A serious doctrine of God's grace:

[JohnD]

We must temper our understanding of God's grace with:

Ezekiel 33:18–19 (AV)

¹⁸When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.

¹⁹But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

We tend not to consider these things when we go into the doctrines of grace.

All of us try to make God's compassionate grace into a perpetual confession booth (where we sin confess sin confess sin confess ad infinitum and typically over the same sin).

It is a combination of imposing on God's compassion while ignoring God's compelling us not to sin and destroy ourselves and others. In texts like Romans 7:14 - 8:39 and  1 John 1:5 - 2:17 we focus in on the forgiveness and deliverance and blot out the conditions in which they apply "if we walk in the light as he is in the light" etc. If we reminded ourselves about Ezekiel 33:18-19 as we read about the doctrines and aspects of God's forgiveness we would maintain a better, more balance understanding of what God's grace actually is. It is not a license to sin. It is not a free pass into heaven; It cost God his own blood (Acts 20:28).   

This is not about loss of salvation once you are saved. Emphasis on "once you are saved." Many think they are saved that are not. Take the cults for example. But this is about making your life and others a living hell or a gracious blessing.

Finally, my brothers and sisters, consider that ultimately, if we are saved but will not be swayed from our iniquity, God will take us out of this life to keep us saved:

1 Corinthians 5:5 (AV)

⁵To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Imagine the hell on earth for a believer which God turns over to the devil (removing his protective hedge).

[FreeinChrist]

Agreed, IMO, if one continues to long in a sin, it will become the sin unto death, John speaks about in I John 5:16.

[BlindSeeker]

I often use the following example when explaining God’s “sufficient” grace.

Someone needs to get to another city, but they have no money or means to get there, but they have to get there by a certain time and date or the consequences will be costly. Being destitute, they are anxious and don’t have any idea what to do. Upon hearing of their plight I offer them the use of my car, to which they say, “Thanks, that would be great, but we still don’t have any money for gas.” I tell them not to worry about it, that I will fill up the tank and assure them that there will be more than sufficient gas to get them where they need to go.

They are now greatly relieved, for having been given all they need to make their journey, they are confident they will be able to safely complete the trip on time. However, while on their way there they begin thinking about how they have more than enough time to make their trip, and since there is “more than sufficient” gas they decide to take some time to go visit a friend that is just a little bit out of their way. Being caught up in their new found liberty, they soon are driving from one place to another. Eventually they realize the time is getting late, so they begin to head towards their original destination when suddenly to their surprise the car stops abruptly having ran out of gas. If they had only been faithful to use the car and gas for the purpose it was given, to go where they were supposed to.

Hebrews 4:1 - Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith[fulness] in them that heard it.

There was no more reason for those people to run out of gas than there was for God’s promise not being realized by the Israelites who died in the wilderness. They simply frustrated the sufficient grace of God.  But some will argue how they were under the law and we are under grace. But nevertheless here we are serving the very same God under the New Testament, being clearly warned of like consequences; the possibility of coming short of our promised destination if we too decide to disobediently tempt God through either our doubting or rejecting the sufficiency of His grace.

Hebrews 3:7 - Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear His voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known My ways. 11 So I sware in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.

God gave the Israelites a sure promise; just as sure as all the promises of God made to us in Christ Jesus are Yea, and in Him, Amen. So how could it possibly be that they failed to have God’s promise to them be fulfilled?

Numbers 14:34 - After the number of the days in which you searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall you bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you shall know My breach of promise. 35 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

What’s this? God told them they would know His “breach of promise?” How could this be? Surely God doesn’t break His word? There is no doubt that He loved them, and God is no respecter of person, right? And yet what did Peter say when God gave him the revelation of His grace being given unto the Gentiles as well?

Acts 10:34 - Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that fears Him, and works righteousness, is accepted with Him.

The answer for their failure or ours can never be attributed to God or His grace: it is simply due to a failure to believe God and obediently do what He has told us all to do, take the promise land by force.

Hebrews 3:19 - So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.