Cheap Grace

 

 

Isa 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: 11 "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. 12 "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies-I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.

 

God has a message for the rulers and members of the church in the days of Isaiah, and if the sandal fits, we need to wear it today as well.

 

In this portion of Isaiah, the message is plain, God cannot bear hypocrisy. He abhors “cheap grace.” Today, He might say to us, “Why do you lead worship services and attend them on Sunday? Why do you bother with celebrations like  Easter and Christmas?” Your worship is futile, I will not listen to your prayers because I cannot bear iniquity in a sacred meeting. Stop living your life as if sin doesn’t matter! I cannot bear hypocrisy.” Ps 101:7 says, “He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.”

 

He accuses the people of “trampling His courts,” Trampling? Hmmm where have I heard that before. Heb 10:29 says, “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

It’s called cheap grace. It happens when we live our lives with no thought given to sin and ignoring the holiness of God. The grace of God is a marvelous thing and covers all the sins that have stricken us. But let’s not use that grace as a license to continue in our sins! The Holy Spirit had this to say about sin and grace in Ro 6:1,2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

 

Age old advice from Isaiah and the Apostle Paul. Pray that God would grant us godly sorrow over our sins and restore the sacredness to our meetings.