First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. (Acts 26:20—NIV)

God's grace is His virtue, wisdom, and power operating through the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive people their sins and then turn them away from sinful behavior and make them new righteous creations, living a holy life, sternly obedient to the Father. Any other definition, especially one that counts the believers as righteous when they are living in sin, is more of Satan than of God.

No, the definition of Divine grace as "unmerited favor" is so grossly unbalanced as to be horribly destructive of the Kingdom of God. Paul must be turning over in his grave like a pinwheel in a hurricane.

The essence of the new covenant is change. We have been predestined to be changed—changed into the image of the Lord Jesus. This means we are to be filled with iron righteousness, fiery holiness, stern obedience to the Father, courage, love, joy, peace, infinite patience, and self-control. We are to be like our Father in these aspects.

Change is painful and unsettling. But until we are changed from our adamic, sinful lusts and self-seeking we are neither competent nor qualified to return with the Lord Jesus Christ and establish the Kingdom of God on the earth.

Are you changing each day? Are you walking in continual repentance, always looking to the Lord Jesus so the Holy Spirit may guide you in putting to death the deeds of your sinful nature? If not, you are not being changed. You are not being saved, because salvation is change.

Are you walking in the light of God's Person and will? To walk in the light is to pray each day, read your Bible, gather together with fervent saints, present your body a living sacrifice, to give of your means as you are able, to obey the written Word as well as the Word given to you personally.

If you are walking in the light of God's Presence at every moment you are having fellowship with the Father, and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is cleansing you from all unrighteousness.

But if you are not praying each day, are not reading your Bible, are not gathering together with fervent saints, are not presenting your body a living sacrifice, are not giving of your means as you are able, are not obeying the written Word as well as the Word of God given to you personally, then you are not having fellowship with the Father. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is not cleansing you from all unrighteousness.

What I have just written is the true grace of God. The grace of God being preached today in Christian churches is, more often than not, Satan's interpretation of grace. Satan loves the current interpretation because then he can do as he will with the personalities of the believers because they think God is seeing them only through Christ (an unscriptural concept).

Will we American Christians ever recover from our present delusion concerning God's grace in Christ? Perhaps we shall, but we may have to suffer incredible judgments before we are willing to admit we have been mistaken.

To be continued.