Paul's dramatic declaration that we have become new creations in Christ has vast implications for our lives. We possess the very righteousness of God in our spirit (v. 21). This includes being fully accepted by God, receiving the authority to use the name of Jesus, and possessing the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jude's exhortation is a significant warning for the Body of Christ today. When believers embrace a distorted message, other things in their spiritual life become blurred.

There is no spiritual battle more significant in the Church today than contending to keep the grace message faithful to Scripture. Some seek to "love God" on the terms of a humanistic culture that has no reference to obeying His Word. But loving and seeking to obey Jesus are synonymous. Our legal position is what Jesus has done for us on the cross; our living condition is how we respond to him. Jesus' finished work on the cross makes His grace fully available to us as a gift.

James wrote about this when he urged believers to walk in a greater measure of grace. We can always experience more of God's grace to transform and renew our mind and emotions. The gospel of grace is distorted if it presents God's love as something we can earn (legalism) or if it refuses to call people to respond wholeheartedly to God (distorted grace). The Holy Spirit is highlighting this widespread spiritual crisis and is committed to the recovery of the biblical grace message.