Is the doctrine of effortless prosperity and wealth a teaching of the New Testament?

Is the doctrine of effortless prosperity, success, and wealth a teaching of the Old Testament or New Testament?
Many radical grace preachers will say, "Of course, New Testament. Effortless preaching or preaching of abundant life and spiritual blessings can only be grace under the New Testament. When it comes to material prosperity, riches, and success, it must be grace too. It is unearned, undeserved, and unmerited favor from God. Have you gone to a shopping mall or food court which has very few people? But as soon as we step into the place, people would just stream in ? What, lunch time? Oh, no, this is the evidence of God's favor in our lives ! But the preaching of repentance is the teaching of the Old Testament! "
I will tell them, Oh, really? Preaching of repentance is from the Old Testament? I see. I know why you said that. I will explain it in a moment later. But, now, I can tell you that the preaching of effortless material prosperity and blessings is from the Old Testament too. Hence, I am not surprised that the Pharisees could have preached effortless prosperity to the Jews and made them confess it regularly for blessings too:

• Deu 6:10-11 KJV  And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,  (11)  And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

Effortless and lawless prosperity is not a new teaching; it's in the Old Testament!
So, we understand that effortless teaching or theology was not something new. It could have been radically taught by the lawless Pharisees too. Obviously they did not have God's laws and commandments in their hearts; yet they would tell the people to know the blessing of Abraham and the blessing of Deut 28 by heart. However, they removed God's laws and commandments, replaced all the words 'curses' with with their words 'blessings', and put the names of their enemies in the Bible verses that have the curses or warning for them. They could have preached 'replacement theology' too:

• Deu 28:1-8 KJV  And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:  (2)  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.  (3)  Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.  (4)  Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.  (5)  Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.  (6)  Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.  (7)  The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.  (8)  The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
• Deu 28:15-45 KJV  But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:  (16)  Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.  (17)  Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.  (18)  Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.  (19)  Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.  ..  (30)  Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.  (31)  Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.  (32)  Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.  ..  (39)  Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.  ...  (44)  He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.  (45)  Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:

Many will argue, "What makes you think that the Pharisee were the 'effortless' or 'lawless' teachers?  They would keep many laws and oppress the people with God's laws..."
I will tell them, Yes, the Pharisees might think that they had kept the laws. But Jesus would not think so. If they would do and teach God's laws, Jesus would have praised them and call them great because Jesus said:

• Mat 5:18-20 KJV  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.  (20)  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Hence, Jesus did not say that we should be as righteous as the Pharisees, but He said we should be more righteous than the Pharisees who were hypocrites. In another words, 1. All the Jews must still repent even though they thought that they were as righteous as the Pharisees, 2. All of us, who are now in Christ should never follow the deceivableness of unrighteousness (2Th 2:10) that is in the Pharisees or hypocrites too.)

In fact, Malachi and Jesus confirmed that many religious leaders and Pharisees had departed from God's commandments and preached their lawless, effortless, or Godless doctrine: 

• Mal 2:1-17 KJV  And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.  ..(7)  For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.  (8)  But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts... (17) Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?
• Mal 3:15 KJV  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts... (13) Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?  (14)  Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?  (15)  And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
• Mat 15:4-9 KJV  For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.  (5)  But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;  (6)  And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.  (7)  Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,  (8)  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.  (9)  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
• Mar 7:13 KJV  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
• Mat 7:22-23 LITV  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!"
• Mat 23:27-28 LITV  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened graves which outwardly indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness.  (28)  So you also indeed outwardly appear righteous to men, but within are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
   

So, from these Bible verses, I am not surprised that the Pharisees were 'great preachers' of the effortless and lawless doctrine too. I will now ask the radical grace preachers, Is there any difference between your effortless or lawless teaching and their lawless teaching? Yes, the difference is you believe and confess the name of Jesus, but they don't. You believe in the blood of Jesus Christ and therefore you think that you have fulfilled all the laws and commandments by just believing in Him, but they believe in the blood of the animals and therefore they thought that they had fulfilled all God's commandments by just shouting out the word 'Corban' !

• Mar 7:11-13 KJV  But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.  (12)  And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;  (13)  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Hence, I would think that the effortless doctrine that you preach and the doctrine that the Pharisees preached are the same even though you believe in the blood of the Lamb. You may think that you have believed in a more powerful blood which can cleanse more sins and make you more righteous than the Pharisees. But Paul said that thinking of the blood of Jesus for this purpose would put in danger of sinning willfully which no sinners and ordinary believers can commit. In another words, sinning willfully is a term or situation which no murderer, sinners, or carnal believers can commit, except the Jews and the believers who have already understood the knowledge, the truth, and the power of the blood, and yet they would take advantage of this to remove, hide, and corrupt their sin conscience to repent. That's why I am not surprised that those who have become lawless may have already put themselves into the danger of sinning willfully by taking advantage of their knowledge and confidence in the blood to oppose the preaching of repentance, destroy people's sin conscience to repent, gain crowds, and prosper themselves.

• Heb 10:2-31 KJV  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins... (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.  (31)  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
  But can we twist it and argue that this warning is not for God's people? No, it says very clearly that God will judge His people; not other people. When He used the comparison of a sorer punishment, He confirmed again that He was comparing and warning two of His people - one who despised Moses' law under the Old Covenant, and another who will dishonour the Spirit of grace under the New Covenant. Please think, who were able to despised Moses' law? Of course, nobody except the Jews or God's people who were given the law? Similarly, who can dishonour the Spirit of grace? Of course, no one, except God's people who have been given the grace of God too?

That's why I has indicated at the top of this post that I knew why most effortless or lawless preachers who preach prosperity would corrupt the preaching of repentance and lie that preaching of repentance is from the Old Testament. I would condemn their preaching as a lie because it can stop people from repenting when it tells people to 'believe only' or to repent by changing their mind about God only (by having good opinion of God only).   


Effortless and lawless prosperity was never preached by the Lord and the Apostles in the New Testament
I have shown you how the effortless prosperity, favor, or wealth could have been preached by the Pharisees and the false prophets who had departed from God's laws and commandments.
Next, we should look at the teaching of the Lord and the Apostles. Do we find their preaching of effortless prosperity in the New Testament?
However, If you have to do a lot of imagination and assumption to argue Jesus and the Apostles had preached prosperity (eg. based on the following Bible verses), you will need to find more Bible verses to convince us:

• 3Jn 1:2 KJV  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

In fact, if you read the whole chapter written John, you will realize that the above Bible verse was just his greeting to the believers. However, after that, John hardly preached on prosperity. Instead, he preached that he had greater desire for the believers to walk in the truth (not in prosperity):

• 3Jn 1:3-4 KJV  For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.  (4)  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Hence, we may say that it is God's desire or the Lord's desire for the believers to prosper; but can we say that it is the Lord's desire to preach prosperity based on the Bible verse above? I don't think so.      


Effortless and lawless prosperity would become pale against the teaching of Jesus Christ
In contrast with what was preached by the Pharisees, the teaching of the Lord was a teaching with a total difference. It was not effortless or lawless compared with the teaching of the Pharisees. It was above the  Pharisees' teaching and laws. It was above the Ten Commandments:

• Deu 28:1-8 KJV  ..  (2)  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. (3)  Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and Blessed shalt thou be in the field.  (4)  Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.  (5)  Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.  (6)  Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and Blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.  ..(7)  The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.  (8)  The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.  
• Mat 5:1-20 KJV  And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:  (2)  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,  (3)  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  (4)  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  (5)  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.  (6)  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  (7)  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  (8)  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.  (9)  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  (10)  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  (11)  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  (12)  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.  (13)  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  (14)  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  (15)  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  (16)  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  (17)  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.  (20)  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

lawlessness would gather against the Word again in the end time
No wonder, the Pharisees were so angry with Jesus that they wanted to kill Him. To them, Jesus was preaching another gospel which destroyed their effortless or lawless lies. Their promises and gospel was made pale before the real Spirit of God's commandments in the Lord's sermon on the mount in Mat 5, 6, and 7. Although the sinners and His disciples were all shocked to know that His gospel and sermon was more 'demanding' than the teaching of the Pharisees, they knew that Jesus was from God and His words were words of eternal life.  Only the Pharisees, the false prophets, wandering stars, the 'frogs', 'donkeys', 'wolves', and the 'snakes' in the end time would mock and try to give people the false impression that His words are hard sayings, testing, or jokes for them. 

• Joh 6:59-69 KJV  (59) These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.  (60)  Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? ...  (63) It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. .. (66)  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.  (67)  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?  (68)  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.  (69)  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
• Jud 1:3-13 KJV  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.  (4)  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ ... (13) Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
• Rev 16:13-15 KJV  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.  (14)  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.  (15)  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. .. Rev 19:11-15 KJV .. (13)  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  (14)  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  (15)  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God... (19) And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

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What's the difference between prosperity preachers and radical grace preachers?

What is the difference between prosperity preachers and radical grace preachers?
There are many differences ! However, they are the same to me. Their focus is still on prosperity even though they preach Jesus Christ or tell people to 'seek ye first the kingdom of God'.

• Prosperity preachers would tell us that they prosper because they give; whilst radical grace preachers would reverse it and say that they give because they prosper.

• The prosperity preachers would say honestly that they preach prosperity; whilst the radical grace preachers would deny it and say that they preach health and wealth instead.

• The prosperity preachers would tell people to do something to prosper like, sowing seeds, working hard, and harvesting the blessings, whilst the radical grace preachers would say that prosperity is an effortless done deal for all their faithful believers.  

• The prosperity preachers would be proud to collect wealth from the believers through tithes and offering; whilst the radical grace preachers would boast that they are the 'anointed' who can transfer the wealth of the world to the churches. I would think, What's the difference? Both collect  wealth from their believers: One said that he collected it from the believers; the other collected it from the believers in the world.

• The prosperity preachers would tell us how many millionaires or rich men they have in the churches; whilst the radical grace preachers would boast that they are the most favored or richest people in the world. One would boast about their money; the other would boast about their buildings. However, both would aspire to reign like kings or princes and tell people to emulate them.   

• Both may preach Matt 6:33 differently, but both would focus on "all theses things which shall be added unto you": Mat 6:33 KJV  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. They would interpret that "all these things which shall be added unto you" are riches, and therefore, Jesus would want all the preachers to preach riches to the people.

• Both may preach different number of 'cash cows' which can prosper the people, help them to invest better, and magically cause favors or 'gold' to rest upon all their businesses, but they could be 'golden calves' which will take away the focus of the people from God:

1. Luk 16:13-14 KJV  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  (14)  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
2. Luk 12:1 KJV  In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (Jesus warned us about the Pharisees not because they do and teach too many God's laws but because they were greedy hypocrites who always lied and taught their own laws to please and deceive the people. They preached God and mammon. They preached the mixture.) 
3. 1Ki 12:26-33 KJV  And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:  (27)  If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.  (28)  Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  (29)  And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.  (30)  And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.  (31)  And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.  (32)  And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.  (33)  So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

God's preachers will never preach prosperity as God and God as prosperity (vice versa)
God's preachers will never preach prosperity as the Gospel and the Gospel as prosperity too. However, many will argue, "How can you say that we preach mixture when we preach God and prosperity or God and wealth? It can never be mixture even if we preach God as wealth or God as grace, or vice versa. Those who preach the mixture are those who preach the law with grace. You said that no one can preach the mixture in your previous post, but how you accuse us for preaching the mixture now?"
I will tell them, Yes, you are right. I did tell the people in my previous post that preaching of repentance and grace (or preaching of laws and grace) can never be mixture; but it can be like bread and butter. Why? The reason is very simple: Jesus and Paul still preached God's laws and commandments and grace in the New Testament; but they would never mix God and prosperity in the teaching of  New Testament doctrine. In fact, Jesus had made it very clear to the disciples that they must have clear and focused objectives when preaching or serving in the kingdom of God:

• Luk 16:13-14 KJV  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  (14)  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. (We don't mix the preaching or teaching of God's principles and mammon's principles.) 

Hence, most prosperity or radical grace preachers would find it difficult to preach prosperity if they would just quote from the New Testament.  They would have to mix the doctrine of the New Testament with the Old to give the false impression that Jesus and the Apostles had all taught the doctrine of prosperity under the New Testament. In fact, the only Bible verse which talks about prosperity in the New Testament can hardly be taught as a doctrine of prosperity:

• 3Jn 1:2-8 KJV  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.  (3)  For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.  (4)  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.  (5)  Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;  (6)  Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:  (7)  Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.  (8)  We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

Do you agree that John was not teaching about 'prosperity'; but 'walking in truth'? 


But false preachers would preach lies instead of truth under the New Covenant
I would not say that all the preachers are prosperity preachers or false preachers. However, if they can convict the people that they are the 'anointed ones', 'christs', 'stars', 'donkeys', or 'frogs' who can preach much prosperity and prosper everyone, they are not just 'prophets'; they are the 'prophecy' too:

• Mat 24:23-26 KJV  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  (24)  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  (25)  Behold, I have told you before.  (26)  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
• Jud 1:3-19 KJV  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.  (4)  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. .. (10)  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.  (11)  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.  (12)  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;  (13)  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.  .. (16)  These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.  (17)  But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;  (18)  How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.  (19)  These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
• Rev 16:13-16 KJV  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.  (14)  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.  (15)  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.  (16)  And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
  
   

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Who can sin willfully (Heb 10:26-29)? Christians or non-Christians?

Heb 6:3 KJV  And this will we do, if God permit..  We will dispel the myth:

1. that sinning willfully is just rejecting Jesus Christ as savior
2. that only the non-Christians and those who reject Christ can sin willfully
3. and, therefore, Heb 10:26-29 is not for us (the Christians) because we can never sin willfully
4. and, therefore, Heb 10:26-29 is no longer a practical warning for the churches

or

1. that sinning willfully is just sinning after knowing that it is a sin
2. that we (the Christians and everyone) have already sinned willfully
3. and, therefore, Heb 10:26-29 is no longer a practical warning for the churches

Who can sin willfully and will sin willfully with the blood covenant?
Radical grace preachers would say, "Of course, only non-Christians will sin willfully! We, Christians, can never sin willfully. Therefore, the following Bible verses are not for us or the believers:

• Heb 10:22-29 KJV  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  (23)  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  ... (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. (I will talk about Heb 10:26 again in more detailed later. But can we twist it and argue that this warning is not for God's people?  No, it says very clearly that God will judge His people; not other people. When He used the comparison of a sorer punishment, He confirmed again that He was comparing and warning two of His people - one who despised Moses' law under the Old Covenant, and another who will dishonour the Spirit of grace under the New Covenant. Please think, who were able to despised Moses' law? Of course, nobody except the Jews or God's people who were given the law? Similarly, who can dishonour the Spirit of grace? Of course, no one, except God's people who have been given the grace of God too?)

I will tell them, Can you please read the Bible verses again if you want to give God's promises to the believers ? Honestly I don't see any non-Christian or non-believer in the Bible verses above. It's because we know it clearly that Paul wrote it only to the Jewish believers, Christians, and the saints; not the sinners or non-believers, from the ending of his letter.

• Heb 13:22-25 KJV  And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.  (23)  Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.  (24)  Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.  (25)  Grace be with you all. Amen. Written to the Hebrews from Italy, by Timothy. (We think that the writer of the Hebrews was Paul because Timothy was mentioned here and there were many indications that the style and of contents of the writing belonged to Paul)

Paul was writing to the Jewish believers and Christians; not the sinners
Hence, we know that this letter was never read to the non-Christians or non-believers. It was read to the the church, the brethren, all the saints, and the Hebrew believers. Hence, when Paul said, If we sin willfully.. he was not referring to the sinners or the non-Christians outside the church..; he was referring to the Hebrew believers, the Christians, and himself, who had believed, received the knowledge of the truth, and known the grace of God. Of course, it is ridiculous to think that Paul would instead identify himself with the sinners or the non-believers outside the church, when he had indicated that he would write to the believers.
If we read Heb 10:26-29 again, we know clearly that there were two main groups of believers, and only these two main groups of believers can sin willfully:

1. Jewish believers - (28) He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
2. Christians - (29) .. 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?

I will ask them, Did you see the picture of any non-believer or non-Christian in Heb 10:26-29 above? No. Can we deceive ourselves to think that we can never sin willfully; except the non-believers? No, God forbid. How can we lie and argue vehemently that these Bible verses are not for us when Paul had written it so clearly that he was referring to the believers and us? If we lied, we would be judged severely? Here again, when I said, "If we lied ..", of course, I meant, "If we and all the believers lied .."; not "If the sinners outside the churches lied.."


Why can't non-Christians sin willfully? 
 Many will argue, "I don't care if Heb 10:26-29 is referring to the believers or non-believers. We should just think logically. Do you really think that non-Christians can never sin willfully? I can tell you that there are many non-Christians who sin willfully. They know that it is sin to steal; yet they would still steal against their conscience. Isn't this sinning willfully? Hence, how can we conclude that non-Christians can never sin willfully?"
I will tell them, Please read your Bible. Paul did not define sinning willfully as sinning against one's conscience or sinning after knowing that it is a sin, however, he did mention that we sin willfully if we sin against God after we have received the knowledge of the truth, believed, and lived under the the grace of God. Hence, the non-Christians can never be in the 'picture'. They can never sin willfully in the context of Heb 10:26-29. They may sin repeatedly and deliberately after knowing that it is a sin, but they don't sin willfully as believers, as mentioned in Heb 10:26-29.


How will Christians sin willfully?
They will still argue, "Yes, precisely. We agree that Heb 10:26-29 is not for the non-Christians. But, neither is it for us too. It is for those who would sin willfully by rejecting Jesus Christ. Rejecting Jesus Christ is sinning willfully and that is the only sin which will cause us to lose our salvation. Hence, if we did not sin willfully by rejecting Jesus Christ, we can sin any sins and we are still be saved because of radical grace. We can sin repeatedly, radically, and deliberately (by committing adulteries, lying, or cheating others) and there is no greater sin than the grace of God or no single sin which Jesus cannot forgive. However, there is only one sin which Jesus cannot forgive: that is the sin of unbelief or sinning willfully by rejecting Him after we've known Him as our great savior .. "
I will tell them, I am glad that you have finally understood why non-Christians cannot sin willfully with the blood even though you took quite a while to understand it. But do you know that you are still preaching the wrong things by saying that Christians can repeatedly and deliberately sin with the knowledge of the blood. You have now jumped into a greater error by preaching that Christians can repeatedly and deliberately sin with the blood or the grace of God? What you think and do is precisely what Paul would forbid in Heb 10:26-29. I am afraid, What you think or say could encourage and lead more believers to sinning willfully because:

1. Non-Christians can never think like you. They can never know or believe the blood of the Lamb or the grace of God for justification of their sins.
2. But you are Christians who have the knowledge of the truth and the understanding of the power of grace and God's covenants.
3. Yet, you would use your knowledge of the truth to think, entertain, and teach your own doctrine of sinning with no more sin conscience to repent or sin willfully. 

'Sinning willfully' is not sinning after knowing that it is a sin
They will say, "Please do not condemn us for sinning willfully. How about you? You are no better either. Can you say honestly that you have never sinned willfully after you have received the knowledge of the truth? Have you lusted for beautiful women after you have become a Christian ? If you did, you have sinned willfully too, and you would go to hell. You knew that it was sin to lust after other women, after you know the Ten Commandments, and yet you still lusted for women. You are a hypocrite. You have sinned willfully too. How can you condemn us for preaching sinning willfully.."
I will tell them, Of course, if you insist that 'sinning willfully' is just any sin committed having known that it is a sin, no one can argue with you. Yes, you can accuse all of us as hypocrites because we sin willfully like you too.  But do you think that Paul was talking about this type of sin when he wrote Heb 10:26-29. Of course, no, definitely. If Paul meant it as sinning willfully, he would become a hypocrite too because he still sinned or fell into the infirmities of sins after knowing that it was a sin:

• Rom 7:9-11 KJV  For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.  (10)  And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.  (11)  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. .. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  (19)  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  (20)  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  (21)  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  (22)  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  (23)  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  (24)  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  (25)  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

I believe that this had kept Paul very humble because he knew that he still sinned. He knew that he did not just sin ignorantly; but he sinned knowingly. He sinned even though he knew that it was wrong to sin. However, can we say that Paul himself had sinned willfully, and therefore, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins for him too? Of course, no. Sinning willfully according to Heb 10:26-29 is not sinning after knowing that it is a sin. They will ask, If Christians cannot sin willfully by sinning after knowing that it is a sin, who else can sin willfully?   


Christians will sin willfully if they will sin with the blood of the Lamb without repentance
I will tell them, It is hard and rare for Christians to sin willfully. However, in the end time, Christians who become false prophets or followers of the false prophets could sin willfully. Please read Heb 10:26-29 again. Do you know who would preach or think of the blood sacrifice or the grace of God as 'license to sin'? I don't think that the non-Christians will do it or can do it; neither can backslidden Christians too. Why ? It's because they don't believe in the blood or the grace of God anymore.
Hence, those who will sin willfully are very likely the believers whose conscience has become so perverted that they would become false prophets or follow the teaching of false prophets. They will preach against the words of God, lie to the people, and deceive the ignorant that the preaching of the blood or the grace of God could replace the need of repentance and that all their believers can continue to sin with no more sin conscience to repent. They would promise the believers that they could have no more future sins and no more need to repent or to confess sins. They would boast that all the Bible verses about repentance, confession of sins, or obedience to God's words would be no more applicable to them. Instead, they would come up with their own doctrine, law, wisdom, and philosophy to replace all God's laws and commandments. They have literally (29)..  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?
Ironically, I notice that those who always preach lawlessness would keep denying that they have preached license to sin or sinning willfully. I will tell them, Why do you keep defending and justifying yourselves, but other preachers do not need to do it? It's because you have knowingly or unknowingly preached too much against the law of God to please the lawless. Hence, you can't blame everyone for misunderstanding you including your own believers and followers. Naturally everyone who sin would hate the law of God. And they would love your preaching which has no more law:

• 1Jn 3:3-6 LITV  And everyone having this hope on Him purifies himself even as that One is pure.  (4)  Everyone practicing sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.  (5)  And you know that that One was revealed that He might take away our sins, and sin is not in Him.  (6)  Everyone remaining in Him does not sin. Everyone sinning has not seen Him, nor known Him.

Attitude of rebellion and bitterness against God's word, God's warning, or the Lord's preaching can be detected easily from the way we respond to it
Finally, I will tell them, If you still argue that Heb 10:26-29 is not a warning for the believers, you may not be aware that you could have hidden bitterness against the Bible and you would just want to rebel against any teaching or warning from the Bible. Please think, If your father said, "Son, if we break the laws, we may end up in hot soup or in prison ...", will you tell your father, "Nay, we can never break the laws. It's impossible for us to fall. We are radical grace believers. Hence, we can never fall.. Even if we break the laws, we can still have God's favors. We will never end up in miseries. Please don't preach to me what to do or tell me the negative things, like my pastors .. " Yes, you may have God's favors, but the way or the attitude you showed your great confidence in the grace of God would just indicate to us that you are not teachable. You can never take instructions from God and others. If Paul said, "If we sin willfully .." Will you tell him, "Nay, we can never sin willfully .. because of .. this ..and that.." and give him a list of boastful reasoning of why you can never fall? No, I doubt if you will read your Bible too. I am afraid, No one can teach you, warn you, or instruct you with any advice or any God's words now; not even the Apostles.

• Act 8:20-24 KJV  But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.  (21)  Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.  (22)  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.  (23)  For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.  (24)  Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

Do you know that Simon did not have the right believing, and yet he listened to Peter and repented? How much more we should take heed and listen to Paul's warning, especially when he said, "If we sin willfully .." or "If we .."

• Heb 2:3 KJV  How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
• Heb 12:25 KJV  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
• 1Jn 1:6-10 KJV  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  (7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  (8)  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  (9)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (10)  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
• 1Jn 2:3-4 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.

No more if's and but's?
I think it is ridiculous to tell people that the Bible has no more 'if' and 'but' for us when the Apostles would still warn us with so many 'if' in their letters. I don't think we are doing justice to the words of God by telling others that all those Bible verses that have 'if we' and 'but we' are for the non-believers or for the churches who have fallen from grace, and giving people the impression that those who still teach from these Bible verses and warnings are preaching condemnation and fear to the people. I think you don't just owe an apology to those who preached from the Bible, you owe an apology to Paul and John who wrote the 'if we' and 'but we' to the believers.  

Have we thought why John said, If we confess our sins .. and Paul said, If we sin wilfully..? Does it mean that John always confessed sins or Paul always sinned wilfully? No. We can say that they hardly sinned. But does it mean that they are saying it to the agnostic believers and therefore their warnings are not applicable to us? No. They are saying it to us and their warnings are for us. Please think, When a father warned his kid and said, "Son, if we drink and take drugs, we will get drunk, get addicted, and regret one day..", does it mean that the father had taken drugs? No. We can say that the father had never taken drugs or hardly took any drugs. But does it mean that the father could only say it to other kids and therefore his warning was not applicable to his own kid? No. It is ridiculous to twist the warning of the father and ocnvince the kid that his father's warning was not for him. Similarly, it is ridiculous to twist the words of God in Heb 10:26 and 1 John 1:9 and convince God's children that God's warnings are no more applicable to them.


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Did Jesus preach, "All your sins are forgiven" or "Repent and sin no more"?

.. continued from Was Jesus a radical grace preacher or repentance preacher?

Did Jesus preach, only "All your sins are forgiven" or just "Repent and sin no more"?
This is not a difficult question. It is not a life and death question either. However, if you are a preacher who know that "right believing will lead to right living", you cannot ignore the question to preach anything you like. You'd better get it right if you think that you can preach only grace or only repentance. Otherwise, if you preach it wrongly or people believe it wrongly, millions will go to hell.

Grace (forgiveness of sins) and repentance are not mutually exclusive 
Don't you find the preaching of grace and the preaching of repentance are always together? I have already mentioned that Jesus was a repentance preacher who showed grace in my previous post. Hence, I can say that Jesus did not say, "All your sins have been forgiven" and full stop; neither did He say, "Repent and sin no more" without showing people His grace. Jesus preached that all our sins will be forgiven if we repent and sin no more. He did not just preach grace and full stop; but grace for repentance or grace to repent (grace with repentance and vice versa). I do not wish to repeat all those Bible verses which I have shown in my previous post. But the following Bible verses should be clear enough to show us why Jesus would still preach and focus on repentance, even though He preached it with God's grace.

1. Joh 8:10-11 KJV  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?  (11)  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee (grace and forgiveness): go, and sin no more (repentance).
2. Joh 5:14 KJV  Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
3. Luk 13:5-9 KJV  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 (grace):  (9)  And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
4. Mat 18:32-33 KJV  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt (grace), because thou desiredst me:  (33)  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
5. Luk 11:4 KJV  And forgive us our sins (grace); for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
6. Luk 15:21-22 KJV  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.  (22)  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
7. Luk 18:13-14 KJV  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  (14)  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
8. Luk 24:47 KJV  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
9. Luk 19:8-9 KJV  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.  (9)  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10. Mar 6:11-13 KJV  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.  (12)  And they went out, and preached that men should repent.  (13)  And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
11. Act 2:38 KJV  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
12. Act 26:18-21 KJV  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.  (19)  Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:  (20)  But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.  (21)  For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.

We can see that grace and forgiveness of sins (in green) was there because of repentance (in red) and there was repentance because of grace (vice-versa). These Bible verses show us clearly that Jesus and His disciples would preach that people will repent because of grace and receive grace because of repentance (vice versa). Hence, we still preach grace with repentance and grace to repent.  

 
Do not believe false prophets who stop us from believing the words of the Lord
I will tell them, Please think, If all our sins are forgiven totally, radically, and unconditionally, why did Jesus tell all His disciples to pray,   

• Luk 11:4 KJV ... And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

I don't think Jesus had ever told the disciples to stop that prayer now. On the contrary, I found that John confirmed it by saying that if we confess, pray, and ask God to forgive us our sins, God will forgive us. He confirmed the Lord's prayer for the believers with 1 John 1:9:

• 1Jn 1:6-10 KJV  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  (7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  (8)  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  (9)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (10)  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I will them them, Your explanation that both the words of Jesus (Luk 11:4) and  John (1Jn 1:6-10) are no longer valid for us is ridiculous. Only the fools would believe that the words of Jesus and John are not written for the believers or the churches. Hence, I would not be surprised that false prophets who wish to preach their own doctrine would go further to prove that the book of Revelation is a book of condemnation, and therefore, it is not written for the believers too. They would lie and say that the book of Revelation has too many condemnation, judgement, and warning for positive reading or thinking. But Jesus said, Don't believe them. They are the false anointed ones:

• Mat 24:22-26 KJV  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.  (23)  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  (24)  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  (25)  Behold, I have told you before.  (26)  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

Grace led to repentance or repentance led to grace? (This is like asking, Which came first, the chicken or the egg?)
Many will argue, "We are not the false prophets. We've cast out demons. We've preached the name of Jesus. We call Him Lord. We put Him in the center of our lives. We've done many wonderful works in His name. We are true believers. We can never fall. The churches have found fault with our preaching because they are jealous of us. They are ones who have got it all wrong when they preach repentance instead of grace. They are the ones who falsely accused us when we could preach better gospel and  we preach grace."
I will tell them, I am not bothered if the churches will preach grace or preach repentance. But if the churches start to argue, find fault, and compare with one another, I would like to find out who is the real culprit. I don't think there is humility if one preaches and argues constantly that he can preach better than others just because he could preach grace better or he could preach repentance better. It is ridiculous to argue that one should just preach grace because he thinks that grace will lead to repentance, whilst another would insist that he can only preach repentance because he thinks that repentance will lead to grace. I would ask both of them, Do you know the chicken and egg problem? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? No one has seriously thought about it because we are too busy to think and we have much better things to do.

• Most of us know that the chicken came first because God created the chicken and the chicken then laid eggs. However, there are many people who would still argue, "No, the egg came first because the egg would hatch and become chicken. So, we should get the egg only". Another one would protest, "No, we should get the chicken. If we have the chicken, we will have the eggs." I will tell them, Our problem today is not  "Which came first?" Yes, you all can argue until the cows come home, but I will take both the chicken and egg. 
• Similarly, Jesus would not want us to argue that grace came first or repentance came first. However, many preachers would still argue, "No, grace  came first because grace would lead to repentance. So, we should preach grace only." Another preacher would protest, "No, we should preach repentance only. If we have repentance, we will have grace." I will tell them, Our problem today is not preaching grace or repentance; it is arguing against the preaching of grace or against the preaching of repentance. We may argue until the cock crows or the cows come home, but Jesus and the Apostles have shown us that they would preach grace and repentance. Hence, we should never think of grace and repentance like it is the chicken and egg problem; but like 'butter and bread' which is the gift of God. I will ask the radical grace preachers, Do you agree that grace and truth (in John 1:17) are (is) like bread and butter and they are the gifts of God too? Joh 1:17 KJV  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. If you would not separate grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ, why should you separate grace and repentance which came by Jesus Christ ?

Should we preach grace and repentance like 'chicken and egg' or 'butter and bread' for the sinners
I don't think that it is exaggeration to liken grace and repentance to 'butter and bread' because grace and repentance are not  independent of one another. Whenever there is grace, there is repentance, and vice versa. I have shown enough Bible verses to prove that we must preach grace with repentance (or repentance with grace). If you are still in doubt, please read all the 10 Bible verses I have listed at the top of this post.


Pure grace without any repentance or law is not grace; it is lawlessness
Many radical grace preachers argued, "No, what's wrong if we would just preach grace only or pure grace without any law? I've received a clear vision from Jesus to preach grace radically; or else people's life will not change radically. My Bible also tells me that Paul would want us to preach only pure grace. We should preach grace radically until everyone misunderstood it as license to sin; otherwise, we have not preached the gospel that Paul preached. If we preach any other things with grace to balance it or to mix it, it is not the gospel of grace. What men called a balance, God called it a mixture !" 
I will tell them, I don't know which Bible you use. But my Bible never tells us that God called it a mixture. I don't know what God called it; but I will definitely call grace and repentance as 'butter and bread'.
God did not appear to me in a vision; neither did He tell me to balance it. However, I just know that from the Bible - Jesus and all His disciple had preach grace with repentance and repentance with grace (vice versa) and God has never said that it is a mixture. On the contrary, His words said, It is a 'foundation' and it is not optional:

• Heb 5:12 KJV  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. .. 6:1-3  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. (Hence, how can we preach the gospel without repentance?)

Repentance is a call of the Lord and a gift of God
I know that many radical grace preachers have used the following illustration to make a point when they preached prosperity. They said: "If, one day, you happen to walk on the street and you find a ten dollar bill and a one hundred dollar bill on the floor, which one will you pick?" Many honest and unsuspecting people would say that they will pick the one hundred dollar bill. But the preachers would tell the people, "Haha, don't be stupid. You should take both. Why should you see TWO different types of money when they are the SAME money? You should see only money on the floor; not different types of money, and take all. Similarly, when we are given physical blessing and spiritual blessing, we should take both or  all blessings.." Well, I do not deny that it was a good and brilliant point. But I would use the same illustration for grace and repentance now. I will ask them, If you know the similar logic, Do you still preach only grace? or only repentance to the sinners? Didn't you agree that it is stupid to pick only one when God has given us both blessings for repentance and grace?
If we read the following Bible verses, we will understand why I said that repentance is a gift of God for the sinners to repent. It is a call of the Lord and His grace too. Of course, repentance requires self-effort (sometimes, a lot of effort if recompense is necessary) ! Hence, it is definitely a call of the Lord or gift of God for us to do something and bring fruits meet for repentance: 

• Mat 3:5-8 KJV  Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,  (6)  And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.  (7)  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  (8)  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
• Act 5:31 KJV  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
• 2Ti 2:24-26 KJV  And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,  (25)  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;  (26)  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
• Rev 2:21 KJV  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
• Luk 5:31-32 KJV  And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.  (32)  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
• Luk 13:5-9 KJV  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.
• Rom 2:3-8 KJV  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?  (4)  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?  (5)  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;  (6)  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:  (7)  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:  (8)  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
• 2Co 7:8-11 KJV  For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.  (9)  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  (10)  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.  (11)  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

       
God's laws are not the stones
I will tell them, Can we preach grace without His laws too? Did God say that grace and laws are mixture (like egg and stones)? No, I don't think God said it; you said it. For your info, yes, God's laws was on the stones; but God's laws are not the stone. God's laws are in our hearts now.

• Heb 10:16-18 KJV  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. (Do you notice why God's laws are in our hearts first and then God will remember our sins and iniquities no more? It means we must have God's laws first)

However, if God's laws are the stones, we would now have lots of stones in our hearts and we would need to see the 'heart surgeon' to remove the stones. We would blame God for putting those stones in our hearts too. This is ridiculous.


The gospel that Paul preached is the gospel that Jesus preached, which still teaches the law of God
I will tell them, You said that we should just preach pure grace without any law. Yes, Paul did say that we should preach grace apart from the law; but he did not say grace without any law. Yes, when we are under grace, we are no longer under the law of the Jews or the Jewish Old Covenant. We are justified apart from their laws. But it does not mean that we have no more law of God or we are no longer subject to any law of God. Hence, don't be deceived. If we preach grace without any law of God, we do not preach pure grace, we preach lawlessness. And it can never be the gospel that Paul preached:

• 1Co 9:20-21 KJV  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;  (21)  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
• Rom 8:6-8 KJV  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  (7)  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  (8)  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  

The gospel that Paul preached is the gospel that Jesus preached, which was not only in Paul's letter to the Galatians 
The gospel that Paul preached is the gospel of Jesus Christ to the sinners of the world; not the gospel to the Galatians or Jewish believers only. Hence, if we want to know more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, we must see beyond Paul's letters to the Romans, Hebrews, and Galatians. I will ask those who insist that we must preach only the gospel that is based on Paul's letters, Do you conclude that all the teaching of Jesus Christ in the gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John has become obsolete because of Paul's letters? If the teaching of Jesus Christ can become obsolete, He would become an obsolete Savior too and Paul would become your new Savior. If the teaching of Jesus Christ can become obsolete, you can become the next Savior too because you can set people free from the obsolete teaching of Jesus Christ, which was full of the preaching of repentance, doing good, and keeping of God's commandments. This is ridiculous. You may keep saying that you are just a follower of Jesus Christ and that Jesus is always at the center of your life, but your believers (your fruits) show that you are their new Savior because they think that you are the 'Prince' who can set them free from the bondage of "sin conscience to repent, the Lord's command to do good, and many grievous laws and commandments, especially the Ten Commandments". I will tell them, No, the Ten Commandments can never be grievous commandments if you have the law of Christ in your heart. In fact, the Pharisees would think that the law of Christ is more grievous than the Ten Commandments.

• Mat 5:43-44 KJV  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  (44)  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
• Luk 10:27-37 KJV  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.  (28)  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.  (29)  But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?  (30)  And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  (31)  And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  (32)  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.  (33)  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,  (34)  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  (35)  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.  (36)  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?  (37)  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. (The Samaritan did more than what was required by the law preached by most of the Pharisees and scribes, but He fulfilled the Ten Commandments better and did the will of the Father.)
• Mat 7:20-23 KJV  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  (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.)

Of course, we may not follow all the Ten Commandments and the law of Christ perfectly well, but if we have the Spirit of Christ or the law of the Spirit in us to keep God's commandments, we are not totally hopeless. We may fail but we will rise up, and there is no condemnation and no remembrance of sins to those who have the law of the Spirit and the law of Christ in their hearts ..

• Rom 8:1-8 KJV  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  (3)  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  (4)  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.  (7)  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  (8)  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
• Heb 10:16-18 KJV  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.

The gospel that Paul preached is not the gospel that has no more law of God
You said that we must preach the gospel until everyone misunderstood it as license to sin or else we are not preaching the gospel that Paul preached... Obviously you have not read what Paul preached in 1Co 9:20-21 and Rom 8:6-8 above. Please think, If Paul would preach the gospel with the law of God as mentioned in 1Co 9:20-21 and Rom 8:6-8, do you think true believers would still misunderstand it as license to sin? No, only the Pharisees or the lawless believers would misunderstand him and falsely accused him for preaching license to sin. Paul would never want any believer to preach the gospel until the people misunderstand the gospel as license to sin. Of course, he would never want any sinner to misunderstand the gospel and go to hell; neither would he allow anyone to preach grace or the gospel until all the sinners or believers become totally confused.

That's why Paul would still preach God's laws and commandments to the believers.
But to the sinners, He would preach repentance.
Only to the Jews and the Jewish believers, he would talk more about grace and argue with some of the Pharisees or Jewish believers who still insisted that the believers could only be saved by circumcision and the law of the Old Covenant:

Paul's teaching of God's laws to the believers
1Co 9:20-23 KJV  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;  (21)  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. .. (23) And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
Eph 6:1-3 KJV  Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  (2)  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)  (3)  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Eph 5:25-27 KJV  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  (26)  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,  (27)  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Do you know that this is another God's commandments? That's why I do not see any reason why the Ten Commandments can be obsolete for the churches too.)
Rom 13:9-14 KJV  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself... (14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Paul's preaching of repentance to the sinners
Act 20:19-21 KJV  Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:  (20)  And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,  (21)  Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Act 26:19-21 KJV  Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:  (20)  But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.  (21)  For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.
Paul's teaching of grace to the Romans, Hebrews, and Galatians
I don't think I need to list down all the Bible verses for the radical grace preachers. They have memorized all these letters to the Jews by heart. Unfortunately they memorized all these Bible verses just to bombard those who would still preach and teach God's laws and repentance to the people. They think that the gospel that Paul preached can only come from Paul's letters to the Romans, Hebrews, and Galatians; but any letters from other Apostles are not the gospel or New Testament. Please read the whole Bible. Paul had preached and written so much and so clearly to all the believers, sinners, and the Jews. I will tell them, I don't think Paul would agree with you if you argue that he had preached the gospel until the Jews, sinners, believers, and churches had all misunderstood him and became confused. You owe him an apology. Hence, I would think that most of the radical grace preachers who always preach from the letters of Romans, Hebrews, or Galatians have quoted the Bible out of its context. They assume that most of the churches have gone into the law and they need to preach like Paul to set the churches free from the tradition of circumcision, animal sacrifice, and religious duties. They think that the churches need the grace revolution; otherwise, the thinking of God's laws or the preaching of too much do good get good principles would put the churches under the law again. This is ridiculous. I will ask them, Does it mean that the churches cannot teach God's principles and God's laws to do good? Will they come under the law of the Old Covenant just because they would still teach repentance and doing good with many God's commandments? If this is so, Paul would be the first Apostle guilty of preaching the commandments too? This is ridiculous ! You owe Paul another apology again !

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