Is it Truly Grace or is it Lawlessness?

The difference is critical because it’s life and death

By Brother R. Michel Lankford
 
In today’s modern Christianity, many pastors and teachers will teach that because of God’s Grace through the death and resurrection of Messiah, God’s Law has been done away with, and that God’s Law is no longer valid, binding, or necessary for the Christian. Some pastors and teachers are so deeply entrenched in this new definition of Grace, that they will go so far as to teach, that if a person tries to obey or keep the Commandments of God, then trying to obey God and keep His Commandments, supposedly means that the person is now guilty of denying that what Yeshua the Messiah did through His death and resurrection is sufficient.
So what it amounts to according to this new definition of Grace, a person must come to accept Yeshua of Nazareth, the Son of Yahweh Almighty God, as their Savior and their Master. At the same time, according to this new popular definition of Grace, the person who comes to Messiah must not put in any effort into obeying God too closely, and they must not copy what Messiah did in obeying the Heavenly Father’s Commandments, because if they do, they are now supposedly guilty of denying that what Yeshua the Messiah did was enough to save us.
Now, I am put in a position where I am either forced or heavily encouraged to do the opposite of what Yahweh Almighty God Commanded, and what Messiah and the apostles followed in order to demonstrate that I’m supposedly, “Under Grace,” and not trying to become righteous by obeying what Yahweh Almighty God Commanded.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THIS NEW DEFINITION AND APPLICATION OF THE WAY WE NOW DEFINE GRACE, NOW LOOKS AN AWFUL LOT LIKE THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT DEFINITION OF THE TERM LAWLESSNESS.
If you don’t want to believe me, that is one thing, but look at the definition for yourself: the term for lawlessness in the Greek New Testament is, “Anomia.” Take a look at how it is clearly defined the Greek New Testament:

 

Quick Definitions

Thayer Brown Driver Briggs

anomia" which carries the following definition: BDB/Thayers # 458 anomia {an-om-ee'-ah} from 459; TDNT - 4:1085,646; n f AV - iniquity 12, unrighteousness 1, transgress the law + 4060 1, transgression of the law 1; 15 1) the condition of being without law 1a) because ignorant of it 1b) because of violating it 2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness
Strong’s Lexicon
Now for a second witness here is the definition of this in the Strong's Hebrew Lexicon:
458. anomia, an-om-ee'-ah; from 459; illegality, i.e. violation of the law or (gen.) wickedness: --- iniquity X transgress (ion of) the law, unrighteousness.
Now note that in both lexicons it states that both of these words come from the Greek word #459. This word means "To be destitute or in violation of the Mosaic or Jewish Law" (See Thayer's and Strong's Lexicons). Now the word #458 is translated "transgression of the Law" in the King James version of 1john 3:4
Please keep in mind how significant this is. We have two Greek New Testament original language dictionaries which directly define violating God’s Law, transgressing God’s law or living outside of God’s Law and Commandments as LAWLESSNESS.
Obeying Yahweh Almighty God and the Messiah is the fruit of righteousness and it’s the fruit of belonging to God. That’s not just my opinion. It’s the precise definition that Jesus the Messiah HIMSELF established. Messiah describes that we shall be able to identify the truth from the false by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). IMMEDIATELY after that statement, He then makes this declaration:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21, NKJV)

So only those who DO the will of Yahweh Almighty God the Father in Heaven, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s Messiah’s teaching. I respectfully submit to you that it is ENTIRELY IMPOSSIBLE to successfully DO the will of God, if we are living a lifestyle that does the opposite of what God’s Laws, Commandments, and Instructions requires us to do. Messiah then continues, referring to the future Day of Judgment:

“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’” (Matthew 7:22, NKJV)

According to Messiah HIMSELF, many people will have believed upon Him. They will have identified and called Him as their Lord and Master. They will have had enough faith to prophesy in Messiah’s name. They will have had enough faith in Messiah to successfully cast out demons in His Name. They will have had enough faith to perform at many wonders in Messiah’s Name. Please notice and pay attention to the fact that Messiah specifically will not say that they had not successfully done the marvelous things that they will claim to have done. Messiah will not deny that they will in fact have done these things, but what will His response be to them, in spite of the fact that they will have had successfully done these marvelous things?

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23, NKJV)

Messiah will deny that He ever knew them before the very courts of Heaven. And why will Messiah deny ever knowing these people, even in spite of the fact that they believed Yeshua to be their Lord and Master; in spite of the fact that they prophesied in His Name; in spite of the fact that they cast out demons and perform marvelous wonders in His Name?
Messiah will deny ever having known these people because they will have lived their lives walking in the state of Lawlessness or anomia. Messiah says that many people will be rejected on the Day of Judgment because they will have lived in a lifestyle or state of being outside or without God’s Law. They will be rejected because they will have lived a lifestyle where they were violating or transgressing God’s Laws, either because they were ignorant of God’s Laws, or because they willingly chose to live outside of God’s Laws, Commandments, Instructions.
Obviously from the context of the Scripture, these people will have ardently believed that they were walking under God’s Grace. From the people’s point of view, they will be wholeheartedly convinced that they will have walked under God’s grace, and that they are ready to inherit the Kingdom of God, but will Jesus (Yeshua the Messiah), proclaim that what they will have been walking under was God’s True Biblical Grace? Judging from Messiah’s reaction, obviously He will not think that they will have been living under His Grace and Power, no matter what they believed and claimed they were doing.
Where do you think these people which will be appearing before Christ on the future day of judgment will believe that they are expecting to spend eternity?Where do you think they believe that they are heading? Obviously, from Messiah’s point of view God’s Grace was never intended to be lived outside of God’s Laws Commandments and Instructions, because that’s the definition of lawlessness, and lawlessness will not inherit the kingdom of God.

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“Abba Yahweh Almighty God, Yeshua Messiah; have mercy upon me. Save me according to Your unfailing love. I confess that I have previously been guilty of Lawlessness, and anomia; either because I was ignorant of Your Law or I foolishly believed that Your Laws Commandments and Instructions did not apply to me because of Messiah. According to Your Word, what I previously believed to be Grace, was in fact Lawlessness, and sin. Please forgive me. I want to live in Your True Biblical Grace. The same Holy Spirit which moved on the face of the deep in creation, which conceived Yeshua in the virgin’s womb, which empowered Yeshua to obey Your Law, which gave Him the willingness to live unselfishly and deny His comfort and well-being for my sake; that same Holy Spirit which physically resurrected Him from the dead; that same Holy Spirit can surely come and live in me. Surely that same Holy Spirit can empower me to delight in, to learn and to obey God’s Law, with Love, with Faith, and with Grace, but still obedient to God’s Law. Surely this is not too hard for the LORD. Please mercifully come live in me. Help me to ever more fully cooperate with You, as You accomplish this great work of Grace in me. Please save me from all Lawlessness, and give me grace to obey Your Law and to truly do Your will, so that I may be truly counted as a child of Yahweh Almighty God, and will be well received into Your Everlasting Kingdom. Amen”