By Brother Michel Lankford
Opposing the Lawless Grace Fallacies
(1 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)If there is one overhauling fallacy in modern and postmodern Christianity, it is the concept of Lawless Grace.Many modern-day Christians sincerely believe that Paul the apostle supposedly taught that YHWH’s Law was nailed to the cross, and that Christians, “Under Grace,” are now allegedly “free” to do the OPPOSITE of what YHWH’s Laws, Commandments and Instructions tell us to do in the written Torah of YHWH. I established 19 solid biblical arguments as to why this long-standing misguided conclusion CANNOT be true. This is the next installment in that robust series. Fact: Depending on your translation, Paul discussed the concept of holiness at least 42 times in 40 verses of Scripture throughout his writings. The point being that Paul STILL believed that the Biblical concept of holiness MATTERS.
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
As it is written:
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1, NASB95)
Understanding BIBLICAL Holiness
Be HOLY As YHWH is HOLY
HOLINESS IS OUR GOAL THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURES (Examples) 1 Peter 1:14-16 Leviticus 11:44–47 Leviticus 19:2 Leviticus 20:7 Psalm 1 Ephesians 5:1 Matthew 5:48 1 Thessalonians 2:12 1 John 2:6 Philippians 5:8 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
“To be Holy AS YHWH is HOLY, means that we are to SEPARATE things out in the SAME WAY that YHWH SEPARATES things out. As YHWH separates Himself AWAY from certain things, then we likewise must also SEPARATE ourselves AWAY from the SAME things that YHWH separates Himself. If YHWH UNITES Himself to certain other things, we should then likewise UNITE ourselves to those SAME things to which YHWH UNITES Himself. That’s what it means to be HOLY AS YHWH is HOLY”
Failing to Make These Kinds of Holy Separations IS a SIN
- Failing to separate things out as YHWH separates them out is an act of VIOLENCE against YHWH, and His Kingdom.
- It causes people to lose sight of what YHWH considers to be VALUABLE and IMPORTANT.
- Keeping His definitions and His Standards of Holiness is so CRITICAL, because failing to do so, CAUSES people to PROFANE YHWH; and no YAH respecting, or self-respecting believer should be pleased with anything that CAUSES folks to PROFANE the Almighty.
Come out and Be SEPARATED FROM THESE Things:
If you look carefully at 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1, Paul was NOT the least bit ambiguous about what he was telling believers to SEPARATE ourselves FROM:
Did you notice that Paul clearly taught the Gentile born congregation of believers in Corinth that one of the things which believers are REQUIRED to SEPARATE ourselves FROM is LAWLESSNESS? FACT: This is what LAWLESSNESS means according to the New Testament: Greek Strong’s # 458-459 –(ANOMIA Lawlessness IS SIN; 1John 3:4)
- The condition of being without Law
- Being ignorant of the Law
- Violating/ Breaking the Law.
- Having contempt for the Law · “To be destitute or in violation of the Mosaic or Jewish Law“ A.KA.
- Illegality; iniquity; to break, transgress or walk in violation of the Law- (see also 1 John 3:4) (See Thayer’s and Strong’s Lexicons)
FACT: IF Paul was teaching that people should live a lifestyle of walking OUTSIDE of YHWH’s Laws, Commandments and outside of YHWH’s Instructions written in the Torah, then by definition Paul would be PROMOTING LAWLESSNESS. FACT: IF Paul was teaching that people should live a lifestyle of Being IGNORANT of YHWH’s Laws, Commandments, and instructions written in the Torah, then by definition Paul would be PROMOTING LAWLESSNESS. FACT: IF Paul was teaching that people should live a lifestyle of BREAKING or VIOLATING YHWH’s Laws, Commandments Instructions written in the Torah, then by definition Paul would be PROMOTING LAWLESSNESS. FACT: IF Paul was teaching that people should live a lifestyle of having CONTEMPT for YHWH’s Laws, Commandments Instructions written in the Torah, then by definition Paul would be PROMOTING LAWLESSNESS.FACT: IF Paul was teaching that people should live a lifestyle where they should aspire “To be destitute or in violation of the Mosaic or Jewish Law“ A.KA. Illegality; iniquity; to break, transgress or walk in violation of YHWH’s Laws, Commandments Instructions written in the Torah, then by definition Paul would be PROMOTING LAWLESSNESS. FACT: IF Paul was teaching this type of LAWLESSNESS as being GRACE, then Paul would then be preaching the direct OPPOSITE doctrine to what Messiah ALREADY SAID in Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 13:41-42; which means that Paul would be putting his own message above that of Messiah; his master, and he would NOT be a legitimate apostle, (See John 13:16). FACT: IF Paul was teaching this type of LAWLESSNESS as being GRACE, then Paul would then be preaching the direct OPPOSITE doctrine to what Messiah ALREADY SAID; Paul would then be COMMITTING LAWLESSNESS. Paul would then be CAUSING other people to stumble, and to fall into COMMITTING LAWLESS deeds. If Paul is PROMOTING and CAUSING people to commit LAWLESS deeds, then according to MESSIAH, in Matthew 13:41-42, Paul would then be heading to the place of condemnation, to the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. That means that Paul would NOT even be SAVED, let alone an apostle! People simply do not realize the full biblical implication of what they are saying when they claim that Paul was promoting a lawless grace, which Paul was NOT teaching. If Paul taught that lawlessness was grace, then Paul would not even be saved, according to MESSIAH Himself!
FACT: Even Paul told the believers that they should COME OUT and to SEPARATE FROM: Unbelievers Lawlessness (ANOMIA) Darkness Idols Belial, (which is anything demonic). Whatever YHWH considers to be unclean From all filthiness of flesh and spirit (2 Corinthians 6:14-16;7:1) Even Paul the apostle of grace specifically said that these types of people will not inherit the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. So if we are going to be holy as Yahweh is holy we must likewise separate ourselves from these things.FACT: Paul CLEARLY told believers in Corinth that they had to SEPARATE FROM LAWLESSNESS in order to be accepted by YHWH as His Children, (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1). Paul could not be telling Christians to SEPARATE FROM Lawlessness, and then be promoting that they should commit deeds of lawlessness, because they are under grace, at the same time.
Remembering and Valuing the Promise
If we boldly choose to separate ourselves from the things that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, this is what YHWH promises to give us in return:
- We are promised that YHWH WILL WELCOME us.
- We are promised that YHWH will call Himself our Father.
- We are promised that YHWH will consider us to be sons and daughters to HIM.
Is being welcomed by YHWH Almighty, something that you want, and something that you value? Is it important to you that YHWH will call Himself YOUR Father? Is that promise something that you want and that you value? Do you WANT for YHWH to consider YOU to be HIS son or daughter? Is being considered a child of the Almighty Father, something that you value and consider important? If you value these promises, then what are the CONDITIONS to receiving and becoming a partaker in these Great Promises? What does Scripture tell us that we MUST DO, in order to obtain these? We must actively CHOOSE and progressively SEPARATE ourselves from the things that Paul described in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16.FACT: In order to receive the GREAT Promises described in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, we MUST practice progressively coming out and SEPARATING ourselves from the things described in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16.FACT: IF we choose NOT to practice SEPARATING ourselves FROM the things described in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, then that is the SAME as saying that the promises in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, are NOT IMPORTANT, or NOT VALUABLE enough to us to make those required changes in our lives. Whether or not we realize it, that is what you are saying to YHWH, when we refuse to pursue holiness.
Do you really want to tell the Almighty that being considered HIS Child, was NOT a valuable enough promise to motivate you to meet those conditions and to pursue holiness? SERIOUSLY!? YAH Forbid!
Brother Robert Michel Lankford