Extreme Grace??
Art Nelson
Introduction
In this first issue
of 2012 I would like to address a subject that I believe is being taught by a
perverted understanding of the Scriptures concerning grace. The preacher
promoting this subject comes from a large mega-church in Singapore and he refers
to the topic as “extreme grace”. He combines elements of truth from the Word
with faulty logic to arrive at conclusions that are at best erroneous and at
worst deception. He does to grace what the Word-Faith group did to faith. They
took the biblical application of faith and carried it to an extreme that
resulted in the Gospel of Wealth that is now presented by the tele-evangelists
continually on the air-waves. As Watchman Nee said, “Any Truth taken to an
extreme becomes a heresy.” This has happened to the twisted understanding of
faith and is now happening to a twisted understanding of grace.
What is called
“extreme grace” is the idea that Jesus bore our sins on the cross, past, present
and future. Grace has already covered all sin including the sins that you may be
committing now. This “unmerited favor” from God has already forgiven you.
Because of this you no longer need to confess your sins, you now confess your
righteousness in Jesus.
Now, it is
completely true that Jesus bore all of our sins. He even took upon Himself our
sin nature too so that we are no longer under the power and control of sin. It
is completely true that we are made righteous in Jesus; He has become our
righteousness. This is actually the proper definition of grace—Jesus doing
for us what we are unable to do for ourselves. “For what the Law could not
do . . . God did . . .” [Romans 8:3] How can grace get more extreme than
that?
Everything in the
Scriptures is in a dynamic balance. An example is “free will” and
“predestination”. Both of these are true as long as they balance each other.
Eliminating one causes the other to become unbalanced and leads to error,
Another example is “submit to those in authority” and “obey God rather than
man”. They must balance each other. Faith is balanced by obedience; that is,
walking in the Spirit. Grace is balanced by our responsibility. God did what we
were unable to do but that does not eliminate the requirements to live Godly in
the Lord. We cannot use grace as an excuse to sin or to continue in sin. Paul
said that he does not nullify or frustrate the grace of God [Galatians 2:21].
Now, let's turn to
the Scriptures to see the true application of grace.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and
to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the
blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ
Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to
purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
(Titus 2:11-14 NASB)
From what Paul told
Titus, there is a clear application of the appearing of the grace of God. It is
instructing us:
-
to deny ungodliness;
-
to deny worldly desires;
-
to live sensibly;
-
to live righteously;
-
to live godly in this present age.
Grace instructs
us to live differently than we did before we received His grace.
Grace does not
allow us to continue in lawlessness because, as Paul said in the verses above,
Christ Jesus gave Himself to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for
Himself a people.
Paul continued by
telling Titus:
These things speak and exhort and reprove with
all authority. Let no one disregard you. (Titus
2:15 NASB)
Anyone who is using
“extreme grace” as an excuse not to change or to live differently than they used
to live need to be spoken to, exhorted and reproved with all of the authority of
Jesus Christ. This is not a topic that should be disregarded. Paul continues in
the next chapter of Titus to tell us why.
For we also once
were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and
pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His
love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have
done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of
regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly
through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would
be made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life.
(Titus 3:3-7 NASB)
Paul describes the
way that we all are without Christ and then says, “He saved us . . . so that
being justified by His grace we would be made heirs . . “ He saved us, justified
us, in order that we would be heirs, which means that we have an inheritance.
However, one can be disqualified from receiving an inheritance.
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which
are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife,
jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying,
drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as
I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NASB)
If “extreme grace”
requires nothing of us, if we only need to confess our righteousness in Christ,
if this all operates automatically, then why does Paul warn the Galatians that
if they live their lives in ungodliness they will not inherit? Jesus saved us
that we might be heirs, yet Paul tell us that if we practice such things as he
listed then we will not inherit. It seems to me that it would be important for
us to understand what is involved in inheriting and not inheriting.
Any emphasis on
grace that ignores its goal, its instruction, is not a balanced presentation of
the grace of God. It is a distortion of true grace and will lead us astray from
the requirements of the Lord and our responsibility to walk in the Spirit and
not fulfill the desires of the flesh.
©
2003-2011 by Art Nelson and
Lifestream Teaching
Ministries
Previous issues of Present Truth are on the website: www.Lifestreamteaching.com
For comments or questions contact Art Nelson at this address:
artnelson@lifestreamteaching.com
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