We are entering an age of moral horrors. Our traditions will be burned away by the frightful events of the future. But the Word of God, the written Word, will stand.

We need to go back and test every one of our traditions against the Word. If we cannot find what we believe stated clearly in context, and in more than one place in the Bible, without having to cut and paste verses to support our axioms, if we cannot read a chapter or two and just let truth stand in plain sight, then we need to think carefully about the wisdom of clinging to our traditions.

I think the most damaging tradition of all is the concept that God sees us through Christ. The inference is that God does not observe our behavior because the righteousness of Christ clothes us in such a manner as to make our actual conduct invisible to God.

Perhaps this concept came from the idea that when we place our faith in Christ and follow the Spirit of God the righteousness of Christ is ascribed to us. This is true, but it does not mean if we turn away from the Spirit and walk in the flesh, as is the custom in the American churches it appears, that the righteousness of Christ is still ascribed to us.

There is no verse in the New Testament that states or implies God does not see our behavior. In fact, numerous passages warn us that if we continue to sin we will kill our new spiritual life. "I know your deeds!"

It would be impossible to even estimate the damage that has been done to the work of God by the erroneous teaching that Divine grace covers the believer who is living according to his bodily passions, that grace is an apology for his misbehavior and an alternative to righteous conduct.

Christianity is not, however, a set of beliefs that we embrace. Our beliefs are useful only as they bring us to the living Lord Jesus. God is looking for righteous, holy, obedient conduct on the part of His people. Such conduct is produced as we abide in Christ.

So the answer to all we have written in this brief article, and all we have written in other places, is union with the Lord Jesus Christ in all that He is. If we strive to really know Christ, forgetting all else, we will live in God's Presence now and after we die. To continue in union with Jesus we must be absolutely obedient in all we know to be God's will for us. Also we must make our physical body our slave. If we do not, our body will make us its slave.

It is time for the Christians in America to repent, to turn from our wicked ways, to humble ourselves before the Lord. If we do this God will heal our land.

But if we continue in our grace-rapture-Heaven, grace-rapture-Heaven, foolishness, not laying down our life, not denying ourselves, not taking up our cross and following the Lord Jesus, not remaining patiently in the prison where God has placed us, then we can be certain we are looking forward to weeping and gnashing of teeth, whether in this present life or in the life to come. (from Judging the Living and the Dead)