by Pastor Kong Hee
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. -Matthew 24:12-
In the end times, the greatest hindrance to the work of God among believers will not be the legalism of contemporary religious Pharisees. Jesus says that the one weapon Satan will unleash upon the Church in the last days is lawlessness. It is designed to kill the love and passion Christians have for God. In fact, the Antichrist is called the “lawless one” (2 Thess. 2:8-9).
The concept of lawlessness is encapsulated in a heretical belief system called antinomianism. The Oxford Dictionary defi nes antinomianism as “a belief that Christians are released by grace from obeying moral laws.” Antinomians outrightly renounce the Ten Commandments.
They reject the process of continuing sanctifi cation in a believer’s life. One of the greatest heroes of faith of the 20th century was Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). He was a German theologian, pastor, preacher, radio broadcaster and author. Bonhoeffer’s most famous work is The Cost of Discipleship, fi rst published in 1939. This work is an exposition of The Sermon on the Mount and it calls for radical living if a Christian is to be an authentic disciple of Christ.
Bonhoeffer’s major concern was the concept of “cheap grace,” a phrase he coined. To him, this is grace that has become so watered down that it no longer resembles the grace of the New Testament. Cheap grace doesn’t transform a sinner but instead brings chaos and destruction to hislife. It is the justifi cation of the sinner without the fruit and works that should accompany the new birth.
Bonhoeffer says of cheap grace: “It is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
Cheap grace arises when a sinner desires to be saved but doesn’t want to become a disciple. Can you remember your fi rst conviction at the moment of your conversion? Can you recall your first response to Christ? It was to see a change, wasn’t it? You longed to have righteousness, purity and holiness in your life. If you wanted to remain in sin, you would have remained as an unbeliever and stayed outside the bounds of God’s kingdom. Resist antinomianism today. Warn those who are seduced by it. Don’t ever lose your first love for Jesus.
