‘Just Believe’: The Cheap Grace Perversion of Salvation
I. Free-Grace Doctrines in Brief
The term ‘free grace theology’ as taught by Harold Ironside, Lewis Chafer, Charles Ryrie, Charles Bing and others, is the extremist view that anything other than faith alone is unnecessary for salvation. Although the extent to which the above hold to this theology may differ slightly, the foundational doctrines are fundamentally based on the premise that anything other than ‘believing’ is a works-based theology. The main doctrines can be summarized as follows:
1. Repentance is just a change of mind, not godly sorrow, therefore, just a synonym for faith.
2. Turning from sin is a ‘work’ and therefore unnecessary for salvation.
3. Producing the fruit of the Spirit is no evidence of salvation.
4. Even the goats, false prophets and those who later deny Christ are still saved (extremists).
5. Perseverance to the end is unnecessary for salvation, but only refers to eternal rewards.
6. Disciple and believer are two separate categories of Christian, disciple being an optional extra.
7. Submitting to Christ as Lord is unnecessary for salvation and heretical.
8. Self denial only applies to disciples and is not associated with salvation.
This form of Christianity has been labeled as ‘cheap grace’ and the ‘american gospel’ as it contradicts Scripture completely, thrives in affluent Western democracies where physical persecution is absent, fails to understand the very root of sin, and reduces Christianity to a selfish ‘fire escape’. One of the catch phrases of free-grace adherents on social media such as Facebook is, ‘a person can just believe, live any old way they like, and still go to heaven’. This claim epitomizes the understanding of free-grace adherents and insistence that submission to the will of God in Christ is an abhorrence to such people.
Why is it important to confront this teaching? Simply because it is such a diluted and ego-centric doctrine that it produces nothing more than unregenerate converts who have not exercised biblical faith at all and are, therefore, deceived into thinking they have eternal life.
II. What is Grace?
In order to produce a thorough refutation of these teachings I will need to examine each claim in depth, therefore in this article I will examine the issues of grace, faith versus works, and biblical repentance. One of the main proof texts of free-grace adherents is Ephesians 2:8-9;
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God – not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
What is grace? Fundamentally it is to receive undeserved mercy. All human beings live under God’s general grace, for if He punished us immediately for our sin against Him, there would be no human beings left. This is general grace.
Paul has explained grace just a few verses earlier speaking of when we lived gratifying the flesh and states:
1 As for you, you were dead in transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest we were by nature deserving of wrath.4 But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy,5 made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1-5)
Paul’s points are as follows:
1. We were spiritually dead in sin. This does not necessarily mean a person is totally devoid of conscience or the possibility of being convicted, of seeking, or, through some circumstances, desiring to change their ways. ‘Death’ here has the fundamental meaning of being separated from relationship with God because of sin.
2. We followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air, Satan, in our rebellion against God, gratifying the flesh with its cravings and desires. This is the root of sin which like Lucifer, demands autonomy from God to rule our own lives as we see fit, setting our own standards of morality, etc, and therefore, deserving of wrath.
3. We were made alive in Christ even when we were dead. This is the experience of ‘regeneration’, to be ‘made alive again’. This is the moment when, through revelation by the Spirit, the sincere seeker is brought under conviction of sin, understands their slavery to sin, and surrenders to Christ. In that moment the Holy Spirit enters the person, they become a partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and ‘God’s own possession’ (Ephesians 1:14).
4. All of this exemplifies God’s grace. We deserved wrath, but received mercy.
III. What Does Paul mean by ‘Works’?
But what does Paul mean by the term ‘not by works’ in Ephesians 2:9? This term is used throughout Scripture to explain the difference between faith in the grace of God, or confidence in our deluded ‘self righteousness’. Such is the reason for his words, ‘so that no one can boast’ for the self-righteous person boasts of his works.
This is the fundamental difference between Christianity and every other religious system. Christianity teaches that we can never, by our own diligence, reach a state of sinlessness which can earn eternal life. Most other religions teach that salvation depends on human effort and how ‘good you were’ by that effort. One system points to self as the means of salvation, and the other points to the grace of God.
Scripture refers to being justified by faith, and of course the word justified means to be declared righteous before God. The vast majority of times that the words ‘by works’ are used in the NT is speaking of the difference between justification by faith and ‘works of the law’. Consider Paul’s warning to the Galatians who were seeking to add works of the law to the free gift of salvation through faith in Christ.
Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
(Galatians 2:16)
Furthermore, passages such as Romans 3:20 state that;
No one will be declared righteous in God's sight by works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.(Romans 3:20)
The law outlines God’s standard, and the sacrifices of blood were given as atonement for our inability to meet that standard. But some believed that their obedience to meeting some of the law’s requirements, such as tithing, refraining from worshipping idols or committing adultery, meant they had by their own will, a reason to boast in their own righteousness. Others, recognized the depth of their sin and obeyed out of thankfulness for God’s mercy. The difference was in the attitude of the heart, humility or pride.
This difference was perfectly demonstrated in Jesus’ parable of the two men who went to the temple to pray in Luke 18:9-14.
To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’
But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)
Note the following:
1. The parable is spoken to those who ‘trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt’. The Pharisee was boasting in his perceived righteousness by comparing his actions with the tax collector. In his mind, he had earned God’s favor through observing the Mosaic Law and was boasting in his works. He failed to realize that human pride is the greatest sin as it elevates self.
2. The tax collector was obviously under deep conviction, comparing himself solely with the holiness of God. He recognized the holiness of God and stood at a distance, his sin was revealed to him in such a way that he could not bring himself to even look up to heaven. He beat his hand over his heart, a sign of intense godly sorrow and cried out, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner’.
But what of those who lived before the law, such as Abraham. In Romans 4 Paul outlines his argument that Abraham was justified by the fact that he believed God’s promise and acted in faith on that promise. But like all biblical faith, this was much more than some intellectual assent. Abraham was called and went, Noah was warned and built the ark, these men acted in faith as did all those listed in Hebrews 11. As outlined in my video regarding biblical faith, there is no such thing as faith without a corresponding action of trusting God for our future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s0Fs71mwEM
To conclude thus far: The works Paul speaks of throughout his letters are specifically tied to observance of the Mosaic Law and self-righteous boasting of that partial observance. This self-righteousness is rooted in pride and ego, the very root of sin. Furthermore, faith must be an active trusting in God - Abraham leaving his home, Noah building the ark, the Jews crossing the Jordan etc.
With this in mind we can now examine the issue of repentance.
IV. Turning from Sin: An Act of Repentance
Firstly, what did Peter’s audience, on the Day of Pentecost, understand about the command to repent? Did they think it was just a change of mind as free-grace adherents claim, or to turn from sin in godly sorrow and trust God to follow His command? These were ‘God-fearing Jews’ from every nation, Israelites who knew the law and were in Jerusalem to make atonement for their sins (Acts 2:5). These people knew their history and the Scriptures, therefore, we need only examine passages from the Old Testament to see how they understood the command to ‘turn from sin’ and how this is connected to forgiveness.
Consider the following few examples.
…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles: 7:14)
In this well-known verse we see several acts which lead to forgiveness. The people must humble themselves, they must pray and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways. If they obey these requirements, God will forgive their sin and heal their land. Consider also Jeremiah.
Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin. (Jeremiah 36:2-3)
The people have been refusing to obey God’s commands and He has been warning them through the prophet. Yet again, He promises that if they ‘each turn from their wicked ways’ He will forgive their wickedness and sin.
These few examples are just a sample of the fact that God commands people to physically turn from sin and turn back to Him, to leave their sinful actions behind them. This demands both a change of heart, seeking God in humility, and a change of direction, turning 180 degrees away from sin and back to God. The OT declares this message constantly, and even gives a grave warning to those who do not warn people to turn away from their sins as in these verses:
When I say to a wicked person, ‘you will surely die’, and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. (Ezekiel 3:18-19)
Incredibly, when I have quoted these verses to free-grace adherents, they have claimed that these verses prove that turning from sin is a ‘work’. It is difficult to believe that such people cannot see the difference between a person humbling themselves in prayer and seeking the Lord’s face in repentance, and another person boasting in his self-righteousness. The two are polar opposites, therefore I can only conclude that this is merely a refusal to be corrected. With the above verses in mind, let’s examine what Peter actually said in his first sermon to the crowd of Jews in Jerusalem in Acts 2.
1. As previously mentioned, verse 5 tells us there were ‘God fearing Jews from every nation staying in Jerusalem’. They were there to offer a sacrifice for their sins just weeks before. They understood their history, they understood repentance, atonement and forgiveness, they were not some atheist or agnostic with no idea of these things. Each head of the family had brought a lamb to the temple and placed their hand on its head as it was killed in their place, and no doubt they were well aware of waiting for a Messiah to free them from Roman imperialism.
2. Peter quotes Joel to them about the pouring out of the Spirit (vs 17-21). He quoted it because they knew the Scriptures, they trusted the Scriptures. God had spent 1500 years preparing Israel and the world for this day, yet so-called evangelists these days think they can prepare the human heart in 15 minutes. People cannot respond to what they do not understand and the Holy Spirit does not submit to our using conversion formulas rather than giving Him time to convict people and bring them to a place of godly sorrow and true repentance.
3. Peter reminds them of the miracles, signs and wonders Jesus did among them and then accuses them saying, ‘and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross’. He also tells them that God raised Christ from the dead and quotes a Psalm from David. He speaks about the resurrection from the OT, tells them Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and ends with the accusation;
Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. (Acts 2:36)
4. Verse 37 tells us that the people who heard this were ‘cut to the heart’ and said to each other and the apostles, ‘what shall we do’. The words ‘cut to the heart’ are referring to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They saw their sin as God sees it, they owned their sin and shame of what they had done. In this state of conviction they were afraid of the wrath of God and judgment. And notice that they understood they must DO something, they must act in some way.
5. Peter tells them to;
‘…repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins’. (Acts 2:38)
If they do this, they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They already understood that repentance meant turning from their sin in order to receive forgiveness. Also Peter made it clear that this was an individual decision, it was for ‘every one of you’. This was their act of faith and it would come at a cost. They already knew the vehement hatred the leaders of Israel had for Jesus, indeed, they had been a part of the Lord’s horrific death. Would they be excommunicated, would they be arrested and punished for following a crucified criminal?
If they witnessed publically of their allegiance to Jesus Christ as Messiah and Lord through water baptism in His name, would they be putting a target on their back, would they be excommunicated from the temple, disowned by family and friends? And notice also, that receiving the Holy Spirit was conditional upon them being willing to make this commitment. There is always a cost as Jesus taught.
6. Did you notice that the word Savior is not mentioned in Peter’s first sermon? In verse 21 Peter quotes Jeremiah that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, and in verse 40 he appeals to the crowd to save themselves from this corrupt generation. Was he telling them that repentance, seeking forgiveness, and public witness were a works based salvation? No…these people knew their history and knew that the Messiah was the Savior of Israel.
Peter’s stress is found in the words, God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36). Peter draws their focus to the cross of Christ, a scene that many, if not all, had witnessed. He doesn’t say, ‘just believe, live any old way you like and you will go to heaven’, rather, He is commanding them to repent, turn from sin, count the cost and receive Jesus Christ as Lord (Colossians 2:9). If they respond to the Spirit’s conviction, they will receive the divine nature, the promised Holy Spirit.
7. Peter’s second sermon, recorded in Acts 3 has the same emphasis and conditions. The people had just witnessed the healing of a man lame from birth. He tells them that ‘the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus’ (v13). He accuses them of handing Jesus over to Pilate although the Roman Procurator had decided to let Him go, and that they ‘disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released’ to them and that although they had ‘killed the author of life’, God had ‘raised him from death’ (v14-15). Peter states that they had acted in ignorance, however he commands them;
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. (Acts 2:19)
The words ‘repent and turn to God’ clearly indicate this is not just a ‘change of mind’ as free-grace adherents insist, indeed, after giving a brief history lesson, Peter ends with the words,
When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you to turn from your wicked ways. (Acts 3:26)
V. The Diluted Free-Grace Perversion of the Gospel
How does Peter’s first sermon compare to what free-grace adherents are teaching and practicing today? So-called evangelists meet someone who is an atheist or agnostic, say 25 years old, and convinces them that God exists. They manage to ‘change the person’s mind’. According to their theology, repentance has been completed? In truth, they just helped a person whom the Bible calls a fool for believing there is no God, into taking the first step from being a fool…nothing more. It is a good start, but it is a very long way from being born again. Let’s assume that like most atheists this guy is living with his girlfriend or boyfriend, a hedonist who dabbles in drugs, loves nightclubbing etc.
If you are not going to tell this man that he is a sinner condemned by his own actions and going to hell, you are complicit in his sin and his eternal destiny. Peter outlined exactly what sin his audience had committed and the Holy Spirit used his words to cut the people to the heart, to convict them so that they cried out, ‘what must we do’. If you do not tell him he must be willing to turn from his sins, leave the fornication or homosexuality and hedonistic life-style, then he has nothing to ask forgiveness for as he has not seen his sin as God reveals it through conviction. No person can pray, ‘Lord forgive me’ with no intention of leaving what he is asking forgiveness for and expect to be forgiven. You are basically saying, ‘God doesn’t like these things, but you can sort it out later if you want.’ This cheap-grace theology is explain in my video entitled, ‘Free-grace: No Repentance, No Forgiveness, No Salvation’ found here.
Free-grace adherents preach ‘faith alone’ for salvation, but where is the faith? This person has been deceived into thinking that ‘faith’ is an intellectual assent to a historical fact that Jesus died on the cross for his sins and that he can get in his car, head home and continue in his sinful lifestyle until HE decides to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of his life. But why would he bother? He ‘believes’ he can ‘live any old way he likes and still go to heaven’.
There is no biblical faith required in this scenario, and certainly no new birth experience. This is a diluted, powerless, pathetic counterfeit of Christian teaching. Do free-grace adherents think they can tell the Lord when He must regenerate someone based on their perverted theology? Do they really believe they can command the Holy Spirit to take up residence in a person who has never repented of sin or exercised faith?
Hebrews 11:6 states:
Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to God must first believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Our 25 yr old atheist or agnostic has fulfilled the first fundamental criteria and now believes that God exists. Your responsibility now is to tell him to diligently seek God and that God will reward Him. How should he seek? You should have invited him to go through the Bible with you, teaching Him what motivated the Fall, why God gave us the law, the meaning of sin, sacrifice and atonement, and the consequences of sin. He would then begin to understand that the demand to rule our own lives and set our own standards of morality is the root of all sin. When the Lord decides he is ready, the Holy Spirit will convict him of sin, he will see sin as God sees it and be cut to the heart.
At that moment, he will be filled with a form of self-loathing and want nothing more than to be free from his slavery to sin. At that point, the Lord will call him to be willing to walk away from his sinful life-style and trust Him for the future. This will be the challenge of trusting, the challenge of faith. If he surrenders to Christ by faith, he will be justified by that faith, filled with the divine nature and have the power to live for Christ, he will be truly born again. If he refuses, he will remain in his unregenerate state.
Stop teaching a man-made watered down gospel which produces unregenerate and powerless converts for that is a ‘different gospel which is no gospel at all’. The conditions for regeneration are clearly taught in Scripture and God will not bow to some cheap-grace version of salvation.
For those who are working in evangelism and need a resource to take seekers through God’s plan of salvation, please contact me through my website so that I can forward a digital copy of my book ‘Time for Truth’ which I have used for 40 years for this purpose.
I pray this article has clarified the fundamental difference between works and acts of faith and that repentance is not simply a change of mind, but a willingness to turn away from sin and trust in Christ.
Steve Copland