1 Peter 2:19
“For this is grace (charis), when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.“
There are a lot of voices telling people what Grace is. Some says it is some “covering for sin”. Some say it is where God excuses our humanity and sin issues, because of Jesus. Others say this or that. But all of those things are heretical lies. Scripture is the authority on the matter. It is God’s word, not someone’s perverse twist of it. Charis, the Greek word we know as Grace, is the empowerment of the Spirt of Christ to endure the things of this life, whether sorrows from suffering injustice, for being faithful and uncompromising to Jesus in this world, or any other form of trial. Notice your obedience (works) is the litmus test for having Grace?!?
It is blood that covers sin. And Peter also summarizes how the blood of Jesus is even applied to sin. Does it say, “Plead the blood, Brother!!” No, that is church foolishness. You can rank that statement right up there with a thousand other idiotic things you will hear in church, such as, “I bind you Satan!”, or “I’ve got the devil under my feet!” (I can’t roll my eyes hard enough when I hear that nonsense. Do church people even read the Bible?)🤦🏼♂️ No, Peter says that Christ’s blood is applied to sin AS WE OBEY HIM!!
1 Peter 1:2
“God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you HAVE OBEYED HIM and have been CLEANSED BY THE BLOOD of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.”
It says that the Spirit has made the obedient, holy. In other words, the obedient are set-apart for God’s grace to be available. What was Grace? Empowerment to endure suffering like Jesus. But what about the heretics who have deceived the masses, (claiming Christ), by excusing works as pertinent to salvation? Well…who does the scripture say even has the Holy Spirit?
Acts 5:32
“We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those WHO OBEY HIM.”
What is obedience? Obedience to what???? The Law of the New Covenant. “But THEY told me we aren’t under law, but under GRACE (quoting Romans out of context)????” “Well, what does God’s word say???” Does it teach you that Jesus made you autonomous, and that you get to claim His name, yet live any way you want? Show me that in His words?
The red letter, IS THE LAW OF CHRIST, aka the LAW OF GRACE, aka the LAW OF THE SPIRIT. Yes you are under law in this covenant. Yes you are judicially decided for salvation based on your works in keeping that law of Christ. If you don’t know this, you have been deceived by the MANY false prophets that Jesus and the Apostles warned of.
Galatians 6:2
“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the LAW OF CHRIST.”
Romans 8:2
“For the LAW OF THE SPIRIT of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (the flesh passions)”
Romans 2:6-8
“He will render to each one ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality (Salvation), he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.“
Folks, every passage in the New Testament that says “not according to works” is referring to the Law of Moses, in keeping the works of the Mosaic Law. In all those contexts, the Apostles are contending with the Judaizers who were perverting Christ’s gospel by trying to push Judaism onto Gentile believers. But to say “works are not needed for salvation” is heresy. Christians are not under Mosaic Law, but rather obey the Law of Christ. That was the gospel message of the Apostles. Why else would Christ say, “Depart from Me you workers of lawlessness, I never knew you.”