He started off his teaching on the purity of love. If there are reasons for love, it means that there are conditions. I love you IF ...., you get the drift. That's human love.
On the other hand, God's love or God's kind of love is unconditional. A man, for example, is to love his wife redemptively, sacrificially and unconditionally. Yes, a man is to love his wife as Christ loves His church. God is love. Pure love is redemptive, sacrificial and unconditional. These constitute grace, and we need solid-food teaching in the Body of Christ on grace (and much more) to ground and establish us in the eternal Word of God. And, live life as God has intended for us; His Words are Spirit and Life.
Before the advent of Christ, we have the law which constitute the rules that govern human conduct. The law of Moses is a complete system lacking nothing. When Jesus came, He elevated the Mosaic laws and raised the bar for He examines and deals with the intent of our hearts. It is already a sin when we conceive it in our minds before we decide whether to proceed with it or not!
In the Kingdom of Christ, we are blessed and highly favoured. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. We are now in this window of time called the dispensation of God's grace.
Grace is an expression of God's love and graciousness is the quality of being warm hearted, considerate, affectionate, forgiving and sympathetic. With grace, what we believes determines what we receive whereas the law is merit and performance based.
In the account from John 8:1-12 on the woman caught in the very act of adultery with the male counterpart conspicuously left off the hook, the Law (Pharisees) accuses and wanted to know what Grace (Jesus) would say. Jesus said, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Dr. Bernard summarized that:
1) Jesus did not dispute the charges;
2) Jesus gave her protection from the accusations of the law;
3) Jesus gave her dignity;
4) Jesus offered her forgiveness;
5) Jesus released her from condemnation; and
6) Jesus made a demand on her lifestyle ("go and sin no more").
I think the biggest slice of takeaway from this message for the Body of Christ is that SIN HAS CONSEQUENCES as certain quarters of believers may be over-emphasizing grace to the point where sin is like a mere mosquito-bite to be soothed by the balm of Christ's blood.
As recorded in John 5:14 after Jesus had healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had an infirmity thirty-eight years, He cautioned him, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."
With humility, fear and trembling, I submit the following 2 Scripture verses which shed further light that sin has consequences, too, even after we have come to an initial saving knowledge of Jesus Christ:
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted
the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have
tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall
away,to renew them again
to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put
Him to an open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6; NKJV)
"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”says the Lord.And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31; NKJV)
"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”says the Lord.And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31; NKJV)
The call remains remain for us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus. More grace to love people into the kingdom of God and more knowledge for us to stay in the Kingdom of God till Christ comes again. And, to be mindful that grace makes a demand on our lifestyle. For we were bought at a price so as to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are
God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:20; NKJV)
P/s: This article is adapted from Dr Bernard's sermon at City Harvest Church on 18 January 2014 and, if you are interested, please proceed to procure a CD copy from The Ink Room.
