WILMINGTON, NC, August 22, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Throughout the history of Christianity, the concept of grace has often been misunderstood. What grace is and how to get it is a salvation issue since one is saved by grace. This Heaven or Hell related subject must be carefully examined with scripture. Besides Roman Catholicism the Once Saved Always Saved teachers are the main problems with their false grace teachings. Author and evangelist Dan Corner has this to say:
The biblical term grace has been distorted from different fronts, which has lethally confused salvation itself. Since a Christian is saved and justified by grace (Eph. 2:8,9; Tit. 3:7), to change what grace is or how to get it, is an assault on how to become saved.
Unwittingly, even the utility companies mention a grace period, when one doesn't pay his bill on time. Along with all the religious attacks, that has also aided in the misunderstanding that grace is unmerited favor instead of favor, as the Greek word actually means.
If grace were unmerited favor, then everyone would get saving grace, which is surely not true for the proud and unbelieving. It takes humility to get God's grace, while the proud are opposed (1 Pet. 5:5). It also takes a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to get in grace (Rom. 5:2), but that same faith can afterwards cease to exist (Lk. 8:13; 1Tim. 1:19; 2 Tim. 2:18; Rom. 11:20-23). If it were not necessary to have a submissive faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation by grace, then Universalism would be true, which is impossible (Mt. 13:41,42; 25:46; 2 Pet.3:9; Jude 7; etc.).
The grace changers (Jude 4) of our day are the Eternal Security (or Once Saved Always Saved) teachers, who have equated their fraudulent doctrine to grace, and thereby automatically attempt to discount all opposing views as something else, such as a work's salvation, legalism or cult. Also, their once in grace always in grace belief is demolished by Gal. 5:2-4, which shows a Christian can fall from grace to the place where Christ is of no value at all, meaning he no longer has salvation.
From a totally different angle, Catholicism attacks grace by teaching Mary is the mediatrix and dispenser of all graces and "to Jesus through Mary", meaning we get to Jesus by first going to Mary. In contrast, Jesus taught us to come directly to him (Mt. 11:28; Jn. 5:40; 7:37; etc.). The Catholic view is also disproved by the repentant thief, who bypassed Mary at the foot of the cross and successfully went to Jesus and was saved (Lk. 23:42,43).
Catholicism also teaches grace comes through their sacraments with babies getting born again at infant baptism. If that were true then infants, who can't repent or have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, would get saving grace, which is impossible.
The result of these ongoing attacks on grace have resulted in multitudes being lethally deceived about salvation and the holy image of Christians being smeared. In reality, God's grace teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:12). True grace does not allow for wickedness, and the gospel of grace includes a conditional security for the believer in Christ (1 Cor. 15:2; Col. 1:23).
The counterfeit grace has deceitfully allowed for Christian drunks, adulterers, thieves, liars, etc. with no one living holy and obediently, as Christians do (Lk. 8:21; Phil. 2:12; Heb. 5:9; 1 John 2:3,4; etc.). The prevalent counterfeit grace teachings have produced millions of counterfeit Christians. Remember, God is not holding and keeping Christians to the place where we can't turn away and die spiritually (Rom. 8:12; James 1:14,15; 5:19,20; etc.), getting back on the road to hell again, as has happened to many.
True salvation by grace includes humble repentance (turning from sin) and a submissive faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to the place of unashamedly following, serving and obeying him. Salvation by grace is gained without Mary or water baptism, and it is not unmerited favor. We have eternal life as long as we have Jesus (1 Jn.5:12,13), which can change (Mt. 10:33; Jn. 15:1-6; Rom. 11:20-23; Rev. 3:16; etc.).
Jesus taught to make every effort to enter through the narrow door (Luke 13:24), while the spurious say, "make no effort because that is works and legalism". Obedience is not legalism. We must continue to sow to please the Spirit and not give up to reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8,9; Rom. 2:7) and to endure hatred to the end for salvation's sake (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; Rev. 2:10,11). Consult the books, The Believer's Conditional Security and Is This the Mary of the Bible for much more.
Dan Corner, a former pastor and ex-Catholic, is the author of a number of books including 'The Believer's Conditional Security: Eternal Security Refuted', 'The Myth of Eternal Security' and 'Is this the Mary of the Bible?'.
Dan is available for media interviews, including debates, and can be reached using the information below or by email at [email protected], by phone at 724-632-3210 or by mail at PO Box 265, Washington, PA, 15301. His websites are https://www.evangelicaloutreach.org (EOMIN.org) and http://www.AlcanceEvangelistico.org (DBN-MIN.net) and http://www.EternalLifeBlog.com.
After graduating from college, Dan Corner got saved by reading the Bible. For over four decades, he has diligently served the Lord Jesus. Dan Corner's pastoral, apologetic, counter cult and street evangelism experiences have equipped him to contend for the faith and win souls to Jesus from many backgrounds.
He is an ordained minister and director of Evangelical Outreach who pastored for almost seven years and has authored hundreds of Christian articles, answered thousands of emails and letters and has written several books of vital importance in our day.
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