"They (the members of the churches of Galatia) which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

"Yes, but we must remember the love and grace of God!" Nonsense! Those who walk in the flesh either inherit the Kingdom of God or they do not. All attempts to soften the force of Paul's warning serve only to corrupt God's Word. There is no middle ground here, no opportunity to "balance" the admonition with appeals to mercy and grace.

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. (I John 3:15)

Repeated reminders of God's mercy have no bearing whatsoever on the force of this warning to Christian believers. No believer who hates another believer or any person for that matter, has eternal life dwelling in his personality.

One could balance an emphasis on the need to live a victorious life by stating that the Lord Jesus has led the way before us and will help us on to victory if we look to Him. We can balance a stress on the effort we ourselves need to make with the passages that offer God's assistance and the assurance that if we go down to defeat in the battle, God will always forgive us and encourage and assist us as we make an attempt to get back up on our feet and fight on.

But one ought never to attempt to balance I John 3:15 (above) by saying even though we hate and will not forgive another person, God loves us so much that He will bring us to Paradise anyway.

Can you see the difference between offering encouragement to the believer who is struggling against sin, on the one hand, and assuring the careless, lukewarm "believer" that God's love, mercy, and grace will forgive his carelessness, worldliness, moral filthiness, rebellion, and self-will, on the other hand?

This is not a case of offering a healthy balance. Rather it is a diluting of God's warnings so the Word of God becomes invalid. "God has said you shall die but you shall not surely die."

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:7,8)

"Oh, but we must remember God's grace!" Either the Word is true or it is not. The above passage is not to be "balanced" with reminders of God's love. God is as severe as He is loving. The eternal truth remains: the believer in Christ who does not bear the fruit of righteousness in his personality and behavior will be cut out of the Vine—out of Christ. His name will be blotted from the Book of Life if he does not turn and gain victory through the Lord.

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5)

To be continued.