Christian Living
"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, which long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 1:3, 4 NKJV)
For me, one of the most deceitful doctrines of the gay "Christian" gospel is the twisted doctrine of grace.
It goes something like this, "Don't worry, you have given your heart to Jesus, and you are putting your trust in His sacrifice, so therefore no matter how the devil condemns you, you are eternally saved. You can never lose your salvation, because His grace is undeserved and there's nothing you can do to earn your salvation. So begin to accept your same-sex attraction, because you can't change how God created you. Just receive His free gift of salvation, and rest in His eternal sacrifice."
It wasn't until after the Spirit of Truth and repentance came upon me, that I began to see the error of twisted grace.
While I agree that His grace is an undeserved gift and that we can't earn our salvation, I don't believe that the salvation message ends there. We freely come into His kingdom through His sacrifice, but we must remain within the Kings-dome if we are to endure unto the end.
When one of His disciples asked Jesus if there are few who are saved, He answered him by saying, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able." (Luke13:24 NKJV)
The word strive in the original language means to agonize. And the word narrow in its original language means to be compressed with obstacles. So Jesus is saying that His followers must agonize to enter into His Kingdom, and the entry way will be compressed and full of obstacles.
In Matthews account, He says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13, 14 NKJV)
I don't think it's any coincidence that in the following verse (verse 15), He warns them to beware of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Why are they ravenous? Because they teach a different gospel contrary to His clear commandment that to be a believer you must strive to enter in by the narrow gate and continue to walk the difficult path which is the way that leads to life. He is revealing that there are few who enter and continue to walk a life of self-denial. So in context there is, first, the entering, and secondly, the walk that leads to eternal life.
Many want the free gift of salvation without submitting their sinful nature to the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus is saying it can't be that way. He warns us not to walk the broad road of our flesh. We must submit our fleshly desires, daily to Jesus, and let Him nail our inherent sin nature to the working power of His cross if we are to receive the fullness of eternal salvation while walking here on earth. There are many obstacles that can hinder and trip us up, if we aren't careful.
When Paul speaks to the believer's in Jude, He urges them to contend earnestly for the faith. He's not just saying contend for the faith, but to contend earnestly for the faith. It's interesting to see that the word contend in its original language is the very same word that means to agonize. He is saying, agonize earnestly for the faith. Paul (just like Jesus) is warning the believer's that there are certain men that creep in unnoticed and turn the grace of God into lewdness.
The word lewdness in the original language means wantonness, and also means one who has no restraints. So Paul is saying that there are men among the believers who are teaching that the undeserved gift of grace opens an arena of no restraints upon their moral lives. They twist the meaning of God's grace so they can fulfill their wants and desires without having to go to the cross, and thereby deny the true meaning of the cross.
How is it any different among the gay "Christian" community today? And I dare take it one step further, and ask, how it any different among much of mainline Christianity?
We live in a day of great darkness, not only in the world, but within the mainline church. It's time Christ's followers begin to pick up their cross and earnestly seek His Truth. We live in an hour of overwhelming deception, and now more than ever is the time to contend earnestly for the faith delivering captive souls out of darkness into the Kings-dome of Light.
Forever His,
Cheryl
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