Most of the radical grace preachers would say, "We do not mind walking in love. But walking in love is to walk no more in God's laws and commandments.. When we are under grace, we have no more law. Jesus has fulfilled all the laws and commandments so that there is none for us to do .. "
However, I will ask them to read their Bible again. I will ask, Do you know that walking in love or walking with the grace of God is to walk in God's commandments too?
- 2Jn 1:6-10 KJV And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. (7) For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. (8) Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. (9) Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (10) If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
- Mat 5:17-19 KJV Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. (18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (19) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
- Mat 7:12 KJV Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
- Mat 22:36-40 KJV Master, which is the great commandment in the law? (37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
- 1Jn 2:3-7 KJV And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (5) But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. (6) He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (7) Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
- 1Jn 2:28-29 KJV And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (29) If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
- 1Jn 3:7 KJV Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
- Luk 1:5-6 KJV There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. (6) And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Jesus fulfilled the law so that God's laws and commandments can be kept in our hearts
Many radical grace preachers argued vehemently that the law has been totally fulfilled by the finished work of Jesus or that Jesus has fulfilled all the laws of God for us, and therefore, there is no more law left for us to keep. I will tell them, Please read your Bible again. Jesus did not say that He fulfilled the law so that we have no more law to keep. On the contrary, He said that He fulfilled the law so that we can keep the law of God better from the heart instead of from the stone. He established the law of God in the heart of a true believer so that he will do and keep His commandments:
- Rom 3:31 KJV Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
- Rom 8:4-6 KJV That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
- Heb 8:10 KJV For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
- Heb 10:9-17 KJV Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second ... (16) This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; (17) And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
- Joh 15:10 KJV If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
- Rev 12:17 KJV And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
- Rev 14:12 KJV Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
We do not just keep the law of God to test or judge ourselves and others; we keep the law to do it
Many will still argue, "But Jesus has proved that we can never keep any law. If we cannot keep one single law, we have failed keeping the whole law. Therefore it is useless or futile for us to keep all the laws of God. How can we interpret that he fulfilled the laws so that we can keep all the laws. No, we keep no more law and there is no more obligation for us to keep any law.."
- Mar 10:17-22 KJV And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? (18) And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. (19) Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. (20) And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. (21) Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. (22) And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
I can say that this is a lie. It is a perversion of God's law. It is worst than making the commandments of God of none effect. Why? Jesus did not say that the purpose of the law was to test the man in the Bible passage above. In fact, Jesus sincerely gave him the invitation to join him as one of His disciples because Jesus said to him, beholding him, and loved him. If the law of God is just to test us, why would the Lord tell us to
- walk after His commandments (2Jn 1:6-10),
- keep His laws (Heb 8:10),
- meditate on His laws (Psalm 1:1-3),
- and do and teach His laws (Mat 5:19):
"No one can keep the law of God" does not mean that no one need to keep any law of God
I will tell them, You said that "no one should keep the law of God because no one can keep even a single law from God". Obviously this is just your excuse and an excuse for all others who do not want to keep any law. You may argue that you are not lawless, but it has shown to us that you have no intention to keep any law. When you have no intention to keep any law, you won't keep any law whenever the situation allows you to do so or when nobody sees it. Please think, If you were a smoker and you saw the 'No Smoking' sign in a restaurant, can you tell the restaurant owner that, since no smoker can keep the 'No Smoking' law, you do not have to keep the law too ? No, it is just your excuse when you were a smoker. But you will certainly smoke in the restaurant when nobody sees it. Similarly, if you were a sinner, you may still argue that since no sinner can keep even a single law from God, you do not have to keep any law. It is still your excuse too. Imagine, Can Adam tell God, "Since I cannot keep even a single command from God, it should be ok for me to keep no more command from God" ? No. Adam had no right to say this, neither can we say it too. Don't listen to the devil !
It is a wicked lie to say that the Israelites died because they boasted or asked for God's laws
Many will still argue, "But didn't we read Exodus 32 how the Israelites boasted "All the the Lord command we will obey" and God gave them up because of the pride. God gave them the law instead of grace. The Israelites wanted the laws; and so, they got the laws. It was not the will of God for them to have the laws.. If we want the laws, we are like the Israelites who died in the wilderness, in the curse of the law or the Ten Commandments. We will not only die in our sins, we will die in the curse of the laws.."
- Exo 24:3-7 KJV And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. (4) And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. (5) And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. (6) And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. (7) And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
- Exo 19:5-8 KJV Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (7) And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. (8) And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
It is a wicked lie to show that the Israelites died because of the giving of God's commandments
Please think, If it was not the will of God to give the Israelites His law or command, would God still give it to them ? No. Please think, If a father knows that the sports car is bad for his kids who do not have a driving license yet, do you think that he will give the sports car to his kids out of frustration, even if his kids boasted or asked for it due to ignorance. Do you think that the father will give his gun to them because they asked for it too? No. Similarly, it is ridiculous to think that God would give His commandments (out of frustration) to the people just because they asked for it. If He did that, He would be worst than the earthly fathers. No, God would never give anything out of frustration which will cause His people or children to die. However, we know that the Israelites died in the wilderness, not because of the giving of God's commandments; but because of their departure from God's commandments and worship of the golden calf.
Hence, we should never listen to the lawless prophets who use the wrong illustration to describe God like a heartless and frustrated father who would just give the sports car, the gun, the knife, or anything to his kids because of their ignorance, boasting, or asking for it. No, instead we should describe God as a loving and responsible Father who would always give clear and good instructions to His children. Like the instructions of a father given to the kids who are too ignorant to know what they can do or cannot do, God's commandments to the Israelites must be thought and taught with good intention. The giving of God's commandments would not kill them; it would save them instead (please read Exo 19:5-6 again).
Please think, if the son did not listen to his father and he got into a very serious problem, can he blame it on his father's instructions or words? No. Similarly, if the Israelites were judged severely in the wilderness, can we blame God for giving them His instructions or commandments? Can we blame the Israelites for their obedience to His words and commandments when they said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do"? No. When the Israelites rebelled, departed from God's commandments, and died, they could only blame themselves, blame their rebellion, blame their departure from God's commandments, their lawlessness, and their sins.
Hence, the interpretation that God gave His commandments to the Israelites only to leave them dying in the wilderness is not only erroneous; it is a wicked lie to show that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who gave His commandments to the Israelites was a condemning and frustrated Father who would just give in to any ignorant demand of His children, allowing them to die in the wilderness.
It is a wicked lie to show that God gave His commandments out of frustration
Why do I say that it is a wicked lie?
**Please imagine that you had a ten years old son. He asked if you could allow him to drive your luxurious sports car one day. However, knowing that he was too young to do it, would you give in to his boasting and asking for it (he had boasted that he knew how to drive your car perfectly well) ? No. However, he kept insisting, boasting, and crying. You became so frustrated that you would just want to silent him. You had no choice but to bring him to your garage and show him your car. Now, the question is, Will you say to him, "Son, nah, this is the car you want, even though it is not my will to give it to you. But, since you boasted and asked for it, I will give it to you (out of frustration) but you must learn your lesson first. Now, lie on the floor with a hand stretched out. I will reverse my car over your hand and show you how much you must suffer before you will finally know my will and good concern for your welfare. Yes, I can give you the car, but I must first teach you a great lesson .." No !!! This is certainly a wicked lesson from a wicked father.
But will God the Father always leave us alone without any discipline, any word of instruction, or commandment? No:
I know that my interpretation with the illustration of the sports car above may not be perfect. However, it shows how ridiculous it is when false prophets today would describe the giving of God's commandments to His children as a lesson out of frustration, so that the people will not trust in any of His laws or commandments; but that they will only trust in His grace. It is ridiculous to think that God would give His commandments to the Israelites (out of frustration) to teach them a lesson, to let them die in the wilderness, and to show them that it is not His will to give them any laws or commandments. Of course, this is a wicked lie. No, God did not give the Israelites His commandments to teach them a lesson; He gave them His commandments to save them from this corrupted world. It was His will and desire to give His laws to the Israelites and Jews. But many Israelites and false prophets still rebelled and rejected Him. Hence, they died not because of His commandments; but because of their departure from His commandments. They did not do the will of the Father:Yes, God will give His word of instructions or commandments to chastise and discipline us, but He would never give it out of frustration. He would never give it as a curse to kill His sons, children, and people. His laws and commandments are still part of His grace in both the Old and New covenant to see us live as His people. The commandments of God were the special words of instruction which God would treasure, prepare, and reserve for His people only. Hence, His commandments were not given out of frustration; but given out from a great covenant plan from the start of His creation:
- Heb 12:5-10 KJV And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: (6) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? (8) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (9) Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (10) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. (Did God say that He would never give us any of His discipline, words of instructions, doctrines, principles, or commandments? No, instead God said clearly, Sons, Christians, believers, if you do not have my chastisement or discipline, you are not my sons. You are not Christians!)
- Heb 8:10 KJV For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
- Exo 19:5-8 KJV Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (7) And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. (8) And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. (Did God give His laws and commandments out of frustration? No. Did God do it after the people boasted and asked for it? No, God had already planned for it long before they could boast or ask for it. God would give them His laws and commandments regardless of whether they would boast or not boast for it.)
- Exo 25:22 KJV And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
- Exo 19:5-8 KJV Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
- Exo 25:21-22 KJV And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. (22) And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
- Mat 7:15-23 KJV Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. .. (21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
- Luk 6:46-48 KJV And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (47) Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: (48) He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood (false doctrine) arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. (Hence, Jesus said clearly that He would not just want us to have right believing, right faith, right miracles, right preaching, or right confession only; he wants us to have right doing with His words too, because right doing would prove that we are His true disciples on the rock of salvation.)
- Heb 10:15-30 KJV Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, (16) This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; (17) And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (18) Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. (Of course, God will remember our sins no more after He put His laws into our hearts. Question, Will God still remember our sins no more if we reject all His laws in our hearts?) .... (26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, (27) But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (28) He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: (29) Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (30) For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
It is a wicked lie to imply that the law of God is the cause of all evil to mankind
I have heard about this from the same radical grace preachers. They said, "The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a type of the law too. Hence, when Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they ate from the tree of the law. Just like the law, the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would give them the discerning power to know what is right and wrong. Hence, the knowledge of the law is the culprit which caused Adam and Eve to fall .."
I will ask them, If the tree of the knowledge is the main culprit which caused men to fall, then God is evil too because God was the one who put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden of Eden? And God who is the lawgiver is evil too because he gave His laws to men? God has probably become even more evil in the eyes of many radical grace preachers because He was also the giver of the Ten Commandments. I will ask them, So, do you think that the Ten Commandments are like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and they are the main culprit which will cause us to fall also? I think this typology of the law from the radical grace preachers is getting more and more ridiculous and wicked.
I will tell them, I have no problem with your interpretation of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as the tree of the law or grace. However, I would never say that the tree the culprit which caused men to fall. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree, it did not mean that the tree had caused them to fall.
Similarly, we would not interpret that the Ten Commandments is the culprit which caused the Israelites to fall. When the Israelites worshipped the golden calf, it did not mean that the Ten Commandments had caused them to worship the idol too.
What's the greatest sin in the Bible?
Of course, in the eyes of God all men are sinners and no one is a greater sinner than another. The greatest sin is unbelief and rejection of Christ. However, if we look at the whole thing in men's eyes or in God's given logical thinking, we can still find out what is the greatest sin? Is it the sin of lawlessness or lawless crime, like stealing, killing, cheating, bearing false witness, or committing adultery? I don't think so. The greatest sin is the sin of teaching or bringing lawlessness to mankind. It multiplies lawlessness, hence, it could be the worst form of rebellion against God. That's why Jesus condemned the Pharisees and false prophets even though they were reputable people who seemed to live like 'gentlemen' under the old covenant. Inwardly they were lawless and they spread lawlessness:
- Mat 7:15-24 LITV But beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are plundering wolves. ..(20) Then surely from their fruits you shall know them. (21) Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but the ones who do the will of My Father in Heaven. (22) Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many works of power? (23) And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; "depart from Me, those working lawlessness!" (24) Then everyone who hears these Words from Me, and does them, I will compare him to a wise man who built his house on the rock;
- Mar 7:11-13 LITV But you say, If a man says to his father or mother, Corban, (which is, A gift!) whatever you may profit by me. (12) And you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or mother, (13) making the Word of God of no effect by your tradition which you delivered. And many such like things you do.
- Mat 15:6-9 LITV and in no way he honors his father or his mother. And you annulled the command of God on account of your tradition. (7) Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, saying: (8) "This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and with their lips honor Me; but their heart holds far off from Me. (9) But in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men."
- Mat 18:6-7 LITV But whoever causes one of these little ones believing in Me to offend, it is better for him that a millstone turned by an ass be hung on his neck, and he be sunk in the depth of the sea. (7) Woe to the world from its offenses! It is a necessity for the offenses to come, yet woe to that man through whom the offense comes! (Jesus did not say woe to those who causes the sinner to offend or to sin; He said woe those who causes the believers to sin. It means that He knew that there were believers who will fall and believers can fall.)
- Gen 2:16-17 KJV And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die ... Gen 3:4 KJV And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
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