WHAT preachers?
NAME them.
SHOW EXAMPLES of their lack of grace.
Because the Grace preachers I'm familiar with are very willing to step by step, using contextual Scripture and being faithful to the original intent of the language, communicate the Gospel of Grace. These teachers include, but are not limited to:
Bob George
Andrew Farley
The folks at BasicGospel.net
Rob Rufus
Ryan Rufus
Paul Ellis
D. R. Silva
. . . and others
Though interaction here can get heated at times, those who have been posting about the simple Truths of the Gospel of Grace have been faithful to the Scriptures. They keep pointing you all to Christ, His Work, who we are in Him, and what that means as we walk out or daily lives.
Those who are trying to warn others about the 'evils' of what they've labeled 'new.modern.hyper.grace' (which isn't new or modern, or a new label, but spoken of clearly in Romans 5:20 - super-abounding grace -
hyperperisseuō) keep pointing folks to
self. What YOU must do to get right and stay right with God.
Guys - it's not about you and what you can achieve or maintain as far as behavior is concerned. Righteousness - rightness with God - is a GIFT. It is only through Christ. HE maintains it. From a place of rest, by the way, seated with the Father in the Heavenly Temple because His Work is
finished .
Then there's talk about the most vile sins some can to think of - are those okay to do now because of Grace?
That's the wrong question - the questions should be: Do YOU, as a born-again, Blood-bought, believer in Christ WANT to do those things? If you DID do those things, would that be in line with who you are as a New Creation and would you feel good about it, even in Grace? Yes or no? Why or why not?
For me, sin doesn't sit well. I don't like it when I sin. The Holy Spirit reminds me of who I am and Whose I am when I sin and teaches me to say no to ungodliness. He does not ask me to seek forgiveness for sins already died and bled for (and that is what is required for the forgiveness of sins, and Jesus already did that, once for all time), though I do say I'm sorry and pray for His strength to choose wisely the next time.
I've said this time and again, and I'll repeat it here:
Those holding up Hyper Grace as a false teaching taught by heretics are not reading/listening to those who are preaching Grace. They are reading/listening to those who are misunderstanding/mischaracterizing the Grace message and preaching against stuff that Grace preachers don't preach.
I'm friends with some of you folks who are misunderstanding the Gospel of Grace - several of you 'Like' many of my posts and have expressed respect for what I've posted over time here at CC.
While I may not agree with every teacher on every point I've listed above (and I should have included, *GASP*, Joseph Prince), they are ALL on target with the Gospel of Grace.
NONE of them preach a license to sin, that confession is bad, that behavior doesn't matter, or Gnosticism.
They ALL use contextual Scripture and are faithful to the linguistics of Scripture as they teach the Gospel of Grace.
I've spent YEARS examining the different facets of this issue, and Grace is what it is. It's all about Christ, Who He is, what He came to do, what that actually accomplished, and who we are in Him. It's about the Fruit that Christ produces and that we bear as we rest in His completed Work. It's the paradox of striving to enter into His Rest - it's counter-intuitive to our flesh, but our spirit thrives and matures when we do, and good Fruit follows.
I'm not just spouting this off as an academic exercise - in my capacity as JGIG over the years, I've had the opportunity to interact with many folks coming out of legalism and watched them bloom and grow under Grace. I've seen them go from being fearful and critical to being peaceful and full of joy, able to grasp the love of God to overflowing into the lives of those around them. I've received emails from others who have not really been into legalism, but have had a mixture of Jesus + (insert pet doctrine here) and learning the above has set them free and they've gone from just bumping along in their walks to having vibrant, fruitful walks in Christ. And in 'real life', being in a local body of believers over the past 20 years, I've watched those who have striven under 'holiness' type teaching and those who have blossomed in Grace (our local church has moved more into Grace over the years). The Fruit tells the story.
Much of what I have seen here from those who are misunderstanding the Gospel of Grace is reactionary. Study it out. Make use of Greek dictionaries and see what the Biblical definitions of words like 'repentance', 'holiness', 'righteousness' and others mean. Consider context when looking at words with more than one definition, understanding that context (not just verse, but paragraph, chapter, letter, and whether something appears before or after the Cross) determines meaning.
Ask questions. Pray for guidance. And, if you want to hear/read from actual Grace preachers, you can find a good collection of their stuff
HERE. If I were to recommend just one source (though I highly recommend many excellent Grace preachers) to get a comprehensive and very balanced view of the Gospel of Grace, I would recommend Andrew Farley's Series page. All of the teachings are free to watch or download audio to your listening device. I highly recommend his stuff, and on his series page, especially his series on Romans, Hebrews, and 1 John are recommended to answer many of the questions raised on this thread. Here's the link:
andrew farley :: media player
I love you guys, and wish I could be here more often, but as some of you know, one of our children is being treated at St. Jude Children's Hospital for brain and spine cancer. He's responding well to treatment, by the way, and we so appreciate your continued prayers for him and our family.
My goal has always been and will always be to point folks to Christ. The Gospel of Grace brings the Lost to Life and corrects error, so in any points where I may err, if I'm pointing folks to Christ, He can bring correction. Likewise, if I'm always looking to Christ and His Work and who I am in Him, the same applies. As He brings maturity in me, what I believe comes more and more in line with His Truth.
My prayer for us all is an echo of what Paul wrote here:
Ephesians 3:16-21
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!
Amen.
\o/
Much love in Christ,
-JGIG