This podcast covers Chapter 17 and is devoted to The True Christian’s Faith and Experience concerning grace and the possibility of falling away from it.
Grace has appeared to all men, but all men do not accept it. Those who do not, do not know its power to save. All that do accept it are taught to reject ungodliness and worldly cravings and to live righteously and godly in this world. It taught the true Christian in former ages and teaches him now. Those that are under it enjoy the substance of those heavenly things which the prophets prophesied of.
The true Christian grows in grace and witnesses a being saved by it and made righteous by it, having the experience of its sufficiency when trials and temptations attend him. Self, sin, and satan are shut out and the grace of God is elevated above all. Grace now reigns for eternal life where sin once reigned for death. This is really felt, known and witnessed in the true Christian by its work and operation in him. The true Christian knows what the righteousness of the law fulfills in him. He does not act according to the flesh, but rather acts now according to the Spirit and its movements.
There is a possibility still of falling away from this state of grace. The Christian may again become a child of wrath and turn away from the grace of God. He may use the liberty he has received as an occasion for the flesh. He may err again. A heart of disobedience may get in. He may grieve the Holy Spirit and make a shipwreck of his faith.
The titular Christian’s opinion of no falling from grace is contrary to the bent of the whole Scriptures. Punishment for transgressing the law of the Spirit of life is greater than for those under the law of Moses. This is God’s just recompense of reward for his disobedience, rebellion and apostacy.
The titular Christian’s profession of living under grace is vain before he actually knows the law of the Spirit as a schoolmaster to bring him to Christ, before he knows grace to reign for righteousness, before he ceases from sinning. He that commits sin is a slave to sin and sin has dominion over him, let the nominal Christian profess what he will.
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