Grace is not forever; it could be taken away

All sinners, even if they are the worst sinners of the world, can be forgiven because of God's grace

I have mentioned in my previous posts that Jesus told us that grace could expire when it was given to all the sinners to repent (Luk 13:2-9). However, do you agree that it can be taken away from the believers, especially those who are so radical in their confidence of God's grace that they become ignorant, boastful, rude, proud, or ungracious too?  ...
Yes, the gospel is grace to all the sinners because it is not dependent on their righteousness or on whether they have sinned or not. All sinners are 'qualified' for the forgiveness of God because they are given second chance, third chance, or more .. while they are still yet sinners.However, if a sinner thinks that he can keep on getting the chances until seven times seven times, just because Jesus had asked the disciples to forgive others seven times in a day, he needs to check his Bible and his heart again:

• Luk 17:3-4 KJV  Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.  (4)  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. (see Mat 18:21-35 later)

Have you read the Bible verses above? Many preachers said that we must believe the gospel that Paul preached (and not the gospel that Jesus preached?) because Paul could preach more grace. However, the Bible verses above show that Jesus preached grace more than what we know too. Isn't there grace or mercy if we are forgiven seven times or more for 365 days? However, is it radical grace or unlimited grace which we can boast and keep on receiving, without repentance? No, don't be fooled by the false prophets; we must repent. Do we just change our minds? Of course not. Please be honest, If someone did something wrong (with very serious physical harm) to your loved ones, will you forgive him just because he changed his mind or he said that he has repented? No, even if you want to pretend to be very forgiving, you would still want to see how he has repented or changed his mind. Similarly, God will forgive only if we repent and know what is repentance according to His words too.


The believers are forgiven forever only if they have repented or ..
.. if they still remain in repentance. However, many preachers pretend that they are very forgiving and that they have a very forgiving God; but they don't really know what the Bible says about repentance and God. Many can only keep saying that this Bible verse is not for me.. or that Bible verse is only for the Jews under the law. However, ironically they quote from the Old Testament most of the time and they twist it so well (with their typology or vain theory) that they can use it to diffuse or blur all the warning of Jesus Christ and His teaching on repentance in the New Testament. I can remember how they had dismissed repentance and one of the very serious warnings in the New Testament as inapplicable to us:

• Heb 6:1-6 KJV  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,  (2)  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.  (3)  And this will we do, if God permit.  (4)  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,  (5)  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,  (6)  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

The Bible verses above show that repentance is foundational; but of utmost important. The Bible verses explain it clearly that without repentance some would perish even if they have been enlightened, have tasted the goodness of God, and have the gift of the Holy Spirit. But I don't understand how some preachers can explain these Bible verses as God's warning only to the non-believers or others outside the churches. No, this is obviously a serious warning to the believers who have repented or else Paul would not have said, '.. to renew them again unto repentance' in (v5).

• 2Pe 1:5-10 KJV  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;  (6)  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;  (7)  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  (8)  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (9)  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.  (10)  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 

Grace is not forever; it can be taken back
If we cannot ignore the serious warning from the book of Hebrews to the believers, we cannot look to the gospel and think that it is a guarantee of our salvation without any warning too. Let us go back to the words of Jesus on how many times we should forgive and should be forgiven. It has been recorded in the following Bible verses:

• Mat 18:21-35 KJV  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  (22)  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.  (23)  Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.  (24)  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.  (25)  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  (26)  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  (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.  (29)  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  (30)  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.  (31)  So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.  (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.  (35)  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

I can't understand why most radical grace preachers try to avoid preaching the Bible verses above. Isn't this grace, favour, or mercy, for all the sinners, believers, and preachers? Is it grace when we ought to forgive and be forgiven seventy times seven times? Undoubtedly there is abundance of grace, favour, and mercy too. But is it so radical or abundant that it is given regardless of how we behave, think, or live? Certainly not. We don't go around and boast about it or preach about it foolishly as 'grace revolution' or 'irreversible favour'. Yes, grace is given freely; but it can be taken back. Yes, the servant in the parable above was forgiven unconditionally and totally; but wasn't he asked to pay back everything due unto his lord in the end: (Mat 18:34-35) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.  (35)  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.  


Grace revolution is true revolution of God if there is preaching of repentance
Grace revolution is revolutionary only if there is change of mind to turn away from sin and it is a visible change with the fruits that meet for repentance.
Many say that they preach grace revolution because they want people to receive grace. They say that we have misunderstood them because they are grace preachers who preach like Paul. They say that they must preach grace until everyone misunderstood them; or else they are not preaching grace.

I will ask them, If you preach grace until the sinners will also misunderstand you, how can they be saved? If you say that you have preached repentance to them, why do you preach that grace will lead to repentance ? Obviously, you say it with the intention not to preach repentance because you think that grace will lead to it. However, if Jesus has shown us strongly and repeatedly in all His preaching, parables, and gospel that grace is given for the sinners to repent Luk 17:3-4 (and not to prosper, boast, or behave like the servant in Mat 18:21-35), how much more we need to preach it clearly in our revolution that people must repent? We should stop any preaching of oxymoron or 'ding dong bell' doctrine that will confuse the people ..  Oh, yes, I admit that I would never understand any 'ding dong bell' preachers. Neither would Jesus:

• Rev 3:15-19 KJV  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  (16)  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  (17)  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:  (18)  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.  (19)  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

In fact, Jesus has preached repentance more than what we understand today; He preached it so much that all His disciples understood that there is no joy in heaven unless there is repentance:

• Luk 15:7-32 KJV  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.  (8)  Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?  (9)  And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.  (10)  Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.  (11)  And he said, A certain man had two sons:  (12)  And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living .. (32) It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

So, all the apostles and the true disciples of Jesus Christ would know that there would be no joy in heaven unless they obeyed the Lord and preached repentance. They knew that it was futile to get the sinners to receive grace or favours only to become more boastful, like the servant in Mat 18:21-35.

• Luk 24:44-49 KJV  And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.  (45)  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,  (46)  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:  (47)  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  (48)  And ye are witnesses of these things.  (49)  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Jesus would open the eyes of all His disciples to preach repentance. Yes, He did open our eyes about the law about Himself; but He also opened our eyes about His laws and commandment to preach repentance too. I have mentioned that there are two main types of laws in my previous post:

1. the law about Christ (which has be to be fulfilled by Christ)
2. and the law of Christ (which we must keep)

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