Let us say there is a Christian family, a father, mother, and two boys. The couple have been married ten years.

The father is not particularly interested in church or "spiritual" matters. He attends on Sunday morning and really loves the Lord. The rest of the time he wants to sit at home and read the paper or go fishing with his boys.

The wife is the demonstrative type. In her enthusiasm she goes from this Bible study to that with her Christian friends. When she is in church, she enthusiastically enters in to whatever the church culture regards as spiritual. She is a happy, outgoing person, confident she is quite spiritual.

You see, she feels her husband is not as "spiritual."

She meets a young man who also is "spiritual." He sings beautifully. He is very active in the same religious culture.

Her husband obviously (from her point of view) is not a good match for her. He is not spiritual. She is spiritual.

Now her understanding of grace comes into focus along with her personal integrity and faithfulness.

She may think, "If I leave my husband and boys and run off with this future preacher I do not know whether the Lord will be pleased or not." (This is the current understanding of the Consuming Fire of Israel.)

"I know the Lord is a loving God and wants me to be happy. I know I am saved by grace, so even if I displease the Lord I (and maybe my young man) will go to Heaven to live in a mansion. I will say there are irreconcilable differences (meaning I am not happy) and the judge will understand. "Maybe I will get custody of my (not our) boys. I know my boyfriend will love them. He is so understanding."

Isn't God wonderful? Such love! Such mercy!

Of course, the husband and two boys may not see it quite that way when Mother becomes a femme fatale and leaves home.

But if she understood the true grace of God she would think another way: "I want to run off with this spiritual, handsome young man so badly I can hardly stand it. And I just know he loves me!

"I gave my word at the altar of God. What if Jesus were standing before me. What would He say?

"I just can't leave my family even though I don't "love" my husband anymore. I will pray. I will go to the Throne of God in prayer and ask for grace to help me remain faithful to my husband and children."

What do you think about these two different understandings of the purpose of grace? The one presents grace as a fire escape. The other presents grace as the Divine strength and virtue from Christ to enable us to do what is righteous.

Which is it? What do you say?

In case you are wavering, let us hasten to say that if the woman leaves her family and marries the young seducer she very well may alter her eternal destiny. After her new marriage turns to ashes and the young man begins to play the field again she may decide to return to the Lord. Let me tell you it will be several years before she begins to find God at all—if she ever does!

This is the result of the preaching of grace as an eternal amnesty. Don't tell me it does not work out this way. You're too late. I have already witnessed it.

To be continued.