The Origins of Sin, Mercy, & Grace

Luke 17:3-10 "Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, (4) and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." (5) The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" (6) And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. (7) Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? (8) Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? (9) Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? (10) So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"

Forgiveness is fundamental to the Christian walk. We have nothing of a lasting consequence in God’s kingdom if He retains our sin against us (Psalms 130:3). Therefore the act of forgiveness is, by necessity, a primary point underlying our relationship with God. For His desire for loving rapport to take effect, He must first forgive.

Christians read verses 3-4 above & think that, by obeying such teachings, they are following Christ. They are, but only minimally. There is definite distinction between mere obedience & true discipleship; between mere conformity to rules & conformity to Christ. Christ continues to forgive our multitude of egregious trespasses against His perfect righteousness & holiness as we entreat His bountiful mercy & grace; then we are called to do likewise in verses 3-4, but in order to obey Christ’s subsequent call to press beyond doing only “what (is) our duty”, we must understand & retain within our soul when He forgave our sins originally.

Romans 5:1-11 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (2) Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (3) More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, (4) and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, (5) and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (6) For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die- (8) but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (10) For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (11) More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Luke 17:3-4 commands forgiveness only when repentance is proffered. Many a Christian has validated his withholding of love to someone based on that person’s impenitence. Then, when they do repent, we think highly of ourselves as we so graciously accept our offender’s apologies & embrace him once more into our company. O how far removed from Christ-like love is this?! Where would we be if Christ demanded that our hearts soften towards Him before He would do anything for us? Then the cross of Christ could only come at the end of time, only after all were afforded the opportunity to beg of its saving mercy & grace. But no, the Father gave His Son, the Son gave His cross & the Spirit afforded us repentance & acceptance of that cross- all this “while we were still sinners”. Such mercy & grace bestowed to such unworthy individuals!

1 John 4:9-12 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. (10) In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (12) No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

There is much more to following Christ than simply following His commands; in maturity, we must press on to follow His example as well.

The Apostle

Ephesians 4:11-16 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (14) so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (15) Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Much ado has been paid to titles & gifts in the church; some claim titles based on fanciful notions of innate abilities, as well as outright self-centered avarice. But titles come as abilities are given, nurtured, then proven by experience. Like salvation itself, they are not borne from the heart & ability of man, but the purposed will & authority of God. (1 Cor. 1:1, 2 Cor 1:1, Gal. 1:1, et. al.)

The apostle is the highest calling man can have. He is a man “set apart for the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1) & has entire churches as a testament to his “workmanship in the Lord” (1Cor. 9:1-2). Paul spells out more of the traits of the apostle in 2 Cor 12:12- “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.”

Jesus selected only twelve of His disciples to be apostles & gifted them:

Mark 3:14-15 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach (15) and have authority to cast out demons.

Luke 9:1-2 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, (2) and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

Acts 2:42-43 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (43) And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

Quite simply an apostle is nothing less than one who possesses, by the appointment (1Tim. 2:7) of God, all the titles & gifts of God in his person. He shepherds, preaches, teaches, prophesies, evangelizes, works miracles, & has complete authority over comparatively large portions of Christ’s church body. All gifts of God are potentially actionable through the office of apostle.

Yet even at this level of stewardship to Christ, such are not perfect. Their faith was sometimes weak (Luke 17:5), & despite their anointing, their authority was sometimes suppressed by this faithlessness (Luke. 9:40-41). The apostle Peter had to be dressed down by the apostle Paul for conduct “not in step with the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:14). Paul himself confesses that the intransigent old man is still at war against his soul (Rom. 7) & he is powerless (but still joyful) against Satan’s thorn in his flesh as a result (2 Cor 12:7). So perseverant humility & transparency are shown to be more marks of the apostle.

It would seem to have been a requirement to have actually witnessed Jesus Christ for one to be accorded the office, given the statements of Acts1:22-23 & 1 Cor. 9:1. Yet another standard the guy on TV or the strip mall storefront probably doesn’t meet.

Then, further denying the concept of the modern apostle, is the fact that his “workmanship” is taught to be foundational not simply to a church, but the church; that “household of God” that been has passed down for nearly 2000 years…

Ephesians 2:13-22 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (14) For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (15) by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, (16) and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (17) And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (18) For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. (19) So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, (20) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, (21) in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. (22) In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Such a momentous structure as this, a building with no less than Christ as the cornerstone & His apostles & prophets being the very substance for the rest of the foundation, is not the kind of building I could imagine being torn down past the foundation & rebuilt with new apostles & prophets with every generation that passes. As Moses & the prophets were deemed sufficient for the rich man's family (Luke 16:29), God has apparently determined the original apostles & prophets to be sufficient for us.

The Greek “apostolos” means “a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders” (Thayer) & clearly- according to Acts 1:2- God is their only “commander”. Pretty large person; indeed, so large that Heb. 3:1 even attributes the title to Christ Himself:

Hebrews 3:1-3 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, (2) who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. (3) For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses- as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

It is the natural man’s typical impetus to crave such power over other men. But I see no man since the days of the early church exhibiting such Godly power, & it may well be until Christ returns that earthly eyes would gaze upon one in possession of such authority again.

So one would be wise to beware of anyone claiming such a title, for pride & deception must surely rule his soul. Possibly, ignorance of the scope of the biblical precedent for apostleship might be the cause for a modern "apostle's" misguided appropriation of such a title, but that biblical ignorance proves as well his improper appropriation.

There is one more way the true earthly apostle imitates Christ- the ultimate Apostle (for He was also "sent"- John 3:16)- the apostle often suffers death for the sake of the Gospel:

Luke 11:49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute.

Church history records that every established apostle but John died for his witness of Christ.



1 Corinthians 12:27-28 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
(28) And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.

Who Owns Your Life?

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

It is puzzling for the Christian to look into the eyes of unbelievers & see them lacking the fear of judgment. We read God’s Word & are humbled at the extent of His wrath upon men for sin. But it is for the sake of justice & righteousness that God must produce an indictment for every sin.

Ezekiel 18:1-4 The word of the LORD came to me: (2) "What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? (3) As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. (4) Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

“The soul who sins shall die”- Thus the reason for the utter pervasiveness of death. As Scripture teaches, “all have sinned” & so all must suffer through the sting of a physical death. Sin & death are a tangible tandem testifying to the truth of judgment; both are clearly real, for they are all around us, & so they, in the light of God’s Word, add veracity & conviction surrounding the certainty of God’s judgment.

God is righteous despite the many deadly tragedies occurring worldwide on a daily basis. We see apparent randomness in suffering & death in that the elect of God suffer right alongside (or worse, out in front of) the ungodly. We grouse “Why, Lord?” Aside from the aforementioned tandem testimonies of sin & death, we miss the fundamental truth that our lives are not our own. All life is a gift from God- as Deuteronomy 32:39 states- “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.” And if all life originates, as well as reverts to the Almighty, therein making them all His possession, how much more so would this be true in the case of His bond-servants, even His very children? Therefore:

We err when we view this life as our possession. God has said “Behold, all souls are mine;” life is His to give & His to take away- as He desires.

Ezekiel 18:23-32 “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? (24) But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. (25) Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? (26) When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. (27) Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. (28) Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. (29) Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
(30) Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. (31) Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? (32) For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live."

God judges the impenitent not in gleeful delight, but in somber duty. Therein, in judgment, there is no pleasure for the righteous; yea, the Most Righteous is all the more not pleasured to judge.

Nevertheless, for those under the oppression of the wicked judgment, the righteous judgment comes with great joy, for both Judge & defendant. Witness the words of David as he suffered unjustly, but expected God’s future judgment:

Psalms 35:9-12 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his salvation. (10) All my bones shall say, "O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?" (11) Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. (12) They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft…(28) Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, "The LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant." (28) And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness And Your praise all day long.

1 Chronicles 16:33 Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD; For He is coming to judge the earth.

So we rejoice not in the suffering of the wicked, but in the sovereign power of His salvation. How can we neglect so great a salvation as this that always triumphs, either at the cross or the Bema Seat, in righteous judgment?


Who else could own your life but the very One who enabled you to “pass from death to life“?