Tabernacle of Grace
“But Eddie, what about the part found in Colossians 1:10 where it says that we should walk worthy of The Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, and so on and on and so on? There’s no way that these things mentioned here in Colossians 1:10-14 can possibly apply to people of the world.”
Day after day after day I am asked questions like the one I’ve just quoted above. The questions are asked out of practically every book and letter found in the bible. Many ask me these type of questions because they want to learn and understand the Gospel of The Grace and Peace of God. Yet others ask questions simply because they cannot believe and have a difficult time accepting that this Gospel of the Grace and Peace of God is for ALL.
The disciples sort of had the same attitude that many religious people have today…”Lord, let us built a tabernacle for you, Elijah, Moses and one for us.” In other words, this relationship between God and man only belongs to them who walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. To them who are fruity, fruity goody and forever increasing in the knowledge of God. For those who God has strengthened and have allowed to become partakers of light and no longer walk in sinful darkness.
For those who have believed, repented and who God has approved of and has taken notice of their confession of true faith. These are the only type of people that God has translated into the kingdom of His dear Son, and the rest are out of luck. But there’s a problem with such religious bias attitude and legalistic mentality. How many can honestly and sincerely say that they walk worthy of the Lord all of the time?
How do we define “worthy”? What is it that is pleasing to God? What about the being fruitful in every good work? I asked these and many more questions to the African American brother who approached me with the question I stated at the beginning of this article, and all he could come up with was…”God rebuke you and your questions,” and then walked away. This hasn’t been the first time I get such a response. In many of my articles dating back to 1998 I have had similar angry reactions from religious people who believe that God only tabernacles with the goody, juicy fruity.
Friends, thank God that in Christ we are seen before God as being worthy. Thank God that Jesus was the only one to have ever been pleasing to God. Thank God that it was Christ who was fruitful in every good work. Everything was done according to His glorious power and not our works of filthy rags. It was Him who delivered us from religious self-righteousness (the law) and planted us all into the kingdom of His dear Son. It is in Him and through Him, because of Him and by Him that we find redemption and forgiveness of sins in His blood.
It has nothing to do with what we’ve done, are doing or will ever do. This tabernacle of Grace is for all, and not for a self-righteous few. As long as some of us have this religious mindset that some are worthy and some aren’t, there will always be bias questions trying to discredit God’s tabernacle of unconditional love and grace. I like what my friend “Steve” said…”If God tabernacles with those who do it all right, then I want to tabernacle with those who do it all wrong because I have a better chance of being accepted with God by being wrong than thinking I am right.”
Friends, we leave ourselves wide open for disappointment when we ask questions that lead to “I am better than they attitude.” Simply because one goes to church and does all those churchy religious expected things, doesn’t mean that God tabernacles with you and not with those who don’t do all of those churchy things. This Gospel is either a tabernacle of Grace or a tabernacle of works.
It was God who without prejudice decided to make it a tabernacle of grace for all. We need to stop having “Peter Visions” of… “Not so Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common nor unclean.” And begin to hear what The Lord said three times to Peter…”Do not call common that which I have cleansed.” Acts 10:9-16. Thank God that religious barriers of prejudice are crumbling down and God’s tabernacle of Grace continues to be built by the simple preaching and common sense truth of the true Gospel of Grace and Peace.
Grace N Peace To All
Eddie Narvaez
Just like Eddie, to call it like it is with no beating around the bush. Yes I find myself in agreement with Eddie. As we were speaking about things the other day Roy, its one or the other , its either All grace or its grace plus whatever else might be required. Although to believe this is very unpopular with most, because we still believe we have a part to play in order to qualify.
Its a strange thing that God had to exclude us all in order to include us all, but that is grace to the greatest measure. We will always stumble at seeing this simply because it seems to good to be true, but again this is grace in its purest form.
It cannot be both ways. If you add anything to it then it ceases to be grace. I think there is a verse that calls that “falling from grace”.
Paul reminded every man who wished to be circumcised, after they had come to the liberty wherewith Christ had set them free, that they would fall from grace if they entangled themselves once again with the yoke of bondage (the law of Moses). That Christ would profit them nothing and that they would be debtors to the entire law. Galatians 5:1-4.
Had it not been for the cross, all of humanity would have fallen from grace. No one will ever fall from grace after the finished work of the cross. There is absolutely nothing that can cause anyone to fall from grace, since no one is under the law, even though Israel still trust in the law. The entire human race are all One in Christ. Galatians 3:28.
but what about those who do not believe? them who worship other gods? those who are still sinning? those who have killed? the satanists? if everyone is saved then why preach the word? why go to church? is hard to believe that God would save those who never served Him? who lived in sin all of their lives? who molested children? who engaged in sexual sins, men with men and women with women? the bible condemns adultery. abusing the temple of the Holy Spirit with drugs. lying. cheating, cursing. beastiality. blasphemy. and many more sinful acts.
Floyd
What about those of us that have impure thoughts at times when Jesus made it clear that if you are angry with your brother you have committed murder? What about the impure sexual thought that may cross your mind at times? Jesus said it is the same as committing adultery. Jesus made it clear that none of us can make it apart from Him and to point fingers at those that are doing things we may not be doing, is to say we are righteous because of what we don’t do and they are not righteous because of what they do.
Let me just say that it is clear there are none righteous, no not one. So then where does that leave us? It would leave us in a terrible dilema if Jesus had not exercised His faith and redeemed the entire human race. The Bible is clear that He died for the sins of the entire world….behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. This is only one place of dozens and dozens that makes it clear the entire human race has been redeemed at the cross, apart from our belief even because He concluded all in unbelief.
Why preach this Gospel? Because people need to know they are free and come out from the bondage the church has placed them under by their rules and regulations.
Jesus said it was finished just before He died and it was. The entire law was done away with and the sins of the world had been taken care of.
Floyd,
For the most part, practically all human beings know right from wrong. That’s a given. There are government laws established in every country, be it communist or otherwise, that holds their people accountable for breaking the laws. But these are laws of the land. Everyone country have their laws, and as citizens of whatever nation, when those laws are broken people are held accountable and will end paying for whatever the infraction may be.
Like most believers, (religious people) we always tend to compare the law of the the first 5 books of the bible (old testament laws) to that of man’s laws on earth. The difference, however, is that the law that the Jews asked of God through Moses, were ‘perfect’ laws. There were no ‘if’s’ nor ‘but’s’ about it. If a person were found guilty of breaking just ‘ONE’ of the laws of the old testament, that person became guilty of breaking ‘ALL” of the laws. James 2:10.
Under the laws of any country or nation, one can commit a certain crime, and that person will only be held accountable for that particular crime. If a man or a woman is found guilty of murder for example, that person will not be held accountable to the laws that apply to prostitution, illegal gambling, etc. Under the old testament law however, if you broke just ‘One”, you were found guilty of breaking them ‘ALL.”
And we aren’t talking about just 10 commandments. For there are over one thousand laws connected to each of the ten commandments.
And we also know of no prophet, no Jew, no rabbi, no man or woman that has ever been able to keep all of the law… not even all 10 of the commandments. I think that you are basing your relationship with God on moral terms. If you do what is right then you must be right with God. But here’s the problem…
The young rich ruler told Jesus that since a youngster he had kept all that Jesus had quoted to him out of the law. But to the young man’s dismay, Jesus then said to the young ruler that he yet “lacked ONE thing”, just ‘ONE!” Jesus said: “Floyd, go sell all that you own, and give it to the poor and follow me, then you shall have riches in glory.” My point is… no matter who you are on this earth, you will never satisfy the claims of justice when it comes to keeping the etire law given by Moses.
If your relationship with God is based on moralitym rest assured that morality has never saved anyone. Just look at the young rich ruler. Now, is it wrong to kill, steal, cheat, commit adultery and what have you? Well, by the standards of the laws of the land (earth) , yes! For the laws of the land were supported by God according to Romans chapter 13. But we all know, that all humans, at one time or another have even broken the laws of the land also.
Floyd, in Romans chapter 4 the apostle Paul said that “where there is no law, there is no transgression of sin.” Paul also teaches that sin is the breaking of the law, and had he not known what the law said, Paul would not have known what sin was. For until the law came, man was free from the law. Romans 7. Floyd, aren’t you glad that Jesus has fulfilled and abolished all of the law, the prophets and the Psalms? Luke 24:44. He nailed them all to His own body upon the cross.
For just as in Adam all sinned and died, now in Christ “ALL” have been forgiven and live in Him.” 1 Cor. 15:21-22. 2 Cor. 5:21. If Jesus only died for the sins of those who have confesed Him as Lord with their mouth and believed in their heart that God did raise Him from the dead, then Jesus death was in vain. God’s forgiveness falls under the requirements, mandates and keeping of the entire law of Moses, and His love is conditional instead of unconditional.
Romans 5 and 6 teaches us that we are ALL dead to the law, since we are NOW under grace and not law, and Romans 8 teaches us “For what the law could not DO, because of its weakness, God sent His Son in the likeness of sin and condemned sin in His own body. Floyd, you are FREE from the law of sin and death, and so is everyone else. Again, the laws of the land do not compare to the perfect law given by Moses at Israel’s request.
We are now all cleansed through the shed blood of Christ. Remember, Christ did not die for the moral man. He died for the immoral. Romans chapter 5… “But God commendeth His love towards us, in that WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS (not moral), Christ died for us.” In closing I ask you: “For how many sins and sinners did Jesus died for?” If He only died for those who have believed, then His death was in vain. Galatians 2:19-21. Paul said: “I do not frustrate the GRACE of God; for (because) righteousness (His) did not come by the keeping of the law. For if it did, then Christ did die in vain.
Floyd, I am all for man doing what is right when it comes to living according to what the laws of the land say. But when it comes to the ‘perfect” laws of God, the entire human race, ought to be glad that “as far as the east is from the west, God doesn’t remember our sins anymore. Need I say more? Grace is something that God had to do for us all, since He know we could not do it for ourselves. GRACE… “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” No more consciousness of sin!
dead2sin23@yahoo.com
correction:
I meant to write:
“If God’s forgiveness were to fall under the requirements, mandates and keeping of the entire law of Moses, then His love would be conditional and not unconditional.” Sorry… oops!
dead2sin23@yahoo.com
correction:
I meant to write:
“If God’s forgiveness were to fall under the requirements, mandates and keeping of the entire law of Moses, then His love would be conditional and not unconditional.” Sorry… oops!
dead2sin23@yahoo.com
In addition to Floyd’s questions and comments: The Levitical law - which many bible preachers avoid like the plague - talks about how this law accepted no one and nothing less than perfect.
Clothing materials could not be mixed. A person could not be left handed. They could not have any disformities, nor any type of blemishes on their body. No rotten teeth or missing teeths.
They could not have any type of discharge. Women were seen as being unclean during their monthly. No one was allowed to have any marks (tattoos) on their body. The tithe were to be given back to the people by the priest (preacher) after 7 years.
They were a huge amount of animal sacrifices (unblemished) and offerings besides the tithe that needed to be presented yearly before the high priest. Sins were confessed ONCE a year. Not every single second as religion teaches.
Floyd, I could go on and on. But if you get a chance, read the book of Leviticus. Yet a another reason why our hearts and mind should completely rest upon the finished work of the cross. Matthew 11:28-30 tells us that Jesus called us to rest, not to dead works of the law.
dead2sin23@yahoo.com
Thanks for offering this excellent explanation and response to Floyd. Very well said.
Know that feeling all too well!
Your articles often bring much joy to me that I really hope I can know you.