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Taking the land of Purity and Holiness:

Saving the harlot!

For by Grace...

Prevenient Grace or Convenient Grace

It is not by chance that the first battle to be fault on the other side of the jordan was the battle of jericho. It is also not by chance that God made provision for a harlot in that city simply for fearing the Great God Jehovah. It is my firm opinion that the time spent in the wilderness of this life has desensitized us and God has to teach us how to deal with it by rescuing a harlot. It's simply a picture of what we have become. It's time to deal with in head on!

We have been sold a bill of goods. This duration of time spent in the wilderness has damaged our convictions and faith concerning purity and a holiness. The wilderness is a place of Idolatry and perversions of every kind and we have embraced this corrupt behavior by calling it natural.

Let me first start by admitting that i am guilty as charged. Guilty of every sin represented by wilderness life. I too baught the lie that some of these things we are born with and will fall prey to from time to time due to human frailty. God for bid! I have just started reading a book by Steve Gallagher called "At The Altar Of Sexual Idolatry", in reading this book, I have seen the root of my own problems that have plagued me for years. It's me! It's not some generational curse that has crippled me and left me lame for the rest of my life. It is simply my unwillingness to surrender to God.

Here in lies the problem. We have taught for years that the frail condition of mankind is so desperately in need of redemption on a daily that we will only truly be free when we shed this skin for good. And I tell you the truth that it is the greatest lie this side of eternity. Once you have been reckoned as dead in Christ, you also have to be raised in His likeness. It is mindset that has frustrated the grace of God. Read Colosians 3:1-11

And Just what is this Grace of God  and how did we get to know it?

There’s an old hymn that talks about grace:

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Refrain:
Grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!

2. Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
threaten the soul with infinite loss;
grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
points to the refuge, the mighty cross.
(Refrain)

3. Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
brighter than snow you may be today.
(Refrain)

4. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?
(Refrain)

      There is a theological term called prevenient grace it means:

Prevenient grace is the “preparing” grace of God that is dispensed to all,¹⁵ enabling a person to respond to the invitation of the gospel. Prevenient grace may be defined as “that grace which ‘goes before’ or prepares the soul for entrance into the initial state of salvation. It is the preparatory grace of the Holy Spirit exercised toward man helpless in sin. As it respects the guilty, it may be considered mercy; as it respects the impotent, it is enabling power. It may be defined, therefore, as that manifestation of the divine influence which precedes the full regenerate life.”

    In this realm of thought, we see that there is a grace that is offered to those who are completely lost in sin. Because of the separation that sin causes, God has to reach out to man in his lost state. This is accomplished by the person of the Holy Spirit. I believe that we have a lot of people, and until recently myself included, who go no further than the providence of prevenient grace. 

    This is a major problem, Paul addressed it in this way:

Hebrews 6:1  - ¹ Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ² Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

    He then goes on to say that those who have seen, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, it is impossible for them to be renewed again unto repentance once they have fallen away. They crucify the Son of God afresh which means that they will stay in this pre-regenerative state not willing to go any further than what they have experienced and as verse 8 says will be nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned.

    In short, we have turned prevenient grace into convenient grace which becomes a frustrated grace. (read Galatians 2:21)

    People of God, Jesus Christ was tempted in every area as man can be tempted and was found without sin. Yet He died a sinner’s death and was resurrected to the glory of God the Father, and we who bear the name of Christ and are suppose to be raised with Christ are still bound by sin?

     How in God’s name did we ever get comfortable with sin? How did a perfect God all of the sudden get comfortable with creating a sinful man. He hasn’t!

Saving faith involves four things: “(1) an awareness of sin; (2) a turning toward God through the prevenient grace of the Holy Spirit, who convicts and woos; (3) repentance and confession that sin has separated from the grace of God and kept the new covenant from being joined; and (4) personal appropriation of the new birth in Jesus Christ.”^[1]

Titus 1:6

⁶ If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. ⁷ For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; ⁸ But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men^c, sober, just, holy, temperate; ⁹ Holding fast the faithful word as^d he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. ¹⁰ For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: ¹¹ Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. ^[2]

I want take a lot of time here but ill save it for another study, however, 2 Peter 2:3 tells us the there are those in the body that have the wrong motive for teaching. Their motivation is money, it even says that they will make merchandise out of you. We can not even begin to make the proper changes in the body of Christ to this wilderness mentality as long as there are those who preach the gospel of mammon. THIS MAKES GOD SICK! Its this type of luke-warm faith that causes Him to vomit, and it is totally contrary to the Gospel of Grace.

^[3] Titus 1:13-16

Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; ¹⁴ Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. ¹⁵ Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience

is defiled. ¹⁶ They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate^e.

^[4]

titus 2:11-14

¹¹ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, ¹² Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; ¹³ Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious^d appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Titus 3:5  ⁵ Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; ⁶ Which he shed on us abundantly^b through Jesus Christ our Saviour; ⁷ That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ⁸ This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. ^[5]

2Peter2

Whole chapter

This chapter sums it all up.  We tolerate sin because we tolerate those who wolves in sheeps clothing that live by the motto, " Do as I say and not as I do." There is hope and its Christ in us.

We just better know that He's there.