"Free Grace" Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel

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"Free Grace" Theology

Author: Wayne Grudem

Must the gospel message include a call for people to repent of their sins? “No,” say Free Grace advocates. Is evidence of a changed life an important indication of whether a person is truly born again? “No, again,” these advocates say. But in this book, Wayne Grudem shows how the Bible answers “Yes” to both of these questions, arguing that the Free Grace movement contradicts both historic Protestant teaching and the New Testament itself. This important book explains the true nature of the Christian gospel and answers the question asked by so many people: “How can I know that I’m saved?”

–––––––––– Table of Contents ––––––––––

Introduction

  1. What is the Free Grace gospel?
  2. Why I do not use the term Lordship Salvation

Chapter 1: Not the “Faith Alone” of the Reformation

The Free Grace movement does not teach the Reformation doctrine of “justification by faith alone.”

  1. Protestant leaders throughout history have consistently disagreed with the Free Grace position
    1. John Calvin
    2. Formula of Concord
    3. Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England
    4. Westminster Confession of Faith
    5. New Hampshire Baptist Confession
    6. John Wesley
    7. Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths
  2. Therefore, the Free Grace movement today is not upholding the Reformation doctrine of sola fide, or “justification by faith alone.”
  3. There is no logical difficulty in claiming this
  4. Why is the proper meaning of “justification faith alone” so important?”

–––––––––– Table of Contents ––––––––––

Introduction

  1. What is the Free Grace gospel?
  2. Why I do not use the term Lordship Salvation

Chapter 1: Not the “Faith Alone” of the Reformation

The Free Grace movement does not teach the Reformation doctrine of “justification by faith alone.”

  1. Protestant leaders throughout history have consistently disagreed with the Free Grace position
    1. John Calvin
    2. Formula of Concord
    3. Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England
    4. Westminster Confession of Faith
    5. New Hampshire Baptist Confession
    6. John Wesley
    7. Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths
  2. Therefore, the Free Grace movement today is not upholding the Reformation doctrine of sola fide, or “justification by faith alone.”
  3. There is no logical difficulty in claiming this
  4. Why is the proper meaning of “justification faith alone” so important?”

Chapter 2: No Call to Repent of Sins

Free Grace theology weakens the gospel message by avoiding any call to unbelievers to repent of their sins.

  1. Repentance from sin in the New Testament
  2. Repentance from sin in many key summaries of the gospel
  3. Repentance from sin in narrative examples Jesus dealing with individuals
  4. Repentance from sin in Protestant confessions of faith
  5. Why is repentance not mentioned in John’s Gospel?
  6. Two different Free Grace explanations for the “repentance” verses
  7. A necessary “change of mind”
  8. An optional resolve to turn from sin
  9. However, saving faith does not include obedience
  10. Conclusion: A weakened gospel

Chapter 3: False Assurance

            Free Grace theology gives false assurance of eternal life to many people who profess

faith in Christ but then show no evidence in their pattern of life.

  1. The result of the weakened Free Grace gospel is many unsaved people
  2. New Testament epistles frequently warn church-goers that some of them might not be saved
  3. The Free Grace view says that people can become complete unbelievers and still be saved
  4. Free Grace teaching about assurance makes a fundamental category mistake
  5. The historic Protestant view does not say that assurance of salvation is impossible, but just the opposite

Chapter 4: Underemphasis on Trust in the Person of Christ

Free Grace teaching overemphasizes agreement with facts and underemphasizes heartfelt trust in the person of Christ.

  1. Some Free Grace advocates say that faith equals mere intellectual assent
  2. Other Free Grace advocates say that faith includes trust in the person of Christ
  3. Both groups deemphasize the element of heartfelt trust in the living person of Christ
  4. Saving faith requires trust in the person of Christ, and this means that mental agreement with facts about Christ without personal trust in Christ is not saving faith
  5. Saving faith is pictured as coming to Christ
  6. Saving faith is pictured as receiving Christ
  7. Saving faith is pictured as believing something in your heart
  8. Saving faith is portrayed as believing in a person
  9. Free Grace misunderstandings of B. B. Warfield on the need to decide to trust in Christ personally

Chapter 5: Unlikely Interpretations

Free Grace advocates have to adopt numerous highly unlikely interpretations of the New Testament because of the need to defend their mistaken understanding of the word “alone” in the phrase “faith alone.”

  1. Some example of unlikely interpretations
  2. Luke 16:30
  3. John 15:1–2
  4. John 15:6
  5. Acts 11:18
  6. Acts 17:30
  7. Acts 26:19–20
  8. Romans 10:9–13
  9. 2 Corinthians 13:5
  10. James 2:14–17
  11. James 2:26
  12. James 5:19–20

Conclusion

  1. Summary of the argument of this book
  2. Topics not covered in this book
  3. What do I appreciate about the Free Grace movement?
  4. My hope for the future

 

–––––––––– Table of Contents ––––––––––

–––––––––– Table of Contents ––––––––––

Introduction

  1. What is the Free Grace gospel?
  2. Why I do not use the term Lordship Salvation

Chapter 1: Not the “Faith Alone” of the Reformation

The Free Grace movement does not teach the Reformation doctrine of “justification by faith alone.”

  1. Protestant leaders throughout history have consistently disagreed with the Free Grace position
    1. John Calvin
    2. Formula of Concord
    3. Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England
    4. Westminster Confession of Faith
    5. New Hampshire Baptist Confession
    6. John Wesley
    7. Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths
  2. Therefore, the Free Grace movement today is not upholding the Reformation doctrine of sola fide, or “justification by faith alone.”
  3. There is no logical difficulty in claiming this
  4. Why is the proper meaning of “justification faith alone” so important?”

Chapter 2: No Call to Repent of Sins

Free Grace theology weakens the gospel message by avoiding any call to unbelievers to repent of their sins.

  1. Repentance from sin in the New Testament
  2. Repentance from sin in many key summaries of the gospel
  3. Repentance from sin in narrative examples Jesus dealing with individuals
  4. Repentance from sin in Protestant confessions of faith
  5. Why is repentance not mentioned in John’s Gospel?
  6. Two different Free Grace explanations for the “repentance” verses
  7. A necessary “change of mind”
  8. An optional resolve to turn from sin
  9. However, saving faith does not include obedience
  10. Conclusion: A weakened gospel

Chapter 3: False Assurance

            Free Grace theology gives false assurance of eternal life to many people who profess

faith in Christ but then show no evidence in their pattern of life.

  1. The result of the weakened Free Grace gospel is many unsaved people
  2. New Testament epistles frequently warn church-goers that some of them might not be saved
  3. The Free Grace view says that people can become complete unbelievers and still be saved
  4. Free Grace teaching about assurance makes a fundamental category mistake
  5. The historic Protestant view does not say that assurance of salvation is impossible, but just the opposite

Chapter 4: Underemphasis on Trust in the Person of Christ

Free Grace teaching overemphasizes agreement with facts and underemphasizes heartfelt trust in the person of Christ.

  1. Some Free Grace advocates say that faith equals mere intellectual assent
  2. Other Free Grace advocates say that faith includes trust in the person of Christ
  3. Both groups deemphasize the element of heartfelt trust in the living person of Christ
  4. Saving faith requires trust in the person of Christ, and this means that mental agreement with facts about Christ without personal trust in Christ is not saving faith
  5. Saving faith is pictured as coming to Christ
  6. Saving faith is pictured as receiving Christ
  7. Saving faith is pictured as believing something in your heart
  8. Saving faith is portrayed as believing in a person
  9. Free Grace misunderstandings of B. B. Warfield on the need to decide to trust in Christ personally

Chapter 5: Unlikely Interpretations

Free Grace advocates have to adopt numerous highly unlikely interpretations of the New Testament because of the need to defend their mistaken understanding of the word “alone” in the phrase “faith alone.”

  1. Some example of unlikely interpretations
  2. Luke 16:30
  3. John 15:1–2
  4. John 15:6
  5. Acts 11:18
  6. Acts 17:30
  7. Acts 26:19–20
  8. Romans 10:9–13
  9. 2 Corinthians 13:5
  10. James 2:14–17
  11. James 2:26
  12. James 5:19–20

Conclusion

  1. Summary of the argument of this book
  2. Topics not covered in this book
  3. What do I appreciate about the Free Grace movement?
  4. My hope for the future
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