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P3. A Matter of Righteousness Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” In other words when one is walking in the Spirit, they are living in the nature of Christ, and they crucifying the sin nature -- overcoming any weakness in their flesh where sin, the old man resides – they cannot be condemned. This is part of our sanctification process that lasts until we are called home. Paul explains in Gal 6:7-8: “for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Both Scriptures (Rom.8:1; Gal 6:7-8) are toward Christians. Joseph Prince states “Through Jesus Christ you are no longer under the condemnation of the law.” This is true but this does not negate being intentionally aware of when you sin, unless your searing your own conscience. What about hearing the Holy Spirit convict, (not condemn) you of a sin? What if you, not being under the law have become aware you have sinned? Who has made you aware of sin; the devil? He further says “when you hear the voice of the accuser condemning you, remind yourself that you are the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ” (Destined to Reign). “If you are under condemnation, you are doomed to repeat your sin. (ibid. p.166) Prince makes some good points on this: however, this is why it is important to have cleansing by confessing our sin. The Devil often accuses us if we have not been cleansed when sin has occurred. He will use it to accuse us of unrepentant sin, reminding us and make us feel unworthy. This does not also negate him of accusing us when we are innocent to make us feel guilty; for he lies. “Condemnation robs you of intimacy with God. But the Word of God says, “Worshippers, once purified, would have no more consciousness of sins.” (Destined to Reign p. 113). Yes, until the next time they are aware they have sinned. That is what cleansing is for. But he proposes that this happened when we first believed. Are we instructed to ignore sin when it takes place? God is correcting us to stop a fleshly action and walk in the Spirit. Because the more we ignore it the easier it can become a habit. One of the main reasons the Holy Spirit lives within us to to keep us from sin and practice righteousness. [Here are some quotes on this subject we have already looked at in the second part of this article series] “Beloved, confessing your sins all the time will only make you more sin-conscious.” (Destined to Reign p. 109) “We don’t have to confess our sins in order to be forgiven.” (Destined to Reign p.104). Christians “believe wrongly that the Holy Spirit convicts believers of their sins” (Destined to Reign, p. 139.) “It is the gift of no condemnation that gives people the power to sin no more.” (Prince of Grace,” Charisma) “Believing that you are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus and simply receiving the gift of no condemnation gives you the power to go and sin no more.” (Destined to Reign p.166) Instead Prince says “Jesus says that the Holy Spirit convicts you “of righteousness” (ibid. p.136), not sin. What Prince is saying is that you sin only if you are not under grace, grace [plus knowing your righteousness in Christ] keeps you from all sin. That is a holiness that the bible promises to no one before we are resurrected with immortal sinless bodies. Prince reflects on his Christian background which had a lot of
legalism, desperately striving, in his own strength to be righteous; always
confessing sin and he lived for a long time under the fear that he had committed
the unpardonable sin and being convinced that he was going to hell (Destined
to Reign pp.89, 90). “I
was relentlessly bombarded with feelings of guilt and condemnation”
(ibid. p.160). In his zeal to help people avoid what he went through he goes to the other extreme without being aware of what he is actually proposing. Condemnation is not conviction, these are two different matters. Prince does not make any distinction of them. Condemnation is mentioned about the “laws” ministry (The letter (the law) kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6, 9), and the bible warns about a novice, being puffed up with pride will fall into the same condemnation as the devil. (1 Tim. 3:6). Prince says, “It is the gift of no condemnation that gives people the power to sin no more. Unfortunately, many have flipped the order. They say, ‘Go and sin no more, then we will not condemn you.’ There is no power in that. Experiencing the grace of our Lord Jesus gives people the power to stop sinning.” (Charisma magazine) “People give their lives to sin when they feel rejected and unwanted. But when they know that they are God’s beloved, no temptation can succeed against them.” (Destined to Reign p.296). Really is that the only time they succumb? If this were so then Jesus would not have said to the woman he forgave to go and sin no more (a scripture Prince uses). Prince is saying we can overcome every temptation by having this knowledge of being loved, knowing we are not condemned and having Christ's righteousness? Then why are there so many warnings about temptations and the weakness of our flesh? I have yet to meet anyone who has stopped sinning or sin only because they are rejected or unwanted. The Bible has no reference point to these being the flashpoints. This is what he gives as the solution? “There are both believers and unbelievers who are defeated by guilt and condemnation. But the difference is that a believer, ... can reject any accusation, guilt and condemnation thrown at him by the devil and by his own heart. .. An evil conscience is one that is perpetually conscious of sin and failure, and typically expects punishment. It is a conscience that is under condemnation” (Destined to Reign p. 132). I agree that one is not to constantly focus on our failures but what of a conscience becoming aware of sin? Actually a sensitive alive conscience knows when sin is there. The closer one gets to the Lord and sees his holiness, the more they understand their sinfulness. What Prince is saying is to ignore sin and just concentrate and even speak out your righteousness (a word faith practice). Conviction is not the same as condemnation or guilt. While we should not be condemning ourselves and become filled with guilt neither should we be ignoring the taps of the Holy Spirit to correct our walk and seek cleansing and be filled with the Spirit to overcome any fleshly actions. There is a difference between positional righteousness and
practical holiness, Prince blurs these distinctions We don't become perfect by having the righteousness of Christ but we do experience a noticeable change that continues working through our life; that is our sanctification. I Jn 3:7: “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.” There would be no necessity to practice righteousness if we are righteous as Prince claims. Our righteousness is positional and by our sanctification we are made into the image of His Son (Rom.8:29). Its is by sufferings we are conformed and notice that Paul says we have not attained perfection. Phil. 3:10-12: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” 2 Cor 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Rev. 22:11, 12: “Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” 1 Pt. 4:3, 5 speaks of what we once did “when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.” Eph.4:22-25 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Col. 3:8-9: “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds.” Are these not sins? Paul is teaching that we DO SIN, but wants us to not live in this manner. We have a choice; it is not removed because of grace. Prince is saying however, that we no longer need to struggle with sin as in Romans Chapter seven because we have been made righteous. If we are led by the Spirit, we are no longer under the Law. (Galatians 5:18). The problem is that we are not always led by the Spirit and that we do still sin. “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8). “My friends, God does not require you to search your heart and locate your sins before you can worship Him.´ (Destined to Reign p.173) We are admonished to have a pure heart (in both the old and New Testament) which means to remove sin, to walk correctly. 2 Tim. 2:22 “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 1 Pt. 1:22 also in reference to a pure heart “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth” (which means walking in the light.) B ecause our sins have been punished and forgiven by Christ Prince says “Stop examining yourself and searching your heart for sin. Remember that when someone takes his sin offering to the priest, the priest does not examine him. He examines the sin offering” (ibid. p.187.)2 Corinthians 13, Paul warns those in Corinth to “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” He also tells the same church to examine themselves before they participate in communion so they don’t take it in an unworthy manner. We are told “let each one examine his own work” (Gal 6:4). Prince: “If our forgiveness depends on our cognizant of our sin, to catch and confess it then the will not be a real insurance in our hearts because it depends on me being aware of it.” His solution is that you become unaware of your sin, ignore it. But knowledge of the truth is needed to walk in the light of truth I Jn 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This is following a pattern that John has been teaching, John 3:20-21: “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” So the light exposes what is not of God, what is sin. John writes “Not all walk in truth” 2 Jn 1:4: “I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received the commandment from the Father.” The Bible has many warnings that Christians should be knowledgeable on what is sin, not by ignoring it but by being responsible, actively resisting it. In Eph.5:14-17: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Heb. 12:1: “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,.” How does one do this if they are training themselves to be unaware of it? “Believers are often exhorted to repent from sin. However, in the New Testament we are actually exhorted to repent from dead works. You see, sin is simply the fruit, dead works are the root…. Dead works are not sins. They are the religious things people do, thinking that by doing these things, they are gaining righteousness with God.” (Destined to Reign p.234) Prince states that we are not told to repent from sins but from dead works. That we do not need to be concerned about our sins but accept that we are right before God. Is this true? Dead works are mentioned only twice in the New Testament, in Heb. 6:1 not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. Dead works are anything done without faith a principle that was formed in the Old Testament under the law. Paul using the example of eating food states. “for whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23), i.e. dead works. Christians can do dead works too, works not of the spirit. Dead works is also found in Heb. 9:14, having to do with the blood cleansing our conscience. Dead works are are works of the flesh. Sin is not the fruit as Prince states, but the root. Dead works are produced by the root –the flesh or sin. Mt. 3:8 states to “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance”. Turning from one's sinful behavior is fruit. Is Grace given without repentance In the parable of the Prodigal Son in (Luke 15:11-32). Prince
believes repentance was NOT required because the Father was looking for his son
and he had compassion before he repented (Luke 15:20). I don’t understand how he
can miss this. Luke 15:17-21: “But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many
of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with
hunger! 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I
have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be
called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”' “And he arose and
came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him
and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”And the son
said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no
longer worthy to be called your son.” Prince states, repentance is simply “changing your mind” (Destined to Reign p.233) “The word 'repent' is the Greek word metanoeo, which according to Thayer's Greek Lexicon, simply means 'to change one's mind'. ... repentance just means changing your minds. But because of our own religious upbringing, many of us have the impression that repentance is something that involves mourning and sorrow. However, that is not what the Word of God says. Repentance just means changing your mind... When you begin to receive the revelation that you are no longer under the old covenant of law, but are now under the new covenant of grace, the bible calls that repentance!” (p.233, 234)Repentance Prince defines as recieving revelation that you are not under law. I would like to see what Scripture is used for this. To the believers in Corinth: 2 Cor 7:8-9: “For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.” For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.”Repentance may not always involve being sorrowful but that does not mean it never does. And repentance is a necessary element for those who are both unsaved and saved. Paul writes to the church 2 Cor. 12:21: “lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.” Here Paul wants their behavior changed. Besides not believing we are to repent from sin, Prince also states that Paul didn't preach repentance and that it should not be preached today. However, Paul did preach repentance. See Acts 17:29-31; 20:20-22; 26:19-21, 2 Cor. 7:2-12; Eph 4:17-24; 2 Tim 2:19-21; Titus 2:11-15). It is not necessary to see the word repentance in Scripture to know what is meant, we see it in action in numerous examples. Col 3:8-10: “But now you yourselves are to put off all these:
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie
to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put
on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who
created him” There is a Greek and Jewish meaning to repentance. The Jewish writers of the Scripture used Hebrew patterns in the Greek; change your mind and change your direction. Repent, which was an appeal to “change your mind.” The accusation that Jesus was demon-possessed and not the Messiah (Matt. 12:22-45) brought the nation under judgment, to be removed from this judgment was done by repentance - an action. To be baptized publically proved they had true repentance. Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). In By being baptized showed true repentance, and they would: receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we see repentance is not just changing your mind but also to
willfully turn from one thing to another, it produces an action.
Repentance means to turn away from what is
sin; from your former conduct whether it is before you are saved or after you
are saved. The Bible refutes his position of ONLY
'to change one's mind' and not
to turn away from sin and towards God when necessary. Even though repentance is
not mentioned in every salvation message to believe is, and it encompasses not
just an assent to the gospel but changing ones life by following Jesus. The Spirit represents Christ; He is another like Christ sent to the church. John writes, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” is repeated several times in the book of Revelation. We find the Spirit is correcting and rebuking many churches, warning them of judgment: The Christians at Ephesus, were warned what would happen if they didn't repent. Having the lampstand shows that they are part of the church. “repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place-- unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5). This repentance has to do with an activity, behavior. “And repent kai (NT:2498) metanoeeson (NT:3198). First aorist active imperative of metanoeoo (NT:3198), urgent appeal for instant change of attitude and conduct before it is too late (from Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament).John also by the Holy Spirit writes to the church of Ladiciea Rev. 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” To the church in Sardis Rev. 3:3: “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.” Rev.2:15-16 to church in Pergamos He tells “those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans to “Repent.” Rev 2:18-21 to the church in Thyatira a prophetess, was seducing people into sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. V.21”And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.” God required the churches to repent. All the churches the Lord wanted to correct are told to repent. How Prince can say this the Bible does not teach this is perplexing. There are many more examples that Prince has ignored to build his “unique” grace teaching without repentance, clearly he is wrong.“There are still people who insist that we have to preach on repentance. Well, I disagree! I think we should do it God’s way – preach the goodness of God and allow the goodness of God to lead people to repentance. Such repentance will be true repentance. It will not be motivated by the fear of judgment and indignation. It will be a genuine repentance that is motivated by His grace, unconditional love and compassion.” (p.232) I agree we don’t preach on repentance by itself, but Christ. But it is a requirement for the unsaved to repent to be saved. Prince is so against repentance that he neglects seeing that this is how the church was started. Acts 2:38 the first sermon spoken under the new covenant Peter is speaking to unbelievers to repent. Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted. Lk. 24:47: “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” It is the same message the apostles gave when Jesus was training them, “So they went out and preached that people should repent” (Mark 6:12) as Jesus said “unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3-4). So much for fear of judgment A person cannot have faith in the gospel if there is no accompanying repentance. Both justifying faith as well as repentance is necessary (not just changing one’s mind as Prince claims- but also includes a turning away from sins and towards Christ. The only place the phrase “the goodness of God to lead people to repentance” is used is in Romans 2:3-7: “And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds” The very scripture he refers to shows the what is waiting if one does not repent – judgment. If it is only the Goodness of God that leads us to repentance, and not an awareness of our offense to God (sin), then what are we repenting of? In other words we cannot separate them The goodness is his forgiveness of what we have done. Even if we accept the narrow interpretation that to repent means to only change one’s mind. What are we changing our mind of? To authentically change your mind about sin is what is required. It means not wanting to do it any more, to change ones behavior, that is repentance. THE LAW and the believer and unbeliever Legalists are Nomianists. They will say we are saved by grace but we have to keep the Old Testament laws as an addition to either justify or sanctify us. That it is necessary or salvation cannot be assured. On the other end of the spectrum there are Antinomians, those that believe that we have no laws or commands to keep. Prince says “I have been accused of being an antinomian (someone who is against the law of Moses). The truth is I have the highest regard for the law. And it precisely because I have the highest regard for the law that I know that no man can keep the law… It is us grace preachers who have the highest regard for the law!… I am for the law, for the purpose for which God gave the law… God did not give the law for us to keep. He gave the law to bring man to the end of himself, so that he would see his need for a Saviour” (p.122-3) It is true, Paul referred to the Law was a “schoolmaster” (Gal. 3:24) until faith comes. But a statement like this needs to have a qualification. Prince quickly dismisses the Law, saying that mixing the Law with grace is perverting the Gospel of Christ. However how does one who has not believed know they are a sinner except by the law, which shows them that they are breaking the moral law of God. How does a believer know when he has sin, transgressed; by the Spirit quickening him, by the the New Testament commands which mentions the moral laws that were there even before Moses gave the law. I Jn 5: 17: “All unrighteousness is sin,” Christ is our standard. Paul whom also wrote about grace stated in Rom. 3:20: “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” While Prince makes a number of points on grace he also misapplies the laws usefulness for preaching. For Paul says 1 Tim. 1:9 the Law is necessary (its primary use) is now for unbelievers to see their sin, that they are unrighteous. The Gospel is given after the Law has done its work, convicting one of sin. The Holy Spirit is the one that convicts the believer of sin by using the failure of morality so one understand their condition of being sinful. The Holy Spirit can convict of sins not mentioned by the law. If one only preached the Ten Commandments it would make you a “preacher of death”, but if one uses the commandments to show a persons need for the savior and then gives the gospel as the solution then Princes postulations are wrong. If we are already righteous and holy because of Christ then we are not required to keep New Testament commandments (the law of Christ) either. In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:21 He said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; In John 14:23 He said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word [which contains His commandments], and in John 15:10 He said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love.” These are the New Testament commandments that include the moral law. Clearly we have a part in doing something even though there is grace. We believe that Jesus Died on the Cross for our sins... that we are under grace, not law (Rom.6:14)...But to be under grace does not mean when you sin you should lack any awareness of it and not confess it or have no consequence from God. Grace is always there but as Paul says in Rom. 6:1: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” No judgment for the believers or the world “a merciful God would not Judge America or any other country because of what was done at the cross (Destined To Reign p. 49). Have America and all countries sins already been judged at the cross?Prince is saying that there will be no judgment for countries, not now or later when Jesus comes again. Jesus said there would be. Luke 17:26, 27: “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: …the flood came and destroyed them all.” God sent the flood… “Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” (Mark 6:11; Matt 10:15) God sends his wrath on sin and rebellion in the Tribulation, recorded in the book of Revelation, an entire book on the judgments that will be forthcoming on Nations and people Rev. 11:18 “The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come.” Rev. 19:15 “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.” When Jesus returns, Mt. 25:32: “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.” Then there is his teaching that disasters does not come from God, speaking on the increase of earthquakes worldwide since 2001: “God did not send the earthquakes, God does not send disasters. When God sends an earthquake no one dies. In the New Testament every chain is loose every prisoner is set free. God is in the business of saving not killing in the New Covenant.” (Program 210 Daystar Sept.14, 2011). That is quite a claim, so then God is not in control? Of course he had to try and qualify it under the new covenant. Yet he overlooked that in Rev.6:12 a great earthquake occurs when the 6th seal is opened and in Rev. 8:5 the angel of God makes an earthquake by himself? No, by following God’s instructions. In Rev.16:18 the greatest earthquake the world has seen occurs from God. Near the conclusion of the book he writes “I have shown you that under the dispensation of grace, God is not judging you with sickness, diseases or accidents. Because of Jesus’ finished work at the cross, He will never be angry with you nor rebuke you even when you fail.” (Destined to Reign p. 302). Prince takes the position that God cannot ever be displeased with us. Certainly, God does not judge us for our sin like he would the world, but this does not exclude God chastening the believer because of His personal love and care to do what is necessary to correct us. He can use various means such as trials and even sickness to chasten and correct us. Prince takes the position only Satan brings sickness, and judges as do other word faith teachers. This is false. God must allow it for it to even be possible in our lives. He did the same in the Old Testament and grace does not remove this (see 2 Chronicles 21:14-15; Jeremiah 30:15-17; Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit Acts 5). To the church of Ladiciea Rev 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” Hebrews 12:5-11: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” He chastens us because of His love and it is proof we are truly his. Hebrews 12:7 upomenete (NT:5219). Present active indicative or present active imperative and so just “endure for chastening .”(from Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament)As the Psalmist writes 4:12: “Blessed is the man the Lord disciplines.” Discipline to correct is promised to EVERY son he loves. So if Prince is teaching that we do not have this take place then he is making illegitimate sons according to the Word of God.We are to be subject to God, submissive, not reigning (which will come in the millennial kingdom). “For the believer, God’s throne is not a throne of judgment. It is a throne of grace, a throne of unmerited favor.” (Unmerited Favor, p.298) It would be good if he gave the scripture because here what it says about this. Rom. 14:10 “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” 2 Cor. 5:10 :“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Doesn’t sound like what he is saying at all. “The moment you accepted Jesus, God have you an eternal ‘A+’ for your right standing with Him.” (Unmerited Favor, p.313) Is there is nothing you can do that God considers wrong? While we are given a right standing when we believe this does not mean God overlooks sin or disobedience. Does Prince think the Lord will hand out to all an A+ at judgment seat? The fact is that we will be graded by the works we do. Some may enter without any reward because of their lack of works, but this is not to be our goal. 1 Cor. 3:13-15: “each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”'You and I are not saved because we have enduring faith. We are saved because at a moment in time we expressed faith in our enduring Lord. Notice how Paul ends this passage: 'It [our salvation] is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast' (Eph. 2:8-9)” (Destined to Reign p. 78.) (underline mine) Our Faith is not a one time event. We must continue to have faith in Christ. If it is true faith it will be maintained. Here is what Paul said 2 Tim. 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” He is explaining about finishing the race as in a marathon, that is, to remain committed and faithful to Jesus to the end, even unto death. The Bible teaches that we can stray concerning the faith (1 Tim. 6:20-21) this is why we are told to “Watch, stand fast in the faith” (1 Cor. 16:13) holding to the gospel “by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-- unless you believed in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:2). We will be presented holy and blameless in his sight “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Col 1:22-23) Romans 1:17: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Not by grace but by faith. Through each trial we learn and grow more. God works His nature in us, and takes out what is not pleasing to him at the same time. This is why it says in Heb. 10:36: “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” Heb. 12:1-2: “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”
p.4 Prince’s WORD FAITH TEACHING imbedded in grace
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