"Christianity Lite"

Church Family: There has been a movement in the American Church for several decades to embrace an alternative to true biblical Christianity. It is a watered down version, a so called “Christianity Lite." Christianity Lite says, “Jesus loves you, so do whatever you want to do.” Christianity Lite makes the statement, “Let’s all continue in sin that grace may abound” (Romans 6:1-2). So, Paul responds to this Christianity Lite thinking with a firm and emphatic, No!” Absolutely not! If you think that you should continue in sin that grace may abound then you do not understand the purpose of God's omnipotent grace.

The gospel of God's omnipotent grace does not lead you into wanting to sin all the more that grace may abound. The purpose of God’s grace is to rescue from the dominion and power of sin. God’s grace rescues you from the dominion, power and rule of sin and gives you a new citizenship into the dominion, power and rule of His grace (Colossians 1:13-14). Paul says it this way, living in the kingdom and reign of grace means that “you have died to sin." Grace removes you from sin's dominion power and rule over your life.

Being "dead to sin" is the work of our loving God. He rescued you from the domain and power of sin and death by the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. That rescue makes you dead to the dominion and power of sin because you are now under the dominion and power of the omnipotent grace of God (Romans 5:21). The reign of God’s grace is infinitely more powerful than the reign of sin and death. God's grace is always ready to rescue from sin and death

So, if by God's grace we are rescued from the reign of sin and death and we are declared to be "dead to sin", why do we still wrestle with the powerful temptation to sin? Well, the answer is like this. The ruler of the kingdom of sin and death, Satan, calls out to you spiritually as he roams around the outskirts of God's kingdom of grace on earth. Satan yells out to you as you are enjoying God's rescue, His promises and His provision in God's kingdom. Satan calls out to you to forget about your King, your citizenship and your good King's loving rule over you so that you embrace and enjoy some of the sins and gimmicks that are available under Satan's dominion and power. And what do we do sometimes? We neglect our citizenship in God's Kingdom of grace, we turn from our loving King and we listen to Satan. We fall for his prowling accusations that sin is better than our position in God's reigning grace. Satan cannot touch us as citizens of God's kingdom but he can call out to us. He cannot reign over us but he can make us miserable as we live in God's kingdom.

Christianity Lite proclaims that you can live in God's kingdom of grace and still enjoy the dominion and power of the sin of Satan's Kingdom. This is not possible. Because of Christ's work, God declares that we are dead to the reign of sin in our life. Sometimes we find ourselves struggling with the influence of sin but we have died to the reign and rule of sin (1 John 3:9-10). God calls us to present ourselves to Him in His kingdom as those who have been brought from spiritual death to spiritual life. We are called to present ourselves to God as instruments for righteousness (Romans 6:13-14). Enjoy God's kingdom of reigning grace and resist the devil as he flees from you (James 4:7).

See you Sunday, dead to sin, Steve