Whereas the Apostle Paul presented Divine grace as an alternative to the Law of Moses, we of today are viewing Divine grace as an alternative to righteous behavior. In so doing we have totally misunderstood the Apostle Paul and have created moral shipwreck.

Constructed on this unscriptural foundation has been the excessive emphasis on the love of God, the pre-tribulation "rapture" of the believers, the "faith" and "prosperity" messages, and now the doctrine of "reconstructionism"—the notion that Christians are to establish the Kingdom of God on earth before the Lord returns (but the world will not be changed to righteous behavior until the Christians are changed to righteous behavior!).

The current error, that the Christian salvation is a set of beliefs and confessions that provide release from Hell and entrance into Paradise after one's death has one objective, as seen from the standpoint of Satan: to prevent the believers from understanding that when we truly are abiding in Christ we will bear the fruit of righteous behavior. Also, that if we do not bear the fruit of righteous behavior we will be cut out of Christ, out of the Vine of God.

Salvation is our change from the old man to the new man, a new creature. The old man was Adam. The new man is the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from this transformation there is no salvation. In fact, salvation is the change from unrighteousness to righteousness.

To question whether we can keep on sinning and still "go to Heaven by grace" is to reveal that the one asking the question is ignorant of the goal and program of salvation.

The issue is not whether or not we will go to Paradise when we die. The issue is whether we will or will not be a part of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we do not abide in Christ now, in this life, and bring forth the righteous fruit of the new creation, we will be removed from the Vine by the Father.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2)

John 15:2 alone destroys the basis of the current teaching of grace. For this reason some teachers of today are insisting we are not bound by the Words of the Lord in the four Gospels because they were spoken before His crucifixion and resurrection, and that the teachings of the Apostle Paul supersede the teachings of the Son of God.

It could never be true that the words of a human apostle would supersede the words of the Lord Jesus. The truth is, Paul's teaching and the teaching of the Lord Jesus are identical. There is no difference between them. How could there be when the Lord Jesus was living in Paul? It is just that we have misunderstood Paul.

Notice also:

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; (Hebrews 3:14)

The issue is not Paradise, it is being made a partaker of Christ. Being made a partaker of Christ depends on whether we place our trust in the Lord Jesus and then walk every day in Him until the end of our discipleship on earth.

How could anything be clearer? Yet today's teaching is presenting a legal state of ascribed righteousness that makes salvation primarily a mental adherence to doctrinal principles instead of a transformation of the human being from unrighteous behavior to righteous behavior.

To be continued.