The Book of Hebrews exhorts us to enter God's rest. Entering God's rest does not mean we no longer pray, no longer serve the Lord diligently and intensely. Rather, entering God's rest requires that we diligently and intensely seek God's will, not attempting to force the outcome by presumptuous faith or by any other means.

By prayer we press into the finished work, into God's rest. Sometimes we pray to be healed of an affliction. More often than not (although not always!) it is God's will to heal us immediately. On other occasions the answer is delayed and we must abide patiently in the Lord until the answer comes fully and perfectly.

The incorrect approach of presumptuous faith (step out and do great things "for God"!) has become popular in our day because man is becoming a lover of himself. Man is determined to seize power, and if he can force God to move he will do so. Christianity is becoming man-centered. Salvation, and Christ's love, are being viewed as our natural right—things that God owes us. We hear people speak of God standing ready to do our bidding—and we shudder! We have lost the fear of God. The servants are ready to take dominion over their Lord. Indeed, these are perilous times!

Some are claiming "It is all true by grace." The fact that I believe in Christ makes it so. His perfection is imputed (ascribed) to me." Others are saying "It is all true now regardless of how it appears or what I do." The grace approach is correct until it is carried beyond its appointed bounds. Then it becomes a truly destructive error. It results in calling Jesus "Lord" while not doing what He says.

The "it is all true by grace" approach to salvation is by far the most widely held concept of present-day Christians. There are a few passages written by Paul (by no means the majority of passages) that appear to support the "grace" approach. But it is evident that the overemphasis on "grace," at the expense of the continuing transformation of the personality of the believer in the present world, is the most important reason for the current deplorable state of the Christian churches, for the doctrinal errors that recently have entered them.

What Paul meant by grace and what the churches today mean by "grace" are two significantly different understandings of the term.

Perhaps some theologians are correct in their definition of grace. But the majority of Christian believers interpret the theologians to mean Divine grace is an unconditional, continuing pardon of their sins.

They make a profession of "faith in Christ." From now on God keeps on forgiving their sins no matter how they behave (they believe) and will take them to Heaven when they die where they will live forever in Paradise. An incorrect interpretation of John 14:2 has added "mansions" to this concept.

Even a cursory review of the writings of the Apostles would reveal there certainly is something lacking here.

To be continued.