"Lamech said to his wives:
Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
wives of Lamech, pay attention to my words.
For I killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
If Cain is to be avenged seven times over,
then for Lamech it will be seventy-seven times!" Genesis 4:23-24 (CSB)
Mercy and grace has been concisely distinguished by Mercy defined as one not getting what one deserves while Grace is one getting what one does not deserve. Lamech here shows no hesitancy in profaning both. For us to better understand what Lamech was saying, we need to back up a few generations; to his great,great,great grandfather - Cain. The family had passed the story down of how Cain killed his brother Abel unjustly. God not only showed Cain mercy in not requiring life for life, but when Cain said his already merciful sentencing was too harsh, God extended grace in placing a mark on Cain that would serve as a warning for others not to kill Cain (as this was Cain's concern) and that if anyone did murder Cain they would suffer seven-fold vengeance. (Genesis 4:10-16) Cain received mercy in that he didn't receive as harsh a punishment as he deserved, as well as grace in that he received protection from any who would think of playing the role of vigilante.
Enter Lamech. He busts through the doors of his home one day, practically singing a song he made up on the way home bragging about his amazing accomplishments of the day - he had murdered a man. He was proud of this accomplishment as not only was the man young and strong, but Lamech was just in meeting out retribution as this young man had thrown the first punch. He was so presumptive of God's mercy and grace that he ends his "song" declaring he had made God his debtor as God was surely obligated to visit vengeance to anyone who wronged Lamech seventy-seven times over. How repulsively wicked mankind had become in just 5 generations from Cain. There are many throughout history, and even today, who are glibly keeping company with Lamech. Many of these are within the church walls.
Lamech had his song in his day, and those who are like him today have theirs. Their refrain goes something like this:
"Free from the law, O happy condition,
I sin all I want, and still get remission."
These "Christian" cousins of Lamech are those John, under inspiration of The Holy Spirit, warns the church of when he says, "If we say, 'We have fellowship with him,' and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth." (1 John 1:6 CSB) Jesus tells us, "If you love me, you will keep My commandments." (John 14:15) Paul reasons that those who do not understand/know grace may ask "Should we continue to sin so that grace can continue to do its amazing work?" and responds with "Absolutely NOT! How can we be dead in Christ to sin and continue to live in it?" (Romans 6:1-4) The unregenerate heart will always abuse grace. Those who claim to be followers of Jesus but are not walking in the light as Jesus is in the light are still dead in their sins (1 John 1:7). Instead of following Jesus they are disciples of Lamech.
Part of this prevalence is due to a combination of the unregenerate heart being told that they need not repent at all if not desired in an attempt to make the gospel more palatable. That they can be a child of God without any obedience to God as their Father. That they can allow Jesus to be their Savior without permitting Him to be their LORD. Bonhoeffer called this "cheap grace".
"Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian "conception" of God. An intellectual assent to that idea is held to be of itself sufficient to secure remission of sins. The church which holds the correct doctrine of grace has, it is supposed, ipso facto a part in that grace. In such a church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the living Word of God.
Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner."
Those who declare this "gospel" are not only denying Jesus, but effectively making the "converted" Lamech a two-fold child of hell (Matthew 23:15). We within the church should not only examine ourselves as Paul exhorts us to do (2 Corinthians 13:5), but also examine our gospel (Galatians1:8). If we find that we have erred, may God grant us repentance that we no longer keep company with Lamech.
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