be.
This is who you are; this is the new man created after God in righteousness
and true holiness.14 This is the new creation.15 This is who God relates to, for
God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and
in truth.16 That’s the real deal—that’s the gospel. Too good to be true? Well,
it is good because it is true! So do yourself a favor: Let go and let God renew
your mind to the gospel that Paul preached the New Covenant of God’s
unmerited favor. Rest in His finished work and enjoy His grace toward you.
Let there be an end to striving as you learn to receive everything that He has
provided for you through His finished work17. For He who did not spare His
own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things?18

THE FINISHED WORK OF THE CROSS

 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our
justification. (Romans 4) KJV

When Jesus was raised from the dead, where was the sin—the sickness, the
disease, the curse? It was gone, put away forever. Every sin from the
beginning of time till the end of time was summed up, judged, and punished
in the body of Jesus.19 The wrath of God was poured out on Jesus, and the
righteous requirements of a Holy God are fulfilled through His death. Sin is
not forgiven; it is punished, and the penalty is death.20 Jesus died so that we
who believe can receive eternal life, the life of God in us. How did you
become a sinner? By sinning? No, all are born sinners through first Adams
sin. Did Jesus sin? No! He received our sin as a gift. In the same way, how
were you made righteous? Was it by good works? No, it was a gift received.
You receive Jesus righteousness as a gift. Is it your faith that makes you
righteous? No, the shed blood of Jesus makes you the righteousness of God
in Christ. Your faith does not make you righteous; Jesus blood makes you
righteous. When you believe that, God sees that as faith.

5 But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in
Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as
righteousness (the standing acceptable to God). (Romans 4) AMP

FIRST THE NATURAL THEN THE SPIRITUAL

There is a natural law at work in the world that keeps you from floating off
into space. It keeps your feet on the ground, and you probably don’t think
about it very much in your day-to-day life. It’s called gravity. It is not your
faith in gravity that keeps you grounded; it’s gravity that keeps you grounded.
It is Jesus blood that makes you right with God not your faith in Jesus blood.
On the night of the Passover, God told the people of Israel to put the blood of
the lamb on the door and lintel of their houses.

23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He
sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass
 over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to
strike you. (Exodus 12) NKJV

Was it the Israelites’ faith in the blood that saved them? No, it was the blood
that saved them. When God saw the blood, He passed over the house. Under
the New Covenant, your faith in Jesus blood doesn’t save you; it is Jesus
blood that saves you and makes you right with God—believe that; that’s faith
in the blood.

In Isaiah chapter 54, God swears by an oath that He will never be angry with
you nor will He rebuke you; His kindness shall not depart from you—this is
the covenant of peace that He makes with you. What is the covenant of
peace? It’s the New Covenant that was inaugurated through the shedding of
Jesus blood. When God swears by an oath, then what He has laid out and
declared under the covenant will come to pass—even if you are ignorant or
don’t believe it’s a done deal.21 It has nothing to do with you, yet you are the
beneficiary. In other words, it is cut outside of and independent of you.
Unlike the Old Covenant, the New Covenant is not based on your obedience
but the perfect obedience of Christ. In fact, the New Covenant is cut,
established, and inaugurated between not just Father and Son but the
infallibility of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit.

14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9) NKJV

This is the “good news,” the New Covenant. Through Jesus finished work at
the cross, believers are the righteousness of God in Him. We have the Spirit
of God in us and are united to Him in divine union and sealed by Him. No
longer servants, we are sons and heirs of God sharing Christ’s inheritance.
Qualified as King Priests, we reign in life, positioned to receive the unmerited
favor of God.
GOD’S WILL AND PURPOSE
The Amplified Bible defines righteousness as conformity to the divine will in
thought, action, and purpose.22 The Bible makes it clear what the will of God
is. Jesus said, “your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven.”23 It is to demonstrate the rule and reign of King Jesus on Earth, for
the Kingdom of God is not words but power.

7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely
you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10) NKJV

The Psalmist writes in chapter 72:

19 And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth
be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen. (NKJV)

God’s purpose is that the whole Earth be filled with His glory. And just what
does that look like today? It’s the gospel—it’s Christ in you!

In Genesis 1, God’s purpose is revealed:

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1) KJV

Let’s be clear: man is not God. However, when man is in relationship with
God through the eternal Spirit, God is able to express His life in and through
man—that is His image; it’s how He expresses Himself. Jesus said, “If you
don’t believe what I say then believe the works that I do that you may know
that the Father is in me.”24 In other words “this is what my Father is like.”
The Lord Jesus did what He saw His father do 25 and He spoke what He
heard His Father speak.26 He is the visible image of the invisible God. He’s
the firstborn among many. Who are the “many”? We are the many, born
again of the Spirit that gives life. Today the Lord Jesus is able to express His
life in and through you.27

FORGIVENESS
For many people, forgiveness is a blind spot. It’s something that is not clear
or obstructed from view. The Bible calls this a veil, and when Paul wrote his
second letter to the church in Corinth, he explained this:

14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil
remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is
taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a
veil lies on their heart. (Chapter 3) NKJV

Let me ask you this, when were your sins forgiven? Now while the answer
might seem obvious to you, for many it is not, and no believer will ever
experience true liberty—the kind that verse 17 declares until forgiveness of a
believer’s sins is finally settled. Take the simple example of a human
relationship. If one person believes that the other person is holding something
against them and is angry, how does this affect the relationship? The
relationship will eventually break down, and the first thing to go is intimacy.
Intimacy is essential because without it the relationship becomes superficial
and full of pretense. Trust is also lost if you’re afraid to be yourself. If you
can’t be your authentic self, then you are headed in the direction of religion.
We’re on a journey—no one has it all worked out. We’re learning line upon
line, precept upon precept, so the direction should be out of religion and into
grace. Religion seeks to conform you through behavior modification. Grace
is different. Grace is Jesus, and through the finished work of the cross, you
have been born again—a new creation. This inward transformation has made
you a Designer original. There is no one and there never will be anyone like
you! Thank God for the gospel, the New Covenant of His unmerited favor
toward those who believe that Jesus is Lord. You’ve just got to get a hold of
the truth that Jesus has been merciful to our unrighteousness, and our sins and
lawless deeds He remembers no more.28 How can God say that He
remembers your sin no more? It’s simple: He has a righteous foundation
through the cross! Let me ask you another question. Where were your sins,
sickness, disease, and curse when Jesus rose from the dead? It’s gone —put
away forever through Christ’s atonement. If there was just one sin left
unpunished, then God could not make the declaration of righteousness29 in
Christ Jesus in Romans 4 verse 25: “that He was raised for our justification.”
So when were your sins forgiven? The gospel makes it clear to all that when
God was in Christ, He reconciled the entire world to Himself. For there to be
reconciliation, there cannot be anything in the way. Where is your sin? Entire
does not just mean the church; entire means everyone, from the beginning of
time to the end of time.

12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10). NKJV

Forever is beginning to end, nothing excluded; all are included in Jesus

Christ’s finished work.

19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not
imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of
reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5) NKJV

God is not counting the sins of any person against them today because He
counted them all in the body of Jesus. On the cross, every sin was judged and
punished. The full fury of God’s wrath was poured out on His Son, and Jesus
paid the price through His death to forgive the debt that we owed. God is not
a man that He should lie nor the Son of man that He should repent. Jesus has
not changed His mind—when He said “it is finished,” He meant “it is
finished.” God will never judge and punish the same sin twice. He punished
and judged all your sin in Jesus body on the tree and it’s finished. This is the
message; this is the gospel. Believe it and be reconciled to God.

Consider what John writes in verse 2 of chapter 2 of his first letter:

 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only
but also for the whole world. (NKJV)

This doesn’t mean that because God has dealt with all sin once and for all
that all are saved. NO WAY. You have to believe the gospel and trust in the
wonderful Lord Jesus. The glorious gospel of grace makes it clear to all that
the righteous requirements of a Holy God are fully satisfied through Jesus
finished work. Can you now see why God can say that there is therefore now
no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus for those who have believed the
gospel? And can you see the absolute tragedy of people slipping into eternity
separated forever from the God who loves them simply because they never
knew that God had already forgiven their sins? Sin does not send people to
hell—no—not believing in Jesus Christ and His finished work is what sends
people to hell, either through not having heard or rejecting the gospel. Jesus
made it absolutely clear when He said, “of sin [singular, one sin unbelief],
because they do not believe in Me” (John 16:9 [brackets mine]). Now back to
the original question: When were your sins forgiven?

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5) NKJV

God demonstrated His love toward us through Jesus Christ and the finished
work of His cross. The Bible defines love like this, “In this is love, not that
we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for
our sins” (1 John 4:10). Propitiation means that Jesus finished work satisfies
God’s requirement for righteousness and holiness in reconciling man to
Himself.

9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5) NKJV

We are made righteous through Jesus death on the cross, for without the
shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.30 It is true that Jesus was
raised for our justification; however, it is the divine receipt, the proof or
evidence of being made righteous in Him. The transaction took place at the
cross through the divine exchange where Jesus took our sin and gave us His
righteousness as a gift.

21 For he hath made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5
[brackets mine]) KJV

All your sins were forgiven at the cross for in Him [Christ Jesus] we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of His grace. (Ephesians 1:7 [brackets mine]) NKJV

Colossians 2 verse 13 says,

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all
trespasses. (NKJV)

In the context of this verse, all refers to time. All thus means all time—past,
present, and future. That means that all of your sins have already been
forgiven. When God demonstrated His love toward us, we were not even
born, which means that all of our sins were in the future. Does your
repentance forgive your sins? Clearly not, if you’re reading this, we’ve
already established that you weren’t even born then. What about your faith in
Jesus blood? The answer again is no—it’s not your faith in Jesus blood that
forgives your sins, it’s Jesus blood alone that saves. Believe the gospel and be
born again into relationship with the God who loves you, whose name is
above every name, whose name is Jesus, because through this Man is
preached to you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him everyone who believes is
justified from all things (Acts 13:38, 39). Amen.

All your sins were forgiven at the cross of Christ, not when you believed the
gospel and were born again. You don’t appropriate forgiveness on an
installment basis through repentance and confession—that is an Old
Covenant mind-set that is obsolete. Jesus died to get rid of that “old way.”
Thank God that the blood of Jesus has cleansed your conscience of those
dead works. Repentance in the Greek text is metanoia, meaning “to change
your mind.” In the New Testament, it has nothing to do with sin—it is
repentance toward God.31 It means to change your mind about God, to
understand that He remembers your sin no more, having forgiven your sin
through Jesus finished work, and to know that He will never ever judge you
or punish you for any sin you ever commit because Jesus paid the price for
you. If you want to repent and confess your sin, go for it. Change your mind
about sin; believe the gospel that all your sins have been forgiven and that
God is not counting anything against you. Confess in the Greek text is
homologeo, which means “to express agreement with.” Confession to God in
this context involves agreeing with Him in His verdict. When a person sins, it
is sin that’s God’s point of view.32 God’s verdict on sin is that it’s forgiven.
Under the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor, you do not confess your
sins in order to be forgiven. You are forgiven by grace, and grace means
unmerited favor. That means it is not dependent upon what you do but what
Jesus has done for you. Unqualified, absolute, 100 percent unconditional
forgiveness produces liberty. It produces confidence and boldness to
approach the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in your time of
need.33 Grace produces intimacy in your relationship with Jesus. This is good
news, especially when you fail. Instead of being afraid to draw near to God,
you can rest assured that He loves you and that He will never leave you or
forsake you. This confidence will empower you to be open and honest with
Him, without any fear of rejection, so that He can teach you to say no to
ungodliness.34 Jesus has dealt with sin once and for all—it’s not a problem
for Him just because it’s a problem for you. Renew your mind to the New
Covenant of God’s unmerited favor, behold the Lord Jesus in His majesty
and glory, and meditate on His finished work. Hold fast to the confession of
your faith; speak it out, “I’m the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus,”
especially in the midst of failure. Righteous in Christ is who you are. You are
not defined by what you do, good or bad; you are defined by what the Lord
Jesus has done! For He who knew no sin was made sin for us so that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him.35
MIXING THE OLD COVENANT LAW WITH NEW
COVENANT GRACE
So, what does it mean “when Moses is read today”?36 I’m sure some people
still proclaim and even teach the Ten Commandments today; however, in the
main it’s a little more subtle. When Moses is read today, it speaks of Old
Covenant truth mixed with New Covenant truth and presented as the gospel.
It puts demands upon people that God never intended nor is man able to
perform. It results in a performance-based relationship with Jesus in which
people try to relate to Him on the basis of their personal holiness and wonder
why the Christian life is impossible to live. It doesn’t work because only God
can live it. Paul understood this when he said, “It’s no longer I who live but
Christ who lives in me.”37 We live according to who we are in Christ, a born-
again spirit made the righteousness of God in Him. The veil is removed
through the revelation of grace when we see that Jesus plus nothing equals
everything, and adding anything to His finished work produces nothing.

17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they
which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5) KJV

Abundance of grace is the gospel, and in the gospel the righteousness of God
is revealed, and His name is Jesus.38 It is the Father’s good pleasure to give
you the Kingdom,39 and He has qualified you to reign in life through the
finished work of the cross.

13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us

into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1). NKJV

The lost need the gospel, and the church needs the gospel too!

25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and

the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery
kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the
 prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the
commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—27 to
God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. (Romans
16) NKJV

Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome. The church needs the gospel to
realize who they are in Christ—what they have and what they can do in Him.
The lost need the gospel in order to believe and be born again.

Study the Bible through the lens of the New Covenant of God’s unmerited
favor, listen to preaching from ministries that focus on Jesus Christ and the
finished work of the cross and God says you will reign in life. To reign in life
is not some time in the future. The moment you believe and are born again,
you are reigning in life. You are raised up with Jesus and seated together with
Him in the heavenly realms.40 And it’s not some place out there; the
Kingdom of God is within you,41 and where there is the Kingdom there is the
King, and His name is Jesus.42 Believers today have the absolute privilege of
co-laboring together with King Jesus, learning how to demonstrate the will of
God on Earth as it is in heaven.

Where Jesus Christ and His finished work are not clearly seen or obstructed
from view, the result is confusion, frustration, and condemnation. Mixing Old
Covenant truth with New Covenant truth creates a mixture of human effort
plus Jesus effort, which produces nothing. Trying to improve upon the work
that Jesus has already finished is an exercise in futility. What, exactly, can
you do to improve your relationship with God? Can you become more
righteous by studying the Bible? The answer is no! You were made perfect
through Jesus finished work.

14 For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and

perfected those who are consecrated and made holy. (Hebrews 10) AMP

Furthermore, you’re not being made holy—you are holy.

 10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy
(consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of
the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One). (Hebrews 10) AMP

If you are in a process of being made holy, then the focus is on you and
where you are falling short and trying to improve. When the focus is on
behavior, then you are on a treadmill, constantly trying to improve upon what
Jesus has already done. Grace does not make you holy; grace has made you
holy. Grace is what God has done through Jesus finished work through the
atonement.43 Grace is not what God is doing; His work is finished.44 Believe
the gospel, and rest in Jesus finished work. Your born-again spirit is one new
spirit with Jesus. In fact, God says through John in his first letter: “as He is
[that’s Jesus] so are we in this world.”45 Your born-again spirit is identical to
Jesus Spirit right now.

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (1 Corinthians 6)

KJV

One in the Greek text is heis, meaning “one and the same.” The word is also
used in Ephesians 4, which says, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” God is
three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—yet He is one God. Father is
God, Son is God, and Holy Spirit is God. Your born-again spirit is the same
as Jesus Spirit; you cannot separate one from the other. Your born-again
spirit is who you are, and this is whom God has relationship with because
God is a Spirit.46 He can have relationship with you because you have been
created according to God in righteousness that is Jesus righteousness and true
holiness.47 God did it all—He made you righteous, and He made you holy. If
there is true holiness, which is God’s way and His work, then the opposite
must be false holiness,48 which is your way and your work.

“You are not righteous through doing right; you do right because
you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”

Right living is important, and you should live right because to live a sinful
life is contrary to your new-creation nature. Your old nature is gone. You
have a new nature in your spirit, and it’s the nature of God. When your mind
is renewed to the gospel, to Jesus and His finished work, your life—that is,
your behavior—will change. Trying to change behavior through your own
efforts doesn’t work; Paul told the church in Corinth that the strength of sin is
the law49 (self-effort). If you’ve got a problem, trying to fix it through your
own strength will make things worse. The law strengthens sin in its battle
against you by condemning you for your faults and failures. At first, this may
seem foreign, perhaps too easy, but it’s true: Right believing leads to right
behavior. You are not righteous through doing right; you do right because
you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

9 He has distributed freely [he has given to the poor and needy]; his
righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) endures
forever; his horn shall be exalted in honor. (Psalm 112) AMP

The church in Corinth had many problems, yet Paul’s response was not
balanced; it was completely unbalanced. He preached the gospel of grace,
which is unbalanced—and it’s in favor of you.

REMOVING THE VEIL

Why mix the Old Covenant Law with New Covenant grace? Take the crude
example of computer software. Even someone who has very little
understanding of information technology would know that when version 5 is
downloaded, version 4 is obsolete.50 How much more important is your
relationship with God? This is a matter of life and death! The answer lies in
the veil. The only reason that believers today mix law and grace is unbelief—
unbelief in Jesus and His finished work.

15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. (2
Corinthians 3) NKJV

Do you want the veil removed so that you can enjoy the freedom and liberty
that Christ died to give you, so that you might experience the unconditional
love and acceptance of your Loving Father God? Do you want to walk in the
fullness of your inheritance in Christ and to live a life of victory, meaning,
contentment, and fulfillment? Do you want to make a difference in your
generation, be a person of influence moving forward in the divine destiny that
God has called you to?

16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty. (2 Corinthians 3) NKJV

Friend, the only reason that you have God’s abiding Presence living in you is
because of the Lord Jesus and His finished work. It’s the revelation of grace!
Turn to the Lord, agree with Him, and allow the revelation of His love for
you remove the unbelief that has robbed you of victory, joy, fulfillment, the
miraculous, fruitful relationships, and rest, so that you can see the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Wherever you are right now, I want you to stand up and turn around 360
degrees as a prophetic declaration of this word for you. Now thank Him for
the revelation of grace that has removed the veil. Thank you, Lord! Thank
you, Jesus! Selah.

Friend, do you desire to see the glory of God manifest in your life, in your
family’s life, in your workplace, school, community, city, nation, and
church? Do you want to see the dead raised to life and cancer disappear from
people’s bodies, blind eyes see, deaf ears hear, the crippled walking, and the
mentally ill restored to wholeness? Then the veil must be removed, the veil of
unbelief that comes from an Old Covenant mind-set that mixes law with
grace. When the glory of God that shines in the face of Jesus Christ shines on
your face, the veil reduces the glory of God that you reflect. When the veil is
removed, what is reflected is the glory of God, and then “on earth as it is in
heaven” becomes reality. Then the promise of Jesus to the church becomes a
reality as we do the works that He did, and even greater works, because He
has gone to the Father so that His Spirit could come and abide in believers
forever!

18 But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that
brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord
works within us, we become more and more like him. (2 Corinthians 3)
TLB

TRANSFORMATION

18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by
the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3) KJV

When you gaze upon the wonderful Lord Jesus in all His majesty and glory
and the perfection of His finished work, you are changed. Now, what
changes? It’s not your spirit; your born-again spirit is perfect. It’s your mind
that changes, which is the essence of repentance. Glory in the Greek text is
doxa, meaning “view or opinion.” Therefore, glory in the context of a
believer is the honor resulting from a good opinion. Although it is true that
God has said that He will not give His glory to another,51 a believer is not
another but His child. God’s view and opinion of you is exactly the same as
His view and opinion of Jesus. In John chapter 17, Jesus is praying in the
garden before His passion, and this is what He says: “Father the glory you
have given me I have given them.”52 Jesus has qualified you to receive the
unmerited favor of God through His finished work at the cross. God’s view
and opinion of you is perfect; that’s why He calls you His son or daughter.
The Bible teaches that when we agree with God with our whole heart that His
life is released.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own
understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct
your paths. (Proverb 3) NKJV
When your mind is renewed through revelation knowledge to the truth of the
gospel, then God’s life is freely expressed in and through you. Your born-
again spirit doesn’t need any convincing; you have the mind of Christ, and
you have an anointing from the Holy One and know all things. When your
mind agrees with your spirit, there is effortless change. As you think in your
heart, that’s the way you are going to be.53 As it is written, the just shall live
by faith. Your spirit is redeemed; your body and soul are purchased but not
yet redeemed. God needs a soul to interact with the world, and He needs a
body to operate in the world. We cooperate with God when we live life
according to our true identity in Christ by the spirit, because the sons and
daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God. In some way, God has limited
Himself in the way that He operates in the world. The church is effectively
the vehicle through which God releases that which He has already provided
by grace. God has provided for all your needs, and it’s in your spirit.

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that

we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3)
NKJV

Jesus explained this, saying that when you need something, don’t run after it
like the world does; instead, “seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

The Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). Your born-again spirit is
who you are—the righteousness of God in Christ. You have every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, and it’s not out there somewhere—
it’s in your born-again spirit. Believe the gospel and see supernatural
provision released. You’ve got it! This is a powerful truth, particularly in
your prayer life. Perhaps you’ve heard the exhortation to “believe that you
have it,” and you imagine that you have the very thing you’re praying for.
Consider this in light of what the Lord Jesus says:

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye

pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11)
 KJV

To imagine is just your imagination. What we need to see is the Lord Jesus
and His finished work. Grace has provided for all your needs, and that is
reality. The focus is not on what you desire; the focus is on Jesus, and faith
appropriates from your spirit the desires of your heart. God puts desires in
our hearts and these desires become our desires. Do you see the manifestation
of what you desire? It’s not that we don’t pray, the problem is what we
believe determines our prayer. Perhaps your prayers go something like this,
“God, please give me this and that”. This is the problem, the moment you
were born-again you received every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms
in Christ. And God, through Jesus Christ has freely given you all things.
Jesus said, “believe that you receive them”, Paul said the same thing.

6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the

acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
(Philemon) NKJV

Is it possible to comprehend “every good thing” in light of the infiniteness of

God? You are in Christ the righteousness of God, that’s your position,
qualified to receive every good thing.

Beholding the Lord Jesus and having your mind renewed through revelation
knowledge transforms your life. Your born-again spirit, which is the real you,
is perfect and complete; it does not mature and get better with time. However,
your mind needs to change, which is what it means to “repent” to change
your mind. Therefore, your understanding of Jesus and what He has done and
who you have become in Him is a journey. Believe right, and you will live
right. Right living is the fruit, and righteousness (Christ’s righteousness
received as a gift and being made the righteousness of God in Him) is the
root. Believe the gospel, and receive from Him. Let God be God; He wants to
give. In fact, He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His people.54 As we learn
to receive His unmerited favor by resting in who we are—the righteousness
of God in Him through His finished work—loving others becomes a joy.
Jesus said that when we love others, we are loving Him,55 and that “he who is
forgiven much loves much.”56 We’ve been forgiven of all our sins, and God
is not holding anything against us. The revelation of grace causes us to love
Him not so that He will love us. We love Him because He first loved us.
That’s the gospel: God loves you. Under the Old Covenant, you had to love
God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.57 This was the way that
God commanded man to relate to Him in order to be accepted; it was on the
basis of man’s obedience.

25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all

these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded
us. (Deuteronomy 6)

No man ever has or ever will be able to fulfill this command, except for one
man: the God Man Jesus. He fulfilled the law on our behalf, and now we are
in Him qualified to receive God’s unmerited favor.

Failure to divide the Old Covenant from the New Covenant is destructive. It
dishonors Jesus and His finished work. At the very heart of this conundrum—
that is, mixing Old Covenant law with New Covenant grace—is the belief
that what Jesus has done is not enough. It is enough—more than enough.
Mixing law and grace creates misunderstanding, and in the process, God is
misrepresented. We are all on a journey, and no one knows it all, but unless
we get the gospel—the gospel that Paul preached, the gospel of grace—and
are established in righteousness, Christ’s righteousness received as a gift,
then there is really nothing to be said. The author of Hebrews emphasizes this
very point:

13 For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously

inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of
conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a
mere infant [not able to talk yet]! (Hebrews 5) AMP

You’ve been made the “righteousness of God in Christ” through Jesus blood.
Amen. The blood of Jesus is His death through the cross that makes you right
with God, and that means all of your sins have been forgiven (past tense).
 CHAPTER 2
Sin Conscious

[H]aving our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience…

(HEBREWS 10:22)

TRYING TO RELATE TO GOD on the basis of your efforts plus Jesus will hurt
you. In fact, the harder you try, the worse it becomes. It’s impossible not to
sin and do what’s right all the time. You just end up living under
condemnation in a perpetual cycle of failure and defeat. As a believer, you
should be grace conscious. Yet, sadly, many believers today are more
conscious of their own sins and the sins of others instead of Jesus, the “Lamb
of God who has taken away the sins of the world.”1 The writer of Hebrews
puts it this way:

1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very
image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered
year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then
would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshipers
once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those
sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it
is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away
sins. (Hebrews 10) KJV

Only the gospel has the power to take away the consciousness of sins. Jesus
did this by shedding His blood on the cross. In doing this, believers are made
right with God and granted redemption, which is the forgiveness of sins.
Furthermore, your sinful nature was nailed to the cross with Jesus.2 Knowing
this enables you to reign in life. Sin no longer has dominion over you because
you are no longer under law but under grace.3 Now believers have confidence
and boldness in His Presence.

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with
pure water. (Hebrews 10:22) KJV

An evil conscience is one that is conscious of sin. The following mind-set

perfectly illustrates this predicament: “Don’t sin, and do what’s right.” That
is an Old Covenant mentality. There was a time when God did count men’s
sins against them. In Exodus 20, God says that He remembers men’s sins to
the third and fourth generations. Thank God for the New Covenant, which
says, “Our sins and lawless deeds He remembers no more” (Hebrews 8:12).
Take the example of a man who owes a debt he cannot pay. In his mind, he is
conscious of the debt, and in his conscience, he feels guilty. What’s more, he
is afraid of the person he owes money to. Then one day a friend goes to the
creditor and pays the debt. Let’s say the debt is $100, and the friend instead
pays $1,000—he makes an overpayment. If the man who owed the money
doesn’t know that the debt has already been paid, he will continue to live
with a guilty conscience, forever conscious of the debt. Sadly, many believers
today are in this situation. They lack the confidence and assurance that Jesus
finished work has made them accepted in the beloved. Intimacy and trust are
so important in our relationship with Jesus, especially when we fail. This is
when we need Him the most because He is the answer to all of our problems.
If you don’t draw near, then you are at a standoff—or, worse, like Adam, you
try to hide. What is perhaps worse than that is pretense—pretending that
everything is OK when you are falling apart inside.

“Grace changes your confession, especially when you sin, because

you are forever the righteousness of God in Christ.”
An evil conscience is conscious of the sinful nature and its rule in a person’s
life. It teaches the mind, shapes and forms the core values of a person’s belief
system, and influences decision making and behavior. Jesus finished work
through the cross ends sin’s dominion. In most of the New Testament,
references to sin are not in terms of action that would classify use of the term
sin as a verb but instead the sinful nature, or use of sin as a noun. In the
original language, sinful nature is referred to as hamartía. Knowing that your
sinful nature is gone and you now have the nature of God makes you grace
conscious, and when grace has dominion over you, what is produced is life—
God’s life. When grace has dominion in your life, even when you sin, you
know that you are forgiven. However, that doesn’t give you a license to sin.
The revelation of grace makes you conscious that it’s no longer your nature
to sin. Grace makes you grateful, and knowing that all your sins are forgiven
causes you to love Jesus. Grace changes your confession, especially when
you sin, because you are forever the righteousness of God in Christ. When
you believe right through the gospel, it will also cause you to live right,
especially in your relationship with God.

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)

Consider “serving the Lord” in the context of worship. If you’re conscious of

sin, it’s impossible to worship the Lord because there is neither rest nor
peace. Only the revelation of grace gives believers peace with God4 that
manifests the peace we have from God5 that produces rest.6 And when you
rest, God works, bringing healing, deliverance, and cleansing7 from sin’s
defilement.

Now consider Psalm 51 in the light of the New Covenant. This Psalm
underscores King David’s moral failure and highlights his response to God
under the Law of Moses. There’s no doubt that David is a broken man, but
listen to the words of his confession:
 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
(KJV)

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite

heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (KJV)

Thank you, Jesus, for the blood of the New Covenant shed for the forgiveness
of sins. Your sinful nature is no longer before you, and your sins and lawless
deeds God remembers no more. Instead you are a brand-new person on the
inside, with the nature of God, and your born-again spirit is the same as Jesus
Spirit, now and forever. What is of paramount importance is to understand
that the new person that you have become, which is your born-again spirit,
cannot and does not sin.

9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in
him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. (1 John 3)
NKJV

This is why God can say, “You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”
Knowing this will produce confidence and assurance in your relationship
with Jesus. When you sin, feeling remorseful does not move God at all
because all your sins were forgiven through the shedding of Jesus blood on
the cross. Under the Old Covenant, repenting of your sins with sackcloth and
ashes demonstrated to God that you were indeed sorry when you fell short
because He required contrition. This kind of attitude is of no effect today
under the New Covenant—it’s a “dead work.” Esau demonstrated this
attitude after he sold his birthright. Word to the wise: God is not going to
change His mind; all your sins were forgiven at the cross.

16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one
morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward,
when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he
found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
(Hebrews 12) KJV
This kind of attitude is really self-righteousness, and it doesn’t glorify Jesus
at all. The ultimate expression of remorse for sin is found in Judas Iscariot:

3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was
remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief
priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent
blood.” (Matthew 27) NKJV

Instead of looking to Jesus for forgiveness in the ultimate act of self-

righteousness, he tries to atone for his own sins through hanging himself.
Under the law, contrition, remorse, repenting of sin, confession of sin, and
animal sacrifices were required in order to be right with God. Today, under
the New Covenant, we are made the righteousness of God in Christ through
the shedding of His blood on the cross. Under the law, you served God in
order to have right standing with Him. Today, we serve God because we are
righteous not through our own efforts but through the perfect work of Jesus.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “So I shouldn’t feel bad when I make a mistake?” A
born-again believer is not going to feel good when they sin. This is because
sin is contrary to the new-creation nature. What is important is to maintain
your confession of faith. You are unconditionally loved and accepted by God,
completely forgiven of all your sins, and you are the righteousness of God in
Christ. Consciousness of sin will only make you feel guilty, resulting in
condemnation that will crush you, perpetuating the cycle of failure and
defeat.

In Psalm 51, David says:

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering,

and steadfast spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from Your presence
and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your
salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. (AMP)

What is David talking about? And to whom is he speaking? He is talking

about the relationship he desired to have with God. And he is talking
(prophesying) about the relationship that believers under the New Covenant
would have with God.

6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God
imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose
lawless deeds are forgiven. And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is
the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” (Romans 4) NKJV

Believers today are too blessed to be stressed about sin. Perhaps you’re
thinking, “isn’t this turning the grace of God into lasciviousness?”8 If you
read the entire verse 4 of Jude, you will see that “turning the grace of God
into lasciviousness” is denying the Lord Jesus and His finished work that
delivers man from sin’s dominion, which takes away the consciousness of
sin. The Lord Jesus and His finished work is the blessing that believers have
received. It makes no sense at all to be mindful of anything other than Jesus
when you fail. What is the alternative? Now, it’s not always easy to be
conscious of grace in the midst of failure because sin hurts you. That’s why
it’s called “the sacrifice of praise to God.” The context of Hebrews 13, verse
15 is Jesus finished work, and when you’re conscious of grace, you are never
left the same.

IS GOD CONSCIOUS OF SIN?

Just because you as a believer are conscious of sin does not mean that God is.
God is not conscious of your sin because He sees you in Christ the
righteousness of God. When God said, “your sins and lawless deeds I
remember no more,” He meant exactly that. He is not conscious of your sin
because “He has been merciful to our unrighteousness” by making believers
the righteousness of God in Christ through Jesus finished work. Until
believers settle once and for all the question of sin and judgment, there will
always be condemnation and the fear of God’s punishment for sin. Could it
be any clearer than this?
 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5) NKJV

Under the Old Covenant, God was conscious of sin, He was angry with sin,
He judged sin, He punished sin, and He killed people when they sinned.
When the children of Israel broke the Ten Commandments by making a
golden calf as a graven image, God killed three thousand people. This was
relationship with God under the Old Covenant. Under the New Covenant, He
is not conscious of your sin because He is conscious of Jesus finished work
He is conscious of grace! God sees you when you sin but you are not in sin
you are in Christ and thus the righteousness of God. He will not judge you or
punish you for any sin you ever commit. His wrath was poured out on Jesus;
His judgment and punishment fell on the Lord. The revelation that you are
the righteousness of God in Christ is the empowerment of God that will
enable you to overcome sin.

34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the
knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15)
NKJV

The disciples saw Jesus as a man; they could not see His divinity that was
concealed within His humanity. Following His finished work at the cross,
they no longer regarded Him according to the flesh but the spirit.

16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.

Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we
know Him thus no longer. (2 Corinthians 5) NKJV

We should not regard our brethren according to the flesh either; we should
see them as God sees them: the righteousness of God in Christ. Instead of
judging one another when we fail, we should preach the gospel. We need to
tell our struggling brothers and sisters who they are in Christ, not what they
are doing wrong. The law kills, but the spirit brings life. We have this
treasure in earthen vessels. The vessel is not perfect, nor will it become
perfect this side of eternity. We make mistakes, but the good news remains.

20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where
sin abounded, grace abounded much more. (Romans 5) NKJV

THE NEW COVENANT

What happens when you sin—how does God relate to you? To answer this
question, let’s use the New Covenant as a foundation. Isaiah spoke of the
New Covenant extensively. Consider two verses from chapter 54:

9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That
the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. 10 For the
mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall
not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you. (NKJV)

The entire Bible from beginning to end is a revelation of the Lord Jesus. In
the Old Testament, He’s concealed. In the New Testament, He’s revealed.
Isaiah 53 and 54 reveal the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor through
Jesus Christ and the finished work of His cross. God swears by an oath—that
is, God makes a deal with Himself—that He will never be angry with you nor
rebuke you, His kindness shall not depart from you, and His covenant of
peace (New Covenant) is with you forever. Just consider this truth for a
moment: Is this your Jesus? I hope so, because this is the Jesus revealed in
the gospel. Let’s suppose you believe that when you sin, your fellowship with
God is broken, and you need to confess your sin to get right with Him in
order to restore fellowship. Forget about the teaching for a moment. Who is
the teacher? In truth, most human relationships operate on a performance
basis. James highlights this in chapter 5 of his letter when he says, “confess
your faults to one another.” When you do or say the wrong thing, it’s
important to apologize; apart from good manners this is often the precursor to
restoring fellowship between people. “I’m sorry” is a powerful form of
restorative grace. Now consider the exchange between God and Adam after
he transgressed the law in the garden:

9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid
because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you
that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I
commanded you that you should not eat?” (Genesis 3) NKJV

Adam broke the law, and he knew that God had something against him. He
got exactly what he wanted—the knowledge of what is good and what is evil.
He got the law “do good, get good; do bad, get bad,” or “don’t sin and do
what’s right,” and in doing so he lost his right standing with God; he was
naked. Now consider again, in the light of the New Covenant, the belief that
you lose fellowship with God when you sin. When you sin, you might say, “I
hid because I was naked and afraid,” but God would say, “Who told you that
you were naked?”9 Who told you that when you sin, you’re not right with
God, and fellowship is broken? Who is your teacher; who taught you this?
Did Jesus really say, “You’ve sinned. Fellowship with Me is broken. Confess
that sin to get right with Me, and fellowship will be restored”? Yes He did!
Hence the confusion and condemnation so many Christians experience today.
Take for example Jesus teaching on forgiveness in Mark 11.

25 “ And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against

anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you
your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in
heaven forgive your trespasses.” (NKJV)

At first glance it would appear that Jesus taught that sin affects your
relationship with God and under the Old Covenant it did. Jesus taught from
the law where God’s forgiveness was conditional upon the believer’s
forgiveness of wrongdoing. The reason is obvious He had not yet gone to the
cross, thus, the Old Covenant was still in force.
 27 Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the
temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. 28
And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things?
And who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 But Jesus
answered and said to them, “ I also will ask you one question; then
answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 30
The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”
31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From
heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him? ‘ 32 But if we
say, “From men’”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have
been a prophet indeed. 33 So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do
not know.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell
you by what authority I do these things.” (Mark 11) NKJV

The Pharisees questioned Jesus authority, so Jesus answered their question

with a question regarding John’s baptism.

4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of

repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and
those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in
the Jordan River, confessing their sins. (Mark 1) NKJV

John had authority from God just as Jesus (who is God) had authority from
the Father. Clearly the inference here is to the Old Covenant where
righteousness is demanded from the believer. Believers under the New
Covenant are baptised into Christ through Jesus death.10 Can you see the
difference? Under the Old Covenant righteousness is based on the believers
obedience, under the New Covenant righteousness is based on Jesus
obedience through His death on the cross. After the cross we live under the
New Covenant where God no longer counts our sins against us because they
have been forgiven through Jesus death.

The purpose of the law is to lead us to Christ, who is the end of the law for
righteousness for all who believe.
 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that
we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no
longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by
faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3) KJV

Just imagine that someone sins against you and hurts and offends you. You
could apply the law by judging the person that wronged you, condemning
them and punish them by withdrawing from the relationship. You could
confront the person and seek to get them to see that they are wrong and you
are right in the hope that they will say sorry. Sadly for many people this is the
default setting for conflict. Two words describe this approach, “sin
conscious”, which is the hallmark of an Old Covenant mindset. You could
also try to forgive the offender by praying something like this, “Lord Jesus, I
forgive this person”, which is just self righteousness. You can’t forgive
anyone’s sins only God can and has forgiven all sins. The only way to be free
from sins defilement is the revelation of grace, its being absolutely convinced
without a shadow of doubt that the Lord Jesus shed His blood and died to
forgive the sin that has hurt you. And the reason is this, “in mercy (grace in
Hebrew) and truth atonement is provided for iniquity, and by the fear of the
Lord one departs from evil”.11 The Old Covenant approach to life doesn’t
work in fact it makes things worse. Its purpose is to make you sin conscious
and condemn you. And when you come to the end of yourself, lead you to
grace, the Lord Jesus and His finished work.12

Now consider the Lord Jesus word to His disciples following His
resurrection. In the John chapter 20 He says:

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain
the sins of any, they are retained.” (NKJV)

This is in effect the apostles commissioning. In the preceding four verses the
Lord Jesus appears to His disciples, reveals His finished work (behold my
hands and side) they believe and immediately they receive the Holy Spirit
and are born again. Then He sends them out to preach the gospel, the New
Covenant of Gods unmerited favor. The task set before them was to reveal
the Lord Jesus who was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin, so that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him.13 The moment you believe
in Jesus through His sacrifice at Calvary, all your sins were transferred to
Him and His righteousness was transferred to you. Through His sacrifice you
become the righteousness of God in Him. This is the message the Lord Jesus
has commissioned every believer to proclaim—the grace of God toward you.
Sin does not separate man from God, for all are dead through first Adams sin.
By rejecting the grace of God which is found in the gospel man retains his
position in first Adam, spiritually dead and separated from Him. The cross
changes everything, hence the absolute imperative of rightly dividing the
word of truth.14

ETERNAL RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD

In the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed, and His name is Jesus.
Jesus is the believer’s righteousness, and the Bible paints a most glorious
picture of the bride of Christ, His beloved church, in the Revelation of Jesus
Christ when it says:

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (Revelation
19) KJV

Who told you that you lose right standing with God when you sin? Your right
standing with God is a permanent right standing by faith; from first to last,
you are clothed in His righteousness the moment you believe the gospel and
are born again. Daniel gives a truly momentous insight into the gospel when
God inspires him to write the following words:

24 Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy
city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make
reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal
up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. (Daniel 9) NKJV
Here is the gospel Jesus mission laid out for all to see: God made Jesus, who
knew no sin, to be sin for you so that you might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. It is the divine exchange in which Jesus takes your sin and gives
you His righteousness as a gift. We are all, by nature, children of wrath
(Ephesians 2:3). Praise God! Thank you, Jesus! He has removed our sinful
nature to bring an end to sin by nailing it to His cross so that we might
become partakers of the divine nature. He made you a brand new person, a
born-again spirit, created according to God in righteousness and true
holiness. You are righteous in Christ (eternally righteous, which means
forever) and holy—that’s your true identity. You have received the gift of
eternal life, for the Father has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts,
crying “Abba, Father!” He who has the Son has life, and eternal life is
relationship with God!

3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17) NKJV

What can separate us from the love of God we have found in Christ Jesus?
The Greek term for fellowship is koinonia; this is also the Greek word for
communion. Communion means participation in what is derived from the
Holy Spirit.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians
13) NKJV

It is sharing in the resurrection life possessed in Christ,15 and so of fellowship

with the Father and the Son.16 Communion therefore is the divine union that
believers have with Jesus, which is the essence of relationship with God.17 If
you say fellowship is broken when you sin, then you’ve blown your
relationship as well. That is not the gospel that Paul preached. He proclaimed
that nothing can separate us from the love of God that we have in Christ
Jesus.18 The writer of Hebrews echoes Paul’s message the gospel:
 5 for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give
you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will]
not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down
(relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews 13) AMP

Come on, now—could it be any clearer than this? You might fail, but God
will not in any way fail you. He’s for you, not against you, so who can bring
a charge against you? Every charge was leveled against Jesus; the penalty has
been paid. Because Jesus rose from the dead and is alive, you can have
confidence and assurance that all is forgiven. Stand fast, therefore, in the
liberty wherein Christ Jesus has made you free, and do not return again to the
yoke of bondage (the Old Covenant, the law). It’s easy to slip back into the
bondage of self-righteousness, trying to make yourself acceptable to God.
That’s why you—the church—need the gospel. Your right standing with
God, your righteousness, is forever, and it’s sin-proof. You can’t lose it even
when you blow it because Jesus has secured for us eternal redemption.

12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He
entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption. (Hebrews 9) NKJV

Through Jesus finished work of His cross, we have redemption, which is the
forgiveness of sins.

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of

sins, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1) NKJV

Eternal righteousness, eternal redemption, and eternal life—wow, that’s good

news! Thank you, Lord Jesus!

NEW CREATION
In chapter 5 of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he says that we are a
complete person—spirit, soul, and body:
 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and
may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5) NKJV

When you are born again, you become a new person in Christ. To be in
Christ is to have Christ in you; it’s the new birth and being made one spirit
with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17).

13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has

given us of His Spirit. (1 John 4) NKJV

When you were born again, what became “new”? Did your body change? No.
Did your mind change? Yes, your attitude toward God changed. However,
most of what you believe, your attitudes, and your memories are the same.
Did your emotions change? Fundamentally, they are the same too. So what
changed? Clearly, it is your spirit that changed. Your spirit is redeemed; your
soul and body are purchased but not yet redeemed. One-third of your
salvation is complete.

28 Even so it is that Christ, having been offered to take upon Himself

and bear as a burden the sins of many once and once for all, will appear
a second time, not to carry any burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to
bring to full salvation those who are [eagerly, constantly, and patiently]
waiting for and expecting Him. (Hebrews 9) AMP

As you move forward in your journey with Jesus, revelation knowledge

renews your mind. Your emotions are harnessed to become a blessing, and
you make wise choices that result in right living. It’s an inward
transformation empowered by grace. Because you have the Spirit of Jesus in
you, you possess divine health. Paul told Timothy that physical exercise is of
some value,19 but what is of great value is knowledge of the Lord Jesus and
His finished work that has qualified you to receive unmerited favor—divine
health and wholeness for your soul and body.
When Jesus returns, you will receive the final two-thirds of your salvation—
the redemption of your soul and body—and what a glorious day that will be.
Do Christians sin? Yes. Does that make you a sinner? No. Your mind might
be capable of conjuring up strange thoughts, and you may display some
unusual behavior, but you are not defined by that; that’s not who you are.
You are a brand-new person in Christ, and your born-again spirit is the same
as Jesus Spirit, now and forever (1 John 4:17). This is who you are: You have
the nature of God in your spirit,20 you have the mind of Christ,21 you have an
anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.22 Your spirit is who
you are; it is the spirit whom God has relationship (koinonia) with, and the
spirit cannot and does not sin.

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth
in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3) KJV

Even when you sin in your mind and your actions, it does not affect your
born-again spirit because you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.
All the goodness of God is sealed in, and no sin can contaminate it. What an
amazing God! Thank you, Jesus, for your grace is enough more than enough.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. (Ephesians 1) KJV

In the Greek text, the word seed is spérma. Jesus referred to the seed as the
word, and Jesus is the word made flesh. By an act of grace, the Father has put
believers in Christ—an eternal position. When you have Jesus, you have
eternal life, which means there is no possibility of removal or extinction. This
is good news—believers are forever united to the Lord Jesus through divine
union. Now we can participate and share His life. Jesus says:

5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in
him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15)
NKJV
The branch does not produce fruit; it rests in the vine, and the life that is
contained therein produces the fruit. You are the branch and enjoy eternal
union with Jesus through believing the gospel.

10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus

Christ, who hath abolished—death, and hath brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1) KJV

You are the righteousness of God in Christ, and it’s a permanent right
standing, irrespective of your performance in life. You can’t add to it, and
you can’t take away from it. The revelation of Jesus Christ is that He is our
righteousness—this is the gospel; it’s the power of God to salvation. Religion
places conditions. It puts demands on you that are unnecessary and that you
are unable to perform. The gospel of grace supplies everything; believe it,
and receive the unmerited favor of God. There are no conditions to fulfill;
only believe that Jesus is Lord and that He has been merciful to your
unrighteousness, and your sins and lawless deeds He remembers no more.
Amen.
 CHAPTER 3
Conviction of Sin

And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin.

(JOHN 16:8)

MILES COVERDALE TRANSLATED THE FIRST English Bible. If you want to

understand the Bible, here is his advice:1 “It shall greatly help you to
understand scripture, if you mark not only what is spoken or written, but of
whom, and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent,
with what circumstance, considering what goes before, and what follows
after.” In other words, he is saying that scripture must be understood in its
context. It must also be interpreted through the lens of the New Covenant
because the cross changes everything. Jesus said to His disciples, “this is the
blood of the New Covenant shed for the forgiveness of sins.” The New
Covenant makes the Old Covenant obsolete. So what happens when you sin?
Does God, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ convict you when you sin?
Jesus addresses this in chapter 16 of John’s gospel:

8 And when He comes, He will convict and convince the world and
bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness
of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment. AMP

In Isaiah chapter 54, verses 9 and 10, God has sworn by an oath that He will
never be angry with you nor rebuke you, His kindness shall not depart from
you, and His covenant of peace (New Covenant) is with you forever. Under
the Old Covenant, the picture was very different.

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded
them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and
have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which
have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9 And the Lord said unto
Moses, I have seen—this people, and, behold, it is a stiff necked people:
10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against
them, and that I may consume them: and I will make—of thee a great
nation. (Exodus 32) KJV

After the Old Covenant was established and the law given to Moses Israel
immediately broke the First Commandment. You can only convict someone
if you have something against them, and God did—and He was angry. His
wrath was against them to the point that He was willing to obliterate every
one of them. The first Pentecost following the Passover in Egypt took place
after the Law was given to Israel, and three thousand people died.

28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and
there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. (Exodus 32)
KJV

Contrast this with the first Pentecost following the establishment of the New
Covenant, where three thousand people received eternal life:

41 Then they that gladly received—his word were baptized: and the
same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (Acts
2) KJV

Continuing now from Exodus chapter 32, we have convict, anger, and
rebuke. In Hebrew, the word for rebuke is gā’ar. Rebuke speaks of
punishment or divine retribution against those who rebel against Him. Let me
ask you, friend, does God have anything against you? The answer is no, He
does not, because God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not
imputing believers’ trespasses to them (2 Corinthians 5:19). What, then, is
the difference between a believer and a nonbeliever? The former has believed
the gospel and been born again. So let’s use Miles Coverdale’s advice in
order to understand the scriptures. In John chapter 16, verse 8, Jesus says that
the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin. To whom is the scripture
written? To believers or unbelievers? To answer this question, you must find
out who “the world” is. Let the Bible interpret the Bible. Jesus provides the
answer in the previous chapter 15, verses 18 and 19:

18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated
you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet
because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hates you. (NKJV)

Jesus said that believers are “not of the world”; therefore, “the world” refers
to those who are unbelievers. The Holy Spirit does not convict believers of
sin because God is not counting any sin against them because of Jesus
finished work. Again, let me ask the question, “What is the difference
between believers and nonbelievers?” The answer is that the former believed
the gospel. What, then, is the sin that God is counting against unbelievers?

9 Of sin,—because they believe not on me. (John 16) KJV

Although it is true that because of Jesus finished work God is not counting
men’s sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19), there is one sin that God has
against unbelievers, and that is the sin of unbelief, which is not believing in
Jesus. John describes this in chapter 5 of his first letter when he says:

16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death,
he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not
leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he
should pray about that. (1 John 5) NKJV

Jesus also revealed this:

 28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men,
and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal
condemnation”—30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
(Mark 3) NKJV

In using Miles Coverdale’s advice in order to understand what Jesus was

saying, we must ask the question, “To whom was the Lord speaking?” Who
was it who said, “He has a demon”? Verse 22 makes it clear that he was
talking to the scribes who came down from Jerusalem—the religious leaders
who rejected Jesus and who did not believe He was Messiah. There is one sin
that leads to death. It is the sin of unbelief, which is rejecting Jesus as Lord
and Christ. It is denying that Jesus, through His finished work, is the only
way that man can be saved. It’s rejecting the gospel, the good news of God’s
unmerited favor through the New Covenant. How, then, does God, the Holy
Spirit, convict or convince the world of sin? The answer is the gospel of
grace, the first-century gospel that Paul preached, and here it is in Acts
chapter 20:

21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and

faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (NKJV)

Repentance, this beautiful word that should characterize our relationship with
God, is often maligned and presented as something that you must do. Often,
repentance is linked with sin. Phrases such as “repent of your sin” are used to
describe some condition to be fulfilled. Often, repentance is linked with
confession, and phrases such as “repent and confess” are often used in the
preaching of the so-called “gospel.” In both cases, the focus is on sin and
yourself, when it should be on God and His grace. This kind of message
emphasizes the unworthiness of the individual instead of the worthiness of
Jesus.

Even popular psychology understands that you don’t make someone feel bad
in order to make that person do good. Why would you lower the gospel to
such a place? It’s not glorifying to God, nor does it testify of Jesus.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it
unto you. (John 16) KJV

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from
the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,
he shall testify of me. (John 15) KJV

A quick study of the original language reveals the spirit of the writer’s
message. Repentance in the Greek text is metanoia, meaning “to change your
mind.” Confession in the Greek text is homologeo, which involves agreeing
with God in His verdict. Following this line, then, would produce a
confession such as the following: “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for taking all of
my sins and making me the righteousness of God in You.” Only the gospel
can cause you to change your mind (metanoia) about God.

People are afraid of God, mistakenly thinking that He’s angry because of the
bad things they do.

21 And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from
Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities…
(Colossians 1) AMP

The enmity than man experiences is in his mind, and it’s not the truth. God is
not angry, and He’s not holding anything against anyone because He
punished Jesus in our stead. God is not angry; He loved the whole world by
sending His Son to die on the cross to reconcile all men to Himself. God has
reconciled the world to Himself; now believe the gospel and be reconciled to
Him—that’s the good news.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the

death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his
 life. (Romans 5) KJV

When the word is proclaimed that is the gospel, it releases spirit and life.
Jesus has become a life-giving Spirit, and the message of grace is the power
of God to salvation. The Holy Spirit continues the ministry of Jesus through
the church.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that
we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. (Ephesians
3) KJV

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, the Person of Power. He’s the same
Power who raised Jesus from the dead, and He dwells in you and is one new
spirit with you. Preaching the gospel, the New Covenant of God’s unmerited
favor, causes people to change their minds about God and put their trust in
Jesus Christ and His finished work. This is how God convicts the world
(unbelievers) of sin. God has given every person freedom of will, and He
does not impinge on that. And although it’s true that it’s God’s will that none
should perish and that all should come to the knowledge of the truth (gospel),
individuals must make their own decisions to believe the gospel. So let’s
preach the message of grace, the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor,
and let the Holy Spirit lead the lost to Jesus.

WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

In John chapter 14, Jesus says,

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,
that he may abide with you forever. (KJV)

In the Greek text, Comforter is Paráklētos, which means “to comfort,

encourage, or exhort.” Here Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as another
Paraclete. Therefore, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one and the
same: God. The term is also used in a legal context to refer to an advisor,
pleader, proxy, or advocate, or someone who comes forward on behalf of and
as the representative of another.

In verse 1 of chapter 2 of John’s first letter, he refers to Jesus as Paráklētos:

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if
any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. (KJV)

There is no doubt that Jesus has represented us before the Father. In fact, it’s
much more than that—on the cross, Jesus became us; “He was made to be sin
for us.” He also fulfilled the law on our behalf through His death on the cross.
Jesus also represented us in the New Covenant that was inaugurated through
the shedding of His blood. Jesus finished work fully satisfies God’s
requirement for righteousness and holiness. Jesus work is finished, and He is
seated at the Father’s right hand.

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down on the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10) KJV

“If you sin, the Holy Spirit seeks to convince you of your true
identity in Christ, the righteousness of God.”

Jesus, as our sin offering, has fully dealt with sin. Now, as our Great High
Priest, He represents us before God as righteous, holy, and perfect, because
that is what believers have become through His finished work. As our Great
High Priest, the Lord Jesus ministers only blessing to believers. On the cross,
Jesus redeemed us from every curse by becoming a curse for us.2 Under the
New Covenant, believers get what Jesus deserves because they are “in
Christ” and therefore the righteousness of God. On the other hand, the Holy
Spirit—the other Paráklētos ministry—is different from Jesus in that He
represents God to man. When you sin, Jesus does not need to plead your case
or remind the Father of His finished work. Instead, God reminds man of Jesus
finished work; He pleads His case with man, and not by conviction of sin.
The Holy Spirit seeks to draw the lost to Jesus with words that comfort and
do not condemn. If you sin, the Holy Spirit seeks to convince you of your
true identity in Christ, the righteousness of God:

10 of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.

(John 16) KJV

Jesus has returned to the Father. Today, the Holy Spirit continues the
ministry of Jesus, who came not to condemn but to save.3 He does not
convict you of sin because God is not counting your sins against you. He
counted them against Jesus once and for all time; it’s finished, and He
remembers them no more. God’s approach to failure and mistakes is very
different to the world that is quick to judge, condemn, and punish. If you
apply the law to sin, it only makes things worse because the strength of sin is
the law. If you could simply tell yourself to stop doing all those wrong things
and you could stop, then you would have no need for Jesus. You could fulfill
the law yourself, but that is impossible because the law was never given to
make man righteous; rather, it was given to show man his need for it. On the
other hand, grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness, taking our failures and
turning them into stepping-stones to spiritual growth and maturity.

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. (Titus
2) KJV
 CHAPTER 4
Repentance

Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

(ACTS 20:21)

THE APOSTLE’S DOCTRINE

WHILE PREACHING IN SOLOMON’S PORTICO, Peter makes the following appeal:

19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,
so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
(Acts 3) NKJV

The thrust of Peter’s message is clear: The gospel brings revival. The gospel
brings dead people to life. Jesus laid down His life so that we who were dead
in trespasses and sin could receive His life and be made alive with Him. The
gospel also delivers people from dead works so they can enjoy the abundant
life that Jesus died to provide. But how? What is the condition that must be
fulfilled? The answer is repent—that is, change your mind. Believe that God
has not just forgiven you of all your sins; rather, He has totally removed sin
from you. Your part under the New Covenant is to believe that all your sins
have been blotted out, and then you will experience revival. Every person
who has ever been born of the flesh is spiritually dead and cut off from God.
When you believe the gospel, the good news of God’s love for you through
Jesus Christ, you are born again and accepted in the beloved. You have
relationship with God, eternal life, the very life of God in you. Repentance is
not something that you do. How, exactly, do you repent of your sin, anyway?
Does it mean to stop doing wrong and start doing right? Is that the condition
that must be fulfilled in order to be “converted” or to somehow “prove” that
you’re serious? If you could stop sinning, then you wouldn’t need Jesus. Or
does it mean to change your mind about sin? If sin has brought you to your
knees, then you’ve probably known for a long time that sin is wrong; in
addition, many people have probably told you the same thing. You don’t
need anyone to tell you—your own conscience will do it. None of these
explanations of repentance make any sense and are at total odds with what
God (through Paul) says repentance is when addressing the church. Acts 20 is
written to the church, and God says repentance is toward Him. It doesn’t say
repentance toward sin or repentance toward self; it says:

21 repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts
20) NKJV

As mentioned, the Greek word for repentance is metánoia, which means “a

change of mind.” Under the New Covenant. repentance means to change your
mind about God. And God says the following in Isaiah 54, under the New
Covenant:

9 So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke
you…10 But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My
covenant of peace be removed. (NKJV)

God is not angry. Under the Old Covenant, He was. Under the New Covenant
He is not because there is nothing to be angry about. He is happy and totally
satisfied because He judged and punished sin in the body of Jesus on the
cross so that we now have peace with Him. Repentance has nothing to do
with sin and judgment; it has everything to do with God’s unmerited favor.
And He’s done everyone an epic favor by reconciling the entire world to
Himself by grace through Jesus Christ. Grace is what Jesus has done through
the finished work of the cross. This is the gospel. If you believe it, your mind
will change toward God, and you will be converted. If you’re a believer
today, times of refreshing in the Presence of the Lord should be a normal part
of your life. If this is missing from your life, perhaps you have forgotten that
all your sins have been blotted out. Consider Peter’s advice on spiritual
growth:

5 And beside this,—giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance
patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in
you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that
lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten
that he was purged from his old sins. (2 Peter 1) KJV

Everything mentioned in verses 6 and 7 is already yours in Christ (in your

born-again spirit). If you are barren or unfruitful, the problem is not sin—it’s
a lack of knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And at the most basic level, it’s
forgetting that all your sins have been forgiven. If the gospel is for “baby
Christians,” then where have the “mature Christians” moved on to? What are
the higher things of God? What could be higher than grace? The law? Falling
from grace is to go back under the law.1 Grace is higher than the law, and
Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross are the high thoughts of God.
So what is higher than the gospel of grace? Let us be reminded of perhaps the
greatest apostle of all time, who said:

24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto
myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry,
which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the
grace of God. (Acts 20) KJV

JESUS TEACHING
Jesus taught what repentance is through the parable of the lost sheep in Luke
15:
 4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one
which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on
his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together
his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have
found my sheep which was lost!” 7 I say to you that likewise there will
be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-
nine just persons who need no repentance. (NKJV)

“God is good; I can trust Him, He will save me.”

The fact that a sheep is lost means that it cannot save itself. In order for the
sheep to be saved, it has to make a decision. It can only do one of two things.
It could reject the man’s offer to save it, or it could accept the man’s offer to
save it. If the sheep allows the man to save it, it’s because the sheep trusts the
man that he is good and will not harm it. If there is any thought of danger to
its life, the sheep will run. The sheep cannot lay itself over the man’s
shoulders, either. All it can do is let the man pick it up and lay it on his
shoulders and take it back to the flock. This is the meaning of repentance
toward God and the meaning of this parable: God is good; I can trust Him,
He will save me. Every day people are saying “yes” to Jesus—can you
imagine the joy in heaven? How awesome is He!

Jesus taught what repentance is through another parable in Luke 15:

20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great
way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his
neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned
against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called
your son.” 22 But the father said to his servants, “Bring out the best
robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his
feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be
merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is
found.” And they began to be merry. (NKJV)
This parable is often called the parable of the prodigal son, but that’s not
what the Bible says. In fact, Jesus says that the story is about a “certain man”
who had two sons, and that man represents God, our loving Father. The
younger son returns home, obviously afraid that his father will be angry and
probably reject him. You can tell that this is what he is thinking from the
confession he has been rehearsing on his journey back home. I’m sure that he
would have liked to have some idea of his father’s feelings toward him, and
he probably could have found out from his older brother. What do you think
the older brother would have said? We know the older brother’s attitude
—“he was angry” because the law “stirs up wrath.”2 The older brother related
to his father like a servant rather than a son. He was under law, trying to earn
acceptance and favor through obedience.

29 But he answered his father, “Look! These many years I have served
you, and I have never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me
[so much as] a [little] kid, that I might revel and feast and be happy and
make merry with my friends.” (Luke 15) AMP

The older brother did not in any way represent his father, and he definitely
did not share his father’s view and opinion, which is unmerited favor.

31 And the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all
that is mine is yours. 32 But it was fitting to make merry, to revel and
feast and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again!
He was lost and is found!” (Luke 15) AMP

“God’s idea of family is that we relate to one another on the basis of

grace and not performance.”

Can you imagine if the younger brother would have met his older brother
before his father? In that case, he would never have returned to his house in
fear of his father’s anger, judgment, and punishment. Well, we know how the
parable ends—the father’s heart toward his son is one of unconditional love
and acceptance. He is immediately restored; there is no “we need to talk”;
there is no “probation period” to see if he’s serious. In fact, the father is in no
way concerned with anything his son has to say; his confession is irrelevant
because the relationship is entirely based on the father’s love toward his son.
Repentance toward God is to change your mind about Him. He’s not angry,
and He will never judge you or punish you for any mistake or failure because
He has already judged and punished Jesus for all your sins. Sin hurts people;
grace heals people and makes them whole. Grace also teaches believers to
say no to ungodliness so that they can live sober, upright, and godly lives in
this present age (Titus 2:12). It’s interesting that the Lord Jesus would choose
the setting for this parable in the context of “family.” And it’s clear from this
parable that God’s idea of family is that we relate to one another on the basis
of grace and not performance.

Paul said in Romans chapter 1 that “it is the kindness of God that leads to
repentance”; notice the order: kindness first, and then repentance. Under the
Old Covenant, the order was completely different. When Israel failed to keep
the law when obedience was the basis of relationship, God allowed nations to
come against Israel. When the people turned back to Him,3 He gave them
victory and blessed them. Lord Jesus gives us eyes to see that the cross has
changed everything. God doesn’t put sickness on people to teach them a
lesson; instead, He put all sickness in the body of Jesus so that we can be
healed. In the same way, God doesn’t make you poor in order to teach you a
lesson. Instead, Jesus became poor so that we could become rich. Life is not
always easy, but let’s not lower the standard of the New Covenant to the level
of our experience. Instead, let’s renew our minds and have our lives
transformed. We live in the natural realm, but there is a superior reality called
the Kingdom, and it’s inside of you. No one would deny the existence of
sickness—that would be crazy. So why would you deny the existence of the
same Power that raised up Jesus from the dead that is inside of you? That
would be ludicrous.

6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life

and peace. (Romans 8) NKJV

Jesus is the kindness of God that leads to repentance, and He demonstrated

this to Peter in Luke chapter 5:

4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into

the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and
said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing;
nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they
had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was
breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come
and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they
began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees,
saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9 For he and
all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they
had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be
afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought
their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. (Luke 5) NKJV

What had Peter done to merit that net-breaking catch of fish? Nothing—it
was grace, the kindness of God, that caused Peter to leave everything and
follow Jesus.

NEW COVENANT
Repentance is a fundamental, ongoing experience, and its import can only be
understood in the light of the New Covenant. Metanoia is a difficult word to
describe in the English language. Here is one interpretation: From “re” you
get the word return. From “pent” you get the word penthouse, which is the
highest place in a building. Taken together, you get “return to the high
place.” In Galatians chapter 5, it says:

4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified

by the law; ye are fallen from grace. (KJV)

Grace is the high place, and to fall from grace is not to sin. Rather, it’s trying
to make yourself acceptable to God through your own effort, which is to be
under the law. Grace is higher than the law, and God Himself proclaims this
through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 55 when He says,

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my
ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your
thoughts. (KJV)

If grace is the high thoughts of God, then what is He talking about? The
answer is Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross. We preach Christ
crucified—foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews—but
for those who believe, it’s the power of God to salvation.

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-
being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we
are healed and made whole. (Isaiah 53) AMP

The context here is the New Covenant, which is sandwiched between

Chapters 53 and 55.

9 For this is like the days of Noah to Me; as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry
with you or rebuke you. 10 For though the mountains should depart and the
hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from
you, nor shall My covenant of peace [New Covenant] and completeness be
removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54 [brackets
mine]) NKJV

Repentance toward God takes on a whole new meaning when it is understood

through the lens of the New Covenant. When you see the kindness of God
toward you, how do you feel? Sad, remorseful? How could something and
Someone so good make you feel bad? The Bible makes it clear that the
Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit (Romans
14:17). When believers said yes to Jesus when Paul preached the gospel, they
rejoiced and glorified (praised and gave thanks for) the Word of God (Acts
13:48).

If the kindness of God leads people to repentance and this “kindness” is

demonstrated through the Lord Jesus and His finished work that delivers man
from sin’s dominion and Satan’s rule, that manifests as love, joy, peace and
rest. That takes away the consciousness of sin and replaces it with the
consciousness of unmerited favor. If this is so, then the most unkind act that
you could do to anyone is to make that person conscious of sin, which
produces condemnation that leads to death.4

To conclude this chapter, consider John’s account of the resurrection of

Jesus. John and Peter went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. The stone
had been rolled away and Jesus was gone. They believed that He was gone
but they didn’t believe He had risen from the dead.

9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again
from the dead. (John 20) NKJV

From the other gospel accounts it’s clear that all the disciples where in sin
(for what is not of faith is sin), by not believing in Jesus resurrection (Mark
16:11, Luke 24:11). The disciples were not yet born-again. They confessed
with their mouth Jesus as Lord but they did not believe in their hearts that He
had been raised from the dead (Romans 10:9). True Biblical repentance can
only be understood in the light of God’s grace and the following text provides
a wonderful example.

19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when
the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the
Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be
with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and
His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So
 Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I
also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them,
and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20) NKJV

When the risen Lord Jesus appeared before His beloved brethren, He didn’t
condemn them for not believing Him; instead He showed them His hands and
side. The revelation of His finished work caused them to repent. They
changed their minds and where born again.
 CHAPTER 5
Confession

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

(1 JOHN 1:9)

MIXING LAW AND GRACE PRODUCES a sin orientation, and this creates
misunderstanding and confusion. This is especially true when it comes to
confession, and even more so if it is linked with repentance. In the Greek
text, confession is homologéō, which means “to agree, confess, say the
same”—to agree with God. When you agree with God, He empowers you;
when you agree with a lie, you empower the enemy who devours.

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all
trespasses. (Colossians 2:13) NKJV

The good news is that all your sins were forgiven through the shedding of
Jesus blood on the cross.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He
who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10) NKJV

So what is your confession when you fail today? It might sound something
like the following: “I thank you, Lord Jesus, that you love me and that all my
sins have been forgiven at the cross and you do not remember them anymore.
I thank you, Lord Jesus, that you have made me the righteousness of God in
you.”

This kind of confession produces rest, and when you rest, God works.1

11 For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come
forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin and the eternal
salvation for all mankind. 12 It has trained us to reject and renounce all
ungodliness (irreligion) and worldly (passionate) desires, to live discreet
(temperate, self-controlled), upright, devout (spiritually whole) lives in
this present world, 13 Awaiting and looking for the [fulfillment, the
realization of our] blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of our
great God and Savior Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
(Titus 2) AMP

“Don’t doubt Jesus and His finished work—what He has done for
you is more than enough. Rest in His finished work and let the
Spirit of Christ teach you.”

Grace teaches you to overcome your shortcomings. Being teachable is the

essence of humility, and God rejects the proud but gives grace to the
humble.2 Trying hard to overcome your problems may seem the responsible
thing to do, but all you’re doing is focusing on your problems. The Bible says
that “we should cast all our cares on the Lord because He cares for us” (1
Peter 5:7). When you’re struggling, you have to fight to enter the rest that
Jesus died to give you.

11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after
the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4) KJV

Don’t doubt Jesus and His finished work—what He has done for you is more
than enough. Rest in His finished work and let the Spirit of Christ teach you.
Although coming to the end of yourself is unpleasant and often painful, it’s
only when you rest from your work that Jesus can set you free.
The Bible makes it clear that forgiveness is not appropriated through
repentance and confession because God demonstrated His own love toward
us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
Furthermore, right standing with God is not based on man’s own efforts
toward being acceptable to Him.

For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which it ceases to be, for
the Law leads up to Him Who is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him
the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is, the
purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness
(right relationship to God) for everyone who trusts in and adheres to and
relies on Him. (Romans 10:4) AMP

CONFESSION OF SIN UNDER THE NEW COVENANT

In chapter 1 of John’s first letter he says,

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)

“Preaching the gospel to believers enables the mind to be renewed

on the basis of revelation knowledge, which liberates.”

At first glance, this verse would seem to support the doctrine that believers
need to confess their sins in order for God to forgive them and get man back
in right standing with Him. Often this is referred to as “keeping short
accounts with the Lord.” Before going any further, let’s examine this
scripture in the light of the New Covenant. Recall that in order to understand
scripture, it needs to be understood in its proper context. There also needs to
be an understanding of whom the scripture is addressing, what the intent is,
and the circumstances surrounding the writing thereof. Most Christians who
have studied this letter, and even those professionals who have written
commentaries, agree that John wrote this letter to deal with the problem of
other religions entering the church and propagating their false doctrine. The
false doctrine is often referred to as Gnosticism. This false doctrine attacked
the core beliefs of Christian faith—namely, that Jesus is Lord and salvation
by grace through faith. When it comes to the intent and to whom the letter
was written, it is clear that John was writing to believers by preaching the
truth of the gospel and thus exposing the deception and liberating the
believers who had been deceived or disturbed. This makes sense because,
after all, John did capture the words of Jesus, who says:

32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
(John 8) NKJV

This is powerful truth because we all believe something. It could be

something you read or heard that is someone else’s opinion, which is the very
problem that John is addressing. Preaching the gospel to believers enables the
mind to be renewed on the basis of revelation knowledge, which liberates.
Your agreement with God empowers in the same way that agreement with a
lie empowers the enemy who devours. Consider, for example, the following
verses from chapter 4:

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does
not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And
this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming,
and is now already in the world. (1 John 4) NKJV

Gnosticism denies the deity of the Lord Jesus, when scripture makes it clear
that Jesus is the Christ and that He is both fully man and fully God. Right
now there is a Man in Heaven who is God, and His name is Jesus. John
refutes the Gnostics’ belief that Jesus was a Spirit being only:

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands
have handled, concerning the Word of life. (1 John 1) KJV
 6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by
water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness,
because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in
heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are
one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the
water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. (1 John 5) NKJV

The water speaks of Jesus baptism and the blood of His atoning sacrifice; in
other words, Jesus is the Christ on the cross just as He is in the Jordan.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has
made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2)
NKJV

And the Holy Spirit testifies of the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ:
that He came by water and blood.

Consider the water. The Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) NKJV

Jesus gives His own witness concerning Himself: “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. I and My Father are one” (John 10:29, 30 [NKJV]).

And finally there is the witness of the blood: “But if we walk in the light as
He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 [NKJV]).

This was very encouraging, I’m sure, for believers who were being harassed
by false doctrine. It’s interesting to note that John calls those pedaling this
false doctrine the Antichrist. This should send out a shockwave, for the
essence of this heresy is the denial of Jesus Christ’s finished work!
It is clear, then, that John is writing to believers in chapter 4. But is it only
believers? This perversion is wicked, to say the least, but it does not change
the fact that Jesus died for all and that “God our Savior desires all men to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). That said,
consider the intent of chapter 1 and to whom it was written. Is it written to the
church or to unbelievers?

1 [We are writing] about the Word of Life [in] Him Who existed from
the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our
[own] eyes, Whom we have gazed upon [for ourselves] and have
touched with our [own] hands. 2 And the Life [an aspect of His being]
was revealed (made manifest, demonstrated), and we saw [as
eyewitnesses] and are testifying to and declare to you the Life, the
eternal Life [in Him] Who already existed with the Father and Who
[actually] was made visible (was revealed) to us [His followers]. 3 What
we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you
too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us.
And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of
Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the
Messiah). 4 And we are now writing these things to you so that our joy
[in seeing you included] may be full [and your joy may be complete]. 5
And this is the message [the message of promise] which we have heard
from Him and now are reporting to you: God is Light, and there is no
darkness in Him at all [no, not in any way]. 6 [So] if we say we are
partakers together and enjoy fellowship with Him when we live and
move and are walking about in darkness, we are [both] speaking falsely
and do not live and practice the Truth [which the Gospel presents]. (1
John 1) AMP

John wrote what the New Testament refers to as the gospel. It was written to
unbelievers, and chapter 1 of his first letter is remarkably similar to chapter 1
of his gospel:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. (John 1) NKJV
 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands
have handled, of the Word of life. (1 John 1) NKJV

Now consider verse 3. Why would you tell believers that they can have
fellowship with other believers when they are already saved and enjoying
fellowship with believers? It just doesn’t make any sense. You don’t tell
believers what they need; you tell them who they are and what they already
have in Christ.

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His
own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who
called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2) NKJV

John begins chapter 1 of his letter in a similar way to his gospel that was
written to unbelievers. Yet in chapter 2 of his letter, it starts with, “My little
children.” In the Greek text, the word used for children is tekníon, which is a
term used by a teacher to express affection to his disciples. Jesus referred to
His disciples as “little children” in John 13:33, and Paul also referred to the
believers in Galatia as “little children” in Galatians 4:19. Is chapter 1 of
John’s first letter written to the church or unbelievers?

Verse 4 states, “in seeing you included…and your joy may be complete.” To
whom is the scripture written? “In seeing you included” provides the context:
It’s not talking about denominations; it’s talking about the church. According
to Jesus in chapter 15 of John’s gospel, to be part of the body of Christ that is
the church is through the divine union that happens when you believe the
gospel and are born again:

11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you,
and that your joy may be full. (John 15) NKJV

Verse 5 continues along the same lines—we are now telling you the message
we heard from Jesus. The only reason you would tell people this is if you
wanted them to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. Now
consider verse 7, where John continues to unfold the gospel:

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship

one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin. (KJV)

All are in the flesh dead in first Adam’s transgression. But thank you, Jesus,
for Your finished work. By grace through faith, we are now in Christ.

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us, meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered
us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom
of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1) KJV

“Exposing sin makes people conscious of sin, which brings them

into the bondage of condemnation. The Lord Jesus prefers grace
exposition because it’s only the knowledge of His love for you that
saves.”

Believers walk in the light; unbelievers walk in darkness. Through Jesus

finished work, man is delivered from the kingdom of darkness and Satan’s
rule into the Kingdom of Light under the rule of God. Man is set free from
sin’s dominion into the glorious liberty of the Spirit. All this is accomplished
for man by grace through faith, resulting in a body of believers under the
Headship of Christ enjoying the blessing of sonship. God is Light, and Peter
describes believers as living stones. The Light of Christ reflects the perfection
and beauty of believers (living stones), and the closer to Him the more
powerful the reflection. Believers are united to the Lord, and you can’t get
closer than that. His Light does not expose sin; His Light is reflected through
believers everywhere they go. Believers give off the “fragrance of Christ,”
not necessarily the tangible fragrance,3 but there is definitely a tangible
expression of Christ in us that people can see and experience. They may not
be able to express it in words, but they know there is something (good)
different about believers. This is exactly what Jesus said—believers are “the
light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Exposing sin makes people conscious of
sin, which brings them into the bondage of condemnation. The Lord Jesus
prefers grace exposition because it’s only the knowledge of His love for you
that saves. When you turn on a light in a dark room, the light does not expose
the darkness. The darkness is immediately gone; there is no fight. Paul
describes this in his testimony before King Agrippa:

18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and
from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of
sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
(Acts 26) NKJV

Through the finished work of the cross, through the shedding of Jesus blood,
all of our sins are gone, the sinful nature is gone, and knowing this empowers
believers to live in the resurrection power of Christ (Romans 6:6). Believers
are now partakers of the divine nature, and that is why sin no longer has
dominion over believers, because their “old man was crucified with Jesus.”
It’s “knowing this” that empowers believers to overcome sin. It’s knowing
that all your sins are forgiven even when you sin. It’s knowing that you no
longer have a sinful nature but the nature of Jesus Himself. It’s knowing that
you’re a brand-new person on the inside, and you’re being led by the Spirit of
Jesus within you.

That’s the gospel that John was preaching to Gnostic Jews, those unbelievers
who were in the church who had been deceived by the false doctrine they
were trying to bring to the fellowship of believers. It’s the Father’s will that
none should perish and that all should come to the knowledge of the truth. If
this is true, then why are people slipping into eternity without Jesus? The
reason is simple: because they have not responded to grace. John was the
disciple whom Jesus loved, and he echoes the new commandment that Jesus
gave to love one another. People have some warped ideas about spirituality,
but Jesus comes to them in spite of that. He doesn’t reject them; instead,
through the gospel, He saves them. Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world.
He doesn’t have to condemn anyone, for all stand condemned in first Adam’s
sin. Instead, through Himself, He came to save the world (John 3:17).

The fundamental doctrine of Gnosticism is salvation through knowledge,

superior knowledge the Gnostics claimed to have beyond that of the apostles.
Through their denial of the need for the Savior, verse 8 therefore confronts
the Gnostics, noting that “all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”
(Romans 3:23). And verse 9 is the challenge to respond to God’s love
demonstrated through Jesus Christ and His finished work: “being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans
3:24). Therefore, the context of verse 9 is the gift of salvation available for
unbelievers who recognize they are sinners in need of a Savior.

John was only doing what Jesus had told him to do: “love one another.” The
greatest love you can show to others is to tell them about Jesus and His love
for them, and that’s exactly what John was doing to the Gnostics: he was
giving them an opportunity to say yes to Jesus. John really lives up to his
name. In the Hebrew language his name is Yōchānān, which means “Jehovah
has been gracious.” And Jesus had been gracious to him. The revelation he
had that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved is the very essence of the New
Covenant. Freely he had received, and freely he was giving. Preaching the
gospel will either save you or offend you. If the gospel saves you, then “we
have fellowship with one another”; if it offends you, then you will leave and
try to find a more sympathetic ear. This is another good reason why the
church needs the gospel.

Practically speaking, it’s often easier to apply the law to these types of
situations. Judge the error, condemn, and reject, with the accompanying loss
of relationship and, in some cases, eternity. Grace takes time, and it’s risky.
Everyone has freedom of will, and even God doesn’t impinge on that. All
individuals must make their own decisions to change their minds about God
(repentance) and put their trust in Christ alone (faith). When someone comes
to your door wanting to talk to you about their religion, what do you do? Do
you reject them, rebuke them, or condemn them in the name of Jesus? Are
you afraid, insecure, or just too busy? Do you just want to get rid of them? Or
do you extend hospitality, like Abraham, who was blessed to be a blessing,
and tell them about your Jesus, the One who saves to the uttermost? Do you
see this as an opportunity to present the gospel so that the individual might
come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved?

Settle this in your mind once and for all. All your sins were forgiven when
Jesus shed His blood on the cross. You were made the righteousness of God
in Christ by faith from the moment you were saved, and it’s permanently by
faith, for Jesus has secured for you eternal righteousness. You don’t
appropriate forgiveness on an installment basis; that would be works. The
real you who is born again and one new spirit with Jesus does not sin—nor
can you sin—because you are united to the Lord. You are sealed with the
Holy Spirit, and even when you sin in your thoughts and actions, sin cannot
contaminate you. Knowing this will empower you to overcome sin and lead
to right living as you are led by the Spirit. When you know that all your sins
are forgiven and that God is not holding anything against you when you fail,
trust is created in your relationship. Trust produces intimacy, creating an
openness and desire to talk about your mistakes. And this allows the grace of
God to teach you to say no to ungodliness. When you have a sin orientation
rather than grace, confession actually produces legalism as you try to relate to
God on the basis of personal holiness. At the end of the day, confession in the
Greek sense of the term simply means to agree with God. Jesus has been
merciful to your unrighteousness by making you the righteousness of God in
Him, and your sins and lawless deeds He remembers no more. That’s the
bottom line of the New Covenant—believe that, and you will live right.

To conclude this chapter, let us consider again the apostle Paul and the good
news he received from the Lord.4 In his preaching of the gospel, confession
of sin was never a qualification for forgiveness or justification. His gospel
was an unqualified “believe.”

38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is

preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who
believes is justified from all things from which you could not be
justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13) NKJV
 CHAPTER 6
License to Sin

Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

(ROMANS 6:1)

WHEN PAUL PREACHED THE GOSPEL, many people falsely accused him of
saying that it’s OK to sin because forgiveness has already been provided for
by grace.

8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are
slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their
condemnation is just. (Romans 3) NKJV

Another way to look at this would be to ask, “Has anyone ever done anything
good that would make them acceptable to God”? No! There is no one good,
not one! Man is incapable of saving himself, and that was the purpose of the
law: to condemn man so that he would realize and understand his need for
Someone to save him. We all owed a debt that we could not pay. Jesus paid
it. That was enough, but He didn’t stop there. Through the free gift of Jesus
righteousness believers, have become the righteousness of God in Christ.
Believers are sons and daughters, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus
Christ, sharing His inheritance. Consider Abraham. He lied about his wife,
calling Sarah his sister, to save himself from a king who wanted her as part of
his harem. The Lord delivered Abraham and Sarah, and he came out with
more wealth than when he went in. The king prospered him with livestock
and servants for his trouble. Abraham lived under a covenant of grace1 based
entirely upon His goodness. Abraham did this not once but twice,2 and each
time he got what he didn’t deserve: He received the unmerited favor of God.

When the gospel is preached today, all too often believers get angry when
they hear “where sin abounds, grace abounded much more.” If not grace, then
what? The law, with its judgment and punishment? The law strengthens sin in
its battle against you.3 The revelation of grace that you are the righteousness
of God in Christ empowers you to sin no more.4 People sin under law, and
they sin under grace. There is no hope for those under the law—that is,
believers who base their right standing (righteousness) with God on the law
(obedience/works). The law is opposed to you and cannot make you
righteous. The law makes you conscious of sin, which leads to condemnation.
Failure and defeat nullify faith in the promises of God, and grace is restricted.
Why? It’s simple—you are trusting in your own work instead of the perfect
finished work of Jesus and have fallen from grace.

The law makes people angry and judgmental, and herein lies the brilliance of
Jesus finished work. The gospel is often offensive before it becomes
redemptive. Paul’s own testimony is a case in point. He persecuted the
church and sanctioned the death of Stephen, defending the Law of Moses,
thinking he was doing God a favor—that is, until the Lord Jesus intervened:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the
Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick
against the pricks. (Acts 9) KJV

In the reference to kicking against the “pricks,” in the Greek text the word is
kéntron. It means to resist something to no avail and to the point where it in
fact becomes injurious. It’s like the little Dutch boy who put his finger in the
dyke. It’s like a man with a headache who tries to cure it by hitting his head
with a hammer. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses, 55 and 56, it is translated
as sting, which refers to death. Paul was dead in trespasses and sin. By
upholding the law and rejecting grace, he would never have been “made alive
with Christ.” Divine intervention changed Paul’s tune to, “Lord, what do You
want me to do?” John the Baptist is another example. He was “all in” with
Jesus, yet he stumbled and doubted: “If Jesus is the Messiah as I have
testified, then what am I doing in prison?”5

4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which
you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are
cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the
gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended
because of Me.” (Matthew 11) KJV

Jesus did not rebuke John for doubting; in fact, he praised him.6 Jesus did not
provide an emotional response to John’s predicament either. Instead, He
spoke to John’s heart with what John was familiar with—the word. He
opened John’s eyes with the revelation of grace.7 The kindness of God leads
to repentance, and true repentance comes from the revelation of Jesus, who is
Grace personified. John may have lost his head, but he finished his race with
joy! How great the Savior’s love for us!

The Lord Jesus also spoke about offense in the context of mixing law and
grace in the parable of the sower:

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who,
when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time:
afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake,
immediately they are offended. (Mark 4) KJV

The seed is the word, and the word is the gospel. “Stony ground” refers to the
condition of a person’s heart. In this context, there is a mixture of law and
grace, and this mixture is unproductive. When the time came for the disciples
to apply what Jesus had taught, they blew it. They doubted His word to them:
“Let us cross over to the other side.” They panicked, feared for their lives,
and accused Jesus of not caring. Jesus had spoken the word and was at rest.
The disciples had the opportunity to “speak to the storm”; they could have
declared together, “The Lord has said we are crossing over to the other side,
and by God we will—PEACE. BE STILL.” We know how the story ends.
Jesus calms the storm, and they cross over to the other side, which was the
place of breakthrough. If you’re going through a storm right now, rest. Take a
moment and let the Holy Spirit bring to your remembrance the word the Lord
has given you. Rest in His love for you and believe the word He has given
you, and you will see the supernatural power of the word (seed) break forth.
The breakthrough happened on the other side. A man possessed by a
thousand demons could not be held back from God’s Presence. He came and
fell at Jesus feet and worshipped Him. And in His Presence, he was delivered
and completely restored. And his testimony opened a door for the gospel to
be preached in ten cities.

The gospel is offensive! It’s supposed to be in order to deliver man from

death to life. That’s why the gates of hell will never prevail against it. When
it is proclaimed, there is often a conflict, and a decision needs to be made:
Will you accept the good news and experience liberty, joy, and peace, or will
you reject it and get offended?

The gospel is polarizing, especially among Christians. In the book of Acts,

Paul’s own countrymen who were also Christians (that is, they believed in
Jesus and kept the Law of Moses) were so offended by the gospel of grace
that he proclaimed that they sought to kill him.8 On the other hand,
multitudes were liberated by the gospel he preached.9

Grace is not a license to sin, and in case you haven’t noticed, people don’t
need a license to sin anyway. Grace, the unmerited favor of God
demonstrated through Jesus finished work at Calvary, delivers man from
Satan’s rule and sin’s dominion. Grace offers you the gift of no
condemnation that empowers you to sin no more.10 Grace teaches you to say
no to ungodliness.11 The Spirit of Jesus is working in you; He gives you both
the will and the ability to do what He desires.12 Jesus nailed your sinful
nature to the cross, and He’s made you a new creation to live under His
Lordship!

STUMBLING BLOCK
Those who accused Paul of giving license to sin had a complete
misunderstanding of what he was preaching.

23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to

the Greeks foolishness. (1 Corinthians 1) NKJV

Stumbling block in the Greek text is skándalon, which refers to a trap for an
animal. Bait is placed on a block; when the bait is touched by an animal, the
trap is released, causing entrapment. In the New Testament, the stumbling
block is self-righteousness, or man believing that he can be acceptable to God
on the basis of works of obedience. The word also is used in Romans chapter
9:

33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumblingstone and rock of

offense: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (KJV)

The Jews under law rejected Jesus; they saw Him as a trap that would lead to
spiritual and moral ruin. Seeking right standing with God through the law,
they sought to relate to Him on the basis of behavior (morality) to merit His
acceptance (spirituality). They were trapped by their self-righteousness. By
defending the law, they had rejected grace. The law cannot make the sinner
righteous—that’s why it is called the ministry of death.13 Many precious
believers today have fallen into the same “trap.” Mixing law and grace
produces certain behavior. Trying to relate to God on the basis of “not
sinning and doing what’s right” to merit His acceptance and blessing only
strengthens sin in its battle against you, leading to failure and defeat. Wake
up, people!

34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the
 knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15)
NKJV

The Lord Jesus is the believer’s righteousness. In Him we are perfect,

complete, nothing lacking, with everything in order. He’s the Cornerstone
that supports everything.

If your eyes have been opened to grace, this should come as no surprise and, I
hope, produce understanding and compassion for those who are still on the
way.14 The thing is, Jesus is just so desirable, and His allure is too powerful
to resist as He whispers, “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”15

Romans chapter 5 makes it clear that all people are born spiritually dead
through first Adam’s offense. The position is “in sin” or “in the flesh.”

17 For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they
which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5) NKJV

Through the abundance of grace that is by hearing and believing the gospel,
man is born again and united to Jesus. This position is “in Christ” or “in
righteousness,” and God did it all by grace.

30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us

wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. (1
Corinthians 1) KJV

You cannot have a foot in both camps; you are either “in sin” or “in Christ.”
This is the context going into Romans chapter 6:

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may
abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any
longer therein? (Romans 6) KJV
Chapter 6 is not talking about the action of sin but the position of man in first
Adam—“in sin.” Failure to understand this simply exposes a sin orientation
or what the Bible calls an evil conscience. Chapter 6 highlights the absolute
tragedy for so many believers who are mixing law and grace and relating to
God on the basis of their self-righteousness to earn His acceptance and
blessing. Grace is the gospel, and the misunderstanding of grace comes from
an Old Covenant mind-set. In this situation, a born-again believer is “in
Christ” yet living under the law as if he or she were “in sin.” His or her
position in Christ is secure, but the believer has fallen from grace and made
Christ of no effect.16 The law makes you conscious of sin and condemns you
when you fail; you repent, and grace delivers you. This kind of lifestyle
might seem pious and holy, but it is nothing more than dead works.17 Why
would a believer live like this? It makes no sense at all. Romans chapter 7
calls this spiritual adultery, leaving your husband the wonderful Lord Jesus
and going back to the law. The purpose of the law is to provoke the sinful
nature, but a born-again believer no longer has a sinful nature because it was
crucified with Christ. That’s why Paul says the following:

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (Romans 5) KJV

Grace doesn’t just forgive the offense; it removes all offenses eternally. There
is absolutely no record of a believer’s sin in heaven, and that’s why God can
say, “Your sins and lawless deeds I remember no more.” Grace deals with the
root of the problem by removing the source of sin that is the sinful nature,
and it doesn’t stop there. In addition, God gives man a brand-new nature, the
nature of Jesus Himself. When you have Christ in you, you have everything
—His mind, His nature, His very Spirit.

“The mind is the gateway for the supernatural to manifest in your

life and the lives of those around you; therefore, what you believe is
of fundamental importance to a believer.”

If a person believes that grace is a license to sin, then this response to the
gospel exposes what is in that person’s heart—a sin orientation, which
unfortunately creates a mixture of law and grace. If you believe that grace is a
license to sin, then that’s what it is to you. It’s a spiritual law (not to be
confused with the Law of Moses), and it applies to everyone. In Proverb 23,
it says:

7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. (NKJV)

In other words, what you believe is what you will experience. Heart in this
context is the mind. Renewing the mind to the truth of God’s word manifests
the abundant life that Jesus has provided for us. Believing right leads to right
living.

23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of
life. (Proverbs 4) NKJV

The mind is the gateway for the supernatural to manifest in your life and the
lives of those around you; therefore, what you believe is of fundamental
importance to a believer. Let’s take another look at the gospel that Paul
preached in Acts chapter 13:

38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is

preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who
believes is justified from all things from which you could not be
justified by the law of Moses. (NKJV)

His gospel is an unqualified believe. Believe that through Jesus Christ and
His finished work on the cross, all your sins are forgiven; you are justified
declared righteous from all things. Even at the most elementary level, this
means that God now views you just as if you have never sinned and obeyed
Him perfectly all of your life. The writer of Hebrews amplifies this by giving
further definition of righteousness in chapter 5:
 13 For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously
inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of
conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a
mere infant [not able to talk yet]! AMP

“Adam was part of God’s creation; believers are new creations and
part of God’s family.”

Jesus tells us what God’s will is. In Matthew chapter 6, He says, “Your
Kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus
demonstrated God’s rule through the Holy Spirit that was with Him. Jesus
said, “It is the Father in Me He does the work.” Jesus, who is fully God and
fully man, came to Earth as a man. His divinity was restricted or restrained
within His humanity. It was the Holy Spirit that manifested the will of God
on Earth with miracles, signs, and wonders.

22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by

God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through
Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. (Acts 2) NKJV

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with
power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed
by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10) NKJV

God created man in His image, and that image was lost through Adam’s
transgression. Through Jesus Christ, the image has been restored. Believers
today are far better off than Adam. Adam was part of God’s creation;
believers are new creations and part of God’s family. Adam was not born
again because he didn’t eat from the Tree of Life, which represents Jesus. As
a believer today, you have Christ in you, and God is able to express His life
in and through you. God has access to your soul; He is able to teach you
through the renewing of your mind. This was also Jesus experience, and He is
our model.
 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and
in stature and years, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2) AMP

The essence of growing in grace is the knowledge of Jesus Christ.18 And the
Holy Spirit will teach you all things concerning Jesus and even bring to your
remembrance things that Jesus has taught you that you may have forgotten.
Your born-again spirit is a new creation. You are a brand new person created
in righteousness and true holiness. Your spirit is identical to Jesus Spirit, now
and forever, because as He is, so are you in this world. The works Jesus did,
we can also do—and even greater works because Jesus went to the Father.19
Jesus said this to His disciples before the cross: They were not born again,
but they had been enlightened, had tasted the heavenly gift, and had become
partakers of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6).

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons
are subject to us in Your name.” (Luke 10) NKJV

After Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to abide eternally in believers,
miracles, signs, and wonders as recorded in the book of Acts became a
normal part of their life. God’s purpose is fulfilled; the earth is filled with His
glory—it’s Christ in you. They were fulfilling God’s will, expressing His life
through the miraculous and the way that they loved one another.20 That’s
how people knew that they were Christians.21

The gospel that Paul preached was justification by faith. Some people had a
problem with his gospel, just like they had a problem with Jesus, so Paul adds
the following challenge:

40 Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come
upon you: 41 “Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a
work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe,
Though one were to declare it to you.” (Acts 13) NKJV
Repeated exposure to the New Covenant is the answer; it’s the only way to
get the poison (legalism) out of your mind. Just the slightest chink in the
armor and the light comes in like a flood. Paul did not “hit and run”—he
stayed; he became part of the community. He understood that the way to free
people from legalism was to hear the gospel, the word of grace, and allow the
Lord to confirm the word with the miraculous.22

1 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue

of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of
the Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles
and poisoned their minds against the brethren. 3 Therefore they stayed
there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness
to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their
hands. (Acts 14) NKJV

The prevailing system in the world is based on the concept of merit. If you do
good, you get good; if you do bad, you get bad. You can try this for yourself;
don’t go to work for a few days, and when the boss asks why you weren’t at
work just tell him, “no reason—just didn’t feel like it.” Employers generally
don’t relate to their employees on the basis of grace. Working relationships
are contracts of employment that are based on performance or merit. This is
the system that everyone grows up in until we enter into relationship with
Jesus. It’s here that we need to change our thinking, which is what repentance
is. People don’t need a license to sin; all are born dead in first Adam’s sin and
are therefore, by nature, children of wrath.

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in
which you once walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the
sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted
ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
(Ephesians 2) NKJV
To those who claimed the gospel that Paul preached to be a license to sin, his
response was that it was not a license to sin because sin is contrary to the
born-again believers’ new-creation nature.

2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
(Romans 6) NKJV

The sinful nature under the influence of the demonic realm teaches people to
live contrary to the way God intended. The law provokes the sinful nature,
exposing man’s unrighteousness, which ultimately leads him to Jesus, God’s
righteousness revealed.23 The born-again believer’s relationship with sin is
over, through Jesus death on the cross. When Jesus was on the cross, He
literally became us by taking all sin into His own body. Thus, He was made
to be sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
The sinful nature was crucified with Christ, and this removed the sinful
nature from man. The good news is that a born-again believer has Jesus
nature. Now there is a brand-new person living on the inside. Your born-
again spirit is one new spirit with Jesus. Now God Himself can teach you to
say no to ungodliness. The source of sin has been removed; however, there is
still going to be a hangover from the old nature’s influence in our soul. This
is removed and replaced with truth as the mind is renewed with revelation
knowledge from your born-again spirit as you behold the Lord in all His
majesty and glory. Just because a believer sins does not make him a sinner,
any more than doing good works makes a person righteous. A born-again
believer is no longer a sinner but a saint. In the Greek text, saint is hágios,
meaning “set apart, sanctified, and consecrated” in the context of worship of
God. The gospel is clear that believers are holy through Jesus finished work.

10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy
(consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of
the body of Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 10) AMP

Your born-again spirit, which is who you are, is holy and cannot and does not
sin. Your relationship with God is the divine union between your spirit and
the Spirit of Jesus that becomes one spirit. That means that your spirit is the
same as Jesus Spirit.

9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in
him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. (1 John 3)
NKJV

The new person you are in Christ does not sin and cannot sin. If you could
sin, then your relationship with Jesus would be broken. He would leave you,
and in order to restore relationship with Him, Jesus would have to be
crucified again. This is never going to happen, and I hope brings to naught
the idea that sin can somehow affect a believer’s relationship with God.

9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.
Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died,
He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
(Romans 6) NKJV

“An ever-increasing revelation of grace will empower believers to

live right as they agree with God’s view and opinion of who they are
in Christ.”

It is “knowing this” that gives believers victory over sin and causes them to
fall head over heels in love with Jesus as they realize just how amazing He is.
Grace is perverted when it is mixed with law because it denies that Jesus
work is finished. Jesus work is finished, and it is enough; He doesn’t require
any help from anyone. Our part is simply to believe.

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death,

certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing
this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might
be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (Romans
6) NKJV
Believers sin through their thoughts and actions because the soul and body
have been purchased but not yet redeemed. When Jesus returns, believers will
receive the redemption of their soul and body as Jesus brings full salvation to
those who eagerly await Him.24 In the meantime, an ever-increasing
revelation of grace will empower believers to live right as they agree with
God’s view and opinion of who they are in Christ. Where there is a mixture
of law and grace, there is often a spirit of judgment. And you can understand
why—especially when you see the overt sins of the flesh at work in
someone’s life. Sin is sin, but it is somewhat easier for someone who is not
pretending to overcome bad habits than someone who is pointing the finger
and boasting in his or her own self-righteousness, which goes something like
this: “Well, at least I’m not doing what they’re doing.” Judging others in this
way betrays an Old Covenant mind-set. Just remember what the law says, “If
you know what is right and you don’t do it, it is sin.”25

10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other
a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself,
“God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give
tithes of all that I possess.” 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off,
would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast,
saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” 14 I tell you, this man went
down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who
exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be
exalted. (Luke 18) NKJV

Jude also addresses this problem in his letter. He says:

4 For certain men have crept in stealthily [gaining entrance secretly by a

side door]. Their doom was predicted long ago, ungodly (impious,
profane) persons who pervert the grace (the spiritual blessing and favor)
of our God into lawlessness and wantonness and immorality, and
disown and deny our sole Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (the Messiah,
the Anointed One). AMP
The Authorized King James translation says, “Turning the grace of our God
into lasciviousness.” From just this verse, it should be clear that the “certain
men” Jude was referring to are not believers. They are not believers because
they deny the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also worth noting that if you take
“denying the Lord Jesus” to its conclusion, it is to deny His finished work as
well. Mixing law and grace is dangerous because you deny that Jesus finished
work is in fact finished. Verse 19 says, “These are sensual persons, who
cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” Although it is obvious that
unbelievers have not been born of the Spirit, what is not so obvious is those
who do not have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
Him.26 Paul was talking to believers of the church at Ephesus, and the
knowledge he referred to was Jesus Christ and His finished work!

The grace of God is not a license to sin. Grace causes people to love God, as
John said: “we love him because he first loved us.” As a believer, you are not
going to go out of your way to hurt someone you love. There are exceptions,
but we shouldn’t lower God’s standard to the level of our experience. Instead,
we must uphold God’s standard, especially in the midst of failure, and
declare, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ,” so that we can receive
mercy and grace to help in times of need. To those who claim grace is a
license to sin, the problem is usually misunderstanding or ignorance.
Receiving New Covenant truth through an Old Covenant filter certainly
provokes this conflict. Too often, believers take the view and opinion of
others without taking the time to study for themselves the New Covenant
truth, which is the gospel. The enemy is terrified of the gospel, and this is
why justification by faith, the free gift of righteousness, and unconditional
forgiveness are attacked so much today. We shouldn’t be ignorant of the
schemes of the enemy. Instead, we should preach the gospel that Paul
preached without compromise and regardless of what others might say. Even
if your own brethren turn against you, stay focused on Jesus and the gospel.
Trust the Lord and let Him do what He says.

10 I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I
will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall
teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for
 all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
(Hebrews 8) NKJV

Jesus can crack the hardest case—He did it for Saul of Tarsus on the road to
Damascus:

18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he
received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. (Acts 9)
NKJV

Saul was defending the law, standing in his own self-righteousness and
persecuting everyone who believed contrary to him. But when he met Jesus,
he found grace; Saul then became Paul, which in Greek means “small or
humble.” God does not reject proud people; instead, He humbles them by
giving them what they don’t deserve—He gives them grace! The revelation
of Jesus Christ the risen Lord turned Paul’s life right side up, and entire
nations were impacted through the “life he lived.”
 CHAPTER 7
Falling from Grace

You who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

(GALATIANS 5:4)

FALLING FROM GRACE IS A big problem. It was the main problem that Paul
faced in his lifetime, and it’s still a problem today. That’s because it affects
the learned and leaders just as much as it affects Christians at the beginning
of their lives with Jesus. Many have been undone through falling from grace,
and today many believers are not living the abundant life that Jesus died to
give them simply because they have not rightly divided the word of truth.
The essence of rightly dividing the word of truth is this: The law demands
righteousness through the believer’s obedience, whereas grace provides
righteousness that is Jesus righteousness as a gift received through His
finished work. Falling from grace doesn’t have to be a problem as long as
you understand what falling from grace is and what it means. Falling from
grace is not sinning; rather, it is trying to make yourself acceptable to God
through your own efforts. In doing this, you reject grace in favor of the law
and make Christ of no effect.

20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where
sin abounded, grace abounded much more. (Romans 5) NKJV

When you “fall” into sin you actually “fall” into grace. When you see the
grace of God toward you, when you see that Jesus has taken your sin and
made you the righteousness of God in Him, the gift of no condemnation
empowers believers to overcome sin and destructive habits. Falling from
grace does not mean that you can lose your salvation, because Jesus finished
work is greater than your sin. There are a number of passages in the New
Testament that suggest believers can lose their salvation. However, studying
these verses in their proper context through the lens of the New Covenant
reveals that the people spoken of in Hebrews 6 and 10 were not believers but
unbelievers.1 To presuppose that these passages refer to a born-again believer
does not match up with the words of Jesus, who said:

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall
anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 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. 30 I and My Father are one. (John 10) NKJV

“Jesus obedience moved the Father so much that He punished

every sin in the body of His Son and delivered the full fury of His
wrath and judgment so that believers today can be holy as He is
holy.”

Believers are raised up with Christ and are made to sit together with Him in
the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). This is a permanent position, and it
describes your relationship with Christ. This is the divine union that you
enjoy with God. Trying to be justified by the law does not change the fact
that a born-again believer is a new creation. However, living from an Old
Covenant mind-set that mixes law and grace will frustrate the grace of God
being released in your life. Let’s consider the example of a believer who
relates to God on the basis of obedience. Obedience is important; all believers
would agree that they would like to obey God more. There are always going
to be things in life that are counterproductive that we know we should let go
of, just as much as there are things that are good that we know we should be
doing more of but don’t for whatever reason. The obvious would be in the
area of relationships. You can always love people more, and you can also
spend more time with people building relationships. Just look up and see
what’s in front of you—there is need everywhere. The difficulty for believers
who relate to God on the basis of obedience is that their behavior or
performance is what qualifies them for God’s acceptance, favor, and blessing,
while failure disqualifies them for the same. At this point, perhaps you’re
thinking, “Well, yes—that’s right, isn’t it?” The answer is a partial yes, and a
vast majority of believers today would probably agree with this. However,
the answer is yes only if you still hold to the Old Covenant. And if you hold
to this belief, then you are under the law and have fallen from grace. The
Lord our God does not relate to any man on the basis of personal holiness.
Rather, He relates to man on the basis of Jesus holiness. Your personal
holiness does not move God. Jesus obedience moved the Father so much that
He punished every sin in the body of His Son and delivered the full fury of
His wrath and judgment so that believers today can be holy as He is holy.

30 But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom
God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the
divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our
Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing
with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our
Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin]. (1
Corinthians 1) AMP

“Only the gospel that Paul preached, the New Covenant of God’s
unmerited favor, can free believers from the bondage that results
from mixing law with grace.”

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Well, yes, that’s true—how else could God save us
if it weren’t by grace. But now that we’re saved, we need to maintain our
right standing; we need to obey God.” This is a totally valid point. However,
the Bible makes it clear that we are made the righteousness of God by faith,
and it’s a permanent right standing with Him. We are made righteous by the
blood of Jesus. Believe that, and that’s what God calls faith.

17 For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed,

 both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed through the
way of faith that arouses to more faith]. As it is written, The man who
through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith.
(Romans 1) AMP

A believer who is trying to maintain right standing with God (righteousness)

is like a believer who tries to appropriate forgiveness by repentance and
confession of sin. In both cases, the believers’ efforts expose unbelief in
Jesus finished work. Only the gospel that Paul preached, the New Covenant
of God’s unmerited favor, can free believers from the bondage that results
from mixing law with grace.2

To follow are examples of falling from grace. Each case will be interpreted
from the baseline established in Galatians chapter 5, verse 4: “Christ is
become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye
are fallen from grace.”

ADAM AND EVE SIN AGAINST GOD

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which
the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed
said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman
said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has
said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 Then
the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God
knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you
will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a
tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also
gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of
them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed
fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. (Genesis 3) NKJV
When you study the account of Adam’s transgression in Genesis, you do not
see the words “fallen from grace.” That’s because Adam’s relationship with
God was based on obedience; he was under the law. Through Adam’s
disobedience, many were made sinners. Through Adam’s offense, death
reigned, which means that all men are spiritually dead through first Adam’s
sin. And that’s why Jesus came, to make dead men alive. God made Adam in
His image so that Adam could enjoy relationship with Him. However, that
relationship was contingent on Adam’s obedience to the law that God gave
him.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of
the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall
surely die.” (Genesis 2) NKJV

God created Adam and Eve in His image, and Satan deceived Eve by telling
her a lie.3

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For
God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and
you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3) NKJV

The truth is, Adam and Eve were already like God—they were created in His
image. Instead of believing God, they believed Satan, and through their own
self-righteousness, they didn’t just fall; they died spiritually, and mankind’s
relationship with God was over. Death is an enemy of God because He
created man to live forever. Through Adam’s transgression, people get old,
bodies wear out, people get sick, and people die. This was not God’s
intention. Adam’s life is an absolute tragedy; he was trying to become
something that he already was. And thousands of years later and more than
two thousand years after Jesus established the New Covenant through the
shedding of His blood, believers are still trying to make themselves like God
when Jesus has already done this through the finished work of the cross.
 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5) NKJV

17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have

boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this
world. (1 John 4) NKJV

THE CHURCHES OF GALATIA

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,
and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul,
say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you
nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised
that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged
from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen
from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of
righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
(Galatians 5) NKJV

Believers today are no longer under the curse of the law recorded in
Deuteronomy 28 because Jesus has redeemed us from the curse through His
death on the cross.4 However, there is a double curse recorded in Galatians
chapter 1 for those who proclaim “another” gospel. This should serve as a
warning to all believers, not to scare them or put them off from preaching the
gospel. However, it should at least provoke the question, “Am I preaching the
same gospel that Paul preached; am I presenting the New Covenant of God’s
unmerited favor?” The gospel is not about sin; it’s about grace. The good
news is the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the
world.

6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you
in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but
 there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to
you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we
have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other
gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
(Galatians 1) NKJV

The outworking of this is essentially condemnation. When you are

established in God’s righteousness you will be far from fear, oppression, and
torment.5 The opposite is true when you try to add to Jesus righteousness.
The curse manifests as fear, oppression, and torment. You invite
condemnation into your life, and condemnation kills. Today many believers
suffer from fear. And the root of this bondage is that they fear God will
punish them for their failures. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The
good news is that perfect love casts out fear. And God demonstrated His
perfect love for you through the Lord Jesus death on the cross. You get what
Jesus deserves! He took your place so that you could take His place. He was
rejected so that you could be accepted. He was punished so that you could be
blessed.

Trying to add to Jesus finished work is an exercise in futility because His

work is perfect and finished. Trying to maintain or improve your standing
with God is impossible, and because it’s impossible, believers end up in a
downward spiral of failure and defeat. Trying to be good enough and failing
produces guilt and condemnation, and this is the hallmark of being under the
law. Condemnation is a prevailing part of many believers’ lives today, yet so
few understand why. Pointing to situations and circumstances they believe to
be the sources of their dilemmas, they fail to see that they really have a heart
problem.6 Only the blood of Christ can deliver someone—believer or
otherwise—from being sin conscious, because through the shedding of His
blood we have redemption, which is the forgiveness of sins.

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being
made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3) NKJV
To be in the Spirit is to have Christ in you.7 By grace, the Father has put you
in Christ.8 Did you do anything to merit this? No, it is based on God’s
unmerited favor toward you. The New Covenant was made independent of
your work; instead, it is based on Jesus performance. If it is based on Jesus
performance, then the believer’s performance can in no way undermine what
Jesus has accomplished. Spiritual disciplines are important, but they don’t
make you holy or righteous by God’s standard. God won’t love you more if
you read your Bible. His love for you is perfect because He relates to you on
the basis of grace. However, you won’t love God as much if you don’t read
the Bible. As you study the Bible, you discover how much God loves you,
and this causes you to love Him more.9 The blessing from the ministry of the
word, attending church, fellowship with other believers, prayer, financial
giving, Bible study, and the joy of serving others is an essential part of the
Christian life. We don’t do these things because we have to, we do them
because we want to. All believers would agree with this; however, if you ask
them to stop doing these activities for even a week,10 most would experience
some condemnation. This is the problem when spiritual disciplines are seen
as being “right with God.” In this case, righteousness then becomes what you
do (law) instead of what Jesus has done (grace). The bottom line here is that
if you teach people that they are perfected through spiritual disciplines such
as church attendance, Bible study, prayer, financial giving, and service, then
you are preaching “another” gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).

Living from your position in Christ, the righteousness of God, will cause
your behavior to change. Believing right will cause you to live right. Bible
study, the ministry of the word, and prayer play a vital role in this experience.
However, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ and His finished work that
produces inward transformation that presents outwardly as right living, and
this is through the work of the Spirit of Christ in you.

Believers today have the benefit of standing on the shoulders of generations

that have gone before them. The first-century church didn’t even have the
New Testament, and they didn’t always have access to apostolic ministry
either. What they did have was the apostle’s doctrine.
 11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it
from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of
Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1) NKJV

38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is

preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who
believes is justified from all things from which you could not be
justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13) NKJV

In spite of what might be viewed as limitation, they cultivated a culture of

community and the supernatural with simplicity of heart, where
demonstrating the Kingdom was the norm.

The Lord Jesus is the God of all grace. If you fail, He does not “ungrace”
you; instead, where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans
5:20). Paul’s question is rhetorical—he already knows the answer; you
cannot make yourself perfect through self-effort because Jesus has already
made you perfect through His.

23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are

registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men
made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to the
blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews
12) NKJV

Abel’s blood cried out for revenge, whereas Jesus blood reconciles man to
God, “for this is the blood of the New Covenant shed for many for the
forgiveness of sins.”

THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS

1 To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, “These things says He who
holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven
golden lampstands: 2 ‘I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that
you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they
are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have
persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have
not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left
your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and
do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your
lampstand from its place—unless you repent.’” (Revelation 2) NKJV

If you consider Jesus word to the church in Ephesus in light of what Paul said
to the elders of the same church in Acts chapter 20, the conclusion would be
that at some stage the gospel was perverted and the law was presented as
grace.

27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God [the
gospel]. 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among
which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God
which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my
departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30
Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to
draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember
that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace
[gospel], which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all
those who are sanctified. (Acts 20 [brackets mine]) AMP

Can the law masquerade as grace? Definitely—and the problem again arises
from an Old Covenant mind-set. Jesus is God. He’s amazing, and what He
has done for us is just too incredible to describe with words. So it’s only
natural to conclude with, “What can I do for God?” The truth is, we can’t do
anything for God because He’s done everything. Believers need to learn to
receive, not achieve. This is nothing more than a debtor mentality, and God is
a debtor to no man. We all owed a debt that we could not pay, and Jesus paid
it in full. Under the Old Covenant, it was all about what you had to do and
not do for God to accept you and bless you.
 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is
a debtor to keep the whole law. (Galatians 5) NKJV

Under the New Covenant, it’s not about what you can do for God; it’s about
what God can do in and through you.

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ

liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians
2) KJV

Knowing that you are unconditionally loved and accepted in Christ liberates
you from a performance-based relationship with Jesus to one of grace.
Learning to receive unmerited favor from the Lord empowers believers to
serve and love one another. Grace does not make you lazy; it makes you
productive. Paul said that he did more than the other apostles, but it was not
him—it was the grace of God upon him.11Grace empowers believers for right
living; however, that in itself is incomplete. Grace is so much more, and at its
very essence it is the unconditional love and acceptance of God through Jesus
finished work that qualifies believers to receive the unmerited favor of God,
and this empowers believers to live right12. If the focus of the gospel is
empowerment without acceptance, believers end up striving because the
demand is effectively upon them for good works. With this in mind you end
up living as though you are back under the law. Consider, for example, the
following words from the Lord Jesus:

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1) NKJV

In John chapter 14, the Holy Spirit is referred to as Helper:

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that
He may abide with you forever. (NKJV)
 “We want to demonstrate our love for God by loving others, but the
fundamental truth that is the foundation of our lives is that we love
Him because He first loved us.”

So it is easy to conclude that the Holy Spirit is here to help you to do good
works, which is partially true. The problem with this kind of thinking is that
the demand for righteousness effectively comes back on the believer, and
righteousness becomes works instead of a gift received by grace. And only
Jesus righteousness received as a gift produces the peaceable fruit of
righteousness, which is rest. The authorized King James translates “the Holy
Spirit” as “Comforter.”13 Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as another
Comforter; however, His role and purpose is different than Jesus. Jesus as our
Great High Priest represents man before God, whereas the Holy Spirit
represents God’s case to man. The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus and glorifies
Him; He does not speak of His own accord. He seeks to convince believers
that they are the righteousness of God in Christ and that the works Jesus did,
they will do also, and even greater works, because they are in right standing
with God. This enables God to fulfill His purpose by demonstrating His will
on Earth as it is in heaven. The Holy Spirit teaches believers, and our
agreement with Him renews the mind. The believer’s spirit already agrees
with God because it knows all things. Revelation knowledge renews the
mind, enabling believers to agree with God with their whole heart which
releases the life of God into manifestation. It wasn’t Jesus who did the
miraculous; “it was the Father in Him that did the work.” The Holy Spirit is
not here to help you do great things for God. The Holy Spirit is God, and
your agreement with Him enables Him to release His life in and through you.
You will be witnesses for Jesus, not do witnessing for Him.14 Grace is not
empowerment. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Grace in the Greek text
is cháris, which means “unearned and unmerited favor” in the context of God
toward man. Grace is the unmerited favor of God that empowers believers for
good works. The church in Ephesus did good works, and Jesus commended
them for that, yet they had forgotten about grace, the unmerited favor of God
through Jesus finished work, that empowered them.

Trying to prove your salvation through good works is falling from grace.
 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you 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; 13 for it is God who works in you
both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2) NKJV

God works out your salvation; your job is to rest in His finished work and
flow with your spirit. The soul is at rest, and the spirit is active. The Spirit of
Jesus gives you the will and the ability to do the things that He desires. God’s
acceptance of you is not based on your performance. And trying to prove
your love and loyalty to him through good works becomes, in effect, a dead
work.

Trying to make yourself righteous through your own efforts is falling from
grace.

29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11)
KJV

Of course we want to please God, but not to gain His acceptance and favor.
We seek to please Him because we are His beloved. We want to demonstrate
our love for God by loving others, but the fundamental truth that is the
foundation of our lives is that we love Him because He first loved us. We all
want to love God more, but loving Him is not the basis of our relationship
with Him. Under the New Covenant, the basis of our relationship with God is
His love for us, which He demonstrated by sending His Son Jesus to die so
that we could become part of His family. “He who is forgiven much loves
much”15—in other words, the revelation of grace will make loving God
effortless; it flows from the heart and through the hands.

PETER

11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face,
because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from
 James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he
withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the
circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with
him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14
But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the
gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the
manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to
live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the
Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law
but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that
we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law;
for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. 17 “But if, while
we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is
Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again
those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I
through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been
crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the
grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ
died in vain.” (Galatians 2) NKJV

Peter was the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and many Pharisees had
become Christians but still kept the Law of Moses. Under the law, Jews could
not be with gentiles, and they certainly couldn’t eat together because gentiles
were considered unclean. The law brings division, whereas grace brings
unity. For a Christian, there is no longer Jew or gentile because all have been
made one new man in Christ.16 The church in Antioch was predominantly
gentile believers, and Peter, under pressure to conform, put himself under the
law by separating himself from the gentile believers. Traditions are a good
example of this. Often traditions have very little to do with the Kingdom of
God. In fact, traditions just make the word of God void of power.17 The focus
is on behavior, and failure to observe the traditions is the same as breaking
the law; when you’re under the law, you make Christ of no effect. Now, this
doesn’t mean you can lose your salvation; it just frustrates God’s grace
working in your life.

21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the

law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2) KJV

A good example of this would be the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Paul
said that we should examine ourselves:

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in
an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and
drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner
eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30
For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. (1
Corinthians 11) NKJV

Often the words “examine yourself” are understood as looking at yourself to

see if you have any unconfessed sin. When this happens, people become sin
conscious. Instead of feeling joy and peace because of the New Covenant of
God’s unmerited favor, believers are unsettled, focusing on themselves
instead of Jesus and who they are in Him. This is completely wrong, and it
shouldn’t be. In this context, “examine yourself” means to ask yourself
whether you are thinking of food18 or thinking of Jesus Christ and His
finished work. His body was broken so that your body could be made whole.
To make believers sin conscious is an offense to Jesus because the blood of
the New Covenant was shed for the forgiveness of sins. Once again, this
misunderstanding results from a failure to rightly divide the word of truth.
Partaking of the Lord’s Supper with a mixture of law and grace is no longer a
celebration; instead, it becomes an exercise of morbid introspection. When
you look at yourself (apart from Jesus), you will never see anything good,
and it’s depressing. When you behold the Lord Jesus, you see who you have
become in Him, and there is an overflow of joy as you celebrate His love for
you demonstrated through the cross.
Peter’s failure was an opportunity for the gospel to be preached. That’s what
Paul did—he did not argue with Peter; he didn’t embarrass him in front of his
brothers. Instead, he preached the gospel, which is redemptive. The law
condemns people and doesn’t do anything to help. On the other hand, grace
teaches us to say no to ungodliness.

14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of
the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in
the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel
Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners
of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of
the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ
Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works
of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. 17
“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are
found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For
if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a
transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to
God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do
not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the
law, then Christ died in vain.” (Galatians 2) NKJV

Falling from grace is not something that you do. Falling from grace is what
you believe and understand that determines your relationship with God. We
all need grace—what is the alternative? Falling from grace doesn’t have to be
the end of the world. Once you understand what falling from grace is, should
you fall, all that is needed is to repent—that is, to change your mind. Self-
effort avails nothing, and Jesus effort is everything. Look to Jesus and what
do you see?

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14) NKJV
You are a brand-new person in Christ—that’s who you are. Your spirit is
born again and united with the Lord, and nothing can separate you from Him.
You have eternal right standing with Jesus, having been raised up together
and seated together with Him. This is God’s view and opinion; agree with
Him and enjoy the abundant life that is yours.

OLD COVENANT MIND-SET

Mixing law and grace is an old problem. About fifteen years after the church
was birthed, a council was formed in Jerusalem to resolve the problem:

1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you
cannot be saved.” 2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small
dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and
Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the
apostles and elders, about this question. (Acts 15) NKJV

How can you add to Jesus righteousness? Jesus has perfected forever those
who are made holy through His sacrifice. It seems absurd, too good to be
true, too simple—surely man has a part to play in it all. The only thing you
need to do under the New Covenant is to believe. Believe that Jesus is Lord,
that He’s forgiven all your sins and made you righteous in Him. You would
have to conclude that believing right is not as easy as it sounds. Rules and
tradition, form and structure, muddy the waters. Jesus knew that it wasn’t
going to be easy, and that’s why He said:

And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he
says, “The old is better.” (Luke 5:39) NKJV

This is still a problem today for many sincere believers who are crippled by
condemnation through their efforts to please God and earn His favor and
blessing.19 Where there is an emphasis on living right, the problem is
exacerbated. No one desires to live wrong; believers want to live right. If you
make holiness your goal, you can focus on performance, and behavior will
change. The problem is that it’s hard work, and it doesn’t always bring
lasting change. On the other hand, grace produces an inward transformation,
and the process of change comes from resting in Jesus finished work and who
you are in Him. Although it’s true that “without holiness no one will see the
Lord” (Hebrews 12), what is true of you—and all believers—is that Jesus has
made you holy, and that’s why you have His abiding Presence with you
forever.

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4 [emphasis mine]) KJV

“When you see yourself from God’s perspective and live according
to who you are in Christ, the Holy Spirit leads you to live right. In
this way, righteousness is the root that produces the fruit of right
living.”

If there is true holiness, then there must be false holiness,20 and that is simply
this: You cannot make yourself holy through your own efforts; only God can
do that, and that’s what Jesus has done through the finished work of the
cross.

10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy
(consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of
the body of Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 10 [emphasis mine]) AMP

Through the free gift of Jesus righteousness, we have been made the
righteousness of God. When you see yourself from God’s perspective and
live according to who you are in Christ, the Holy Spirit leads you to live
right. In this way, righteousness is the root that produces the fruit of right
living. All agree that living right is the way to go; it’s just how you get there
that is the question.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.”21 Grace is a person, and His
name is Jesus. You cannot separate grace from Jesus life and ministry.
Without grace, you can do nothing—period. And to fall from grace is to try
to do it yourself without the Lord. In doing this, you have returned to the law
and rejected your Husband the altogether lovely Lord Jesus. Romans 7 likens
this to spiritual adultery. In Galatians chapter 5, verse 4, the New King James
translation puts it this way: “You have become estranged from Christ.” What
is the basic problem here? Believers’ eternal security is not at stake through
their position in Christ, so what is it? The problem is that they have rejected
grace.

30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto
the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4) KJV

Falling from grace puts you back under the law. The law condemns you for
all your faults and doesn’t do anything to help you, resulting in a lifestyle of
failure and defeat. On the other hand, falling from grace grieves the Holy
Spirit. Jesus said to Philip, “if you have seen me you have seen the Father.”22
He also said (speaking of the Holy Spirit) that “we [Father and Son] will
come to you.”23 Whatever Jesus feels, the Holy Spirit feels. Grieve in the
Greek text is This word is also used to describe how Jesus felt when
He healed the man with the withered hand.

1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a
withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal
him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to
the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to
them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life
or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at
them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said
to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his
hand was restored as whole as the other. 6 Then the Pharisees went out
and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they
 might destroy Him. (Mark 3) NKJV

It says that Jesus was grieved. In the Greek, both grieve and grieved share the
same root.24 Jesus was both grieved and angry because of the hardness of the
Pharisees’ hearts. And the reason He felt like this was because they had
rejected grace—for grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. They rejected grace
in favor of the law, and they wanted to kill Him. Falling from grace is
rejecting grace, which grieves the Holy Spirit. Jesus was drawn to sinners just
as sinners were drawn to Him. He is not afraid of sin, nor is He grieved by it.
Under law, if you touched something that was unclean, you became unclean.
The woman with the issue of blood was unclean according to the law.25 She
touched the hem of Jesus garment and was healed.26 Jesus touched the lepers,
and they were healed.27 A man under the influence of thousands of demons
came and fell at Jesus feet and worshipped Him, and Jesus set him free.28
Sin, sickness, and disease do not grieve God because grace makes the
unclean clean! Let God be God; rejecting grace is rejecting God, and
rejecting the Holy Spirit frustrates His love for you.

27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause;
And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has
pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” (Psalm 35:27) NKJV

If you believe that sin disqualifies you from God’s grace, then you have
fallen from grace and grieved the Holy Spirit. You have rejected the only
hope you have of overcoming sin.

34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the
knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15)
NKJV

Sin is destructive, and no believer would condone a sinful lifestyle. Likewise,

we love God and wouldn’t want to intentionally hurt Him. Unfortunately, an
Old Covenant mind-set that mixes law and grace that is characterized by a sin
orientation does precisely that—it grieves God. Sin hurts people, and grace
heals people. Our God is a jealous God in that He knows what’s best for us.
He resists those who believe they can do it by themselves, but for those who
know that without Him they can do nothing, there is His unmerited favor.29

21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the

law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 5) KJV

WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING

The Lord Jesus said that we could do nothing without Him in the context of
the Divine union that believers enjoy with Him. That is, we are united with
the Lord Jesus and have become one with Him, which means our born-again
spirit is the same as His Spirit. The Lord uses the vine and the branches of the
vine to reveal this truth.30 The Lord has given every believer an assignment.
We are to preach the gospel to every creature, to demonstrate the will of God
on Earth as it is in heaven and love one another. God’s will is not abstract or
mysterious; we have a purpose and a mission—we have something to do. Yet
without relationship with Him, without Divine union, we can do nothing.
That said, believers are able to do everything that the Lord has said! Without
question, believers want this experience; the mystery is how to bring this to
pass.

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails

anything, but faith working through love. (Galatians 5) NKJV

Believers are learning to love God. They want to obey Him, and they want to
experience the manifestation of His Life. We love Him because He first loved
us; therefore, the motivation to obey God comes from the revelation of grace.
Unfortunately for many believers, the fear of punishment is what motivates
obedience. Using the vine and the branch, Jesus reveals the life of
dependence upon Him: He is the Vine, and we are the branches. The branch
is at rest in the vine. The branch depends on the life that is in the vine to
produce the fruit. The power to manifest the Life of Christ comes from
dependence (faith) on Him. Without love as our motivation and faith31 that
depends on Him, believers end up moving away from the hope that is in the
gospel and back to the law.32
 CHAPTER 8
Condemnation

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

(ROMANS 8:1)

THE GOOD NEWS THAT THE New Covenant proclaims is that “there is no
condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” How can God make this statement?
The answer: Christ crucified.

14 For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and

perfected those who are consecrated and made holy. (Hebrew 10) AMP

Jesus was condemned so that we who believe could be accepted. We have

eternal redemption, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace. Every sin was judged and punished in the body of Jesus so that God
will never judge or punish you for any sin that you commit. When you sin
today, God the Holy Spirit convicts you of righteousness because that is who
you are in Christ. God does not convict you when you sin. He convicted
Jesus in your place, and there is no record of your sin in heaven.

15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,
says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I
will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I
will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is remission of these,
 there is no longer an offering for sin. (Hebrews 10) NKJV

Does God see you when you sin? Yes. Does God convict, judge, and punish
you when you sin? No, He does not. Today, He teaches us.

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (Titus 2) NKJV

And He gives us the will and ability to do what pleases Him.

12 work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is
God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
(Philippians 2) NKJV

The judgment, condemnation, and punishment due under the Old Covenant
have been satisfied through Jesus death on the cross. By an act of grace, the
Father put you in Christ, and it’s an eternal right standing. The righteousness
that God ascribes is completely independent of your performance in life. The
issue of behavior is irrelevant; the only thing that counts is whether you have
believed in Jesus. If you have lived well, great—but why boast in that? It’s
only the unmerited favor of God (grace) that has empowered you to live
right. If you are bad, God will teach you (grace) to say no to ungodliness so
that you can live a sober and godly life in this present age. If you are in
Christ, God sees you as righteous because through the cross you have been
made the righteousness of God in Him. The New Covenant is extrinsic
because it was made independent of you; therefore, it is not dependent on
your obedience but the perfect obedience of the perfect Man, who is God and
whose name is above every other name: Jesus.

21 But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently

and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the
Law and the Prophets, 22 Namely, the righteousness of God which
comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus
 Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe. (Romans 3)
AMP

Under the Old Covenant, perfect obedience was required. That in and of itself
should disqualify anyone who tries to base their relationship with God on
obedience. When you break the law, the law condemns you.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point,
he is guilty of all. (James 2) NKJV

There is rest for the children of God that comes through believing and
trusting in Jesus finished work. He who was obedient unto death, even death
on the cross, has qualified you to receive grace!

19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by

the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5) NKJV

“The law cannot make the sinner righteous; only the Righteous
One, Jesus Christ, can make the sinner righteous.”

Believers are no longer under the law. The law has no place in a believer’s
life because it was nailed to the cross with Jesus and our sin. Failure to
rightly divide the word of truth gives Satan an opportunity to illegitimately
use the law to condemn you for your faults and failures. Revelation of the
New Covenant sets believers free from condemnation. Through the finished
work of the cross, believers’ relationship with the law is finished, and Satan
has been disarmed.

14 Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of
the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force
and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations,
decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our
way by nailing it to [His] cross. 15 [God] disarmed the principalities
 and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and
public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the
cross]. (Colossians 2) AMP

Consider Adam and Eve, who lived under the law. There was one law that
God gave them: Don’t eat or even touch the fruit from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. Their relationship with God was based on
obedience. The instant they broke the law, guilt and condemnation overtook
them. They were afraid of God because the consequence of disobedience was
death, and they knew it; they tried to fix the problem by covering their
nakedness. Condemnation kills—that’s why Paul calls the law the “ministry
of death.” The reason should be obvious: No one can be justified by the law.
The law cannot make the sinner righteous; only the Righteous One, Jesus
Christ, can make the sinner righteous. The fruit of the law is sin
consciousness, guilt, and condemnation. That’s why Paul calls the law the
“ministry of condemnation.”

7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was

glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face
of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was
passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more
glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry
of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. (2 Corinthians 3) NKJV

Peter boasted in his efforts to please Jesus. In fact, the word Peter in Greek
means “rock,” which is a symbol for the law.1 He even proclaimed that he
would rather die than deny Jesus. Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him
not once but three times. Jesus also said that Satan would try to sift Peter like
wheat, but Jesus prayed that his faith would not fail. Everything that Jesus
said came to pass.

Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And

the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word
of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you
 will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.
(Luke 22) NKJV

Peter had denied the Lord, yet when the Lord looked at Peter, it was with
eyes of love and compassion, not judgment and condemnation. The
condemnation that Peter experienced must have literally crushed him.
However, unlike Judas Iscariot, Peter did not kill himself, because Jesus
restored Peter by meeting personally with him following His resurrection.

5 and that He was seen by Cephas,2 then by the twelve. (1 Corinthians

15) NKJV

John, on the other hand, had a different experience. His name in Hebrew
means “grace.” He had denied the Lord in the garden of Gethsemane, yet
condemnation did not crush him like Peter. Why did John have such a
different experience than Peter? The answer is simple. John knew that he was
the disciple whom Jesus loved. He knew that Jesus love for him was
unmerited, and that’s why John was at the cross where Jesus died.

Wrong believing brings condemnation that destroys people’s lives. The good
news is that grace restores that which is lost. Job is a good example of this.

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that
man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned
evil. (Job 1) NKJV

Job lived before the Law of Moses was given, but he still lived under the law.
Job tried to not sin and to do what’s right to merit God’s favor. Job was a
righteous man but not the righteousness that God ascribes3—Job was self-
righteous.

4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed
day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with
 them. 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that
Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the
morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all.
For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in
their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly. (Job 1) NKJV

Job was also sin conscious, but all it did was invite condemnation into his
life. Satan attacked Job, and he lost everything. He even said the famous
words that have been misinterpreted by so many: “The Lord gave, and the
Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Is what
Job said really true? The Bible records that Satan attacked Job and took from
him, and it was the Lord who restored to Job that which He did not take. In
fact, Job got double for his trouble. If believers today take the example of Job
as the pattern for righteous living when persecution comes, then all that will
result is condemnation. Job lived in a time before Jesus; he had no one to
stand in the gap for him.4 Believers today are blessed to have the Lord Jesus,
who is the mediator of a New Covenant.

5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the
Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2) NKJV

The place in God’s Presence reserved for man was taken by Satan when he
took the Kingdom from Adam. Satan can no longer stand before God, for the
Kingdom has been restored to the children of God through the efficacy of
Jesus precious blood that was shed at the cross. Believers now are ruling and
reigning with Christ through the Divine union that makes believers one with
Jesus. The Kingdom that believers have is far superior to that which Adam
had (and lost). Adam had authority on Earth; we have all authority, in heaven
and on Earth.5 Adam walked with God and was part of God’s creation. We
believers are new creations; we are children of God, and the Lord our God
walks in us and works through us. We will never experience death, for we are
eternally united to the Lord with a Kingdom that knows no end!

24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which
 are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us. (Hebrews 9) NKJV

And Satan can no longer bring accusation against believers.

10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and

strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have
come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our
God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by
the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did
not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12) NKJV

Victory over the enemy is not through your obedience; it is through the
obedience of Christ. The Bible says, “We take every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ.”6 It is Jesus obedience through His death on the cross
that makes believers the righteousness of God in Him. And that is why no
one can bring a charge against God’s elect—because it is Jesus who justifies.
Satan cannot attack you when you fail because all your failures were summed
up and punished in the body of Jesus. When you fail, that is the time when
your confession needs to be in agreement with God’s view and opinion of
you: “You are the righteousness of God in Christ.” If you believe that your
failures disqualify you from God’s grace, then you become sin conscious, and
condemnation will consume you. This was the problem for Job. There was a
hedge7 of protection around him; however, he was so conscious of sin and
judgment that it was made of no effect. As a man believes in his heart, so is
he. Job confessed that he got the very thing he feared.8 However, the thing he
feared was not from God; it was from Satan, who came to steal, kill, and
destroy. Job had the wrong idea. Wrong believing is destructive. God,
speaking through the apostle Paul, called it “falling from grace,” and falling
from grace makes “Christ of no effect.” Through the blood of the New
Covenant, Jesus has spoiled principalities and powers. Believe that, and you
will be able to withstand in the evil day.

“The answer for a fearful heart is a revelation of God’s love for

 you!”

14 In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from

oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come
near you. (Isaiah 54) NKJV

The righteousness spoken of here is not your behavior. It is the righteousness

of God that we find in Christ Jesus.

17 “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue
which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the
heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from
Me,” Says the Lord. (Isaiah 54) NKJV

In John’s first letter, he talks about fear and torment:

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear
involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
(1 John 4) NKJV

The torment spoken of here is God’s judgment and punishment for sin. The
revelation of grace is God’s love for all mankind demonstrated through the
death of our wonderful Lord Jesus. Through His finished work, believers are
unconditionally forgiven and made the righteousness of God in Him. Only
grace can deliver you from fear because Jesus was judged, condemned, and
punished in your place so that you could be liberated, accepted, and blessed.
The answer for a fearful heart is a revelation of God’s love for you!

Condemnation results from the fear that God will judge and punish you when
you sin. Today, many believers mistakenly think that God is angry because of
sin, when God Himself has sworn by an oath that He will never be angry with
you or rebuke you.9 The devil tries to convince believers that God is angry
when they sin, and believing this lie will produce condemnation. Peter
explains this in chapter 5 of his first letter:

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring

lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (NKJV)

There is an interesting parallel from the book of Proverbs that also speaks of
a “roaring lion”:

12 The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, But his favor is like
dew on the grass. (Proverbs 19) NKJV

God was angry with sin, so angry that He punished Jesus with all of
mankind’s sin on the cross. His wrath was poured out on Jesus on the cross,
and now it is finished. King Jesus is not angry when you sin; in fact, as a
believer today, His unmerited favor is toward you. Grace teaches you to say
no to ungodliness. Grace gives the will and the ability to live a life that is
pleasing to the Lord. He does not condemn you when you sin; instead, He
gives you the gift of no condemnation that empowers you to sin no more.

DIVINE DESTINY
Condemnation destroys divine destiny. A good example of this is in the lives
of two men whose divine assignment was to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem,
as described in the following passage:

1 Now when [the Samaritans] the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin

heard that the exiles from the captivity were building a temple to the
Lord, the God of Israel, 2 They came to Zerubbabel [now governor] and
to the heads of the fathers’ houses and said, Let us build with you, for
we seek and worship your God as you do, and we have sacrificed to
Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us
here. 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’
houses of Israel said to them, You have nothing to do with us in
building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the
 Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has
commanded us. 4 Then [the Samaritans] the people of the land
[continually] weakened the hands of the people of Judah and troubled
and terrified them in building 5 And hired counselors against them to
frustrate their purpose and plans all the days of Cyrus king of Persia,
even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4) AMP

24 Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped. It stopped

until the second year of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4) AMP

Zerubbabel, the governor, and Jeshua, the priest, had the authority to build,
and the Lord was behind this. Although King Cyrus may have given approval
and provision, it was grace that gave them favor with the king. However, they
believed a lie from the enemy who worked through the Samaritans, and
condemnation caused the work to end. When you take your eyes off the Lord,
you become self-conscious, and the demand falls on you to do what only God
can do. In this passage, grace was frustrated; the divine destiny was halted.
The people of God went into survival mode for eighteen long years and
focused solely on their own houses and businesses. At this time, two prophets
came on the scene.

1 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son [grandson] of Iddo,

prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God
of Israel, Whose [Spirit] was upon them. 2 Then rose up Zerubbabel son
of Shealtiel [heir to the throne of Judah] and Jeshua son of Jozadak and
began to build the house of God in Jerusalem; and with them were the
prophets of God [Haggai and Zechariah], helping them. (Ezra 5) AMP

So how did the prophets help Zerubbabel and Jeshua? The answer is found in
the prophetic vision Zechariah received from the Lord.

JOSHUA
 1 Then [the guiding angel] showed me Joshua the high priest standing
before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at Joshua’s right hand
to be his adversary and to accuse him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, The
Lord rebuke you, O Satan! Even the Lord, Who [now and habitually]
chooses Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this [returned captive Joshua] a
brand plucked out of the fire? 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy
garments and was standing before the Angel [of the Lord]. (Zechariah
3) AMP

We don’t know what the accusation was from Satan toward Joshua. Perhaps
it was the failure to complete the temple. What you can see from this passage
is that Joshua believed the lies and became sin conscious. Condemnation
frustrated the grace of God, and Joshua’s divine destiny came to a halt. The
vision of Joshua clothed in filthy garments is Joshua’s view and opinion of
himself based on Satan’s accusations. There are always going to be times in
our lives when persecution arises on account of the gospel. Satan attacks
along the line of the believer’s identity, and in Joshua’s case this was
effective for almost two decades. The only view and opinion that counts,
especially when you are going through difficulty and what appears to be
failure, is God’s view and opinion of you through the cross.

4 And He spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, Take away the
filthy garments from him. And He said to [Joshua], Behold, I have
caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich
apparel. (Zechariah 3) AMP

Haggai prophesied:

9 The latter glory of this house [with its successor, to which Jesus came]
shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place
will I give peace and prosperity, says the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2)
AMP

This account is not about a building project. And it’s not just a word from the
Lord to deliver Joshua. This is the gospel for all nations, and the glory
referred to is the New Covenant.

10 Indeed, in view of this fact, what once had splendor [the glory of the
Law in the face of Moses] has come to have no splendor at all, because
of the overwhelming glory that exceeds and excels it [the glory of the
Gospel in the face of Jesus Christ]. (2 Corinthians 3) AMP

God saw Joshua as righteous even though he was living under the Law of
Moses. That’s because Jesus finished work makes atonement for those who
looked forward to Jesus just as we look back to Him and His finished work.

15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the New Covenant, by

means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first
covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the
eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9) NKJV

Grace set Joshua free to fulfill his divine destiny. Perhaps you’ve believed,
like Joshua, that you’ve blown it, that you’ve missed God’s plan and purpose
for your life and that your failure has disqualified you from God’s favor.
Repent; change your mind—see yourself as the “righteousness of God in
Christ.” See that Jesus has qualified you to receive God’s unmerited favor
that empowers you for success. God’s word for you remains; it’s waiting for
you to believe that you are reigning in life through your relationship with
Jesus.

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not

return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall
prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55) NKJV

God has made a way—everything has been provided for—and He says,

“Follow Me.”
 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He
called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also
glorified. (Romans 8) NKJV

Perhaps you can’t see a way forward; maybe everything in the natural seems
against you, and you don’t know what to do.

5 And I [Zechariah] said, Let them put a clean turban on his head. So
they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with [rich]
garments. And the Angel of the Lord stood by. (Zechariah 3) AMP

Just remember that you have the mind of Christ. You have an anointing from
the Holy One, and you know all things. Believe that with your whole heart,
and grace will be released to give you success in life.

ZERUBBABEL
Zerubbabel was the governor, and I’m sure he was intimately involved in the
management of the project to rebuild the Temple. No doubt this would have
included the money to finance the building and the provision of materials and
manpower. When everything began to dry up, he gave up. The lack of
provision became an insurmountable object in his path that he could not get
past no matter how hard he tried. He saw lack, and the burden fell on his
shoulders. I’m sure Zerubbabel felt terrible, even personally responsible, for
the apparent failure. When you entertain these kinds of thoughts and they get
established in your mind, all you get is condemnation. If you think the
demand is upon you to supply, then you have fallen from grace. That means
that the unmerited favor of God that empowers you to succeed is frustrated.
In Zerubbabel’s case, his divine destiny was frustrated for eighteen long
years—until the Lord raised up Zechariah.

6 Then he said to me, This [addition of the bowl to the candlestick,

causing it to yield a ceaseless supply of oil from the olive trees] is the
word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power,
 but by My Spirit [of Whom the oil is a symbol], says the Lord of hosts.
7 For who are you, O great mountain [of human obstacles]? Before
Zerubbabel [who with Joshua had led the return of the exiles from
Babylon and was undertaking the rebuilding of the temple, before him]
you shall become a plain [a mere molehill]! And he shall bring forth the
finishing gable stone [of the new temple] with loud shoutings of the
people, crying, Grace, grace to it! 8 Moreover, the word of the Lord
came to me, saying, 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the
foundations of this house; his hands shall also finish it. Then you shall
know (recognize and understand) that the Lord of hosts has sent me
[His messenger] to you. (Zechariah 4) AMP

No matter what position you have or how hard you try, without grace, the
unmerited favor of God, all you get is partial success. Grace gives you good
success because only grace is able to finish what God has started. Grace is
not empowerment; grace is the unmerited favor of God that empowers you
for success. It was grace that gave Zerubbabel favor with King Cyrus to
begin the rebuilding of the Temple, and it was grace that empowered
Zerubbabel to finish it. Whatever obstacle you are facing right now, the
answer is to stop trying and start trusting. There was a time when the children
of Israel needed water. God spoke to Moses and said, “Speak to the rock.”10
Moses was frustrated and angry; instead of speaking to the rock, he “hit the
rock” and was disqualified from the Promised Land. “Hitting” is trying, and
“speaking” is trusting in Christ the “Rock.” Jesus was “hit” on the cross; His
work is now finished, and His grace is toward you. Whatever obstacle is in
your path right now, speak grace, grace, grace to it! Rest in Jesus finished
work that qualifies you to receive God’s unmerited favor.

ANOINTING
Under the Old Covenant, the anointing of the Holy Spirit was given for a
purpose. In the case of Zerubbabel and Joshua, the anointing was given for
the rebuilding of the Temple. Under the New Covenant, you have an
anointing from the Holy One that is in you forever.
 27 But as for you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction)
which you received from Him abides [permanently] in you; [so] then
you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His
anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no
falsehood, so you must abide in (live in, never depart from) Him [being
rooted in Him, knit to Him], just as [His anointing] has taught you [to
do]. (1 John 2) AMP

Living with a mixture of law and grace creates confusion and condemnation.
Trying to merit God’s favor through good works frustrates the grace of God
in a believer’s life, resulting in failure and disappointment. Failure does not
disqualify you from God’s favor because it is Jesus finished work that
qualifies you to receive grace. You are positioned to receive from the Lord
because you have been made the righteousness of God in Him. Meditate on
the New Covenant; let Jesus renew your mind, and you will see the
manifestation of grace in your life.
 CHAPTER 9
Dealing with Conflict

But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.

(ROMANS 5:20)

TO FOLLOW IS AN INTERESTING illustration of how to deal with conflict within a

local church setting. It’s an exchange that took place between Paul and Peter
recorded in Galatians chapter 2.

11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face,
because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from
James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he
withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the
circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with
him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
(NKJV)

“The gospel tears down all barriers of race and religion, for all are
one in Christ.”

Peter has been with his gentile brothers in Antioch. When the Jewish
Christians arrive, he immediately separates himself from the gentile brothers,
in fear of those who had come from Jerusalem who were still keeping the law
and faith in Christ. Peter did this because under the law, gentiles were
considered by Jews as unclean. So Peter, under pressure to conform, submits
to the demands of the law. This is the essence of religion: conformity to a
prescribed set of standards or beliefs. The law seeks unity through
conformity. Grace seeks unity through diversity, recognizing the authentic
uniqueness of individuals. Under the law, failure to comply usually results in
conflict and ultimately rejection. On the other hand, grace is completely
different. Your obedience is not at stake; it’s Jesus performance that makes
you acceptable to God. The gospel tears down all barriers of race and
religion, for all are one in Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down
the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his
flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making
peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the
cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached
peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For
through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now
therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints, and of the household of God. (Ephesians 2) KJV

“God’s way of dealing with conflict is redemptive, whereas the law

convicts and condemns. The good news is that grace doesn’t give
you what you deserve. Grace gives you what Jesus deserves: the
favor of God.”

Paul had a revelation of grace like no other. Even Peter said that Paul’s
revelation was not easy to understand:

16 Speaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things
in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the
ignorant and unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter
destruction, just as [they distort and misinterpret] the rest of the
Scriptures. (2 Peter 3) AMP
However, this was not a case of misunderstanding—Peter made a wrong
decision. The error was not isolated. Because he was a leader, others within
the fellowship observed his behavior and followed his example. God’s way
of dealing with conflict is redemptive, whereas the law convicts and
condemns. The good news is that grace doesn’t give you what you deserve.
Grace gives you what Jesus deserves: the favor of God. So why was Paul
willing to take such a stand? The answer is simple: Without the gospel of
Jesus Christ, people perish.

18 Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the

people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of
man]—blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he. (Proverbs 29)
AMP

The redemptive revelation of God is the gospel. When another gospel is

preached in which Jesus is obscured or not clearly revealed as man’s
redemption,1 people perish. Even born-again believers bound in a mixture of
law and grace, suffer unnecessarily. When grace is mixed with law, the rivers
of living water are frustrated. Times of refreshing in the Presence of the Lord
flow when you believe that what Jesus has done is enough. You experience
the manifest Presence of the Lord when you believe the gospel that all your
sins have been blotted out.

19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted

out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the
Lord. (Acts 3) KJV

When you believe with all your heart that all your sins have been forgiven,
that they have been erased, that there is no record of them in heaven and God
remembers them no more—when you believe the gospel—then you will
enjoy times of refreshing in the Presence of the Lord. Not occasionally, but as
a normal part of life as Christ in you freely expresses Himself in and through
you. The slightest notion that God has something against you when you fail
will frustrate this because you end up “moving away from the hope of the
gospel” (Colossians 1:23) and back into the dead works of repentance and
confession of sin to appropriate forgiveness and right standing with God
(Hebrews 9:14).

Indeed happy is the man under the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor,
who believes that Jesus is Lord and has been merciful to his unrighteousness,
and his sins and lawless deeds He remembers no more (Hebrews 8:12).
[paraphrase mine]

Paul saw what was at stake, and he took a stand against it. He spoke the word
of God that is spirit and life; he preached the gospel. So did God rebuke Peter
—did He convict Peter of his mistake, using Paul as His mouthpiece? In the
first place, nowhere does it say that Paul rebuked Peter; it says Paul
“withstood him to the face.” Withstood in the Greek text is anthístēmi, which
means “to stand or stand against, through either words or action.” This word
is also used when Steven is brought before the Sanhedrin. In Acts 6, it says,
“they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.”
The religious spirit is no match for the Holy Spirit, and the gospel of grace is
higher than the Law of Moses. In Galatians 5, verse 4, it says, “Christ is
become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye
are fallen from grace.” To fall from grace is not to sin; it is to go back to the
law. This was why Paul dealt with this problem, and it wasn’t the first time—
he had been dealing with it throughout his ministry. It was the main problem
that beset the church; trying to make yourself acceptable to God in order to
merit blessing and avoid cursing (all part of the law; see Deuteronomy 28). In
other words, “don’t sin, and do what’s right” makes Christ of no effect. To
make Christ of no effect does not mean that Peter could lose his salvation. It
means that Peter had frustrated the unmerited favor (grace) of God toward
him by changing the grounds of his standing with Him to where the demand
was upon himself to be acceptable to God in order to merit His favor through
his performance. In fact, Paul’s closing words to the church in verse 21 are,
“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain.”

Let’s look at what Paul says when he addresses the church:

 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth
of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew,
livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why
compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? 15 We who are
Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 Knowing that a man
is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the
faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the
law shall no flesh be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by
Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the
minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I
destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law am
dead to the law, that I might live unto God. (Galatians 2) KJV

“The law condemns the best, but grace saves the worst.”

When Paul spoke, he did not humiliate Peter, which is what the religious
spirit does. Instead, he spoke the truth in love; he spoke the wisdom of God,
the gospel of grace. Paul did not put anyone down so that he could lift
himself up; instead, he spoke with humility by placing the focus on the
gospel of Jesus the Righteous. Paul took this opportunity to preach the gospel
to the church. He used this window to teach and not condemn, to liberate his
brothers from the tyranny of the law through the gospel, which brings unity
and freedom. God does not point out your faults and failures. The law makes
you conscious of sin, and the devil gets behind the law and rails accusation,
which brings condemnation. Thank God for grace, “for sin shall not have
dominion over you for you are no longer under law but under grace”
(Romans 6). The law arouses the sinful nature, leading to sin and its
destructive consequences (Romans 7). The law condemns the best, but grace
saves the worst. Your sinful nature has gone; it was crucified with Christ, and
the law no longer has purpose, for Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness for all who believe (Romans 10).

The Holy Spirit teaches us to say no to ungodliness, and He uses the gospel
(Titus 2). Think about your time at school. When the teacher taught you
something new in math class, did you get it immediately? Some students
might, but most don’t—they need to study in order to learn. The problem is
not the teacher. The challenge is those being taught—are they teachable? The
more you live according to your true identity in Christ, the more you are
transformed by the renewing of the mind. Most people have an abundance of
information, but what is really needed is revelation. Just imagine what your
life would be like if you believed with all your heart that you are “the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” Give yourself permission to believe
that. Let go of the strings of tradition that bind you, and let God teach you.
You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. The
Holy Spirit will teach you all things and guide you into all truth. God Himself
has said in the New Covenant, “And they shall not teach every man his
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall
know me, from the least to the greatest” (Hebrews 8:11).

Paul starts with the gospel and finishes in like manner:

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ

liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians
2) KJV

MORAL FAILURE
Jesus has dealt with all sin once and for all, and He lives an indestructible
life.

9 Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised
from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over
Him. 10 For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to
it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in
unbroken fellowship with Him]. 11 Even so consider yourselves also
dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in
unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6) AMP
God will never judge you for any sin you commit because He already judged
it in the body of Jesus. However, believers do sin, and sin has consequences.
People get hurt and sick, and relationships become broken. It’s foolish to
ignore sin; it should be confronted, especially if your life is in danger. The
question is, how do you deal with it? Are you quick to judge, condemn, and
reject? Do you say, “Come on, then, just stop that right now. Can’t you see
the damage that you’re doing?” You don’t need anyone to point out the
obvious, and if you could stop sinning, you wouldn’t need Jesus. The Lord
faced a situation of moral failure: a woman caught in the act of adultery. It
was a setup for Jesus, but mercy (the Hebrew word for mercy is hesed, which
means “grace”) triumphed over judgment (James 2:13).

10 When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, Woman, where are
your accusers? Has no man condemned you? 11 She answered, No one,
Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and
from now on sin no more. (John 8) AMP

Jesus offered the woman the gift of “no condemnation,” which empowers a
person to sin no more. God can say, “There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” because there is no sin to
condemn—every sin was judged and punished with the full fury of God’s
wrath in the body of Jesus. He has a righteous foundation through the cross.
Knowing this empowers believers to overcome sin.

14 For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now
you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s
favor and mercy]. (Romans 6) AMP

In Matthew 9, verse 13, Jesus says, “go and learn what this means: ‘I desire
mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners,
to repentance.” We need to learn that God no longer punishes people when
they sin. We do this to one another all the time, and it’s because we have not
let grace teach us. It’s not the absence of grace that’s the problem—we are
saved by grace and we have received grace—the problem is that it’s too often
mixed with law. The woman got saved while her accusers did not. Their own
standard, which they wielded to bring judgment, had condemned them. The
law condemns; it says “stop that” without providing any help. If you stop you
will be accepted if you don’t you’re rejected. This way doesn’t work. If it did,
Paul would have dealt with the church in Corinth along that line. Instead he
preaches grace: “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit?”2 And then he nails it in a nutshell:

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (1
Corinthians 15) KJV

If you want to make sin worse, try the law. Try to solve it using your own
strength and see what happens. Grace is God’s way; it’s trusting in Jesus,
who teaches us to say no to ungodliness.3

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15) NKJV

“It’s the revelation of God’s love for us through the cross that
delivers people from destructive habits.”

Rightly dividing the word of truth is vital in your relationship with Jesus. It is
also true in your relationships with people. Living on a performance basis to
earn people’s favor and acceptance is not being real; it causes anger and
frustration, which result in broken relationships. We don’t love people in
order for them to conform to our particular pattern of life. Instead, through
the love of Jesus, people are transformed from the inside through the gospel
in order to become the people God intended them to be. Pressure to conform
is just religion. And it doesn’t matter how it is dressed. It might produce a
change in behavior, but it cannot produce life. All that passing laws against
sin did was produce more lawbreakers. Only Jesus can produce life because
the words that He speaks are spirit and life.4
When people fail, we must lead them to Jesus because only the Lord can free
people from sin and its defilement. The gospel produces intimacy with God,
and it’s in this place with Jesus that He can wash your feet.5 We need to be
continually cleansed by the washing of water, by the word, and the word is
the gospel of grace.6 It was in that place of intimacy with the Lord Jesus that
Cephas (Peter) was restored.7 It was in the Presence of the risen Lord that the
disciples were delivered of fear and unbelief and filled with joy, and it
happened when they saw Jesus hands and side.8 It’s the revelation of God’s
love for us through the cross that delivers people from destructive habits.

6 [It is He] Who has qualified us [making us to be fit and worthy and
sufficient] as ministers and dispensers of a New Covenant [of salvation
through Christ], not [ministers] of the letter (of legally written code) but
of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes
alive. (2 Corinthian 3) AMP
 CHAPTER 10
The Whole Counsel of God

For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God

(ACTS 20:27)

THE OLD PAUL, SAUL OF Tarsus, was dead and buried. His old nature was
crucified with Christ; he was dead to sin and to the law and alive to God. He
was born again, a new creation, one new spirit with Jesus. He was no longer a
servant under the law; he was now a son, and the Father had sent forth the
Spirit of His Son into his heart crying “Abba [Father]” (Galatians 5). Through
the revelation of grace given to Paul, he understood that the Christian life is
impossible to live—only God can live it. He knew that through Christ, God’s
purpose in creating man in His image had been restored. With Christ in you,
God now has the ability to teach you, to work in you and express His life
through you. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God, and He’s the
firstborn among many. The church is the “many.” If you want to know what
God is like, go find a born-again believer. We need a demonstration of Spirit
and power. We need the gospel, and we need a demonstration; Paul always
brought both. Miracles, signs, and wonders are the gospel. Anything that
detracts from the gospel frustrates the manifestation of God’s Presence. Paul
addresses this when he confronted the church in Galatia who, having begun
in the spirit were now trying to be made perfect through their own efforts:

5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles

among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith? (Galatians 3) NKJV
This was not an isolated incident. Things come to a head in Acts 15, when the
church met to discuss the problem of mixing law and grace. Sadly, the issue
was not resolved, and it continues to be a problem even to this day. The good
news is that the gospel of Christ—the message of grace, the first-century
gospel that Paul preached—resolves the problem once and for all.

38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this
man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all
that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be
justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13) KJV

When the gospel is preached, people get saved, and they want to hear about
Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross.

42 As they [Paul and Barnabas] went out [of the synagogue], the people
earnestly begged that these things might be told to them [further] the
next Sabbath. (Acts 13) AMP

Religious people get saved.

43 And when the congregation of the synagogue dispersed, many of the

Jews and the devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas,
who talked to them and urged them to continue [to trust themselves to
and to stand fast] in the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of
God. (Acts 13) AMP

Entire cities are moved by the gospel.

44 The next Sabbath almost the entire city gathered together to hear the
Word of God [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in
the kingdom of God]. (Acts 13) AMP

Religious fundamentalists are offended.

 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, filled with envy and jealousy
they contradicted what was said by Paul and talked abusively [reviling
and slandering him]. (Acts 13) AMP

There is joy, praise, and thanksgiving to God.

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified
(praised and gave thanks for) the Word of God; and as many as were
destined (appointed and ordained) to eternal life believed (adhered to,
trusted in, and relied on Jesus as the Christ and their Savior). (Acts 13)
AMP

At this juncture, perhaps you’re thinking, “Yes, the gospel is important. But
didn’t Paul say something about the ‘whole counsel’ of God?” Yes, that is
true—in Acts chapter 20, starting at verse 17, Paul speaks to the elders from
Ephesus. In verse 24, Paul speaks about his ministry to testify of the gospel
of grace:

24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto
myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry,
which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the
grace of God. (Acts 20) KJV

Paul equates the gospel of grace with the gospel of the Kingdom:

25 And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone
preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. (Acts 20)
NKJV

The Lord Jesus defies conventional wisdom. Unlike the rulers of this world
who “throw their weight around,” King Jesus came to serve. And out of the
riches of His glory, His desire is to bless. In fact, He finds pleasure in
serving. He is never tired or distracted as Mary, the sister of Martha—whose
brother, Lazarus, King Jesus raised from the dead—discovered. As she sat at
Jesus feet in worship and received from Him, the Lord explained that she had
chosen that good part, which would not be taken away from her.1 Our love
and service to people flow from receiving His love for us.

Jesus is the King. He has the Kingdom,2 and He has given it to the sons of
God.3 The moment you believe the gospel and are born again, Satan is
dethroned. Through the finished work of the cross, the Lord Jesus has set you
free from Satan’s dominion.4

13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us

into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Colossians 1) NKJV

The King has come. His name is Jesus, and His Kingdom is within you.5 As a
King Priest unto the Lord, you are ruling and reigning with Christ now!

10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign
on the earth.” (Revelation 5) NKJV

As one man of God puts it, “As King Priests we rule with the heart of a
servant and serve with the heart of a king all for the benefit of the people
around us.6 Rulers in God’s Kingdom never rule for their own sake. It’s
always for the sake of others.”7 Jesus mandate has become our mandate,8 and
our purpose is to destroy the works of the devil.9 This good news of the
Kingdom is the gospel of grace that Paul preached.

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus
Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from
this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to
whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1) NKJV

“The entire Bible is a revelation of the Lord Jesus, who is grace

personified.”
In verse 32, Paul commits the elders to God and the word of His grace:

32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his
grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance
among all them which are sanctified. (Acts 20) NKJV

Often the phrase “the word” refers to everything contained in the Bible.
However, in verse 32 “the word” clearly refers to the gospel. Perhaps that’s
what Paul meant when he told Timothy to “preach the word” (2 Timothy
4:2); after all, Timothy was an evangelist (verse 5). Evangelist in the Greek
text is euaggelistḗs, and is defined as one who declares the good news
(Romans 10:15).

Now, sandwiched between these glorious truths, is the “whole counsel” of

God:

27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
(KJV)

The whole counsel of God is the gospel; it’s the message of grace, God’s
unmerited favor toward you through Jesus Christ and the finished work of the
cross. The entire Bible is a revelation of the Lord Jesus, who is grace
personified. God preached the gospel to Abraham when He said, “I have
blessed you to be a blessing to all nations for my glory.” This paraphrase of
Genesis chapter 12, verses 1–3 is the promise of Christ! Even the Old
Covenant presented the shadow of better things; you just couldn’t see the
substance—He was concealed. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, and now
we can enjoy the New Covenant, which is based on better promises. What
else is there to say? The disciples preached the gospel, and miracles, signs,
and wonders followed.

20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working
with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Mark
16) KJV
What about spiritual warfare?

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10) KJV

The key to understanding this verse is to ask, “Whose obedience?” The

answer is that Christ’s obedience has made you the righteousness of God in
Him. Who, then, can bring a charge against you? No one! Therefore, there is
now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

When you’re established in righteousness, God’s righteousness revealed in

the gospel, you possess divine protection.

14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from

oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come
near thee. (Isaiah 54) KJV

And no weapon formed against you shall prosper when you have Jesus, who
is the believer’s righteousness.

17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every

tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This
is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of
me, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 54) KJV

Your victory in spiritual warfare comes from the gospel.

15 [God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged

against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in
triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross]. (Colossians 2) AMP
REVELATION
In Mark chapter 4, Jesus gives the following explanation of how people
respond to the gospel:

16 And in the same way the ones sown upon stony ground are those
who, when they hear the Word, at once receive and accept and welcome
it with joy; 17 And they have no real root in themselves, and so they
endure for a little while; then when trouble or persecution arises on
account of the Word, they immediately are offended (become
displeased, indignant, resentful) and they stumble and fall away. (AMP)

“Revelation is an invitation to a divine encounter”

There is no difference in the word. The same word can go forth, yet what is
produced is not always the same. The difference is the condition of people’s
hearts. Fertile soil produces a harvest, and fertile soil comes from repeated
exposure to word of grace—the gospel.

Many people receive the word with joy but don’t take the time to meditate on
it or talk to the Lord about it in order to gain understanding. What is heard
sits as information; however, what is needed is revelation. When information
becomes revelation, there is growth, and the seed (word) produces life. You
can’t make a seed grow in the same way that you can’t produce revelation.
Revelation is what God has provided for you through Christ’s finished work.
You have the mind of Christ, and you know all things. Revelation comes
from God through relationship, through beholding the Lord Jesus, and
through the renewing of your mind. This experience requires the word.10
There will always be pressure against the gospel, against the word sown in
your heart. Your job is not to fight but to rest in Jesus finished work. Pressure
from the world or the demonic realm can cause believers to become focused
on their condition—that is, their present situation, difficulty, or failure—
instead of their position in Christ, the righteousness of God. In verses 35–41,
Jesus gives the disciples the opportunity to apply what He has just taught. In
other words, revelation is an invitation to a divine encounter.
 35 On that same day [when] evening had come, He said to them, Let us
go over to the other side [of the lake]. 36 And leaving the throng, they
took Him with them, [just] as He was, in the boat [in which He was
sitting]. And other boats were with Him. 37 And a furious storm of
wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into
the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. 38 But He [Himself]
was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they
awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are
perishing? 39 And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea,
Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if
exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm (a
perfect peacefulness). 40 He said to them, Why are you so timid and
fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)? 41
And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said
one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?
(Mark 4) AMP

In verse 35, Jesus gives the disciples the word, “let us cross over to the other
side.” Immediately a storm came that could have ended their crossing and
lives. The disciples panic, fighting against the storm with all the knowledge
and experience they have; all the while, Jesus is resting. By now the disciples
have given up; they are offended and blame Jesus for their situation. Again
Jesus speaks the word; the sea is calm, and His word to the disciples is
fulfilled. When Jesus speaks the word and you believe that word in spite of
what’s going on around you, He sees that as faith, and what He says will
always come to pass.

The Beroeans had the right attitude when it came to the gospel:

10 Now the brethren at once sent Paul and Silas away by night to
Beroea; and when they arrived, they entered the synagogue of the Jews.
11 Now these [Jews] were better disposed and more noble than those in
Thessalonica, for they were entirely ready and accepted and welcomed
the message [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal
salvation in the kingdom of God] with inclination of mind and
 eagerness, searching and examining the Scriptures daily to see if these
things were so. (Acts 17) AMP

“If you have received the revelation of grace, then you should
extend like to others, especially those who oppose you.”

They heard Paul preach, but they also took the time to confirm that what he
said was true. All too often we listen to trusted people believing that
everything they say is “gospel” when it may not always be so. It is pointless
to get angry and blame someone for teaching something that is wrong. No
one intentionally would do that. Traditions get in the way, and so does
teachability, We simply must maintain the attitude of a learner—how else
will we grow? Overall, when you study the life and ministry of Paul, the
greatest challenge to the gospel is rightly dividing the word of truth that is
interpreting scripture in the light of the New Covenant. Failure to do this
diminishes the value of Jesus finished work. It’s a journey; we are learning
line upon line, precept upon precept. If someone opposes you, be like the
Beroeans: Go to the Bible and let the Lord Jesus enlighten you. God doesn’t
hide revelation and understanding of scripture from us. Instead, He hides it
for us to encounter. As we seek Him with all our heart, we discover that
indeed it is “the glory of kings to search a matter out.”11 After your study,
should a healthy dialogue ensue with those who oppose you, it is a great
opportunity; there will be room for growth in your relationship. On the other
hand, it may not be so convivial; in that case, you have a choice. You can
choose agreement as the basis for relationship, where lack thereof results in a
broken relationship, or you can understand that everyone is at a different
place in their relationship with Jesus and you can continue to love and
encourage. If you have received the revelation of grace, then you should
extend like to others, especially those who oppose you. There is a time to
stand; just remember to let it be in love—as the Lord gave the commandment
to love one another as He has loved us.

The fact is that people don’t always understand scripture in the same way.
Two people sitting next to each other hear the same message. One receives
revelation and is transformed; the other is not. Why? Jesus said the reason is
the condition of the person’s heart, the soil into which the seed was sown.
How, then, can the condition of the soil be improved to provide maximum
fertility for the seed to germinate and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, and
one hundred fold?

2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their
minds against the brethren. 3 Therefore they stayed there a long time,
speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of
His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. (Acts
14) NKJV

According to the Bible blueprint outlined in the book of Acts, the apostle
Paul, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, declares that it’s through the
word of His grace, the preaching of the gospel, the New Covenant of God’s
unmerited favor. It’s hearing the gospel for a long time, not just once. It’s not
just a series on the subject of grace; it’s preaching the Person who is Grace.
All scripture is God breathed, but it is interpreted through the lens of the New
Covenant because the cross changes everything!

Friend, I want to ask you to honestly consider your spiritual diet. Are you
getting the real deal or a mixture of the Old and New Covenants? The
mixture is deadly, and you need to consider whether “hanging in there” is
really worth it. If you honestly believe that as a New Covenant believer you
can be a catalyst for change in your spiritual family, where there is
engagement from all parties and openness for change, that’s awesome. If not,
then you need to think seriously about your divine destiny. Mixing law and
grace is religion that seeks behavior modification. You are a designer original
with a unique calling and destiny—why would you risk that to simply
become like everybody else just so that you can fit in and be part of the
group? Friend, it’s not worth it. Grace is an ongoing inward transformation
that celebrates your authentic uniqueness. Why would you want to be a copy
of somebody else when you can be who God created you to be? When you
connect your authentic uniqueness with your gifts and calling, your life has
meaning, and there is an overwhelming sense of fulfillment. Anything else
results in frustration. Although rejection might be painful, just remember the
words of Jesus, who understands what it’s like to be rejected, especially by
people who purported to know Him and even represent Him:

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile
and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My
sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in
heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Matthew 5) NKJV

There’s a grace revolution sweeping the planet, and it’s time to get on board.
Your Heavenly Father knows that you have needs even before you ask, and
He is committed to seeing you fulfill the destiny He has called you to. You
can trust Him to lead you with His wisdom and favor.

Each person has a responsibility to test and prove all things:

20 Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not
depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or
exhortation or warning]. 21 But test and prove all things [until you can
recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast. (1 Thessalonians 5) AMP

“God never gave us His word to study like a book because the Bible
cannot be understood apart from relationship with Him.”

Most people have access to a Bible, and the Holy Spirit will teach you all
things and guide you into all truth. However, if scripture is not understood in
its proper context and not interpreted through the lens of the New Covenant,
the result is confusion and misunderstanding. The Beroeans did not have the
New Testament scriptures; they only had the Old Testament. Thus, Paul was
able to preach the New Covenant revelation he had received from God using
the Old Testament scriptures to reveal Jesus Christ and His finished work.
How much more do we have today? This being said, we are without excuse.
You can’t live off someone else’s revelation. You have to make it your
revelation by beholding Jesus and meditating on the New Covenant until that
information becomes revelation for you. The gospel is not difficult to
understand; it’s for fisherman like Peter, for those without much in the way
of formal education. It’s also for tax collectors like Matthew, for those who
have some education. The gospel is for everyone.

Jeremiah makes a good point when he says:

13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns,
that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2) KJV

If you don’t read or study the Bible, God will not love you less than He loves
someone else who does. It’s not a question of God’s love for you. He loves
you, and He relates to you on the basis of grace and not your personal
holiness. However, you will love God less. Remember what Jesus said: “He
who is forgiven much loves much and he who is forgiven little loves little.”12
When you meditate on Jesus and His finished work and discover that all your
sins have been forgiven and that He has made you the righteousness of God
in Him, you will love Him effortlessly; in fact, you will fall in love afresh
with the Lover of your soul. The application of what Jeremiah says is of
critical importance for us today. Only Jesus can give living water.

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
springing up into everlasting life. (John 4) KJV

Most people understand this; however, the common interpretation is not the
point that God is making. God never gave us His word to study like a book
because the Bible cannot be understood apart from relationship with Him. If
you can’t understand something because there appears to be some
contradiction, then go to Jesus and get it from Him directly.

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
 saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that
believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water. (John 7) KJV

We live in an information age. You can tap into ministries from all over the
world. There is a literal plethora of books and study material available. And
its good stuff, and it’s a blessing. However, how much of that knowledge just
sits in your head as information? Are you prepared to journey with Jesus?
Where information becomes revelation, that leads to an encounter with the
Living God resulting in transformation.

32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while
he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?
(Luke 24) KJV

You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. Let’s
read, let’s listen, and let’s watch, but most of all, let’s learn to lean on Jesus,
for His anointing teaches us concerning all things.

SUCCESS IN LIFE
Jesus is the answer to all of your problems. He solves them, and His will for
you is as follows:

2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in
health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John) KJV

God wants you to prosper in all things. His will for you is to provide for all of
your needs. God’s prosperity is holistic, empowering you to reign in life. He
blesses so that you can be a blessing.13 If it’s God’s will for you to prosper in
all things, how, then, do you enjoy good success in life? Let’s answer this
question by looking at the Old Testament through the lens of the New
Covenant.
 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all
that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and
then you will have good success. (Joshua 1) NKJV

“We don’t do right to be righteous; we do right because we are

righteous. In the same way, we don’t do right to be blessed; we are
blessed because we are right with God.”

Joshua succeeded Moses, to whom God gave the law. The Old Covenant was
God’s way for Israel to relate to Him. The relationship was based on their
obedience. Thus, it was of utmost importance for Joshua to know exactly
what the law said in order for Israel to do all that was written in it. Obedience
brought blessing; disobedience brought cursing. In God’s mercy, He also
instituted a sacrificial system that provided atonement that needed to be
executed annually. Obedience to the law provided a temporary righteousness.
Under the law, self-righteousness gave a temporary right standing with
God.14 Contrast this with the New Covenant:

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write
them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My
people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother,
saying, “Know the Lord,” for all shall know Me, from the least of them
to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember
no more. (Hebrews 8) KJV

In the Old Covenant, God says, “you will.” He places the demand on you. In
the New Covenant, God says, “I will”; grace supplies. How does God put His
law (that is, the law of love and faith, the New Covenant) in our minds? The
answer is amazing: In your born-again spirit, you have the nature of God and
the mind of Christ. Jesus is the “Word,” and you’ve got Him in your born-
again spirit. How does He write it in your heart? Through revelation
knowledge, your mind is renewed, and by beholding the Lord Jesus in all His
loveliness, you are transformed from one degree of glory to the next (2
Corinthians 3:19). Under the New Covenant, all shall know God not through
obedience but by Jesus obedience through the finished work of the cross.
Under the New Covenant, God forgives all sin and makes man right with
Him through Jesus finished work of the cross. The New Covenant should be
the motivation of our study—that is, God’s love for us. We don’t do right to
be righteous; we do right because we are righteous. In the same way, we
don’t do right to be blessed; we are blessed because we are right with God.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6) KJV

The Kingdom of God is within you,15 and Jesus has made you the
righteousness of God in Him.16 When you believe this with all your heart,
you agree with God’s view and opinion of who you are, and this releases
grace. Right believing causes you to reign in life.17 How awesome is Jesus,
who inaugurated the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor toward us who
believe! I hope you can see clearly what it is that we need to study. The New
Covenant is the gospel that Paul preached; it’s the whole counsel of God.
Paul called the gospel his gospel, and we need to make the gospel our gospel.
You can’t live off someone else’s revelation; it needs to become your
revelation. There is a realm of revelation that God has hidden for us to
discover. If you’re committed to seeking Him with all your heart, then you
will not be disappointed. It’s not difficult because Jesus has become for us
wisdom from God, and God has given us His Spirit.

29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things
which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we
may do—all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29) KJV

Now consider verse 8 from chapter 1 of Joshua in the light of the New
Covenant: that we may rest from our work and enjoy the unmerited favor of
God that empowers us to love one another just as Jesus loved us.
In closing, let Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus be your prayer for the
church today:

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him
[Jesus], 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you
may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the
glory of His inheritance in the saints [Christ in you]. (Ephesians 1)
[brackets mine] NKJV
 CHAPTER 11
See Yourself as God Sees You

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them.

(JOHN 17:22)

IN PAUL’S LETTER TO THE church at Colosse, it is clear that he has never met
the people face to face:

1 For I want you to know how great is my solicitude for you [how
severe an inward struggle I am engaged in for you] and for those
[believers] at Laodicea, and for all who [like yourselves] have never
seen my face and known me personally. (Colossians 2) AMP

“God doesn’t see you in your faults and failures; He sees you in
Christ, the righteousness of God.”

Was it his gospel that they had received? You can sense the desire of his
heart that the believers in Colosse have “full assurance of understanding, to
the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of
Christ.”1 Of course, he knew what that is—the revelation of “Christ in you
the hope of glory”2—but did the church know that? It is not just information
but revelation that brings an encounter with the Lord Jesus. The church was
established and had a good report from Epaphras. Why did Paul feel the need
to preach the gospel to the church? After all, they were saved. Let’s look at
verses 22 and 23 for some insight.
 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblamable and unreprovable in his sight. (Colossians 1) KJV

Do you wake up every morning with an absolute conviction—irrespective of

what’s going on in your life in the natural realm, no matter how big the
problem or failure—that through the finished work of the cross, the Lord
Jesus presents you to the Father as holy, unblamable, and unreprovable in His
sight? You should, because that’s how the Father sees you. He doesn’t see
you in your faults and failures; He sees you in Christ, the righteousness of
God. Remember that your agreement with God empowers you, and in God’s
view and opinion, you are holy and righteous. If you choose to agree with a
lie that says otherwise, that will empower the devil, and he devours, bringing
condemnation and fear, leading believers into an endless cycle of failure and
defeat. Everyone makes mistakes, but Jesus has paid for every mistake and
made you holy, unblamable, and unreprovable in His sight. You’ve just got to
grasp the import of this. Consider, for example, the prodigal son in Luke 15.
He makes an absolute mess of his life. Asking for his inheritance before his
father had passed away was tantamount to saying, “I wish you were dead.”
He returns home, expecting the worst from his father, which couldn’t have
been further from what transpires. His father just loved on him and wasn’t
interested in his apology. In fact, the son is not able to ask his father to make
him a hired hand because the Father only has relationship on the basis of
grace, never works.3 Just accept it: Grace gives you what you don’t deserve;
grace gives you what Jesus deserves. Immediately the son is restored; there’s
no probation period to see if he is truly repentant. No, he had authority to be
about his father’s business.4 When Jesus presents you to the Father, you are
in fact the same as Him. Your born-again spirit is who you are, and this is
what He shows the Father. In 1 John chapter 4, verse 17, it says, “as He is so
are we in this world”; you became “one spirit” with Jesus when you were
born again (1 Corinthians 6:17). You’ve just got to get off your condition and
live life according to your position in Christ, the righteousness of God,
because children of God are led by the Spirit of God.

23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved

away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was
 preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am
made a minister (Colossians 1) KJV

Verse 23 answers the question, “Why does the church need the gospel”?
when Paul says, “Be not moved away.” The key to understanding this issue is
found in the word continue. Continue in the Greek text is epiménō, which
means “to stay, abide, or remain.” To be in Christ is to abide in Him (1 John
4:13). This is your position; this is who you are, the righteousness of God in
Him. You are united to the Lord and one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians
6:17), and your right standing with Him is eternal (Daniel 9:24). How did you
become the righteousness of God in Christ? By believing the gospel, through
Jesus blood, you’ve been reconciled to God, and it’s by faith from first to last
(Romans 1:17). Jesus answers the question when the people ask Him, “What
are we to do?”

28 They then said, What are we to do, that we may [habitually] be

working the works of God? [What are we to do to carry out what God
requires?]29 Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of
you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to,
trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger]. (John 6) AMP

There is no work to perform in order to continue in the faith; there is only an

unqualified believe. Believe the preceding verse, “In the body of his flesh
through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his
sight.”5 If the New Covenant is not the center of your life and ministry,6 you
eventually gravitate back to the law.7 Instead of resting in what Jesus has
done for you, you end up trying to make yourself acceptable to God through
your own effort. You slip back into the Old Covenant and fall from grace.
Old Covenant thinking is overcome by renewing your mind to the New
Covenant, to the gospel that Paul is preaching here to the church. Through
grace, God’s view and opinion of you will never change. To hear the gospel
once and believe it might save you, but that is just the very beginning. Your
ongoing growth and maturity depend on an ever-increasing revelation of
grace. Mixing the Old Covenant with the New Covenant is like poison to
your mind. Take poison for long enough and you’ll die. That’s why the Old
Covenant is called the “ministry of death” (2 Corinthians 3). Paul understood
that the church needs the gospel because only the gospel can get the poison
out of a believer’s mind that is the Old Covenant mind-set of “do good, get
good; do bad, get bad.”

1 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue

of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of
the Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles
and poisoned their minds against the brethren. 3 Therefore they stayed
there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness
to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their
hands. (Acts 14) NKJV

The unbelieving Jews poisoned the believers’ minds by telling them that they
needed to keep the law. In other words, what they were saying was that
God’s acceptance was dependent upon their obedience. So Paul spent a long
time in Iconium, preaching the word of His grace, the good news of God’s
unmerited favor through Jesus Christ. When there is an emphasis on conduct,
on what you should and shouldn’t do, behavior can be modified quickly.
People respond to “tell me what to do.” Grace is different; grace tells you
“who you are in Christ.” It takes time to get established in His righteousness,
that’s why we need preaching that focuses on Jesus and the New Covenant.
In His time, this inward transformation through right believing manifests as
right behavior that empowers believers for good works.

16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the

water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And
suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3) NKJV

When Jesus comes out of the water, the Father says of His Son “I am well
pleased.” At this point, Jesus had not performed any miracles, yet the Father
was well pleased with Him. The Father’s approval of Jesus is not based on
what He does or doesn’t do; it’s based on who Jesus is to Him—His Son.
Approval is based on sonship. Through the finished work of the cross, Jesus
Father is now our Father.8 Have you done or could you ever do anything to
merit God’s acceptance?

19 He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an

unblemished, sacrificial lamb. 20 And this was no afterthought. Even
though it has only lately––at the end of the ages––become public
knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. 21 It’s
because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the
dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future
in God. (1 Peter 1) MESSAGE

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world
(Revelation 13:8), and He’s the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel
(Romans 1:17). This means that it has always been God’s intention for man
to relate to Him on the basis of His righteousness. Jesus is qualified to receive
God’s favor, and through His finished work, He has qualified us to receive
God’s favor. We are in Christ and accepted in the Beloved. Now believers are
the beloved of God, like Jesus!

15 For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of
slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received
the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of]
which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! (Romans 8) AMP

Through the shedding of Jesus blood on the cross, God began a New
Covenant relationship with man, Jesus being our representative. This made
the Old Covenant obsolete. God now relates to people on the basis of grace.
Through Jesus finished work, God has reconciled all people to Himself.
When we believe the gospel that Jesus is Lord and that He has been merciful
to our unrighteousness, and our sins and lawless deeds He remembers no
more, we are saved and reconciled to God.
Romans 10 says:

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your
heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

This verse represents the same truth; Jesus Christ and the finished work of the
cross. His resurrection from the dead is the proof that God is not holding
anything against us. It’s the evidence that we have been justified from all
things through His death. He qualifies us to receive God’s favor even though
we didn’t merit it; only He does. God put us in Christ when He sent the Spirit
of Christ into our hearts when we were born again. That is the basis of God’s
acceptance of us: Jesus finished work. And Jesus shows us to the Father; He
presents us to God, and we are seated with Him in the heavenly realms.
Thank you, Lord Jesus! Wonderful Lord Jesus, you took our place so that we
could take your place. That’s the good news, the New Covenant of God’s
unmerited favor, the gospel of grace! Amen.
 CHAPTER 12
You Are What You Believe

Rightly dividing the word of truth.

(2 TIMOTHY 2:15)

HEALTH IS AN IMPORTANT PART of life, and it was a major part of Jesus life. He
healed all who came to Him.1 The importance of health is easy to understand
when you’re flat on your back with sickness. You just can’t enjoy life.
Nutritionists have a catchphrase: “You are what you eat.” Likewise, God has
given us a spiritual law along the same line: “You are what you believe.”

6 Eat not the bread of him who has a hard, grudging, and envious eye,
neither desire his dainty foods; 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not
with you [but is grudging the cost]. (Proverb 23) AMP

“The world calls worrying about things being responsible. Jesus

says, “Just do this one thing: Believe that I am your supply.”

In this parable, someone invites you for a meal. The host says to you, “Eat up
—enjoy,” but in his innermost heart, he is thinking, “This guy is eating all my
food. This is going to cost me dearly.” Instead of enjoying the experience of
extending hospitality, he’s disturbed. In this situation, the host is counting the
cost. With each mouthful, he is ever mindful of his reducing supply. He is
like Gideon in the winepress guarding his wheat2 or an orphan holding on to
what little he has. He sees only what he lacks, and this attitude springs from
an Old Covenant mind-set in which the host believes that the demand is upon
him to supply all of his needs. The revelation of grace is altogether different.
Grace supplies, and God has provided for all your needs through Jesus
finished work. Grace is not what God is doing; Jesus work is finished. Grace
is what Jesus has done through His death on the cross. You have the same
power that raised Christ from the dead, and we understand that the worlds
were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not
made of things which do appear (Hebrews 11:3). The word of God is spirit
and life, and this is how the material world is created. Picture Jesus with the
leper who says, “If you are willing, Lord, heal me.” The leper knows Jesus
can heal—but would He heal him? Jesus says, “I am willing; be healed.”
Jesus touches him, and immediately the leprosy leaves him.3 Those words
created new body parts. The moral of this story is that it’s God’s will to heal.
Whatever you believe in your heart is exactly what you will get. Jesus
demonstrated this truth with two blind men:

28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.
And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying,
“According to your faith let it be to you.” 30 And their eyes were
opened. (Matthew 9) NKJV

When Jesus preached His Sermon on the Mount, He dealt with everyday life.
He understands that we have needs, and His advice is not to chase after things
or worry about what you need, which is the world’s way of doing things. The
world calls worrying about things being responsible. Jesus says, “Just do this
one thing: Believe that I am your supply.”

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6) KJV

“We need to learn how to receive His love because that is what
empowers us to love others.”
The Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21), and where the rule of God
is, there is God, and His name is King Jesus. You have been made the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus; this is who you are, your born-again
spirit that has become one with Jesus Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). Look within
and not without. God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly realms in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). You are in Christ, and this is
where He supplies according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:19). Right believing is critical if we are to live right. If your
understanding of living right is focused on behavior, then you’ve missed it.
Jesus put an end to that old way of doing life where everything is based on
performance—“don’t sin, and do what’s right.” Well-meaning people often
throw in “be careful” for good measure. Let’s be clear, now: No one is
suggesting that living a sinful life or being lazy is OK. However, if you want
to focus right living on behavior, just remember the following: “Therefore, to
him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
Your position in Christ, the righteousness of God, is perfect. It’s your
performance or condition in life that varies. When you judge your condition
according to your position, your behavior will change4. Living right is so
much more than right behavior; the difference is how to get there. Grace is
resting in Jesus finished work and enjoying the unmerited favor of God in the
manifold ways that He supplies. We need to learn how to receive His love
because that is what empowers us to love others. Grace doesn’t make you
lazy; in fact, Paul was more productive than the other apostles because of the
grace that was upon him (1 Corinthians 15:10). When he was dealing with
the Corinthian church and all its problems, he said, “The strength of sin is the
law” (1 Corinthians 15:56). In other words, focusing on your problems and
trying to overcome them in your own strength will make things worse.

20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where
sin abounded, grace abounded much more. (Romans 5) NKJV

Focus on who you are in Christ, the righteousness of God; focus on grace.
This will empower you to overcome and reign in life. What you believe is
tantamount to fulfilling the New Covenant commandment that Jesus gave,
which is to love. He who is forgiven much loves much, and he who is
forgiven little will love in the same manner.5 There is no escaping this truth.
As a believer, you must settle this once and for all: “Is what Jesus has done
enough?” Either all your sins were forgiven at the cross or they weren’t—so
what is it going to be? Do you appropriate forgiveness on an installment basis
through repentance and confession? Are you justified from all things through
His death?

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down on the right hand of God…14 For by one offering he hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10) KJV

Come on, now—we have redemption through the shedding of Jesus blood on
the cross, which is the forgiveness of sins, and remember that it’s an eternal
redemption, and that means you are forever forgiven. It is far better to love a
lot in thought, word, and deed. Think of the alternative: You love a little, so
what’s left? Self-occupation, anger, frustration, resentment, indifference—
that’s what’s left. Life is too short in the light of eternity. Grace empowers
you to love, and the opposite attitude will literally kill you. If you love God in
order for Him to love you, then you’re building upon sand (Deuteronomy
6:5). That is the old way of the letter, which kills (2 Corinthians 3:6). The
New Covenant is not about your love for God; it’s about His love for you.
We love Him because He first loved us by sending His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins6—and not just ours, the entire world’s.7 Thank God
for grace; the law demands, but grace supplies. There is nothing wrong with
the law that was given to Israel that is the Ten Commandments. “The Law
therefore is holy, and [each] commandment is holy and just and good”
(Romans 7:12). However, the law was never given for man to fulfill, and it
can’t make the sinner righteous.

19 What then was the purpose of the Law? It was added [later on, after
the promise, to disclose and expose to men their guilt] because of
transgressions and [to make men more conscious of the sinfulness] of
sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the Seed (the Descendant,
the Heir) should come, to and concerning Whom the promise had been
 made. And it [the Law] was arranged and ordained and appointed
through the instrumentality of angels [and was given] by the hand (in
the person) of a go-between [Moses, an intermediary person between
God and man]. (Galatians 3) AMP

The law is an impossible standard that makes you conscious of sin. And
God’s requirement is that you observe to do all that is written in the law. You
can’t pick and choose; you have to obey every law perfectly. If you break
one, then you are guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10). The Pharisees,
through great effort, had made the law almost palatable—it had become
doable—but Jesus crashed their party by presenting the law exactly as it is—
God’s standard. Whereas the Pharisees focused on the external requirements
of the law, Jesus elevated the law back to God’s standard, where the focus is
on the internal life of a believer, the heart, attitude, and thought life, as well
as behavior.

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his
physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see
as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16) NKJV

20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the

righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter
the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5) NKJV

This crushed everyone, including you and me. Thank God for grace. Jesus
did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).
Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements for you and me through His death
on the cross.

13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
 faith. (Galatians 3) KJV

No longer does man relate to God on the basis of his self-righteousness.

Instead, we enjoy relationship with God through Jesus righteousness received
as a gift.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth. (Romans 10) KJV

“Righteousness is a gift received, so your work—good or bad—does

not affect your right standing with God.”

Settle this now: man cannot relate to God on the basis of self-righteousness.
Man relates to God on the basis of His righteousness by grace through faith.
It’s not a mixture of Jesus effort plus yours; it’s only Jesus who can make the
sinner righteous. And even after you are born again, you can’t maintain or
improve your relationship with Jesus any more than you can ruin it through
mistakes and failure. Righteousness is a gift received, so your work—good or
bad—does not affect your right standing with God. That’s why God made the
New Covenant between Himself and Jesus. Jesus has an indestructible life,
and He will never fail. We are in Him; rest and enjoy every blessing that He
is qualified to receive. The world has a phrase, “ignorance is bliss.” This is
not the case for a believer; ignorance will prove to be a disaster in your
relationship with God if the doctrine of righteousness is not understood
through the mixing of the Old Covenant with the New.

3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to

establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God. (Romans 10) KJV

Let’s be clear: Born-again believers who mix law and grace are saved.
Eternal security is not at stake; they have fallen from grace. Through Jesus
blood God has made us the righteousness of God in Him. It’s a done deal,
whether you are ignorant of this or not. The tragedy is the quality of life as a
result of relating to God on the basis of personal holiness. You frustrate the
grace of God toward you.

21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the

law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2) KJV

Suppose you’ve gone off track; perhaps your life is a mess. Don’t worry; be
happy. Jesus will never leave you; He is absolutely committed to you.

13 If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He

remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He
cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2) AMP

You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus the moment you believe and
are born again. However, how many people really understand that at the time
of salvation? Very few truly understand; however, that does not change the
fact that we have been made righteous in Christ through the finished work of
the cross. Even if you don’t believe that you have perfect right standing with
God forever independent of your performance in life, you are still the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit’s work is to testify of
Jesus and to glorify Him. He’s the Spirit of Truth; He will teach you all
things and guide you into all truth. Even if you have forgotten things that
Jesus has told you, He will bring these back to your remembrance. How
awesome is that! Most of all, remember that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would
convince you of your right standing with God (John 16:10). Don’t be afraid
to believe these truths. Although they may seem overwhelming at first and
even at odds with what you believe, God is committed to you enjoying all the
benefits and blessings that Jesus has provided for you through the New
Covenant.

That’s why Paul labored the teaching on righteousness, so that it might

become revelation and life to those who heard it.

9 And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having
 any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on
my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and
supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that
[genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the
Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from
God by [saving] faith. (Philippians 3) AMP

15 So let those [of us] who are spiritually mature and full-grown have
this mind and hold these convictions; and if in any respect you have a
different attitude of mind, God will make that clear to you also.
(Philippians 3) AMP

The magnitude of Proverb 23, verse 7 is like a tsunami. Let the washing of
water by the word cleanse your mind of an Old Covenant mind-set. Believing
right will enable you to live right. The abundance of grace that is the gospel
reveals the free gift of righteousness, which causes you to reign in life.

THE GOSPEL IS FOR THE CHURCH

Perhaps you’re still wondering why, if you’re a believer, you need to hear the
gospel again: “I thought the gospel was for the lost.” That is only a partial
truth. The gospel is for the lost—that’s obvious; how will people believe if
they don’t hear the good news? However, the gospel is also for the church.

25 Now to Him Who is able to strengthen you in the faith which is in

accordance with my Gospel and the preaching of (concerning) Jesus
Christ (the Messiah), according to the revelation (the unveiling) of the
mystery of the plan of redemption which was kept in silence and secret
for long ages, 26 But is now disclosed and through the prophetic
Scriptures is made known to all nations, according to the command of
the eternal God, [to win them] to obedience to the faith, 27 To [the]
only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ (the Anointed
One)! Amen (so be it). (Romans 16) AMP
In the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed, and His name is Jesus, the
believer’s righteousness. The revelation of the mystery is Christ in you.
Remember that he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17).
When God sent the Spirit of Christ into your heart, your spirit became one
new spirit, and the Bible says that “as He is so are we in this world.” This
means that your born-again spirit is the same as Jesus Spirit, now and forever.
You have been created according to God in righteousness and true holiness
(Ephesians 4:24). God is a Spirit, so in this context your spirit—which is who
you are, the “new creation”—is righteous and holy as He is righteous and
holy. This is why the church needs the gospel. Your mind has been
programmed by the world and demonic realm through the sinful nature. Now
we have a new nature; we have Christ in us. The New Covenant truth that
Paul preached is the gospel; it’s the message of grace that renews your mind,
enabling God to express His life in and through you. The more revelation we
receive, the more conscious we become of Jesus living on the inside of us.
The more conscious we are of God’s Presence, the more His life manifests.
This is what the world is earnestly waiting for: a demonstration of miracles,
signs, and wonders that destroys the works of the devil, revealing the Lord
Jesus in all His glory.8 If not the gospel, then what? What about faith?
Through the grace of God, the good news is that we have all received the
measure of faith. Not a measure as if it comes in different amounts—it’s
ridiculous to think along this line, as if it were some kind of substance. Faith
is not something; it is someone, and His name is Jesus.

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is
among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;
but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith. (Romans 12) KJV

By what faith are you living? Is it yours or His?

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ

liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians
2:20) KJV
 “It’s not your spirit that needs convincing; it’s your mind that needs
renewing.”

Come on, now—if it’s your faith, then it’s works. Praise God for grace; it’s
Jesus faith all the way. When you have Christ in you, you have Jesus faith.9
Believe that, and God sees that as faith. Jesus faith is released, enabling you
to believe God with all your heart, and His life breaks forth. When you have
Jesus, you have the mind of Christ; you also have an anointing from the Holy
One and know all things. It’s not your spirit that needs convincing; it’s your
mind that needs renewing. Your faith does not cause God to move. Jesus faith
caused God to move, and now He is seated in the heavenly realms at the
Father’s right hand. Because we are in Christ, we too are seated at the
Father’s right hand, and Jesus has qualified us to receive every blessing in the
heavenly realms.

What about holiness? “For without holiness no one will see the Lord.”10 The
good news is that Jesus is our holiness, and more.

30 But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom
God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the
divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our
Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing
with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our
Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin]. (1
Corinthians 1) AMP

Through Jesus finished work, we have been made holy.

10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy
(consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of
the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One). (Hebrews 10) AMP

Through the New Covenant, Jesus has made you holy, righteous, and pure.
Believe the gospel, and receive eternal life, “that they might know you the
only true God and Jesus Christ whom you sent” (John 17:3)

18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by
the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3) KJV

What about the miraculous, the signs, the wonders?

“The disciples of Jesus believed the gospel and proclaimed it, and
the Lord confirmed it with signs.”

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall
they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall
take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So
then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into
heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the
word with signs following. Amen. (Mark 16) KJV

The disciples of Jesus believed the gospel and proclaimed it, and the Lord
confirmed it with signs—that Jesus is Lord, and He’s forgiven all their sins.
He’s also been merciful to their unrighteousness by making them the
righteousness of God in Christ. And because Jesus ascended to the Father’s
right hand, we have received the Spirit of Jesus so that God might find
expression of His life in and through man, filling the whole Earth with His
glory.

Even spiritual warfare is foundationed in Jesus and His finished work. He

spoiled principalities and powers through the cross (Colossians 2:15). When
you take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, you discover that
Jesus obedience through His death on the cross has made you the
righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 10:5). When you are established
in righteousness, you will be far from oppression; you won’t be afraid, and
terror will not come near you (Isaiah 54:14).

So whether its faith, holiness, the miraculous, or even spiritual warfare, it’s
the grace of God that causes you to reign in life. Grace is what God has done
through Jesus finished work; grace is a Person, and His name is Jesus. You
can’t separate Jesus from grace or grace from Jesus. Grace embodies His
entire life and ministry. And it’s the same for faith, holiness, the miraculous,
and spiritual warfare—they all characterize and embody the Lord Jesus and
His finished work. When you have Jesus, you have everything. In the Old
Testament, the Lord Jesus is concealed. In the New Testament, Jesus is
revealed. There are types and shadows of Jesus in the Old Covenant. The
“sin” offering speaks of Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world.” The “burnt” offering speaks of Jesus righteousness, “a sweet
aroma well pleasing to the Lord,”11 and the gospel reveals the Lord Jesus as
the believer’s righteousness. Dividing the word of truth, then, must take into
account Jesus and the finished work of the cross. Under the Old Covenant, a
temporary righteousness was ascribed by God to man based on obedience.
Man’s relationship was based on his works. Under the New Covenant,
through Jesus finished work, man is made the righteousness of God in Him
through faith. God therefore relates to man on the basis of grace. The New
Covenant makes the Old Covenant obsolete. Therefore, man cannot relate to
God on the basis of his own righteousness anymore. Scripture therefore needs
to be understood in its proper context and interpreted through the lens of the
New Covenant. Believers today live under a covenant of grace that is based
on Jesus finished work. Failure to interpret scripture according to the
redemption that we have in Christ creates a mixture of law and grace. And
this mixture kills. In fact, as noted, the Old Covenant is called the “ministry
of death” (see 2 Corinthians 3). Compare this with the New Covenant.

7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was

glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face
of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was
passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more
glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry
of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was
 made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that
excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is
much more glorious. (2 Corinthians 3) NKJV

As noted earlier, when the Old Covenant was established and the law given
to Moses at Mount Sinai, three thousand people died.

28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there
fell of the people that day about 3000 men. (Exodus 32) KJV

When the New Covenant was established and the Holy Spirit came to
believers, the gospel was preached, and three thousand people were saved.

41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day
about three thousand souls were added to them. (Acts 2) NKJV

Mixing law and grace is “no joke.” God calls this mixture vomit.

15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish
you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. (Revelation 3)
NKJV

“Jesus ran the race and won. He has qualified us all. We start the
Christian life at the finish line, complete in Him.”

The purpose of the law is to make you conscious of sin, condemn you, and
bring you to the end of yourself and to the realization that you need Jesus.
Grace, on the other hand, gives you the gift of no condemnation that
empowers you to sin no more and reign in life. Mixture takes away the
tyranny of the law and the rest that grace provides. Living in the mix places
the emphasis on you attempting to be acceptable to God. When you’re up,
you’re up; when you’re down, you’re down. There is no rest, which is what
the peaceable fruit of righteousness produces. Mixture perpetuates an endless
cycle of failure and defeat. When Jesus says, “I will spew you out of My
mouth,” it does not mean eternal security. Once you’re in Christ by grace,
you can’t come out of Christ through your works; you have fallen from grace.
Mixture leaves a bad taste in God’s mouth, and He will not accept it; He
finds no pleasure in it at all. This might be hard to swallow, especially if
you’re hooked on holiness, but the truth is that—from the very mouth of
Jesus Himself—He does not relate to anyone on the basis of personal
holiness. This is great news! Jesus ran the race and won. He has qualified us
all. We start the Christian life at the finish line, complete in Him.

10 And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life
[in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy
Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule
and authority [of every angelic principality and power]. (Colossians 2)
AMP

The revelation of grace produces the peaceable fruit of righteousness, which

is rest. When you rest, God works, and your behavior (holiness) changes
effortlessly.

COMPLETE IN HIM
The moment you believe the gospel and are born again, you become a brand-
new person on the inside. Your born-again spirit is identical to Jesus Spirit. If
you could somehow analyze the substance and composition of your born-
again spirit, you would discover that it’s the same as Jesus. When the Bible
says “one spirit with Him,” it means that you can no longer identify your
spirit as distinct from His; your spirit has become the same as His Spirit.
Ezekiel speaks of the New Covenant:

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and
 cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and
do them. (Ezekiel 36) NKJV

You are a new creation the moment you are born again. Your spirit is not
maturing or getting better with time and effort. You’ve got it; give up any
notion that you can improve upon what Jesus has done. Quit running the race
that Jesus ran and won for you. Stop trying to finish that which Jesus has
finished. Why try to complete yourself when you are already complete in
Him? Your mind needs to change. Therefore, “repent,” so that the life that is
in the word of His grace, the gospel, can produce a harvest.

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but
I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am
apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3) NKJV

One-third of your salvation is complete. You are one-third Holy Spirit. That
does not mean that you have one-third of God. You have received the
fullness of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Your born-again spirit is
perfect, holy, and righteous. To understand relationship with God in its
proper context, the Bible says, “God is a Spirit,” and we have relationship
through our born- again spirit that is one with Him. When Jesus returns, we
will receive the salvation of our soul and body, resurrection bodies like His,
“for we shall see Him as He is.”12 Paul wasn’t trying to perfect himself
through his own efforts. He tried that—it’s called the law, and it nearly killed
him. No amount of Bible study, prayer, fasting, and meetings was going to
make him righteous in God’s sight.

9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment
came, sin revived, and I died. (Romans 7) KJV
Paul maintained a heavenly perspective—the first fruit was good, but how
much more full salvation to those who eagerly await His return?13 Change
becomes effortless when we behold the Lord Jesus. The more we look to Him
and away from ourselves our view and opinion about who we have become in
Him agree with God’s. This ever-increasing revelation of grace renews the
mind, and our lives are transformed as His character and nature within begin
to reflect in our behavior. When you have Jesus, you have His character and
nature. As you live your life according to who you are in Christ, right
believing will produce right living.

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud

of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the
joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and
is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12) KJV

Think about that great cloud of witnesses. From Abraham to Mt. Sinai, Israel
was under the Abrahamic covenant, a relationship based on grace. When God
said to Abraham, “I will bless you,” it wasn’t because of anything good that
Abraham had done. It was based entirely on God’s goodness. Abraham
believed God, righteousness was imputed to him, and God called him
“friend.” We believe in Jesus, and He makes us the righteousness of God in
Him, and God calls us His children. From Mt. Sinai, Israel was under the Old
Covenant. When God gave the law that is the Ten Commandments to Moses,
He ascribed a temporary righteousness on the basis of man’s obedience. The
law condemns the best, but grace saves the worst. David was “a man after
God’s own heart”; he was a man after grace. David lived in a time when
believers were under the law. How much more for believers today who live
in the New Covenant of grace?

6 Thus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him

to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does: 7
Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried. 8
 Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord
will take no account nor reckon it against him. (Romans 4) AMP

Peter understood the weight of the law when he said, “Why do you try to test
God by putting a yoke on the necks of the disciples, such as neither our
forefathers nor we [ourselves] were able to endure?” (Acts 15:10). And Jesus
made it clear to all when He spoke of the sin that sends sinners to hell and
causes believers to fall from grace, “of sin, because they do not believe in
Me” (John 16:9). Under the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor we
have “so much more.” As we look to Jesus and discover who we have
become in Him and become ever conscious of His abiding Presence in us,
God promises that we will be “transformed by one degree of glory to the
next,” and He will do it (2 Corinthians 3:18). It’s all about repentance—in the
Greek text, metanoia, which refers to changing your mind. Change your
mind; agree with God. The gospel reveals God’s righteousness; His name is
Jesus. He’s the believer’s righteousness,14 and it’s by faith from first to last.15
The revelation of grace comes from the Lord, and the measure to which we
are willing to believe determines what we receive, and when it starts, it keeps
increasing.

12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have
abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken
away from him. (Matthew 13) NKJV

The more you receive the abundance of grace (that is, the gospel) and the gift
of righteousness (that is, established in Christ’s righteousness) you will reign
in life16. The Kingdom of Heaven is no longer a mystery. The Kingdom is
within you, and where the Kingdom is, there is the King, and His name is
King Jesus. The problem with self-righteousness when you try to relate to
God on the basis of personal holiness is that it makes you dull of hearing.17
No one likes to have anything taken away from them; however, in this case, it
is actually of great benefit. The purpose of the law is to strip you of self-
righteousness and lead you to Jesus, the believer’s righteousness. How
awesome is Jesus—He doesn’t leave anyone behind.
JESUS PREACHED THE LAW
Preaching a mixture of law and grace, your effort (self-righteousness) plus
Jesus finished work to be acceptable to God and earn His favor and blessing
creates confusion, uncertainty, and condemnation that ultimately leads to
death. Jesus preached the law in the “gospels,” which creates further
confusion—hence the need for the revelation of grace under the New
Covenant. Consider, for example, the Pharisees—they had the Law of Moses
down to a fine art:

23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of
mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of
the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done,
without leaving the others undone. (Matthew 23) NKJV

Through their own effort, they had established their own standard based on
their perspective. They were able to do the things prescribed under the law.
So Jesus raised the standard of the law to God’s perspective, where there is
the observance of the law through performance and the inner life of a
believer. This crushed everyone because the law causes the sinful nature to
revive. That’s why Paul said, “For I would not have known covetousness
unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’”18 How could anyone achieve
the standard that Jesus proclaimed? The answer should be obvious: It’s not
possible!

27 You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not
commit adultery.” 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to
lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If
your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it
is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for
your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes
you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for
you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be
cast into hell. (Matthew 5) NKJV
Let’s say you have an anger problem that often results in fighting. Punching
someone in the face is not usually a spontaneous action. It starts with offense
that leads to anger, loss of self-control, and rage. You could cut off your
hand, but what about the thoughts that drove you to sin through your actions?
Are you going to cut off your head? Really, come on, now—is that the New
Covenant? Believers sin in their thoughts and actions, and they don’t need a
license. Yet, in general, most believers still retain most of their body parts. As
another example, consider the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked
how he could receive eternal life:

18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I
do to inherit eternal life?” 19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call
Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the
commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not
steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your
mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one
thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he heard this,
he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. (Luke 18) NKJV

The man came to Jesus boasting in his own self-righteousness. When you try
to relate to God on the basis of your personal holiness, there will always be
“still one thing that you lack.” This, of course, proved to be his undoing.
Remember that the purpose of the law is to strip you of confidence in your
own effort and ability to have relationship with God. When you come to the
end of yourself, you realize your need for Jesus. Jesus preached the law
because He had not yet been crucified; His work was not yet complete.
Furthermore, the ruler did not see Jesus as the Christ. When you recognize
your need for Jesus, then Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to
everyone who believes (Romans 10:4). You’ve just got to feel sorry for this
guy; Romans chapter 10, verse 3 encapsulates perfectly his dilemma:

For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish

their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of
 God. (NKJV)

The gospel just seems too good to be true, but it is good because it is true. A
man called Zacchaeus had a different approach to Jesus. He came to Jesus
with nothing, and all he wanted was Jesus. And Zacchaeus found grace in the
Presence of the Lord.

1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there
was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was
rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of
the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up
into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5
And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said
to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay
at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him
joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has
gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” 8 Then Zacchaeus stood
and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor;
and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore
fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this
house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has
come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19) NKJV

When prompted to give, the wealthy ruler, who was living under the law,
refused. Zacchaeus, a man captured by grace, was willing to give “half of his
goods to the poor,” without any prompting whatsoever. Law and grace—
what a difference! It really is a matter of life and death. Is it a coincidence
that these encounters follow each other? Is God trying to tell us something?

THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS

Jesus makes it clear that there are two commandments in the New Covenant.
The first is to believe in Him.
 28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the
works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work
of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6) NKJV

The other is to love one another.

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I

have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know
that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13)
NKJV

John echoes the same in his first letter:

23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name

of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us
commandment. (1 John 3) NKJV

Now consider the following verses in Matthew chapter 22:

34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a
question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great
commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second
is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two
commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (NKJV)

Many believers today base their relationship with God on these

commandments because Jesus said they were the great commandments. You
can see how this could create confusion, especially if you’ve tried to love
God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor
as yourself. It’s impossible; you can’t. You can always love God more. The
problem is that just when you think you’ve “made it,” you discover that
“there is still one thing you lack.” Look at these verses again, and ask the
following questions: Who was Jesus audience, to whom was He speaking?
What is Jesus speaking from? Is the scripture written to me or for me? I hope
you can see the light here. Jesus was talking to the religious leaders who were
under the law. So the scripture is not written to the church but to the Jews
under the law. Furthermore, Jesus was simply answering the Pharisee’s
question: “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus answered the
question by giving him the law and commandments that God gave to Moses.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all
your strength. (Deuteronomy 6) NKJV

Believers today are under the New Covenant of grace. The New Covenant
makes the Old Covenant obsolete. In the same way, the new commandments
that Jesus gave make the old commandments obsolete.

13 When God speaks of a new [covenant or agreement], He makes the

first one obsolete (out of use). And what is obsolete (out of use and
annulled because of age) is ripe for disappearance and to be dispensed
with altogether. (Hebrews 8) AMP

“Your relationship with God under the New Covenant is based on

His love for you demonstrated through Jesus finished work on the
cross.”

Under the Old Covenant, loving God was the basis of Israel’s relationship
with Him, and they couldn’t do it because the law cannot make you
righteous. It shows you just how unrighteous you are and your absolute need
for the righteousness that only God Himself can give, and His name is Jesus.
Only Jesus was able to fulfill the commandments under the Old Covenant.
Jesus is the only Man who has ever been able to love God with all His heart,
soul, mind, and strength. God’s acceptance of believers today is not based on
their love for Him. Your relationship with God under the New Covenant is
based on His love for you demonstrated through Jesus finished work on the
cross. We don’t love Him so that He will love us. We love Him because He
first loved us. Your love for God might fluctuate, but His love for you is
perfect, and there is no variability. The revelation of grace won’t make God
love you more, but your love for Him will overflow. As it is written, “He
who is forgiven much loves much.”

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved
us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4) NKJV

Perhaps you are thinking, “Are you saying that I don’t have to love God?”
Then I would say, as it is written:

13 For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously

inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of
conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a
mere infant [not able to talk yet]! (Hebrews 5) AMP

This is what makes Christianity different. It’s a relationship; not a religion. Is

your right standing with God based on your own self-righteousness? Or is it
His righteousness given to you freely by grace? This is the very heart of the
Gospel and the essence of rightly dividing the word of truth. Religion is man
relating to God on the basis of his works or performance; it is self-
righteousness. Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship based entirely
on God’s unmerited favor toward man. Jesus makes this possible through the
finished work of the cross, and He qualifies you to receive God’s unmerited
favor. We love Him because He first loved us.

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life
(John 3) NKJV
And everlasting life is relationship with God.

3 And this is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17) NKJV

The revelation of grace will certainly cause you to love God more. However,
a mixture of law and grace will prove otherwise in your relationship with
Jesus. Listen to the words of the Lord when He responds to the host of a
dinner party who is offended by a woman’s love for Him when she
encountered grace in His Presence. The offended knew the law, but they
didn’t know Grace—that is, Jesus personified.

47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for
she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
(Luke 7) NKJV

We’re all on a journey and at different places along the way. The good news
is that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You’re blessed.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be filled. (Matthew 5) NKJV

May you be filled with an ever-increasing revelation of Jesus Christ and the
finished work of the cross.

A MOMENT WITH PAUL

What you believe is of utmost importance; that’s why knowing the truth sets
you free. Paul had a “moment,” and it’s recorded in his second letter to the
church in Corinth:

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the

revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan
 to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I
pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And
He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made
perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I
take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in
distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2
Corinthians 12) NKJV

James addresses Paul’s situation in its proper context:

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God

cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But
each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and
enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and
sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my
beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is
no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1) NKJV

A “pain in the butt” is the same as a “thorn in your flesh”; it refers to a

“difficult person,” not sickness. Perhaps that person was being influenced by
Satan, but it wasn’t God’s idea. The nations that harassed Israel in the
Promised Land were referred to as thorns:

55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before
you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in
your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land
where you dwell. (Numbers 33) NKJV

Hebrews 6 talks of thorns and thistles; the writer is referring to Genesis 3,

which says that after the fall, man’s efforts without God would only produce
thorns and thistles, which is exactly what the law produces! The opposition
that Paul encountered was from those under law and Christians under both
law and grace. God doesn’t always change our circumstances; instead, He
changes our thinking to agree with His word (Romans 12:2) in order to
overcome adversity. My grace is sufficient for you!19 The grace that Paul
needed to overcome the thorn in his flesh was in his born-again spirit—
forgive one another, just as Christ Jesus has forgiven you;20 as much as is
within you, live peaceably with one another;21 turn the other cheek;22 pray
for your enemies.23 Carnal thinking (what’s happening in the natural realm
and lust—strong desire or emotion) produces death; to be spiritually minded
is life and peace (Romans 8:6). Even the great apostle of grace needed to be
reminded that grace is what God has already provided through Jesus finished
work and that faith appropriates (from your born-again spirit) that which God
has provided by grace. Even Paul needed to humble himself by trusting that
God had already provided for all his needs through the atonement. Paul had a
“moment,” but that did not disqualify him from grace. In fact, it was the
revelation of grace that empowered him to rise above his problem by resting
in Jesus strength. Grace strengthens your every weakness. Thank you, Lord
Jesus.
 CHAPTER 13
Listen to Jesus

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”

(MATTHEW 17:5)

IT’S INTERESTING TO SEE HOW a mixture of law and grace manifests in a

believer’s life. The problem is that you’re not really aware of it. You might
exhibit some of the symptoms, but at the end of the day, only the Lord Jesus
Christ can deliver you from this mind-set.

24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of
death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7)
KJV

And the disciples were no exception. Peter, John, and James were perhaps the
closest to Jesus out of the original twelve. And one fine day, He literally blew
their minds. This could very well be the most profound spiritual experience
recorded in the Bible:

1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led
them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured
before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as
white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is
good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:
 one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still
speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a
voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6 And when the disciples heard it, they
fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched
them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 8 When they had lifted up
their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matthew 17) NKJV

The magnitude of this experience is really beyond comprehension. The word

transfigured in the Greek text is metamorphóō. In the English language, the
closest word would be metamorphosis, such as the transformation of
caterpillar to butterfly. After metamorphosis, the caterpillar’s condition and
form have forever changed. It is no longer an earth-bound consumer but a
thing of beauty that can fly and a catalyst of life. An inadequate analogy to
say the least. God says, “Jesus transfigured,” and He is Jesus glorified! In this
passage, Jesus is speaking to Moses and Elijah about what was going to take
place in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). The disciples got to see the end game before
the game was even played—the Lord of Glory talking about what He was
going to do as though He had already done it. Given this situation, what
would be your response? Peter begins with, “What can I do for you, Lord?”1
Jesus asked Peter to come with Him; He extended to him an invitation based
on something precious he had received from the Father:

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-
jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father
which is in heaven. (Matthew 16) KJV

That revelation proved to be the invitation for a divine encounter. And even
though Peter still retained an Old Covenant mind-set, this did not disqualify
Him from the experience. How wonderful is His grace toward us! Whereas
the law places the demand on you (e.g., “What can I do for you, Lord”),
grace supplies. Let’s not get the cart before the horse. Let God be God. He
didn’t come to be served but to serve. Let Jesus serve you; learn to receive
His unmerited favor that empowers you to love one another. Peter was
troubled by what he was experiencing, so the Father simply encouraged Him
with what He had already given to him: “This is my beloved Son—listen to
Him!” This is the one thing you need when you are troubled. Mary had it, but
Martha did not. Mary knew that “Jesus was in the house.”

42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which
will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10) NKJV

And that’s the gospel: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

LET US MAKE A PLACE FOR JESUS, MOSES, AND ELIJAH

Why Moses and Elijah? And what place do they have in a believer’s life
today? Moses represents the law, the Old Covenant in which man relates to
God on the basis of obedience. Elijah represents the prophets and the
judgment that came from disobeying the law. The Father clearly says to the
disciples (the church): “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Hear Him!” He left out Moses and Elijah, and He didn’t say “hear them.”
Christ is the end of the law, for righteousness for everyone who believes
(Romans 10:4). Under the New Covenant, man relates to God on the basis of
Jesus righteousness received as a gift. The good news is that the Father
judged Jesus so that He wouldn’t have to judge you. Jesus took your place so
that you could take His place. Jesus was judged and condemned so that you
could be accepted. He took your sin and gave you His righteousness. He died
so that you could live.

18 Well then, as one man’s trespass [one man’s false step and falling
away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man’s act of
righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life
for all men. (Romans 5) AMP

COMPARTMENTALIZATION
What is in a person’s heart will eventually come out of their mouth, and
Peter’s suggestion to Jesus exposes the mixture of law and grace:
 4 “if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Matthew 17) NKJV

Sadly, today many earnest believers are in the same boat. They have a place
for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Because they are conscious of sin, sin is judged,
leading to condemnation, and then it’s back to Jesus with repentance of sin,
confession of sin, and asking Him to forgive their sin in order to be “right”
with Him. The Father is not interested in this mind-set because the work is
already finished, and it puts the Lord Jesus on par with the law. This is an
offense to the Lord Jesus and His finished work that has fulfilled the law and
God’s judgment on sin. It’s reassuring to know that the Spirit of Truth will
guide you into all truth with the fire of the Father’s love that burns away the
dross, revealing the perfection of His Son.

THERE IS NO JUDGMENT FOR THE CHURCH

28 Even so it is that Christ, having been offered to take upon Himself

and bear as a burden the sins of many once and once for all, will appear
a second time, not to carry any burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to
bring to full salvation those who are [eagerly, constantly, and patiently]
waiting for and expecting Him. (Hebrews 9) AMP

Where there is a mixture of law and grace, there will be fear because fear has
torment. Torment is the fear of being judged for your mistakes and being
punished accordingly. Perfect love casts out fear, and perfect love is Jesus
and His finished work. The only way to be truly free of this mixture is to let
the revelation of grace renew your mind. And then, just like the disciples, you
will see “no one but Jesus.”
 CHAPTER 14
Listen to Moses

Does not your Teacher pay the half shekel? He answered, Yes.

(MATTHEW 17:24–25)

RECALL THE REVELATION THAT PETER, James, and John have just received:
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” That’s
the invitation; next comes the encounter:

24 When they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the half shekel

[the temple tax] went up to Peter and said, Does not your Teacher pay
the half shekel? 25 He answered, Yes. And when he came home, Jesus
spoke to him [about it] first, saying, What do you think, Simon? From
whom do earthly rulers collect duties or tribute—from their own sons or
from others not of their own family? 26 And when Peter said, From
other people not of their own family, Jesus said to him, Then the sons
are exempt. 27 However, in order not to give offense and cause them to
stumble [that is, to cause them to judge unfavorably and unjustly] go
down to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that comes up,
and when you open its mouth you will find there a shekel. Take it and
give it to them to pay the temple tax for Me and for yourself. (Matthew
17) AMP

The Temple tax was part of the Law of Moses under the Old Covenant. In
spite of the encounter Peter had just had with the Lord and the revelation
from the Father concerning Jesus—“Hear Him”—the moment Peter is
challenged, he listens to Moses.

11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 “When you take the
census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall
give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that
there may be no plague among them when you number them. 13 This is
what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel
according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The
half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord.” (Exodus 30) NKJV

Now consider Jesus response to Peter. He didn’t rebuke Peter; neither did He
judge or condemn him. Instead Jesus taught Peter. Grace teaches you; He
builds you up. Our God is a jealous God simply because He wants what’s
best for you because that’s what’s best for Him. Grace allows God to be God,
to bless you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Whereas the
law demands that “you must,” grace supplies, and God says, “I will.”

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a
curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in
Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith. (Galatians 3) NKJV

Under the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor, you are the Temple of
the Living God.

16 For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will
dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they
shall be My people.” (2 Corinthians 6)

The Temple tax was given for the Day of Atonement under the Old
Covenant. Under the New Covenant, Jesus is your atonement; through His
finished, work He satisfies God’s wrath and reconciles man to Himself.
 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Romans 5) KJV

The Lord Jesus has paid in full the debt that we could never pay. And He paid
more than enough—it was an overpayment. Yes, Jesus died, but He is the
firstborn among many, and we are the many. Now His Father has become our
Father.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son
into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Galatians 4) NKJV

Peter knew Jesus was the Christ and had even seen Him glorified, yet he was
still dominated by an Old Covenant mind-set. What a person believes is
central to who that person is, and when this is challenged, it creates offense.
To those who received Jesus, the experience was freedom, rest, and
relationship with God. Jesus didn’t come to destroy the law or the prophets,
but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17).

SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MATURITY

Peter was growing in the grace of God; he didn’t have it all together—far
from it—but God accepted Peter on the basis of grace and not Peter’s efforts.
If Jesus gave Peter what he deserved, then Peter would have been finished.
Peter was always trying to please Jesus to earn His acceptance and favor.
Under the New Covenant, God is pleased with us because He is pleased with
Jesus. And we please Him because we are accepted. The good news is that
grace doesn’t give you what you deserve; it gives you what Jesus deserves.
Peter writes in his second letter:

18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. (2 Peter 3)
KJV

How, exactly, do you “grow in grace”? Peter explains how in the beginning
of the same letter:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of

God, and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1) KJV

The more revelation knowledge of Jesus and the New Covenant that you
receive, the more grace and peace you will experience in life. Under the Old
Covenant, the law points out all your faults and failures and doesn’t do
anything to help you. The law might be holy, but it cannot make the sinner
righteous. Under the Old Covenant, there were blessings for obedience and
curses for disobedience (see Deuteronomy 28). Thank you, Jesus, our Great
High Priest, for the New Covenant.

4 The Lord has sworn and will not revoke or change it: You are a priest
forever, after the manner and order of Melchizedek. (Psalm 110) AMP

Melchizedek in the original Hebrew language is malkiy ṣeḏeq. The name

means “king of righteousness” or “the king is righteous.” The good news is
that Jesus is the eternal King of Righteousness, and because we are in Him,
we are kings of righteousness. Through Jesus finished work, He has qualified
us to receive God’s favor. And as our Great High Priest, He only ministers
the blessings and not the curses of the law to believers today.

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a
curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in
Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith. (Galatians 3) NKJV

The Old Covenant is obsolete, and God does not relate to anyone on the basis
of self-effort. Even if you “dole out all that you have [to the poor in
providing] food, and if you surrender your body to be burned or in order that
you may glory, but have not love (God’s love in you), you gain nothing” (1
Corinthians 13:3). Through Jesus obedience by His death on the cross, the
law has been fulfilled.

Believers today are under the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor. Jesus
deserves God’s favor, and God has done you an epic favor by putting you in
Christ so that you too can enjoy His favor and blessing.

17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not
come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven
and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the
law till all is fulfilled. (Matthew 5) KJV

The New Covenant is based on better promises. For instance, you are the
righteousness of God in Christ;1 all your sins are forgiven,2 and God
remembers them no more;3 and God’s Presence, Christ in you, will never
leave you.4 These three promises are eternal: eternal righteousness,6 eternal
redemption,7 and eternal life.8 God relates to believers today on the basis of
grace, and grace produces confidence and assurance of faith, and that’s what
pleases God. Why would Jesus pay the Temple tax? His body is the Temple,
and He is the atonement. Through Him we are reconciled to God, and our
bodies become the temples of the Living God.
 CHAPTER 15
Listen to Elijah

“Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down

from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

(LUKE 9:54)

WHEN JESUS WAS TRANSFIGURED, HE spoke to Moses and Elijah. Moses

represents the law, the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone. Elijah
represents the prophets who spoke of Jesus and the New Covenant. However,
the prophet’s role was also to bring judgment and condemnation when Israel
failed to obey the Law of Moses. God does not want us to live our lives on
the basis of not sinning and doing what is right because we fear His judgment
and condemnation. On the contrary—He wants us to believe that Jesus, who
was without sin, was made to be sin for us so that God’s judgment would fall
on Jesus instead of us. And because Jesus lives, we can have confidence that
the debt has been paid in full and that we will never have to fear God’s
judgment again. The sin problem is finished through Jesus death on the cross,
and God remembers our sins no more. A mixture of law and grace produces
confusion and condemnation because there is a fear of God’s judgment when
you fail. For many, this continues the perpetual cycle of dead works that
Jesus finished work ends: repenting of sin, confession, and asking for
forgiveness in order to get right with God. This religious spirit is also quick
to point out the faults and failures of others. When you judge others for their
faults and failures, you are placing yourself under the law. Paul explains it
like this:
 20 For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be
conscious of sin. (Romans 3) AMP

When you become the “judge,” you end up the one being judged because the
law condemns everyone.

1 Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that
leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at
others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn
yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a
well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and
misdemeanors. 2 But God isn’t so easily diverted. He sees right through
all such smoke screens and holds you to what you’ve done. (Romans 2)
MESSAGE

Pointing out a person’s faults will only make that person sin conscious. And
God has not given us the ministry of condemnation that leads to death but the
ministry of reconciliation that produces life, where the focus is on the Lord
Jesus and His finished work. People are either saved and need the gospel to
discover who they are in Christ, which empowers them for success in life, or
they are unsaved and need the gospel to believe and get born again. To focus
on behavior and appearance is irrelevant; everyone needs Jesus.

16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.

Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we
know Him thus no longer. (2 Corinthians 5) NKJV

Peter, James, and John saw the glorified Jesus. John also saw the risen Lord
in all His majesty and glory. The disciples knew Jesus as a Man, yet all this
was present in His Spirit. They couldn’t see it because it was veiled within
His humanity. And so it is with believers today. When you sin, do you see
yourself as a sinner or a new creation who is righteous in Christ Jesus? And
the same goes for your brethren. Destructive habits need to be confronted,
and that’s what the law does—it tells you what’s wrong. But it’s powerless to
help you overcome. Grace, on the other hand, is the power of God to
salvation, and all would agree that salvation includes deliverance from sin.
With the sinful nature gone, sin no longer has dominion over you; knowing
this empowers believers to live right. God gives us the answer to be free from
the mixture of law and grace. When Jesus was transfigured, the Father spoke
from the glory cloud and said:

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!

(Matthew 17:5) NKJV

Peter, John, and James were afraid, and when they opened their eyes, all they
saw was Jesus. What do you see today? Is all you see Jesus? In the midst of
failure, do you see Him and Him alone? When someone hurts you, whom do
you see? Do you see Jesus, who did no wrong, on the cross saying, “Father
forgive them, for they know not what they do”?1 Jesus did not come to
abolish the law and the prophets; He is the fulfillment.2

When Peter was challenged by the law when he was asked, “Does your
teacher pay the temple tax?” he listened to Moses instead of Jesus. John and
James also shared the revelation of Jesus glorification.

28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He
took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As
He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became
white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who
were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His
decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter
and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully
awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33
Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to
Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three
tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not
knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and
overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35
 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son.
Hear Him!” 36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But
they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had
seen. (Luke 9) NKJV

I’m sure that the revelation of Jesus glorified was indeed profound. Now it
was John and James’s time for the divine encounter—who would they listen
to?

51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received
up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent
messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of
the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him,
because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His
disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to
command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as
Elijah did?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not
know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not
come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to
another village. (Luke 9) NKJV

IS THERE NO GOD IN ISRAEL?

How do you respond when people reject Jesus? Do you proclaim “turn or
burn”? The fear of the Lord might make you sin less, but it doesn’t resolve
the sin problem once and for all. Only grace is able to do that through Jesus
and His finished work.

6 In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the

fear of the Lord one departs from evil. (Proverbs 16) NKJV

The King James translation says:

6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men
 depart from evil. (Proverbs 16)

It is interesting to note that mercy in the Hebrew vernacular is ḥeseḏ, which

means “grace.” The only way to be delivered from sin’s dominion is through
the Lord Jesus Christ’s finished work—“when He had by Himself purged our
sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”3

The backdrop to John and James’s suggestion to bring fire from heaven is
recorded in chapter 1 of second Kings:

9 Then the king [Ahaziah] sent to Elijah a captain of fifty men with his
fifty [to seize him]. He found Elijah sitting on a hilltop and said, Man of
God, the king says, Come down.10 Elijah said to the captain of fifty, If I
am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume
you and your fifty. And fire fell from heaven and consumed him and his
fifty. (AMP)

This happened again, however; on the third visit, the captain repented:

13 Ahaziah sent again a captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the
third captain of fifty went up and fell on his knees before Elijah and
besought him and said to him, O man of God, I pray you, let my life and
the lives of these fifty, your servants, be precious in your sight. (2 Kings
1) AMP

During Elijah’s ministry, he often brought judgment and condemnation for

Israel’s disobedience. This is a case in point:

2 [King] Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber in

Samaria and lay sick. He sent messengers, saying, Go, ask Baal-zebub,
the god of [Philistine] Ekron, if I shall recover from this illness. (2
Kings 1) AMP
Israel had rejected the Lord (Exodus 20:1). The king had broken the First
Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me,” and judgment
was coming.

3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to
meet the messengers of the king in Samaria and say to them, Is it
because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-
zebub, the god of Ekron? 4 Therefore the Lord says: You [Ahaziah]
shall not leave the bed on which you lie, but shall surely die. And Elijah
departed. (2 Kings 1) AMP

NEW COVENANT PROPHECY

Prophecy under the Old Covenant brought with it judgment and
condemnation. The situation under the New Covenant is altogether different.

3 But [on the other hand], the one who prophesies [who interprets the
divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching] speaks to
men for their upbuilding and constructive spiritual progress and
encouragement and consolation. (1 Corinthians 14) AMP

The New King James translation says:

3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort

to men.

When you prophesy, what do you see? Do you see the divine destiny within?
Do you call forth those things that don’t exist as though they did?4 Are you
confirming the good things that God has already revealed? That’s prophecy
under the New Covenant. Now contrast this with prophecy under the Old
Covenant.

18 So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God?

 Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my
son?” (1 Kings 17) NKJV

WHAT KIND OF SPIRIT ARE YOU?

When Jesus was rejected by the Samaritans, John and James responded with
the law. They went with judgment and condemnation; they listened to
Elijah.5

55 He turned and rebuked and severely censured them. He said, You do

not know of what sort of spirit you are, 56 For the Son of Man did not
come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them [from the penalty of
eternal death]. (Luke 9) AMP

A religious spirit (under the law) brings judgment and condemnation. This is
not necessarily a demonic spirit but an attitude of the mind.

23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. (Ephesians 4) NKJV

And this attitude is developed by the sinful nature under the influence of the
law6 and the demonic realm.7 The good news is that grace delivers you from
a sinful nature, and grace transforms your life through the renewing of your
mind.

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the

renewing of your mind. (Romans 12) NKJV

What, then, was the purpose of the law?

It was added [later on, after the promise, to disclose and expose to men
their guilt] because of transgressions and [to make men more conscious
of the sinfulness] of sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the
Seed (the Descendant, the Heir) should come, to and concerning Whom
 the promise had been made. (Galatians 3:19) AMP

The law has no purpose in believers’ lives today. That doesn’t mean that you
can go around breaking it at will. Although there is no more judgment for sin,
there will certainly be consequences. It comes down to relationship. Under
the Old Covenant, perfect obedience of the law was the basis of relationship.
Under the New Covenant, the basis of your relationship with God is Jesus
obedience.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that
believeth. (Romans 10) KJV

14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which
was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.8
(Colossians 2) KJV

17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not
come to destroy but to fulfill. (Matthew 5) NKJV

Jesus was judged for the sins of the entire world, from the beginning of time
to the end of time. He was condemned and punished with death to take away
our sin and give us eternal right standing with God. God judged every sin in
the body of His Son on the cross, and He will never judge the same sin twice.
In a legal sense, you cannot judge the same crime twice. In doing so, you
would be guilty of “double jeopardy.”9 God loves you so much that He was
willing to sacrifice Jesus. And through Jesus redemptive work, God has
gained a family. No longer does He call us “servants,” but “sons and
daughters,” for He has sent the spirit of Jesus into our hearts crying “Abba,
Father.” The Samaritans rejected Jesus, and Jesus corrected His disciples for
judging them. The New Covenant turns everything right-side up.

Now God Himself has made it known to the entire world that Jesus Christ is
Lord through His death on the cross. God demonstrated His love for us by
pouring out His wrath and judgment on Jesus instead of us. The salvation that
we have in Christ Jesus is a gift for all to receive. To those who say yes, it is
life; however, for those who reject God’s grace, their end is death. Although
this may be shocking, it must be understood in the light of God’s love for
you. God Himself, in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, died for us and rose
again to make Himself known to the entire world.10

JUDGMENT FOR THE CHURCH

Knowing that God’s judgment fell on Jesus should bring joy to a believer’s
heart. Confusion arises when scripture is taken out of context. Perhaps you’ve
heard the saying, “When you take the text out context, then you are left with
the con.” And it’s true—when scripture is taken out of context, you get
conned; you end up deceiving yourself. Someone who is deceived makes a
good deceiver because they genuinely believe the perversion of truth and
speak with conviction. Consider the example of a message that focuses on the
believer’s behavior. Trying to make someone feel scared in order to make
that person do something good is behavior modification at best and guilt
manipulation at its worst. The fear of the Lord might cause a person to sin
less, but it does not solve the sin problem. The answer is only found in grace
because in mercy and truth, atonement is made for iniquity.11

17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God:
and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
gospel of God? (1 Peter 4) KJV

At first glance it would be easy to conclude that there is judgment for the
church. “House of God” and “begin at us” would seem to indicate that.
However, a quick study of the New Testament letters and church history
gives a very different perspective. Recall that the baseline for interpretation
of scripture is the New Covenant in which God has sworn by oath that He
will never be angry with you nor rebuke you (Isaiah 54:9). To begin with,
Peter and John were apostles to the Jews, whereas Paul was apostle to the
gentiles.
 7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the
uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the
circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for
the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward
the Gentiles). (Galatians 2) AMP

Who, then, is Peter speaking to when he says, “Begin at us”? Jesus came for
Israel.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the
house of Israel. (Matthew 15) KJV

In Matthew chapter 12, Israel’s leadership rejects Jesus as Priest, Prophet,

and King:

6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
(Priest) KJV

40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so
shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth. (Prophet) KJV

42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this
generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts
of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than
Solomon is here. (King) KJV

The “us” that Peter was referring to is Israel. Therefore, the judgment that he
refers to relates to Israel and not the church. Furthermore, the “House of
God” refers to the Temple in Jerusalem. In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus is
talking about David:

4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread,
 which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with
him, but only for the priests. (KJV)

A quick look through the history of Israel will show you that in AD 70, the
Temple in Jerusalem, which is the “House of God” that Peter was referring
to, was destroyed by the Romans.12 Jesus also foretold this:

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples
came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to
them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one
stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
(Matthew 24) NKJV

The judgment for sin is finished, and God is not judging nations today. Israel
was not being judged either. The Israelites rebelled against the Romans and
incurred their wrath as a result. Why didn’t God protect them? I don’t know
the answer to that question, but I will suggest the following thought. The
protection afforded to Israel under the Old Covenant was gone because the
Old Covenant had been made obsolete through the New Covenant established
through Jesus finished work.13 If you believe that God is judging nations,
then He better apologize to Jesus. How confusing; can you imagine this
scenario playing out in heaven: “OK, I’m judging nation X today because its
people are persecuting my church. Bring on an earthquake.” It’s just
ridiculous to even suggest such a thing or to use this line of reasoning as a
way to explain natural disasters.14 If the Father sent a storm to teach the
disciples how to have faith (remember that what is not of faith is sin), then
why would Jesus rebuke the storm? He would be going against God’s will.15
How would Jesus feel in this case? Confused? God is not the author of
confusion but of peace, and we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus
Christ. Jesus has dealt with sin once and for all through the cross. That
doesn’t mean that everyone is saved. Your part under the New Covenant is to
believe that Jesus is Lord, that He’s been merciful to your unrighteousness,
and your sins and lawless deeds He remembers no more. Believe that, and
God sees that as faith, and we are saved by grace through faith. What a
powerful message we have to take to the nations. That’s the gospel that Paul
preached, the gospel of grace that turned most of the known world in his time
right-side up.16

There is no judgment for the church.

9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through
our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5)

If believers are the body of Christ and Jesus is the Head, does it mean that the
Head is good but the body is not? Of course not; Jesus work is finished “so
that He might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”
(Ephesians 5:27). You are united to the Lord and one spirit with Him. This is
the divine union that we have, and nothing can separate us from the love of
God we have in Christ Jesus.

28 Even so it is that Christ, having been offered to take upon Himself

and bear as a burden the sins of many once and once for all, will appear
a second time, not to carry any burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to
bring to full salvation those who are [eagerly, constantly, and patiently]
waiting for and expecting Him. (Hebrews 9) AMP

As a believer, one-third of your salvation is complete; you are one-third Holy

Spirit.17 As Jesus is, so are you in this world. Right now your born-again
spirit is the same as Jesus Spirit. When Jesus returns, you will receive the
redemption of your soul and body.

John and James wanted to bring down fire from heaven that consumes. Fire is
what we need; they just wanted the wrong kind. We need the fire that
transforms sinner to saint, fire that makes dead people alive. What the world
needs is the fire of the Father’s love demonstrated through the death of His
Son. This is the message that brings life and causes man to cry “Abba,
Father.”18
 CHAPTER 16
It Is Finished

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished!

(JOHN 19:30)

WHEN JESUS HUNG ON THE cross, He said, “My God, why have you forsaken
Me?” This was the only time Jesus referred to the Father as God. Jesus took
into His body on the cross all of humanity’s sin, sickness, and the curses of
the law,1 and the Father turned away from Him. Jesus was rejected so that we
could say, “My Father, thank you for accepting me.” As Luke chapter 23
says:

46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, into Your
hands I commit My spirit! And with these words, He expired. (AMP)

Here Jesus relates once again to God as His Father, and the reason is that His
work is finished!

30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! And
He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (John 19) AMP

So what finished? Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant bringing that era to a close
and through His death established the New Covenant. How exactly do we
know this to be true?
 37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. 38 Then
the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when
the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this
and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”
(Mark 15) NKJV

Through this “new and living way”, all people have access to God’s Presence
and provision. On the cross, He took your sin and gave you His
righteousness, making all who believe the righteousness of God in Him. And
through your position in Christ you have received every spiritual blessing in
the heavenly realms.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed

to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:
and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified,
them he also glorified. (Romans 8) KJV

When you were born again, you were conformed to the image of Christ. You
are not being conformed. Your spirit is the “new man”2 who relates to God.
You have received the Spirit of Christ; you are united to Him in Divine
union, and you have become one spirit with Him.3 You cannot differentiate
your spirit from Jesus Spirit; you are one new spirit. You possess the
character and nature of Christ, and your born-again spirit is the same as Jesus
Spirit, now and forever.

17 In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to

completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence
for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him],
because as He is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4 [emphasis mine])
AMP

“When you believe right, you will live right; this is God’s way, and
it produces effortless change.”
You may not always express the character and nature of Christ, but that does
not change the fact that you are conformed to the image of Christ. This is
especially true when you fail. In that case, you might choose to believe that
you’re still a work in progress, like the song, “He’s still working on me to
make me what I ought to be.” Or worse still, perhaps you think that you’re
just a “sinner whose been saved by grace.” Jesus work is finished; you are a
new creation, righteous, holy, and perfect. This is your true identity, and as
you live from this perspective your behavior will change and the character
and nature of Jesus will be expressed—not by your own efforts, but by the
Spirit of the Lord who transforms us from one degree of glory to the next as
we focus on the Lord Jesus, His finished work, and who we are in Christ.4
When you believe right, you will live right; this is God’s way, and it
produces effortless change.

2 And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher
things), not on the things that are on the earth. (Colossians 3) AMP

It’s easy to have a worldly perspective and thus ignore the treasure in the
earthen vessel.5 Failure doesn’t define you; Christ crucified defines who you
are eternally. When you fail, you judge your condition according to your
position. That’s why your confession when you fail must be: “I thank you,
Lord Jesus, that I am the righteousness of God in You.” This is absolutely
fundamental because your agreement with God empowers you.

29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for
necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. (Ephesians
4) NKJV

Profanity is a corrupt word, but the emphasis here is on words that encourage
and build up. In other words any word that does not encourage or build
someone up is a corrupt word. Putting yourself down or blaming someone
else for your problems frustrates the release of grace into your situation.

A scheme of the enemy is to get you to focus on your condition and away
from your position in Christ, seated together with Him in the heavenly
realms. That’s how the devil usurps your authority. He doesn’t have any
authority. Jesus took the Kingdom from Him, and Jesus has restored it to you.
Adam had authority on the Earth;6 however, under the New Covenant, the
good news is that Jesus has given believers “all authority on earth and in
heaven.”7 When you believe his lie that you are disqualified from God’s
Presence through your failure, you empower him. When you believe God,
you are empowered, and you reign in life through the Divine union you enjoy
in Christ.

ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL

Paul said to Timothy that he should study to show himself approved. By now
I hope that you can see that study of scripture must be in context and in light
of the gospel—the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor,8 because the
gospel reveals Jesus as the believers’ righteousness.9 Righteousness is the
basis of sonship, and that’s why God says, “You are my beloved son, in
whom I am well pleased.”10 This is the gospel that Paul preached, and he
didn’t learn it from man; it was revealed to him by the Lord.11 Paul said that
he wasn’t ashamed of the gospel of Christ, and he says the same to Timothy,
“a worker that need not be ashamed” (2 Timothy 2:15). The context is not
embarrassment or malicious words spoken against you, but death. Paul was
not afraid to die for preaching the gospel. Are you prepared to preach the
gospel that Paul preached, the New Covenant of God’s unmerited favor—
even when your brethren turn against you?12 Are you prepared to say that all
who believe are made righteous in Christ by the blood of Jesus, that you have
a permanent right standing with God regardless of your behavior, and that
God blesses you on the basis of your position in Christ, the righteousness of
God and not your personal holiness? Half measures avail nothing; the gospel
is radical, and the full measure will produce radical transformation. Are you
prepared to tell sinners that God has forgiven all of their sins and that He’s
not counting anything against them? That if they just believe in Jesus, they
will experience the benefits and blessings of relationship with Him today?
Will you tell believers that they are righteous even when they sin? That grace
will teach them to say no to ungodliness? And that the gift of no
condemnation empowers people to sin no more? Are you prepared to preach
the gospel when your life resembles a train wreck? Paul knew that regardless
of his situation in life, whatever his condition, he was the righteousness of
God in Christ and reigning in life. If you have sickness in your body, are you
reigning in life? Yes, you are. No one would deny the presence of sickness in
a person, but that is not reality. There is a superior reality called the spiritual
realm.

3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of

God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which
are visible. (Hebrews 11) NKJV

The worlds that you see proceed from that which you cannot see, from the
superior reality—the spiritual realm.

On the inside of you, you have the same power that raised Jesus from the
dead.13 Living from the heavenly perspective of your born-again spirit
empowers you to reign in life, bringing a demonstration of the Kingdom of
God on Earth as it is in heaven. Paul describes his life in 2 Corinthians
chapter 4:

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the
power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every
side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted,
but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—10 always carrying
about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also
may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always
delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be
manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but
life in you. (NKJV)

Paul was not ashamed to preach the gospel of Christ.

9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men
 condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world,
both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are
wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished,
but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and
thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we
labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being
persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been
made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. (1
Corinthians 4) NKJV

What the world deems success cannot add to or take away from a believer’s
right standing with God. Paul was Christ centered; he was unconcerned with
people’s evaluation of him. For him it was all about Jesus Christ and Him
crucified, the power of God to salvation for all who believe. And that power
is released through the revelation that Jesus is the believers’ righteousness.
This is the heart of the New Covenant and the fundamental difference from
the Old Covenant that put Paul and his message at odds with so many.

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are

perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1
Corinthians 1) NKJV

The context of “a worker that need not be ashamed” is an evangelist.

Timothy was an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5), which is one who declares the
good news (Romans 10:15). Every born-again believer has been
commissioned to preach the gospel.14 This is not just for “paid
professionals”; this is for every believer. Our mission today is not about what
we can do for God; it’s about what He can do through us. That’s why Paul
said, “It’s no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
The primary mission of the church today is to demonstrate the Kingdom of
God on Earth as it is in heaven, primarily through the preaching of the
gospel, and the Lord Himself will confirm the word with signs following.15
Paul concludes the verse by saying, “rightly dividing the word of truth.”16
The cross changes everything, and this must be reflected in the gospel that we
preach. Scripture must be understood in the context of the New Covenant.
This doesn’t mean that you just disregard the Ten Commandments—that
would be absurd; the Ten Commandments are the inspired word of God.
However, in the light of the New Covenant, your understanding must change.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20) KJV

Under the New Covenant, you are united to the Lord and one spirit with Him
(1 Corinthians 6:17). And Jesus will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5). Jesus has fulfilled the law so that we can enjoy relationship
with God forever.

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep
My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and
make Our home with him.” (John 14) NKJV
 CHAPTER 17
Revival

On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came

together to hear the word of God.

(ACTS 13:44)

PAUL DID NOT DEVIATE FROM the ministry that the Lord Jesus gave him to
testify of the gospel of grace, and the results were astounding. Entire cities
were moved by the gospel that Paul preached, the New Covenant of God’s
unmerited favor. Revivals don’t have to come to an end; they are meant to
continue.1 In the vast majority of believers today, there is an overwhelming
desire for this kind of experience. Consider for a moment the revival in
Wales in the early 1900s. During this time, emphasis was given to repentance
and confession of sin.2 The results of this outpouring affected not just Wales,
but spread around the entire world. In the light of the New Covenant, you can
imagine the kind of trouble this would cause, but this did not disqualify
believers from the manifestation of God’s glory.

Paul says it like this when he describes the glory of the New Covenant:

7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was

glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face
of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was
passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more
glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry
 of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was
made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that
excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is
much more glorious. (2 Corinthians 3) NKJV

There was glory under the Old Covenant; it was a “fading glory.” That means
God was always moving away from believers because under the law, the
blood of bulls and goats only gave a temporary right standing. Sin was
covered but not removed. Moses, who lived under the law, said to God, “Let
me see your glory.” God hid Moses in the cleft of the rock, and God passed
by, but Moses saw the hind parts only—His face could not be seen.3 Under
the law, God sees your faults and failings, and He judges them. That’s why
He was moving away; that’s why it’s called a “fading glory.” How different
things are under the New Covenant.

6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath
shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4) KJV

Under the New Covenant, His view and opinion of you are the same as His
view and opinion of Jesus.4 Your sins are not covered; they are gone. No
longer do you have a sinful nature; you are a new creation. Your born-again
spirit is the same as Jesus Spirit because as He is, so are you in this world.
God sees you in Christ, perfect, holy, and righteous.

Under the Old Covenant, man was seeking after God; the demand was upon
man for righteousness.5 Under the New Covenant, God is seeking you. Like a
romance, He draws you to Himself with kindness and love. And when He
apprehends you, His desire is to consummate the relationship through the
divine union that you enjoy with Him. This is the good news, God’s awesome
abiding Presence in us. He desires to manifest His glory in and through us as
the consummation of His love for us all because of the Lord Jesus and His
finished work.
 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law
through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him
who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
(Romans 7) NKJV

It has nothing to do with you chasing after God. He chose you; you didn’t
choose Him. Of course we desire Him, especially when there are so many
things vying for our attention. We want to put Him first and give importance
to Him. We want to experience God not just hear about Him from the Bible
or some person’s testimony. And God has done what man couldn’t; believers
are united to the Lord through blessed divine union. Using spiritual
disciplines as a means to merit His manifest Presence might give you fleeting
experience, but the greater glory under the New Covenant comes from a
place of rest. The revelation of grace will cause you to love Jesus more than
anything else that you can do in this world. The reason is simple: “We love
Him because He first loved us.”

Paul preached the gospel, the New Covenant, which is the ministry of
righteousness that exceeds much more in glory.

38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is

preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who
believes is justified from all things from which you could not be
justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13) NKJV

The result was that an entire city was moved; in fact, on the next Sabbath,
almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God (verse 44).

Peter also saw similar results through the preaching of the gospel.

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has
made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now
when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and
the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then
 Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children,
and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
(Acts 2) NKJV

Peter said the same as Paul when asked by the people what they should do:
Change your mind about God and put your trust in Jesus Christ; your sins
will be forgiven, and you will receive the Holy Spirit that creates a born-
again spirit that is righteous and holy. And three thousand souls were saved.
Prior to this, Peter was afraid of a girl who asked him if he was a follower of
Jesus. Now, with a confident expectation of good things through the blood of
the New Covenant, he was as bold as a lion.

12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of

speech. (2 Corinthians 3) NKJV

“You have been delivered from Satan’s rule and sin’s dominion
through Jesus finished work; you possess the same power that
raised Jesus from the dead, the same power that healed every
person who came to Jesus.”

The gospel is the New Covenant; it’s the real deal, and His name is Jesus.
The life of the body is in the blood, and through the blood of the New
Covenant, we have eternal life relationship with God, forever. The Lord Jesus
has restored the Kingdom of God to His children through the divine union we
enjoy with Him through His finished work, but it was not in the way that the
disciples had believed it would happen.

6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying,
“Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1)
NKJV

An invading force still occupied Israel; things still appeared to be the same.
Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within you. Sin, sickness, and injustice
ravage the world, but the Kingdom of God is here; it’s inside of you. You
have been delivered from Satan’s rule and sin’s dominion through Jesus
finished work; you possess the same power that raised Jesus from the dead,
the same power that healed every person who came to Jesus. And you have a
permanent right standing with God. You are ruling and reigning with Jesus
now; your born-again spirit is united with Jesus Spirit and has become one
new spirit. Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good—He came to make
dead people live. Isn’t that the essence of revival, to make that which was
dead alive? It was the same for Nicodemus; he was confused.

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless
one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3) NKJV

The Lord Jesus did not fit into the disciple’s expectations of what a Messiah
should be or do.

31 And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this
generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in
the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: ‘We played the flute
for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not
weep.’” (Luke 7) NKJV

How much has really changed? Believers do this expecting God to do that,
and they get disappointed when their expectations are not met. It’s not about
the expectation of what God will do; it’s about the revelation of what He has
already done through the Lord Jesus and the cross. This should lead us into
celebration that is reflected in our worship of Him.

That which we so want and desire in revival is revealed in the gospel. His
name is Jesus; He’s the believers’ righteousness. The revelation of
righteousness under the New Covenant releases the power that is in the
gospel by making dead people live. The Old Covenant says: “you must” and
“you must not.” Under the New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah in chapter
31 and repeated by the writer of Hebrews in chapter 8, God says,

I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts…and I
will be their God, and they shall be My people…For I will be merciful
to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will
remember no more.

No more are you working for God; He is now working for you, both in and
through you. Jesus said, “It’s not Me who does the work but the Father inside
Me; He does the work.6 It’s the spirit that is active when your soul is at rest.
Grace is released through the spirit into your soul and through your body into
manifestation. You have the mind of Christ7 in your spirit, and you know all
things through the anointing you have received from Jesus.8 God says, “I will
teach you.”9 He will turn information into revelation that will bring
transformation in your life and the lives of those around you. You can enjoy
the manifestation of God’s Presence today because God says, “I will be
merciful to your unrighteousness”10 by making you the righteousness of God
in Christ Jesus through the divine exchange that took place on the cross, in
which Jesus took your sin and gave you His righteousness. And God says, “I
will not remember your sins anymore”11 because He remembered them when
He punished every one of them in the body of Jesus on the cross once and for
all. That’s the gospel that Paul preached. Believe that, and have a revival!

Let me bring this to a close with a final word from our beloved brother Paul:

27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which
the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God
which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after
my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the
flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking
perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31
Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to
warn everyone night and day with tears. (Acts 20) NKJV
Sadly, we know how things ended up for the church at Ephesus. In the
revelation of Jesus Christ, the Lord Himself says,

4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the
first works. (Revelation 2) NKJV

The church at Ephesus had fallen from grace; they had moved away from the
hope that is in the gospel, seeking to be right with God through their good
works. In doing this, they had “made Christ of no effect” by frustrating the
grace of God working in their lives.12 Don’t make the same mistake. Change
your mind, do the first works, and “believe in the One whom God sent.” We
love Him because He first loved us, and God demonstrated His love toward
us by sending Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins, but not only ours, the
entire world’s. How awesome is Jesus!

As you go out from here, I believe and declare that you will finish your race
with joy and the ministry that you received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to
the gospel of the grace of God, and that you will not shun to declare to all the
whole counsel of God. So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the
word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance
among all those who are sanctified. All the saints salute you. Amen.

ETERNAL LIFE
Eternal life is relationship with God, and this comes from believing the
gospel.

30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be

saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will
be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16) NKJV

And what you believe determines your confession.

 9 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10) NKJV

What are you waiting for? Go for it!

Lord Jesus, I thank You that through Your death on the cross, all my
sins have been forgiven, and You have made me the righteousness of
God in You. And I thank you, Lord Jesus, that Your Father has become
my Father.

Welcome to the Family.

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST

Perhaps you’ve been relating to God on the basis of your own self-
righteousness, and you recognize your need to change.

5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the
first works. (Revelation 2) NKJV

Change your mind; you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ.

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5)
NKJV

When you agree with God, He empowers you—so let this be your
confession!

I thank you, Lord Jesus, that You don’t remember my sins anymore and
You’re not holding anything against me. I thank You, Lord Jesus, that
 You have made me the righteousness of God in You. I am no more a
servant, but a son—an heir of God and joint heir with You, Lord,
sharing Your inheritance.

OFFENDED
The gospel is often offensive before it becomes redemptive. If you’re
offended at what you’ve read, you’re in good company. Paul kicked hard
against Grace, but to no avail, and he hurt himself and others in the process.
When Paul met Grace, something had to give, and it wasn’t the Grace of
God.

23 There was only this report: “That man who once persecuted us is
now preaching the very message he used to try to destroy.” 24 Their
response was to recognize and worship God because of me! (Galatians
1) MESSAGE

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. He did it for Paul; He will do
it for you.

STAY IN TOUCH
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 END NOTES

INTRODUCTION
1. The Bible defines right standing with God as righteousness. Under the
New Covenant, righteousness is a gift received by grace through faith
(see Romans 5:17).
2. 1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 1:17.
3. 2 Corinthians 5:21.
4. This is the “bottom line” of the New Covenant from Hebrews 8:10–12.
Jeremiah spoke of this in chapter 31 verses 31–34.
5. Hebrews 8:13.
6. Hebrews 8:6.
7. Romans 6:14.
8. Most, if not all, of the prophets in the Old Testament spoke about the
New Covenant. Isaiah spoke extensively about it. This scripture
quotation is from chapter 54:9–10.
9. This quotation is from Exodus 20:5, which is the Ten Commandments
that God gave to Moses as the basis of Israel’s covenant relationship
with Him. It is otherwise known as the Law of Moses or the Old
Covenant (Exodus 34:28). This text is the First Commandment under
the Law of Moses. Notice the difference from the New Covenant, in
which God says, “Your sins and lawless deeds I remember no more.”
10. 2 Corinthians 5:19.
11. Acts 17:11 (MESSAGE).

CHAPTER 1
1. Romans 1:16.
2. What a dilemma indeed. The covenant relationship, with its written code
—what would happen if they abandoned it all in favor of Jesus? Today
 many precious believers are in the same boat, focusing on behavior
(morality) to merit God’s acceptance (spirituality)—they are afraid to
receive God’s unmerited favor. More than two thousand years after God
inspired Paul to write to the church in Rome, his word to the church is
still as relevant today:
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to
establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the
righteousness of God. (Romans 10)
3. When Paul refers to the law, it means the Ten Commandments given at
Mount Sinai. 28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty
nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the
tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 34)
Paul makes it clear that the Ten Commandments are the law and that the
purpose of the law is to make believers conscious of sin.
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the
contrary, “I would not have known sin except through the law. For I
would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall
not covet’” (Romans 7). The law is not just circumcision either. You
cannot choose what laws you will keep; it is perfect obedience to all the
commandments under the law all the time.
3 “And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is
a debtor to keep the whole law” (Galatians 5). Believers today who keep
the Ten Commandments as the basis of their relationship with God are
under a double curse.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to
you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we
have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other
gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
(Galatians 1 [see also Galatians 3:10]). Paul never taught the law. He
taught from the law to reveal Jesus who has fulfilled the law for us.
Take Ephesians six as an example:
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor
your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with
promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on
the earth.”
If you teach children the Ten Commandments as the basis of
 relationship with God, then you are killing them because the Old
Covenant is the ministry of death. Under law, disobedient children were
taken outside the camp and stoned to death. Remember that you can’t
pick and choose which laws to obey—it’s perfect obedience of every
law, or else you’re under the curse. We teach our kids the New
Covenant! Through Jesus Christ we have eternal life. All our sins are
forgiven, and when we make mistakes, we don’t feel guilty—we declare
that we are the “righteousness of God in Christ.” The Holy Spirit will
teach our kids to say no to ungodliness and empower them to make a
difference in their generation. No father wants his child to relate to him
on the basis of obedience because he fears disobedience will bring
punishment. Every father wants his child to obey him because the child
loves him and wants to please him. This is the model that Jesus gives us
when revealing the Father through the parable of the man who had two
sons in Luke 15.
4. Genesis 3:1–7. Adam and Eve’s relationship with God was based on
obedience:
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of
the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2)
5. 2 Corinthians 5:17.
6. Romans 8:6.
7. 1 Corinthians 10:32.
8. Although Israel received the divine instructions, the gentiles have the
law in their DNA, passed down through first Adam’s transgression. The
knowledge of what is good and what is evil is the essence of the law,
yet without the empowerment to ensure perfect obedience, it just makes
you conscious of where you are falling short over and over again and is
void of power to help you.
14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the
things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to
themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts,
their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their
thoughts accusing or else excusing them). (Romans 2)
9. How clear can you get? The law makes you conscious of sin. It’s
 impossible to keep, and all the world is under it. How, then, do you
escape from the law that will never pass away? The answer is death.
Death ends your relationship to the law. We were crucified with Christ,
ending our relationship with the law so that we could be married to our
new Husband the Lord Jesus.
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who
are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the
world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of
the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the
knowledge of sin. (Romans 3)
10. 2 Corinthians 3:6.
11. 1 Corinthians 1:30.
12. 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:2. God is always speaking; the question
is, are we listening? We simply cannot limit God to a “quiet time” of a
prescribed period each day. Meditating on scripture, Bible study, and
prayer are a vital part of the Christian life, and committing time to the
Lord will be of great benefit to you, but this is not the only way that
God works in a believer’s life. It’s a relationship, and believers should
expect God to be speaking to their hearts all the time, especially during
times of struggle (1 Kings 19:12). He is creative in His communication
because He made you an authentic original; therefore, we need to be
receptive to His ways. Prayer is an essential part of our relationship with
God. It’s vital, much like the air that we breathe. It’s from this place of
intimacy in His Presence that the anointing and power of God flow. Yet
God has not called us to the “prayer closet,” He has called His children
to preach the gospel. In the same way, you can’t spend all day in the
“upper room” because the Lord Jesus loves people. He wants to take the
upper-room experience out into the marketplace so that He can share
what He has freely given you. As powerful as Peter’s mountaintop
experience was, it was showing grace to those who opposed Grace
(Jesus) that profoundly impacted Peter’s life. Trusting in Jesus, he
caught a fish, took the coin from its mouth, and paid the Temple tax for
himself and the Lord. There is something powerful that happens when
you demonstrate the Kingdom. Although it is for the benefit of others,
there is a tremendous blessing for you.
13. Hebrews 8:12.
14. Ephesians 4:24.
15. 2 Corinthians 5:17.
16. John 4:24.
17. The term “finished work of the cross” simply refers to the end of the Old
Covenant. When Jesus hung on the cross and said, “It is finished” the
curtain in the Temple split from top to bottom. The Old Covenant era
had come to an end through Jesus death and a “New and Living Way”
had been established giving all people access to God’s Presence and
provision. This is the “good news” the New Covenant of Gods
unmerited favor. Jesus work continued, He was buried, He was raised
from the dead, He ascended to the Fathers right hand and like the book
of Acts His ministry continues today through the church.
18. Romans 8:32.
19. 1 Peter 2:24.
20. Romans 6:23.
21. You are made righteous by the blood of Jesus. The righteousness of faith
says, I believe that through the blood of Jesus, I have been made the
righteousness of God in Him. You are not believing God for the
manifestation hitherto pressing into the promises of God. You believe
that you are the righteousness of God in Christ through the shedding of
Jesus blood—it’s an established fact the moment you believe the gospel
and are born again. It’s the blood that saves, not your faith in the blood.
Believe that—that’s the righteousness of faith.
22. Hebrews 5:13 (AMP).
23. Jesus also referred to God’s will when asked a question in John chapter
6.28 “They then said, What are we to do, that we may [habitually] be
working the works of God? [What are we to do to carry out what God
requires?] 29 Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of
you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to,
trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger]” (AMP).
Grace is generally defined as the unmerited favor of God. Problems
arise when grace is redefined as the “empowerment” of God, which it
certainly is. However, grace can only be understood and received on the
basis of Jesus finished work. Believers are accepted in the beloved,
which is the believers’ position “in Christ” that qualifies them to receive
His unmerited favor (grace). Believers need to be fully established in
 this acceptance component of grace before launching out in the
empowerment of grace to do the works that Jesus did. Where the focus
is on empowerment apart from acceptance, the demand shifts from God
to man, and you’re back to a performance-based relationship that ends
up with believers bound in condemnation. It’s true that a new believer
could pray and see deliverance. The problem arises when the believer
prays and there is no deliverance. Jesus response to the disciples was
prayer and fasting. Not that those disciplines were the necessity for
results. It was the invitation to intimacy with God in which believers
live according to their position in Christ, the righteousness of God,
which is their true identity as sons of God accepted in the beloved.
From a place of rest in the secret place of the Most High, grace that
empowers believers for good works is released. He said the same thing
to His disciples on another occasion. They said, “Even demons are
subject to us.” Jesus said, “What is more important is that your names
are written in Heaven.” The case in point is the church at Ephesus. They
had it all together, yet Paul prayed that they would receive the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Jesus). That is an
ever-increasing revelation of Jesus Christ and His finished work that
determines who you are, what you have, and what you can do. Sadly,
they missed it somewhere along the way, as evidenced by the Lord’s
word to them in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Their focus
was on their works instead of Jesus finished work. Redefining grace as
“empowerment” is dangerous. Grace is Jesus Christ and the finished
work of the cross. It’s the abiding Presence of God united to man
creating one new person that empowers believers to bring Heaven to
earth.
24. John 10:38.
25. John 5:19 – 23.
26. John 12:49 – 50.
27. Matthew 10:19.
28. Hebrews 8:12.
29. Believers are made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus through the
divine exchange that took place at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). The
resurrection of Jesus is the evidence that God is not holding anything
against us so that believers can enjoy relationship with Him.
30. Hebrews 9:22.
31. Acts 20:21.
32. “23 for whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14). This is God’s
point of view. Ask yourself, “Am I depending on God for everything?”
The answer is obvious; however, failure to trust God for everything
does not disqualify you from His unmerited favor. Sin is sin. Now agree
with God: “Thank you, Lord Jesus, that all my sins have been forgiven.”
33. Hebrews 4:16.
34. Titus 2:11, 12.
35. 2 Corinthians 5:21.
36. 2 Corinthians 3:15.
37. Galatians 2:20.
38. 1 Corinthians 1:30.
39. Luke 12:32.
40. Ephesians 2:6.
41. Luke 17:21.
42. Colossians 1:27.
43. Romans 5:11 (KJV).
44. Under the New Covenant, our great exceeding reward is God’s abiding
Presence and His unmerited favor and blessing. All this was
accomplished for man by God through Jesus finished work.
45. 1 John 4:17.
46. John 4:24.
47. Ephesians 4:24 (KJV).
48. The Authorized King James translation quotes Ephesians 4:24 as
“righteousness and true holiness,” whereas the New King James
translates the same verse as “true righteousness and holiness.”
49. 1 Corinthians 15:56.
50. Hebrews 8:13 (NKJV).
51. Isaiah 48:11.
52. John 17:22.
53. Proverb 23:7.
54. Psalm 35:27.
55. Matthew 25:40.
56. Luke 7:47.
57. Matthew 22:36–40. The commandments that Jesus referred to were from
 the Old Covenant. Jesus was actually quoting from Deuteronomy
chapter 6. His answer was in response to a question from one of the
religious leaders trying to “trap” him: “36 Teacher, which is the great
commandment in the law?” Jesus concluded by saying, “40 On these
two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

CHAPTER 2
1. John 1:29.
2. Romans 6:6.
3. Romans 6:14.
4. Romans 5:1.
5. John 14:27.
6. Hebrews 4:1–3.
7. Ephesians 5:26; 2 Corinthians 7:1.
8. Jude 1:4.
9. Genesis 3:11.
10. Romans 6:3.
11. Proverb 16:6.
12. Colossians 3:13.
13. 2 Corinthians 5:21.
14. 2 Timothy 2:15.
15. Philippians 3:10.
16. 1 John 1:3; John 14:23.
17. 1 Corinthians 6:17; 1 John 4:17 (AMP).
18. Romans 8:39.
19. 1 Timothy 4:8.
20. 2 Peter 1:4.
21. 1 Corinthians 2:16.
22. 1 John 2:20.

CHAPTER 3
1. Miles Coverdale, “Dedication and Preface,” http://www.bible-
researcher.com/coverdale1.html
2. Galatians 3:13.
3. John 3:17.

CHAPTER 4
1. Galatians 5:4.
2. Romans 4:15.
3. This is repentance under the Old Covenant—“stop sinning, and do
what’s right.” The demand is upon you to change in order to merit
God’s acceptance, favor, and blessing. Under the New Covenant, the
demand was upon Jesus. He took your sin. He sacrificed His life, and
He merits God’s favor. By grace you are in Christ, qualified to receive
what you don’t deserve: God’s acceptance, favor, and blessing.
4. Proverbs 16:6.

CHAPTER 5
1. Ruth 3:18. Boaz is a type of Christ. Ruth represents believers. When we
rest, God works. When we work, God rests. Through Jesus finished
work, God has reconciled all people to Himself. Therefore, be
reconciled to God by believing in Jesus and His finished work. He Has
also provided for all our needs through Jesus finished work. God is not
working to heal anyone because “by His stripes you were healed.” The
same Power that raised Jesus from the dead, that healed every sick
person, and that fed thousands of people lives inside of you. He’s a
Person—the Spirit of Christ. God is working in you to release that
which He has provided for you through Jesus finished work.
2. God does not reject believers even if they are proud. Instead He humbles
them by revealing the Lord Jesus and His finished work. He doesn’t
humiliate people either. We have freedom of will, and the decisions that
we make might cause humiliation, but this is not God’s idea of
restoration. His way is the revelation of the Lord Jesus who is meek but
never weak. Meekness or humility is the fruit of the spirit. You’ve got it
in your spirit now because of Jesus and His finished work.
3. Psalm 45:8. The manifestation of the Spirit of Christ has at times been
 known to bring forth the tangible fragrance spoken of the Lord Jesus in
Psalm 45.
4. “11 But I make known to you, brethren that the gospel which was
preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it
from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of
Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1) NKJV.

CHAPTER 6
1. Genesis 12:1–3.
2. Genesis 12:10–20, 20:1–17.
3. 1 Corinthians 15:56.
4. 1 Corinthians 15:34.
5. In Luke 4 when Jesus spoke from Isaiah 61 verse, 2 He left out the
words, “and the day of vengeance of our God.” The day of vengeance of
our God refers to Jesus second coming, when there will be an end to all
injustice—hence John’s dilemma.
6. Matthew 11:11. What is not of faith is sin; therefore, doubting is sin.
Jesus did not make John conscious of sin or judge him for doubting;
instead, Jesus reveals Himself to John through the word. The Lord Jesus
does not condemn us when we sin; instead, He comforts us. Isn’t that
the kindness of God that leads to repentance? We know how John’s
ministry ends, and he ends on a high note, fully convinced with
assurance of faith that Jesus Christ is Lord!
7. Isaiah 35:5.
8. Acts 21:31.
9. Two thousand years later, how much has changed? Political
assassination has made way for character assassination—forgoing the
cross in favor of social media. However, the “good seed” of change is
being sown, and the peaceable fruit of righteousness is being made
manifest in the lives of a multitude of people from every tribe and
tongue and nation.
10. John 8:11.
11. Titus 2:11, 12.
12. Philippians 2:13.
13. Adam and Eve are the obvious example. Through their own efforts, they
believed they could become like God, when in fact they were already
like God—created in His image. The Jews had the Tree of Life in their
midst but rejected Him in favor of self-righteousness as their basis for
relationship just like, Adam and Eve.
14. Do you remember when the scales fell from your eyes, when the sin
orientation broke and you began to understand the scriptures in the light
of the New Covenant? It can be a little scary. The idea that this could be
a trap is very real, especially if you have been living under a mixture of
law and grace for some time.
15. Song of Solomon 2:13.
16. Galatians 5:4.
17. Hebrews 9:14.
18. 2 Peter 3:18.
19. John 14:12.
20. John 13:35. Believers are the fulfillment of God’s will.
21. The way that believers loved one another was a manifestation of God’s
abiding Presence within them. This is a powerful witness, yet there are
many manifestations of God’s Presence within believers. Prophecy and
praying in the Spirit are others.
22. Mark 16:20.
23. “9 Once I was alive, but quite apart from and unconscious of the Law.
But when the commandment came, sin lived again and I died (was
sentenced by the Law to death)” (Romans 7) AMP.
24. Hebrews 9:28 (AMP).
25. James 4:17.
26. Ephesians 1:17.

CHAPTER 7
1. “4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have
tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5
and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to
come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they
crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open
 shame” (Hebrews 6). Before the cross, many people followed Jesus, but
they weren’t born again. Consider, for example, the seventy whom
Jesus anointed and sent out (Luke 10); they were enlightened but not
converted. They experienced everything in verses 4 and 5, yet they
weren’t born again because Jesus had not finished His work. In
Hebrews 10 verse 26 it says, “For if we sin willfully after we have
received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice
for sins.” “We” does not mean “believers.” The letter was written to
Hebrews. “We” therefore refers to the Jews who had participated in the
fellowship of believers but rejected Jesus in favor of the law. They
heard the gospel but they did not believe. The grace of God has
appeared—however, it needs to be mixed with faith in order to bring
salvation to man.
2. Galatians 5:1.
3. Adam was present when Satan was lying to Eve. Instead of speaking up,
he abdicated his authority; believing the lie, he unwittingly gave the
dominion he had received from God to Satan.
4. Galatians 3:13.
5. Isaiah 54:14.
6. Heart in this context refers to the mind, which is part of the soul. When
the mind is not in agreement with God’s word it is “unrenewed.” When
it agrees (revelation as opposed to information), it is renewed, and the
word does exactly what it says: “Therefore there is no more
condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” This underscores the
importance of Bible study. Often believers don’t have or enjoy the
blessing of sonship because they don’t ask, and they don’t ask because
they don’t know.
7. 1 John 3:24, 4:13.
8. 1 Corinthians 1:30.
9. Luke 7:47.
10. This is a ridiculous question—no believer would ever suggest this and be
taken seriously. However, there are times in life when, for whatever
reason, you are not able to fulfill spiritual disciplines. In this situation,
be honest in asking yourself, “How does this make me feel?”
11. 1 Corinthians 15:10.
12. Who doesn’t want to do exploits? Of course we do! The call of Jesus to
 the church to heal the sick is beyond exciting and to see the grace of
God healing people cannot be described in words. However let’s get
real, our efforts are only fruitful because it’s God who gives the increase
(1 Corinthians 3:6). All of our gifts and service are according to the
grace of God bestowed upon us so we cannot take credit for any good
that He does through us (1 Corinthians 3:10). We are co-labourers with
Christ! The revelation that we are united to the Lord and one with Him
is key to experiencing the manifestation of Gods Spirit that we so
earnestly desire.
13. John 14:16 (KJV).
14. Acts 1:8.
15. Luke 7:47.
16. Ephesians 2:14.
17. Mark 7:13.
18. 1 Corinthians 11:20–22. The context refers to “Love Feasts” that were
part of the believers’ fellowship where Holy Communion was
celebrated. Often believers were more interested in eating and drinking
than remembering the Lord Jesus and His finished work. When you
partake of the bread, remember that Jesus body was broken so that
believers’ bodies could be healed and made whole.
19. Many believers give the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15 a very
narrow interpretation by linking legalism to circumcision only.
Obedience to the Ten Commandments was the basis of Israel’s Old
Covenant relationship; in other words, righteousness was a function of
performance. Failure to divide the word of truth has created perverse
doctrine suggesting that believers are made right with God through His
finished work and once born again they must obey the Ten
Commandments and/or other rules in order to maintain their right
standing with God. This mixture of law and grace is precisely the “other
gospel” that Paul spoke of in his letter to the Galatians. Paul refers to
those Christians who believed in Jesus plus obedience to the law as the
“circumcision party,” and let’s not forget that Paul’s letters are the
inspired word of God. Can you sense the righteous anger of God when
it comes to mixing law and grace? When Paul was speaking of the
“circumcision party,” he said that he wished they would not only get the
“snip on the tip,” but cut off the parts usually circumcised—that is,
 emasculate themselves (Galatians 5:12). Strong words indeed.
20. The Authorized King James translation quotes Ephesians 4:24 as
“righteousness and true holiness,” whereas the New King James
translates the same verse as “true righteousness and holiness.”
21. John 15:5.
22. John 14:9.
23. John 14:23.
24. Sullupéō (in Greek, , Strongs reference number 4818).
25. Leviticus 15:25.
26. Matthew 9:20.
27. Matthew 8:3.
28. Mark 5:6, 9, 13.
29. 1 Peter 5:5. The Lord Jesus does not reject proud people. Instead, He
gives them what they don’t deserve: He gives them grace. Paul was
proud, and the revelation of Jesus Christ the risen Lord bought him to
his knees.
30. John 15:1–8.
31. Faith appropriates from your spirit that which God has provided by
grace.
32. Bob George, Classic Christianity (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House
Publishers, 1989).

CHAPTER 8
1. The law was given to Moses on tablets of stone.
2. This is the apostle Peter, Petros in Greek, which means “rock.” Cephas
is a Syriac surname that also means “rock.”
3. Romans 1:17, 3:21–22, 10:3.
4. “33 Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us
both” (Job 9) NKJV.
5. Matthew 28:18.
6. 2 Corinthians 10:5.
7. Job 1:10.
8. Job 3:25.
9. Isaiah 54:9. This is the New Covenant spoken of by Isaiah. The term
 rebuke speaks of punishment or divine retribution.
10. Numbers 20:7–12

CHAPTER 9
1. 1 Corinthians 1:30.
2. 1 Corinthians 6:19.
3. Titus 2:11, 12.
4. John 6:63.
5. John 13.
6. Ephesians 5:26.
7. 1 Corinthians 15:5.
8. John 20:20.

CHAPTER 10
1. Luke 10:42.
2. Malḵûṯ (in Hebrew, Strongs reference number H4438), meaning
“royalty, reign, dominion, kingdom”—kingdom in the context of
royalty and the power and authority that result from that position. Psalm
145 describes the awesomeness of God’s Kingdom:
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy
power; 12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and
the glorious majesty of his kingdom. 13 Thy kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all
generations.
3. Luke 12:32.
4. Colossians 2:15.
5. Luke 17:21.
6. Matthew 20:25–28.
7. Bill Johnson, The Power that changes the world (Bloomington,
Minnesota: Chosen Books, 2015).
8. Luke 4:18.
9. 1 John 3:8.
10. The Bible is our authority. However, we cannot limit God to speaking to
 us solely from the Bible, literally word for word. God speaks to our
hearts all the time, and He will never say anything that contradicts what
is written in the Bible. Discernment is required, but we should not be
afraid of being deceived; instead, we should seek to cultivate intimacy
with Him and desire His still small voice speaking to our hearts.
11. Proverbs 25:2.
12. Luke 7:47.
13. Genesis 12:3.
14. Deuteronomy 6:25.
15. Luke 17:21.
16. 2 Corinthians 5:21.
17. Romans 5:17.

CHAPTER 11
1. Colossians 2:2 (KJV).
2. Colossians 1:27.
3. In Luke chapter 15, when the son decides to go home, his confession is
as follows:
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I
have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer
worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired
servants.”
When the son meets his father, something is missing from his
confession:
21 And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven
and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
4. Luke 2.49.
5. Colossians 1:22.
6. The key to understanding this is righteousness. In chapter 54, Isaiah says
it like this:
14 In righteousness you shall be established.
In verse 17, he makes it clear Whose righteousness it is:
“This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord And their
righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.
 And when you’re established in His righteousness, there is rest.
7. Galatians 5:17.
8. John 20:17.

CHAPTER 12
1. Matthew 4:24, 8:16, 12:15.
2. Judges 6:11.
3. Matthew 8:2, 3.
4. As a believer when you sin does that make you a sinner? No it does not.
On the cross Jesus took all your sin and gave you the free gift of His
righteousness. You are the righteousness of God in Christ and it’s a
permanent position that cannot be lost, reduced or sinned away.
Believers are put in eternal right standing with God through Jesus
finished work. When you sin or someone has sinned against you that’s
when your confession needs to be in agreement with what God Has said
and done, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. God is not
holding any sin against me, so there is no condemnation for me. God is
not holding the sin of the person who has hurt me against them, so why
am I holding it against them. It is finished Jesus died to forgive that
sin.” When Paul wrote “forgive one another just as Christ has forgiven
you,” he wasn’t saying that we need to forgive others because Jesus has
forgiven us. He was saying that the revelation of grace frees us from the
consequences of sins defilement. This is what the Bible calls “being
washed in water by the word”.
5. Luke 7:47.
6. 1 John 4:10.
7. 1 John 2:2.
8. 1 John 3:8.
9. Galatians 5:22 (KJV).
10. Hebrews 12:14.
11. Leviticus 1:9.
12. 1 John 3:2.
13. Hebrews 9:28 (AMP).
14. 1 Corinthians 1:30.
15. Romans 1:17.
16. Believers are accepted by God through their position in Christ. This
acceptance aspect of grace gives assurance to believers that they are
reigning in life with Jesus the moment they believe and are born again.
The revelation of grace empowers believers to reign in life. Resting in
Jesus finished work and living life according to your true identity in
Christ releases grace for every area of your life (holistic prosperity) and
the lives of those around you. Right believing leads to right living.
17. Matthew 13:15 (KJV).
18. Romans 7:7.
19. 2 Corinthians 12:9.
20. Colossians 3:13.
21. Romans 12:18.
22. Matthew 5:39; Luke 6:29.
23. Matthew 5:44.

CHAPTER 13
1. Most believers would agree that this is probably an inappropriate
response from Peter. You can’t put God in a box He’s too big! Yet
many of Peter’s brethren do the same thing today. In their hearts, they
have a place for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah—grace, sin, and judgment.

CHAPTER 14
1. 2 Corinthians 5:21; Daniel 9:24.
2. Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12.
3. Hebrews 8:12.
4. Hebrews 13:5; John 17:3.
5. Daniel 9:24.
6. Hebrews 9:12.
7. John 17:3.

CHAPTER 15
1. Luke 23:34.
2. Matthew 5:17.
3. Hebrews 1:3 (KJV).
4. Romans 4:17.
5. Prophets under the Old Covenant.
6. Romans 5:20. The law is not sin; you become conscious of sin through
the law (Romans 7:7).
7. Ephesians 2:1–3.
8. “The handwriting of ordinances that was against us” is the Old
Covenant, the Law of Moses.
9. “Double Jeopardy,” Wikipedia, last modified February 29, 2016,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_jeopardy. Double jeopardy is a
procedural defense that forbids a defendant from being tried again on
the same (or similar) charges following a legitimate acquittal or
conviction. In common law countries, a defendant may enter a
peremptory plea of autrefois acquit or autrefois convict (autrefois
means “in the past” in French), meaning the defendant has been
acquitted or convicted of the same offense and hence cannot be retried
under the principle of double jeopardy.
10. Gospel Transformation Bible (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2013).
11. Proverb 16:6 (NKJV). Mercy in Hebrew is ḥeseḏ, which has the same
meaning as grace.
12. B. L. Cocherell, “The Temple Destroyed,”
http://www.bibleresearch.org/articles/a11pws.htm.
13. God is not operating the Old Covenant and the New Covenant in parallel.
The Old Covenant has been made obsolete through the New Covenant.
No longer does God relate to anyone (including the nation of Israel) on
the basis of self-righteousness (Old Covenant). He only relates to man
on the basis of grace, which is Jesus righteousness received as a gift.
This is the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel.
14. James 1:13.
15. Mark 4:35–41.
16. Acts 17:6.
17. This does not mean that you have one-third of God. When you were born
again, you received the fullness of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
18. Gospel Transformation Bible.
CHAPTER 16
1. Deuteronomy 28:15–68.
2. Ephesians 4:24.
3. 1 Corinthians 6:17.
4. 2 Corinthians 3:18.
5. 2 Corinthians 4:7.
6. Genesis 1:26–28.
7. Matthew 28:18.
8. This does not mean that you confine your study to the four gospels
(Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) or just the New Testament. The entire
Bible is the inspired word of God. All scripture must be understood in
its context in light of the New Covenant. You simply cannot take the
example of someone living under the Old Covenant and apply this to
believers today living under the New Covenant. King Saul lost the Holy
Spirit; it left him because he rejected grace. You cannot make the same
case for believers today. Disobedience does not disqualify believers
from God’s Presence.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But
where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. (Romans 5)
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. (John 14)
9. Romans 1:17; 1 Corinthians 1:30.
10. Matthew 3:17.
11. Galatians 1:11, 12.
12. In Paul’s ministry, he experienced much opposition from fellow
Christians, to the point that some were willing to kill him. He was
labeled as crazy, as a heretic and blasphemer, and as giving license to
sin. If you preach the same gospel that he preached, you shouldn’t be
surprised if you get the same response. Just remember what Jesus said:
11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all
kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be
exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they
persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 12)
13. Ephesians 1:20.
14. Mark 16:15.
15. Mark 16:15–20.
16. 2 Timothy 2:15.

CHAPTER 17
1. Roberts Liardon, God’s Generals (New Kensington, Pennsylvania:
Whitaker House, 2012).
2. In no way is this a criticism; on the contrary, we honor the men and
women God worked in and through during these times. We have the
benefit and blessing of standing on their shoulders. This is not a
question of doctrine or methods, but His Glory. Most believers desire to
experience the manifestation of God’s Glory. His Presence and the
supernatural are part of who believers are. The point is whether you are
open to the possibility of relating to God on the basis of grace and not
your personal holiness. The presence or absence of sin is not the
determining factor. The word of God is the believer’s authority, and the
apostle Paul did not make people conscious of sin! He made them
conscious of Grace! The bottom line here is this: are you established in
Christ’s righteousness that is revealed in the gospel? The revelation of
righteousness is the foundation, and believers all over the world are
being liberated from the bondage of a performance-driven relationship
by His Grace. Sin does not disqualify you from the manifestation of
God’s Presence. You may be the vilest sinner on the planet or a believer
living with destructive habits, but when the Spirit of Jesus wraps His
arms around you and loves on you, then you will know and understand
what Grace is—the unmerited favor of God.
3. Exodus 33:18–23.
4. John 17:22.
5. Deuteronomy 6:25.
6. John 14:10.
7. 1 Corinthians 2:16.
8. 1 John 2:20.
9. 1 John 2:27.
10. Hebrews 8:12.
11. Hebrews 8:12.
12. When you consider Paul’s letters to the churches in the New Testament,
Ephesus was “doing well.” So what do you give the church that has it
“all together”? The answer: Grace. When Paul prayed for the church,
the Holy Spirit knew where things were going to end up, so God
provided Grace. Paul prayed that they would receive the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Jesus). Zechariah
chapter 4 verses 1 to 9 give an incredible picture of grace, the
importance of the New Covenant and the quality of life you experience
as a follower of Jesus. In his revelation Zechariah sees two Olive trees
providing an endless supply of oil to keep the candles burning. This is
the believers position. United to the Lord there is a constant flow of His
life being released. The moment you believe that you can merit Gods
grace through good works (or forfeit it through sin) your place of favor
is disrupted. You are still the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus but
the flow of grace (the oil that comes from the Olive tree which
represents God’s Spirit) is restricted. When the oil is restricted what
happens to the light? It diminishes or maybe it goes out. We are
supposed to be the light on the hill that burns bright attracting people—
its grace that makes the church relevant. When you reject grace there is
little to attract the lost—for it is the Spirit that gives life. If you reject
grace you become irrelevant—and grace is a Person whose name is
Jesus. Friend, you are in the midst of the paradise of God—grace put
you there—believe that and eat of the tree of life.