Okay, is this in the Bible? - "His punishment leads us to repentance." NO! I've often felt that if bad things happened, it must be because I'd backslidden somehow and that awful thing was meant to beat me back into line. Yet punishments and sufferings aren't the method God really uses to change our minds about Him: love and grace are what work wonders to soften hearts and change people's minds to believe the truth! It's been the revelation that He loves me even when I fail that has brought the biggest mind change to me! The truth is: "His kindness leads us to repentance."
Here's another one: now what "bible" is this from? - "Christ was our tutor to bring us to the law." WHAT? It almost seems I've believed that the purpose of Christ saving me was for me to be under law, works, behavior modification, and the whole system of self-effort and performance. But that is just not what scripture says! Christ didn't come to put us back under the law but to free us from it! The law had a purpose - it shut up everyone under disobedience in preparation for Christ to come and redeem us. For the truth is that "The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ," and after we've arrived at Christ, we no longer need a tutor!
Perhaps you've heard this famous "verse" - "Grace came that sin might abound." NO! That's not what it says! The biggest lie told about grace is the idea that it promotes and stirs up sin. Grace doesn't stir up sin, it gives us confidence that we're accepted by God no matter what our sin - and that makes us to want to LOVE God and not sin! Grace empowers us by showing us we're free from sin's hold, and the true righteous identity we've had all along begins to surface. Thus, grace promotes righteous living, not sin! And it turns out that law promotes sin: the strength of sin is the law and by the law is the knowledge of sin. Yet grace super-abounds beyond every sin! The truth is that while "the law entered that the offense (sin) might abound," grace abounded even more and trumped sin. Praise God for grace!
And lastly, there is this popular "scripture" - "The law teaches us to live godly in Christ Jesus." NO WAY! Boy, have I lived as if this were true, that the way to live a pleasing life before God was to learn what to do and try to do it - but that's law, pure and simple. Hearing commands to do something (or else) does not bring about a godly lifestyle. It's grace that sets the heart free to soar in godliness, for grace shows us we're accepted as we are and frees us to trust Christ to live in us the godly life only He can live! The truth is that "Grace teaches us to live godly in Christ Jesus."
I am so thankful to God for the way He refutes lies with His truth! It's liberating to find out the wonderful truth after living under the fearful burden of lies for so long.. The good news is REALLY good!
With love,
