Christians en mass simply do not understand that God requires us to be holy as he is holy. Hebrews says,

And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (Hebrews 12:13-16)

The prophet John wrote,

And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone that does righteousness is born of him. Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 2:28-3:3)

The LORD’s own brother said,

Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger: For the anger of man works not the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and extreme wickedness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was. But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seems to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:19-27)

For almost two thousand years the visible church turned the grace of God into a license to sin. Sometimes the church actually sold licenses to sin, which she called “indulgences.” Today, though, she does not sell her licenses; she gives them away. Thus she became as Israel of old whom God condemned as being worse than a harlot, for a harlot sells her pleasures for money, but God’s people (both in Old and New Testament times) give their pleasures, their indulgences, their licenses to sin, away for free.

Thus we accepted a false view of salvation, a “free” salvation which cost us nothing. Yet God never taught such a false doctrine. God only spoke of the gift of salvation with respect to Jesus’ atonement for our sins and our reconciliation with God. Jesus purchased our spiritual salvation by his own blood and gave it to us freely as a gift. But most of the Bible deals with the salvation of our soul and this salvation comes only at great cost. Paul said we must work out this salvation with “fear and trembling.” Do you fear that you may not hear that last trumpet? Do your insides tremble that you may not be called to “come up here” even if you do hear that last trumpet? If not, then you’re not working out your own salvation. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

Martin Luther’s reformation of Catholic doctrine has been hailed for hundreds of years as a great thing, and certainly the Catholic church needed to be reformed. But Luther began a Protestant era which saw the doctrine of salvation by grace and faith alone obliterate almost all sound doctrine. In its wake Christians walk mindlessly into fleshpots of sin believing they “have grace” to indulge.

But James proclaims, “by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” (James 2:24) This one statement turns almost all Christian dogma upon its head. Again James says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26) Then he says, “You believe that there is one God; you do well: the demons also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19) And, just to be sure you don’t miss his point, he states, “if you [Christians] … commit sin [you] are convicted of the law as transgressors.” (James 2:9)

“Oh my God!” you say. “Now we are no longer saved by grace through faith alone, and the Law still convicts us! What hope do any of us have?!”

Not much if you have not understood this series of teachings.