The Good News Is Always Radical

Once I was talking with a brother about the expression “radical grace”, and I remembered the story of how the Lord once said to one of the preachers of grace: “If grace is not preached radically, people’s lives will not be radically changed!”

Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans:

And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
–Romans 11:6

Think about these words: grace and works cannot go together — either God has done everything and you are in His rest, or you do everything yourself, and believe me, God will not help you with it.

Isn’t that radical? At a time when the whole world is busy with works and bustle, God needs only one thing from us: that we rest!

For we who have believed do enter that rest… although the works were finished from the foundation of the world (by the way, in the letter to the Ephesians Paul also says many times that salvation through Christ’s finished work was planned by God before the beginning of time [Eph.1:4; Eph.3:9]). For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His… [Heb.4:3,10].

If you read the whole of chapter 4 in the light of grace, you can see that the whole context is saying precisely that, having heard the gospel, we need to mix it with faith and enter His rest, which is the promised land [Heb.4:1-3]!

Do you remember what the Lord said to the Hebrews about the promised land?

It is a land “…to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant; when you have eaten and are full…” [Deu.6:10-11].

God intended rest and enjoyment of life for Israel, but all the blessings described in that passage of Scripture are a type of the life God has destined for us in Christ. While He was still living on earth, Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For MY YOKE IS EASY and MY BURDEN IS LIGHT” [Mat.11:28-30].

“I have come that THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY” [Jhn.10:10].

And this is what else Paul writes about the good news: “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the WISDOM OF GOD, the world THROUGH WISDOM did not know God, it pleased God through the FOOLISHNESS of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED, to the Jews a STUMBLING BLOCK and to the Greeks FOOLISHNESS…” [1 Cor.1:20-23].

This says very clearly that the message of grace is foolishness and a stumbling block to the human mind, which measures everything by earthly, human wisdom. One more confirmation that the true good news is radical and that not everyone receives it as it is.

Preachers of Grace Will Always Be Persecuted

All of us are considered fools to some extent!

But Jesus did warn us: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets” [Luk.6:26].

I am not saying that Jesus meant that absolutely all people will speak badly of us, but there will always be those who, not understanding the true meaning of the gospel, will speak badly of us. Look at the life of Christ Himself. No one was indifferent to Him. People either loved Him with all their heart or hated Him.

It was the same in the life of the apostle of grace, Paul. And notice that it was mainly the religious leaders and their followers who were unhappy.

Paul wrote: “We are fools for Christ’s sake…” [1 Cor.4:10].

That is why he writes, in the passage I quoted earlier, that Christ crucified is a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others. And if you have received this revelation and decided to follow it, don’t be too surprised that there will be people who criticise you and try to harm you.

What are you saying, sister! Persecution again? The time of persecution is over!

Oh no, my dear ones! The time of persecution by the state in our country is over. But the devil has never stopped, and never will stop, persecuting those who preach the true good news. It is dangerous to him, because it destroys his lie, by which he keeps people in slavery, and sets them free! Recently at a meeting we were talking about the life of the apostle Paul. As soon as he began to preach the revelation God had given him, persecution began against him at once. And the most interesting thing is that the persecution almost always came from the Pharisees. Just read the book of Acts, and you will see it clearly (Acts chapter 15, and so on in every chapter after it).

But in chapter 20 Paul says that, even though the Holy Spirit warns him of persecution and even death, he is still ready even to die for the gospel [Act.20:17-27]. And in his letters to the churches Paul mentions the difficulties he has to face, but in spite of this he still boldly carries the gospel of grace, since it was God who revealed it to him [Gal.1:11-12].

How Should We Treat Persecutors?

So how did Paul treat the Jews who opposed the gospel and persecuted him? So as not to speak from myself, I simply suggest that you open your Bibles and read what he himself wrote about this in the letter to the Romans, chapters 9 to 11. Notice his attitude towards the Israelites. He does not exalt them, but he does not speak of them as enemies either. On the contrary, look with what pain in his heart he speaks of them: “my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh…”. I think this is a good example for us too: to remember that those who oppose the gospel mostly do so sincerely believing what they were taught. So let us not condemn those who are simply weak in faith, not knowing grace — God is able to set them on this path too. And most importantly, let us walk by the Spirit. Look at Paul. He was not a falsely humble man who silently accepted every kind of opposition. He openly withstood those who tried to lead astray the people who had believed through his preaching. Even Peter, an apostle who in people’s eyes was undoubtedly greater than Paul, he rebuked in front of everyone for hypocrisy [Gal.2:11-14]. But Peter, as we know, accepted this rebuke and later himself wrote in his second letter:

“… as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things HARD TO UNDERSTAND (radical), which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” [2 Pet.3:15-16].

Paul acted by the Spirit. When it was necessary, he rebuked and withstood (Gal.2:4-6). But he could also keep silent and humble himself (Act.23:3-5). And in this following of the Holy Spirit he is a very good example for us. We cannot foresee every situation, but by listening to the voice of our Good Shepherd we will be given the wisdom of Christ in every situation, what to answer opponents and how.

Today you can meet quite a few “Pharisees” who will persecute you in one way or another if you preach grace. That is just the reality. And even the problems we meet in life are most likely the devil’s attempts to shake our trust in Christ and push us into doing something in our own strength out of panic and anxiety.

I want to repeat that it is not the people themselves who persecute us. It is the enemy of human souls and the accuser of our brethren — the devil and his demons — who are behind this persecution. This is what Paul writes about it:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do NOT war ACCORDING TO THE FLESH. For the weapons of our warfare are NOT CARNAL but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down ARGUMENTS and every HIGH THING THAT EXALTS ITSELF AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ …” [2 Cor.10:3-5].

When we meet various difficult situations in life, even when people rise up against us, dear ones, let us remember who is really behind it, so that we do not become bitter against people. This is how Paul instructed Timothy:

“But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape THE SNARE OF THE DEVIL, HAVING BEEN TAKEN CAPTIVE BY HIM to do his will” [2 Tim.2:23-26]

But with all this, I also want to encourage you. Negative publicity works best of all!

When the pastor of the church in Oslo that my husband attended began to preach grace, a local newspaper printed a very critical article about him and the book on grace he had written, but the most interesting thing is that because of this article a great many people came to the church and received the good news of Christ’s finished work. So let us not be upset if someone speaks badly of us because of the good news; God always uses it for our good.

We Are in God’s Hands, No Matter What

Beloved! Remember that we are in the strong hand of a loving heavenly Father, and He will not let anyone snatch us out of it. Remember also that the devil is defeated and his only weapon is the lie, by which he sows panic, anxiety and confusion so that we shift our gaze from Christ to circumstances. But let us take heart: I am sure that, with everything we hear and all the thoughts that come into our heads, the Holy Spirit will always remind us to pass all this information through the filter of Christ’s finished work. And if something contradicts this most important criterion: “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work”, then simply don’t accept it. Let us remember that what Christ accomplished on the cross, the grace He pours out on us every day, is always more than enough to solve all our questions and problems, beyond anything we can even imagine, and exceeds all our boldest expectations.

This is what is written in the letter to the Ephesians, and with this I want to finish my message to you, beloved righteous ones: “Now to Him who is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” [Eph.3:20,21]

With love in Christ, sister Nina.