There is no such thing as "Cheap Grace"....The cost to Christ was everything but that. The bible states in the NT that if you fail to keep one of the laws you have broken them all. This is the very reason we are under grace.......The purpose of the law is to make one guilty. ....So many do good works because they think it is demanded of them, instead of it flowing out of natural lifestyle of faith.
(Rom. 6:14..." for you are not under law but under grace.").... The Law is not given to the Christian as the standard to live by, but to show the unbeliever how BELOW the standard we do live.(Tim.1:9 The Law is for the unrighteous.) Rom. 4:5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his FAITH IS ACCOUNTES FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Rom. 3:21 We know that today, Christ is "the end of the law for righteousness." Any requirement any command all that God asked Christ fulfilled.
The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (teacher for the immature)..... The law looks appealing today, but it separates those who embrace it from the Spirit of grace..... Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Rom. 10:3-4.......with the heart one believes to righteousness. Rom. 10:5-6, 1.0
Many there are who think that the law is the gospel, and who teach that men by good works of benevolence, honesty, righteousness, and sobriety, may be saved. Some maintain that the law and the gospel are mixed, and that partly by observance of the law, and partly by God’s grace, men are saved. These men understand not the truth, and are false teachers.
If one continues to look to the law for their guidance, then true successful Christian living cannot really occur. Practicing this runs the risk of consciously or unconsciously thinking they have obtained or are keeping salvation by the works of the law. But it actually which separates them from Christ. (Galatians 5:4)
As Walter Martin had said," Now, we don't begin our day saying,..... "Today I am going to make the effort to keep the Ten Commandments."..... We begin our day saying, "Lord Jesus, give me the grace that I may walk with you." Because if I am going to walk with Christ, I'll be obeying the will of God and the law of God."
So are we without law? Absolutely not,..... The holy Spirit becomes our instructor in the word and in our personal walk in what is beneficial and what is not......It is by the work of Christ that we are accepted, not by anything we can do. This is the content of the Gospel.
Why do people look to their own works instead of accepting Gods grace?.... Its easier to look at ones self obedience to gauge how they are doing spiritually than to rest in Christ's work for them. If we stop trying to live it in your own strength and let Christ live it through us by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can see the results of the new life. We will understand it is all by grace. Which is found by Jesus suffering and death on the cross.
The cross is hidden to those who think they are wise..... It is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are saved by faith we know it is the power of God. It is going through the cross (and the one who died on it)for ones relationship to be restored to God. Exactly where Jesus pointed to and where all the apostles pointed too as well. The Cross, was a symbol of shame to the Romans but glory to the Christian who is saved through it. Which is why so many cults focus on their works they do not see the glory that is in the cross.
The fallen nature loves religion,... the gospel is the opposite of religion,... Religion is mans answer to God, Christ is Gods answer to man. The fallen nature of man tries to justify itself by doing deeds to prove it is worthy. But then this would mean Christ died in vain if we could reform ourselves by law or works.
In view of what you have posted here, what then is your approach to the Beatitudes?
As you know well, the Beatitudes were Our Lord’s opening discourse indicating their great importance; and each of the Beatitudes indicated the benevolence of certain specific actions and attitudes that He wanted His disciples to know and live. Each one also offers a promise of reward.
I also believe that “the law” is written on our hearts, and that as surely as we break one of them, we know in our hearts that we have sinned.
How can we not believe that we are bound to be truthful and avoid lying? How can we not believe that we are bound not to take from another person what is theirs? How can we not know that we sin when we are unfaithful in marriage? And so on.
Our Lord said He came, not to do away with the law, but to fulfill it. That does not excuse us from honoring those laws, which He also told us were written on our hearts.
Yes, we have been redeemed by the Cross, but we are also called to hear the law that is spoken to our hearts.
The Beatitudes call us to a greater refinement of living that out in our daily lives. They are the Lord’s certain counsel on how we are to live and echo the law that is written on our hearts.
Catholics, not the reformed, remember His Life, Death, and Resurrection DAILY at the MASS.
Our Crucifixes show him dying on the cross.
CHEAP GRACE IS THIS DAILY show of FAUX PIETY as the Comfy-chair proselytizers pat themselves on the back pretending to be in a mission field sacrificing their lives to spread the gospel.
This is an anonymous bulletin board. No sweat, no pain, no gain. To Pretend otherwise is SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS.