Free Grace Theology

A person I do not know asked through this website for help to find a free grace church in the area. This gave me an opportunity to write a little warning that free grace theology undercuts the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For example, free grace theology eliminates the call to repentance over sin. It wrongly teaches that salvation by faith alone means that repentance is not part of the saving response to the gospel. Yet the Scriptures are clear that true saving faith is repentant faith.

• Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17
• Repent, and believe in the gospel Mark 1:15
• Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Acts 3:19
• Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life Acts 11:18
• God...now commands all men everywhere to repent Acts 17:30
• Paul "declared...that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance" Acts 26:20
• Not knowing the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4
• n humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth. 2 Timothy 2:25
• The foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God Hebrews 6:1
• The Lord...not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance 2 Peter 3:9

Free grace downplays the transformation that happens after faith, which always results in some fruit such as sound doctrine and good works. The idea of faith in Free Grace theology emphasizes facts and information (the intellect) and de-emphasizes the decision and trust aspects of faith (assent, will and trust). This can give believers in the free grace churches a false assurance of salvation, which is very dangerous. How does it do this? It comforts people who are living in habitual sin, that if they have made a profession of faith in Christ, "believing" the facts that He died and rose again, they are saved. Yet the evidence in their life points in the direction that they have not truly experienced the saving grace of God. Even the demons believe...(James 2:19).

Finally, free grace theology gives very strained interpretations of some passages of the Bible. I wrote about one such interpretation, in which the author proposes that some Christians will enter the kingdom of heaven but not actually "inherit" the kingdom of heaven. This is wrong. I write about it here.

I hope this is helpful to you. May the Lord richly bless you.