Are we humbler than others because we are grace preachers or law preachers?

Are we humbler than others because we preach grace or laws?

I don't think that any people can say yes to this. The moment we say that we are humbler than others because we preach grace or laws, we are not humble anymore. Of course, we can teach about humility or tell people to be humble, but we don't brag and boast that we are humbler because of this.. and that..
Yet, many have been hoodwinked to believe it.  Yes, we know that the Pharisees preached the laws and they were hypocrites. But can we argue that all the laws including God's laws are the culprit? No. When we see the devil is in a suit, we don't say that the suit and everyone in the suit is the problem. Similarly, if the Pharisees were legalistic with the laws, we don’t blame God, God’s laws, or everyone who teaches His laws too. In the past, I have always loved to hear the preaching of grace by the old preachers. They would never blame the laws by saying, "the laws demand but grace supplies, God's laws kill, all the laws bring curses, laws will bring law-consciousness and make you think like the hypocrites.. ". But today, we have heard so much complaints from some preachers against God's laws that our brains have got sick without us knowing it. Please think, If we were the school principals, teachers, lawyers, police, legislators, or law professors, and we have been hearing that "law-consciousness would make us think like the hypocrites", do we have the clarity of mind to question, How in the world can law-consciousness make us think or behave like the hypocrites? If we were the lawyers, naturally we would have to think of the laws everyday. Can this make us law-conscious? Definitely, yes. Will this make us become the hypocrites? No. Hence, it is absurd to allow some preachers to preach nonsense to us, and we would just receive it hook, line, and sinker.   

Grace can make a person become more arrogant too
Radical grace preachers could have preached grace (and about themselves) so much that anyone among themselves who confesses grace, says grace, preaches grace, dreams about grace, uses grace, and argues with grace, is automatically considered as more gracious than others who don't confess like them.
So, if we refuse to speak or think like them in their radically positive manner, language, or wavelength, we automatically become law-based, cynical, or legalistic like the Pharisees or scribes in their eyes. Some preachers may even suggest to their followers that most traditional churches have been under the law and become legalistic in their teaching and belief of God's commandments and repentance. They said that the churches have believed in the law like the Pharisees. Some may go to the extend to tell their believers that most churches who still 'do good get good' are hypocrites because they believe in self-efforts. I don't think that speaking or preaching like this is humble. If we must promote grace or preaching of grace in such a manner which will falsely accuse our older brethren or the old preachers who still do and teach God's laws in their churches, we are not humble preacher even if we argue vehemently that we are grace preachers. We may receive more grace, but we behave like the servant who thought that the favor or grace of his Lord would be greater than his folly:

• Mat 18:27-34 KJV  (27) Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. (28)  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest ... (32) Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:  (33)  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?  (34)  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
• Luk 12:45-49 KJV  But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;  (46)  The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  (47)  And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  (48)  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.  (49)  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? (I don't think we can say that this Bible passage is for the non-believers and lie to the people that we, the believers and preachers, can never be punished even if we sin. Grace is not necessarily greater than our sins if we behave like this arrogant servant.)

a. justification by faith or by grace is only the beginning of a believer's forgiven life so that he can do more with the words and commandments of God in his life. The grace for cancellation of debts or forgiveness of debts is not given so that we can have more future debts or more future lawlessness. It is certainly not an excuse or license to have more future sins with no more repentance (or to sin wilfully). 

• Luk 13:2-10 KJV  And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?  (3)  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  (4)  Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?  (5)  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  (6)  He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.  (7)  Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?  (8)  And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:  (9)  And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.  (10)  And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

b. Grace is not forever - it is given for the purpose of repentance, turning back to God's commandments, keeping God's laws, and doing His words. Grace is not given for the purpose of enjoying or living in lawlessness forever. Grace is not there forever if we are forever lawless in our hearts or minds. However, if we repent, keep the commandments of God, and live with the laws of God in our hearts and minds, God will remember all our lawlessness no more and He will be our God forever:

• Heb 10:16-17 LITV  "This is the covenant which I will covenant to them after those days, says the Lord: Giving My Laws on their hearts, and I will write them on their minds;"  (17)  also He adds, "I will not at all still remember their sins" and their lawlessnesses. .. 
• Heb 8:10 LITV  Because this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, giving My Laws into their mind, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
• Luk 19:8-10 LITV  But standing, Zaccheus said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor. And if in anything I accused anyone falsely, I restore it fourfold.  (9)  And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, for he also is a son of Abraham.  (10)  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the one being lost.

Hence, the cancellation of debt or forgiveness of debt is not given so that a believer can have more future debt or lawlessness forever. It is certainly not an excuse or license to have more future sin or lawlessness without any repentance. However, many preachers have deceived the believers into thinking that they can literally expect forgiveness of all their future sins, and even supernatural cancellation of all their future financial debts, if they will just radically believe or do and teach their 'holy communion's blood cleansing' ritual, 'pure grace' confession, 'supernatural' favour, 'mind changing' philosophy, or 'false repentance' to disregard and to 'repent' from all the laws and commandments of God. I did write about some preachers who have managed to quote the Bible out of context and capitalise on this 'supernatural' deception or 'cancellation of debts' to transfer effortless wealth to themselves. (see "Supernatural cancellation of debts - Is it really a supernatural transfer of wealth, a religious gimmick, or just a vain religious boasting?" in my previous post here.)

Preachers who boast that they are humble can become arrogant without knowing it
Many preachers who boast that they are humbler than others may not realize that they have become arrogant. That's why we need to learn how to receive all kinds of criticism or rebuke from others, including criticism from those whom we do not like. If we shut people off from us without listening to them, we can become 'amazingly' isolated and stubborn.

I had a little 'debate' with a radical grace believer one night. She had just gone for a 'surgery' to remove her 'pregnancy' because of a 'pregnancy' problem. However, she was still greatly optimistic about it because she believed that God would still answer her prayer to give her another pregnancy. It was a long story how we finally came to a debate on God's authority and control. We agreed that God has the authority over all things. However, we could not come to the agreement that all things are under God's control. She insisted that God is almighty and hence, God has all the authority and control over everything now. However, I said that I can only agree that God has all the authority, but He does not has full control of everything yet, before the new earth and new heaven arrives.
She disagreed and asked, "How can God who has all the authority now has no full control of everything? He is God and we must have good opinion or positive thinking about God all the time. Otherwise, how can God reign in our lives?" 
I told her, "Yes, it could be possible. It is like the government who has the full authority of the country and they have full control of all their lands to carry out every activities they desire. However, once they have leased out part of their land to a foreign company, they will lose part of the control over their land because they will not be able to do everything they desire on the land that has been leased out to the foreign company. They will have to wait until the expiry of the lease before they can add any new building or facility on the land". 
 However, she could hardly see my point, probably because she was very eager to have only the 'good opinion' about God for another pregnancy. Knowing that I could offend her if I continue to discuss about it, I stopped explaining further. But inside me, I was thinking if God would give us the things that we desire only if we have 'good opinion' about Him at the expense of knowing the truth, He is not the truth.

Hence, I can understand why preachers can become so religious about what they think that they become boastful and arrogant without knowing it. May God help us. Yes, we can be highly favored, deeply loved, and greatly blessed, but we must also pray that we are not greatly stubborn when it comes to knowing Him and the truth about Him.

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