A few years ago, I was giving a weekend conference on the grace message.
There were a few hundred people packed into the fellowship hall of a small church in the Midwest. Some were taking notes, and many were asking questions.
Everyone was loving it. Well, almost everyone.
I could tell one man was really struggling with what I was saying. He couldn’t reconcile everything he was hearing with what he’d been taught his whole life.
Halfway through the second day, he hit his breaking point. He jumped to his feet in the middle of the session and, in a belligerent tone, declared, “All you talk about is grace. What about the deeper things of the gospel?
“You’re ignoring the sanctification process,” he continued. “Yes, we’re saved by grace, but you preach a message of cheap grace. You’re giving people a license to sin!”
“A license to sin?” I questioned. “Look, people seem to be sinning just fine without a license. What if we give God’s grace a chance?”
He stormed out of the room, leaving the audience wondering what might happen next.
This wasn’t the first time someone got revved up enough to speak out during my teaching. And it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Over the years, I’ve seen people become furious and walk out of Bible studies, conference sessions, and Sunday morning services—all because they didn’t agree that God’s grace was really this good.
Many people—yes, even some well-intentioned believers in Jesus—object to a focus on God’s grace. To them, too much grace seems dangerous. Maybe they think grace teachers are secretly leading lives of wild, unrestrained sin and leading others down that road too. So, they attack the message, calling it “cheap grace” or “greasy grace” or “hyper-grace.”
Is There Such a Thing as Cheap Grace?
Cheap grace? It cost Jesus everything, but it’s absolutely free to us! Greasy grace? We’re not climbing a firepole up to God and slipping back. God climbed down to us in the person of Jesus. Hyper-grace? Well, I’m certainly hyper about God’s never-ending grace. Aren’t you? The Bible actually uses the expression “hyper” to describe God’s grace:
- Romans 5:20: hypereperisseusen—God’s grace overabounded!
- Ephesians 2:7: hyperballon—God’s grace surpasses and exceeds (expectations)!
- 1 Timothy 1:14: hyperepleonasen—God’s grace was in surpassing abundance!
The Greek prefix hyper, meaning “above and beyond,” “over the top,” or “in excess,” is used a few times to describe God’s grace in the New Testament. Why shouldn’t we be “hyper” about the surpassing overabundance of His grace?
God is the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10).
Grace is multiplied to us in the knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:2).
Jesus is full of grace (John 1:14).
The Old Testament prophesied about this grace we have today (1 Peter 1:10).
There’s more than enough grace to go around (1 Timothy 1:14).
We’ve received an abundance of grace (Romans 5:17).
For us, it’s “grace upon grace” (John 1:16).
We stand in grace (Romans 5:2).
The grace of God overflows to us (Romans 5:15).
The Gospel itself is called the “gospel of grace” (Acts 20:24; Galatians 1:6).
We’re saved by grace (Ephesians 2:5, 8).
Grace doesn’t just bring salvation. It teaches us to say “no” to sin (Titus 2:11–12).
It’s important not to miss the grace of God (Hebrews 12:15)!
When there’s sinning going on, God apparently dishes out grace all the more (Romans 5:20; Romans 6:1).
God knows sin won’t master us if we’re under His grace (Romans 6:14).
Paul and Barnabas urged converts to continue in God’s grace (Acts 13:43).
We’re supposed to set our hope completely on God’s grace (1 Peter 1:13).
It’s good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace (Hebrews 13:9).
We grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18).
We’re called to stand firm and be strong in the grace of God (1 Peter 5:12; 2 Timothy 2:1).
I could keep going.
Is Too Much Grace Dangerous?
Only to the enemy! For us, it seems God’s grace is not only safe but essential. You really don’t have to worry about “too much grace.” Paul says it’s foolish to start by the grace of God and continue any other way (Galatians 3:1–3; Colossians 2:6–7).
There’s a terribly erroneous idea in the Church today that God’s grace is only “cookies and candy” and that we need to focus on the “deeper” message of “stop your sinning.” That’s the core problem in the Church today: Those who think “stop sinning” is a deeper message can really find that anywhere—from the message of John the Baptist to many world religions. In reality, there is no deeper message than “the gospel of grace” (Acts 20:24). We never graduate from God’s grace!
However, many people sitting in our churches today are getting a lightweight understanding of God’s grace. They think it’s merely about forgiveness when they fail and Heaven when they die. They don’t see the empowerment of God’s grace, so they seek to lessen it, temper it, or balance it with something else.
They kill their victory over sin and don’t even realize it:
For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)
Less Grace Means Less Victory
Grace isn’t just the treatment for sin; it’s the cure. More grace means more victory over sin. Less grace means less victory over sin. Do we really want less victory? If so, less grace is the sure way to get there!
Grace is a word we all know, yet we so often fail to really believe in what it means.
Grace is both essential and dazzling. It raises eyebrows. It begs questions. Grace turns everything upside down.
I invite you to get in on the best flavor of Christianity and celebrate the good news of the Gospel like never before. It will awaken you to a revolutionary perspective every healthy Christian should have.
Life is too short to miss out on God’s best, and what you don’t know about God’s grace can hinder you from experiencing the joy of Jesus in every area of your life.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/shuang paul wang
Dr. Andrew Farley is a best-selling author, the Lead Pastor of The Grace Church, and president of The Grace Message, which exists to proclaim the finished work of Jesus Christ and the love and grace of God with boldness and clarity. This is an
exclusive excerpt of his new book, The Grace Message, for Salem Web Properties. The Grace Message, from Salem Books, is now available. Learn more about Dr. Farley at www.andrewfarley.org.