For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)

The message of the cross will always seem foolish to some, and a stumbling block to others. If we were to reduce the gospel to suit our preferences, then we are robbing ourselves and others of its power by turning it into a weak and spiritually emaciated religion. This leaves us open to false ideas and practices that divert us from enjoying a life-transforming relationship with God.

Three consistent emphases run through each of the New Testament's epistles. First, God’s grace always produces holiness and good works in our lives. Second, we must watch out for those who promote wrong ideas of the gospel. Third, we must reject their teachings and live in the truth of our freedom in Christ.

We must learn to resist being distracted by spurious reasonings or arguments so that we do not veer from the truth of God's grace. The Apostle Paul warns us with the following words:

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.

Philippians 3:18-19 (NKJV)

Those who misrepresent the gospel are referred to by Paul as "enemies of the cross." Thinking little of the freedom Christ has won for them, they genuinely express scorn for the finished work of the cross by the way they live and act. They use God's grace to justify their sinful lifestyle and revel in things they should be ashamed of.

Grace does not free us to sin; grace frees us from sin.

Anyone who uses God's grace to justify their fleshly behaviour has a real misunderstanding of what grace is. When your life genuinely reflects the gospel, you will discover a freedom that is far more than you can ever imagine possible. Freedom from sin and sinful habits. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from fear. Freedom from shame. That is the point and purpose of grace.

You were created by grace, with grace, and for grace.

When your life becomes more and more a work of God's grace, you will see that His grace will transform you into a completely new way of thinking and living that keeps you free.