The Heretical “Hyper-Grace” Message

Michael Brown speaks with clarity in this Charisma extract concerning the ancient heresy that Jude warned about, yet is  now being re-packaged by high-profile ”charismatic ministers” who are deceivingly attempting to give it contemporary plausibility.

Some people have secretly slipped in and wormed their way into your churches. They are ungodly, “perverting the grace of our God”  into that which excuses immoral and sinful living. By doing this,  they deny Jesus Christ  our Lord and Master!    [Jude 4]

Please consider watching this video http://vimeo.com/59298991 to  hear Dr. Michael Brown as he articulates a powerful polemic against this exaggerated error and expose it as the great deception of the 21st century.

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“The biblical message of grace is wonderful, glorious and life-transforming. We can’t live without it for one second of our lives. But there is a message being preached today in the name of a new grace reformation, mixing powerful truth with dangerous error. I call it hyper-grace.

One of the foundational doctrines of the hyper-grace message is that God does not see the sins of his children, since we have already been made righteous by the blood of Jesus and since all of our sins, past, present and future, have already been forgiven.

That means that the Holy Spirit never convicts believers of sin, that believers never need to confess their sins to God, and that believers never need to repent of their sins, since God sees them as perfect in his sight.”

It is easy to see how such teaching can be dangerous, especially to a believer being tempted to compromise.

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/38297-confronting-the-error-of-hyper-grace

For further  reading on the subject:

http://www.gty.org/resources/articles/A100

http://www.reformationtheology.com/2006/03/response_to_the_free_grace_mov.php

Blue Eyes Like Janey?

 

 

David Huff  says it all in this lyrical saga of abortion.                                                                                                                                                                           Please watch and then pass it along.

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Biblically Based Confession

Русский: Исповедь. Бернардинский собор во Львове (Церковь Святого Андрея УГКЦ) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Paul Tripp explains the difference between admission and confession,and in doing so, presses christians to “dig deeper” and “confess bigger” so that grace can effect true heart-based repentance. His principles are most appropriate in their application to our relational  sins as well.

While reading this, I was reminded of  situations I have encountered where these  principles were seriously ignored and compromised, in an attempt to cover a corrupt heart. In one case, a brother was caught secretly recording a  confidential meeting in order to try to entrap me. When confronted by multiple ministers, he responded with  a shallow admission that he merely had a lapse in judgement. 

Tripp on the other hand, points us to emulate the depth and bigness of David’s heartfelt confession that brings forth redemptive turnaround in our lives. Scripture calls that the fruit of repentance.

Here is an excerpt:

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“Last week I wrote you about the subtle, yet significant, difference between the admission of wrongand true confession. Admission of wrong has two potential flaws. First, we might admit only because we were caught. And second, we might admit to only our behavior – not the heart motives behind it.

Now please, don’t mistake me. Admitting wrong and confessing behavioral action is good and necessary. Bu we need to go deeper. Our confession needs to be bigger.

Take the example of David in Psalm 51. When he prays for a pure heart and a steadfast spirit (v. 10, 11), he’s acknowledging that his struggle runs deeper than just behavior. He’s not only confessing to the physical acts of adultery and murder, but also to the reality of a heart that’s corrupt.

He’s confessing that his heart loves personal pleasure more than it loves the Lord. When he talks of God’s desire for a truthful and wise heart (v. 6), he’s confessing to a heart that has craved what was impure and that has loved what was foolish.

It’s only when you confess that your heart is corrupt that bigger things begin to happen. You turn…really turn. You don’t just turn from that specific sin pattern, but your heart turns to God in new and deeper ways.”

http://www.paultripp.com/wednesdays-word 

When The Minister Makes It Personal

 

The Pharisees Question Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A most troubling experience it is. Your congregants share how much they thoroughly enjoy the  ministry of  the word and affirmingly posture themselves as “happily fed campers” in the house. 

You instruct on the importance of “rebuke” as a means of grace to produce a mature faith.  lovingly but forthrightly you unpack  Matthew 18 to redemptively address times of relational conflict that lead to an offense and show them how to righteously walk it out in a Christ honoring way. 

As their minister, you feel some sense of fulfillment knowing that word-based equipping is common place with the saints you serve. But then it happens. One of the affirming congregants journeys into the realm of serious sin and now integrity calls you to make personal application of the truth that has gone forth.

It’s time to move from public pulpiteer to pastoral practitioner. As the shepherd,you insert yourself into their life and press for authentic repentance from sin. And the unthinkable happens!

                                                                                                        Ezekiel 32:33

“To them you are nothing more than a singer with a beautiful voice who sings love songs or a musician who plays an instrument. They listen to your words, but  have no intention of doing them.”

 

Ezekiel’s words become your reality as  ”the luv” quickly turns into defiant resistance and you begin to endure relational rejection, and slanderous allegations.  What was once hailed  as a ”good word”  is now accused of being abusive,legalistic, or even cultish.  The family leaves the church. How can this be?

Give  Spurgeon a read as he explains the cause for  such uncharactered things to happen.

 rgh

n religion men love far rather to believe abstract doctrines, and to talk of general truths, than the searching inquiries which examine their own personal interest in it. You will hear many men admire the preacher who deals in generalities, but when he comes to press home searching questions, by-and-by they are offended.

If we stand and declare general facts, such as the universal sinnership of mankind, or the need of a Saviour, they will give an assent to our doctrine, and possibly they may retire greatly delighted with the discourse, because it has not affected them; but how often will our audience gnash their teeth, and go away in a rage, because, like the Pharisees with Jesus, they perceive, concerning a faithful minister, that he spoke of them.

http://www.teampyro.org/2012/05/when-preacher-gets-personal.html

Tim Keller’s Doctrinal Clarification

Tim Keller is an influential author, speaker, and the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. His ministry has impacted my own personal walk with Christ. 

Last week I watched  Pastor Tim respond to serious intellectual questions during a 2008  interview with Martin Bashir. His  answers evoked a broad range of responses within my own soul: amazement, anger, blessing, frustration, joy, sadness, edification  and disheartenment. 

However, I was glad to read Keller’s  honorable clarification and much-needed correction concerning the exclusivity of Christ. Here are a couple excerpt’s. 

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“This interview from three and a half years ago was the first public event like this I had ever done, and a number of my responses were less than skillful. One in particular—the one about whether there is any way of salvation outside of faith in Christ—was misleading and unhelpful.”

“Some commenters said I should correct and renounce what I said…..actually I did, immediately, several years ago.I admitted my mistake and haven’t answered in that muddy way again. For the record, I didn’t know the interview was being recorded. When it pops up on the internet it’s a humbling reminder that I don’t always get things right. Nevertheless, I was on a study week when Justin Taylor put it up on our TGC website, and I should have seen it sooner to tell him that my answer at that point was a mistake and didn’t at all represent my teaching on that subject over the years.”

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2011/09/13/keller-on-salvation-outside-of-christ/

Rediscovering Evangelical Restitution

Image by six steps  via Flickr

Mark Driscoll says  restitution is a lost principle in the Evangelical church that  must be rediscovered. I certainly agree. The biblical principle was included along with repentance in  Basic Christian Doctrines class during my days at Christ for the Nations.

Restitution should extend  into every area of relational life. This is especially true when one brother defrauds another through slanderous character theft. Authentic repentance will sincerely  be motivated to restore what has been stolen from the persons good reputation. Unfortunately, less than honorable men choose to identify Evangelical  restitution with the error of Catholic penance so as to be  relieved from the responsibility of “putting back” what they have “verbally stolen”. Tragic and unprincipled.However, noble  men like Driscoll [and Dr. Dan Juster] are faithful to maintain the integrity of scripture by reminding us of the portions of scripture that we often neglect or simply choose to ignore.

Driscoll rightly differentiates Catholic penance and Evangelical restitution.  Questions at the end demonstrate the far-reaching application of biblical restitution.

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“… Penance is the false teaching that you need to pay God and others back so that you can be forgiven. Restitution has nothing to do with forgiveness in the sight of God.

Rather, Zacchaeus practiced restitution as evidence that he’d received God’s forgiveness. Restitution is making right to those that you’ve sinned against as a response to the work of Jesus in your life. It’s not penance. It’s justice. And it’s the duty of every Christian.

Many Christians are content with forgiveness and don’t feel compelled to make right what they’ve done wrong. It’s not enough to say, “Jesus, forgive me.” Yes, Jesus forgives. But Jesus also changes us. And that change should always result in a desire to make right what we’ve done wrong to the best of our ability.

Restitution shows the love and generosity of Jesus to the world and causes others to rejoice in the work of Jesus in your life. What is your repentance + restitution that would resulting in rejoicing? ”

 7 Questions To Ask Yourself Regarding Restitution

1. What have you taken that you need to give back?
2. How have you defrauded, and what should you pay?
3. When have you been lazy, and how can you change?
4. Whom have you neglected and what does restitution require?
5. Which sinner have you not called out but only grumbled about?
6. What sins have you tolerated, and what does repentance look like?
7. Have you been greedy, and how can you be generous?

http://theresurgence.com/2011/06/23/rediscovering-restitution?

related posts:

http://redeemedministers.blogspot.com/2010/04/wrong-concept-of-forgiveness.html

 http://antagoniz.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/following-zaccheus-to-jesus/