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Their Day in Court: Part Three
February 22, 2019 // 130 Comments -
Their Day in Court: Part Two
February 22, 2019 // 0 Comments -
Their Day in Court: Part One
February 22, 2019 // 0 Comments -
Statement from Recovering Grace regarding the lawsuit a ...
March 28, 2018 // 186 Comments -
Rethinking the Nativity
December 25, 2016 // 144 Comments
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Plaintiffs Amend Lawsuit Against IBLP, Also Sue Bill Go ...
January 10, 2016 // 1311 Comments -
Charlotte's Story
February 5, 2014 // 601 Comments -
Bill’s Cabin: Uncovering Sin
May 21, 2014 // 475 Comments -
How the Teachings of Emotional Purity and Courtship Dam ...
July 22, 2011 // 431 Comments -
Sacred Grooming, Part Six: A Secretary's Account of Lif ...
January 31, 2014 // 405 Comments
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I understand many people fall into this kind of co ...
By Anthony E., October 29, 2020 -
Yes, I agree with you 100%. There are a lot of ove ...
By rob war, September 24, 2020 -
Rob, this also sounds like a variation on the "pro ...
By Jean, September 20, 2020 -
what Bill taught can be summed up with the term "m ...
By rob war, August 27, 2020 -
By Larne Gabriel, August 21, 2020
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Indeed. Any attempt to attain righteous by adherin ...
By kevin, August 21, 2020 -
Psalm 34:15-22 (ESV) reading for today (The face o ...
By Larne Gabriel, August 16, 2020 -
Psalm 34:15-22 (ESV) reading for today (The face o ...
By Larne Gabriel, August 16, 2020 -
If every accusation against Gothard were false, an ...
By David, August 14, 2020 -
@Rob War "IBLP's downward spiral began before B ...
By kevin, August 13, 2020 -
Yes, perfect judgement. Bill is no longer the "thi ...
By rob war, August 12, 2020 -
I'm sure Bill and those supporting him are upset w ...
By rob war, August 12, 2020 -
Kevin, Thank you. I had a longer reply, but it ...
By Larne Gabriel, August 12, 2020 -
You have done an excellent job Larne! You state ...
By kevin, August 11, 2020 -
Kevin, Your comment about "Witnesses" is intere ...
By Larne Gabriel, August 11, 2020 -
Hi Rob. Yes, it is a downward spiral. I read some ...
By kevin, August 11, 2020 -
Hi Larne, Good to hear from you. Yes, they have h ...
By kevin, August 11, 2020 -
Rob and Kevin, They have had more than enough t ...
By Larne Gabriel, August 11, 2020
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Grace Overflowing
Our sin, even that which continues in the Christian life, reveals the grace of God. Paul says, in Romans 5, that the grace of God overflows in greater measure than any sin. What that means, put simply, is that you can never “out-sin” God’s grace.
Some people don’t like that. Or maybe I should say that makes some people very uncomfortable. To them it gives license for anyone to do anything and be forgiven. And, of course, they are right. God forgives all our sin, no matter what it is and no matter when we do it. But the freedom to sin is already ours. We were free to sin before Christ and we are free to sin after Christ. Do you doubt that? Does lightning strike the sinner? Does God actually do anything to stop or supernaturally punish the offender, either the believer or the unbeliever? No, He allows sin as He allows us to make free choices.
Yes, there are consequences for sin. Lots of consequences. More than we realize. But that isn’t what I am talking about here. The simple truth is that the believer is free to sin. The wonderful message of grace is that there is freedom not to sin and love for those who do sin—because of Jesus.
And when you sin, God’s grace is greater. You see, this message isn’t for those who want to go out to see if they can find the limits of God’s love and forgiveness. People who use grace as license to sin don’t really know grace and probably don’t even know Jesus. This message is for those who so desperately want to know that they can be forgiven—even when they continue to do stupid or wicked things.
The Greek words in Romans 5:20 suggest that grace is already overflowing in the life of the believer to an extent much greater than any sin. So Paul says that where sin increases, grace already overflows sufficiently. Those who look to Jesus find grace abundant, enough to cover anything.
There is a great verse in 1 John 2:1 that reminds us not to sin:
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1 (NKJV)
Don’t sin. It’s bad for you and those around you, and you don’t have to do it. But, if you do, Jesus is enough. The grace of God in the person of Jesus is more than enough.
Dr. David Orrison has been a pastor for over 30 years and is now the Executive Director of "Grace for the Heart," a ministry dedicated to proclaiming the sufficiency of Jesus Christ for all aspects of the Christian life. Dave has served in the Evangelical Free Church and in the United Presbyterian Church, and he holds a Ph.D. in Theology from Trinity Seminary. Dave has unique insights into the struggles of what he calls “performance spirituality,” as he has worked extensively with people who are unsure of their relationship with Jesus because of the burden of legalism and the hopelessness of a “works-based Christian walk.” David has lived in Loveland, CO for 25 years and is happily married to Alice. They have eight sons. David blogs on a regular basis at http://graceformyheart.wordpress.com.
Photo copyright: Carmen De Bruijn / 123RF Stock Photo
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