QUESTIONS ON HYPER-GRACE! ***Critics of the gospel of grace have described it as.. - A “dangerous teaching,” - A “false message,” - And “a hyped-up, watered-down, seeker-friendly gospel.” - Those who preach it are branded “false prophets,” “antichrists,” and “pied pipers” leading people to hell. ***What do these critics have against the gospel of grace? Their criticisms are numerous.. - Apparently the grace message is soft on sin. - It’s opposed to the law. - It’s unbalanced. - It’s extreme. - Some of these criticisms reflect abiding misperceptions (“grace promotes licentiousness”). - Some of the criticisms are slanderous (“grace preachers are closet sinners”) ***Presented with these sorts of claims, it is tempting to dismiss the opponents of the grace message as ill informed and reactionary. But not all of them are. ***Some critics say things like; - Hyper-grace preachers are opposed to repentance - Hyper-grace preachers are opposed to confession of sins, - And they even claim that we think the words of Jesus have no relevance for us today. IS THIS TRUE? DO HYPER-GRACE PREACHERS ACTUALLY THINK THIS WAY? ***Since I am one of the hyper-grace preachers, I thought it might be helpful to respond to these accusations. - To be fair, some of this accusations are spot on. - Reading what critics I can say to myself, “Guilty as charged,” - And I do so with a grace-addict’s grin. ***Still, a number of accusations are based on misperceptions or misrepresentation of what we are actually saying. 1- Critics say sanctification is progressive, 2- Critics say it’s healthy to confess our sins to God, 3- Critics say New Testament repentance includes turning away from sins, and 4- Critics say the words of Jesus are authoritative. ***To three of these claims, most hyper-grace preachers would shout amen! 2- Confession is healthy (I have written a post on this!) 3- Repentance is often evidenced by a turning away from sins (I have written a post on this!) 4- And everything Jesus said is good and authoritative. (I have written a post on this!) 1- The only claim we would reject out of hand is the first one, that sanctification is a process. ***As much of the criticism made against the hyper-grace gospel and those who preach it is based on misperceptions and misunderstandings, To illustrate this, ask yourself whether the following claims are true or false. HYPER-GRACE QUESTIONS True or false… 1- Hyper-grace preachers are against repentance. 2- Hyper-grace preachers are against confession. 3- Hyper-grace preachers say it’s wrong to ask God for forgiveness. 4- Hyper-grace preachers say God is not grieved by your sin. 5- Hyper-grace preachers are against the law. 6- Hyper-grace preachers ignore the Old Testament. 7- Hyper-grace preachers disregard the words of Jesus. 8- The hyper-grace gospel encourages sin. 9- The hyper-grace gospel discourages obedience and holy living. 10- Hyper-grace preachers don’t talk about hell and wrath. 11- The hyper-grace gospel makes people lazy. ***To have real dialogue, - You need to hear both sides of the story. - If your only exposure to the hyper-grace gospel comes from attack articles and Facebook debates, you may think that every statement in the above quiz is true. ***IN FACT, every statement is FALSE. Each is either a fiction or a distortion of what the hyper-grace gospel actually says. ***I have already addressed some of those claims. But for now, I want to hear from you! - Which of the claims above have you heard? - Which have you believed? - And what are some other misperceptions you have encountered when telling others about the good news of God’s extreme, over-the-top, and hyper grace? #CHURCHBOY
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 10:44:03 +0000