Dancing in Freedom of Grace by Pete BriscoeSample

Grace Alone

Most cults are masterful when it comes to mixing law into grace. They make it sound so good. They tell you they have the complete gospel, the full gospel, some form of progressive revelation. But the bottom line is the same broke message:

“Jesus? Yes! But you also need to…”
“Grace? Yes! But you also need to…”

Those are the mantras of grace-destroying heresy.

Adding requirements to the Gospel implies that grace is not crucial and Christ’s work is not sufficient. So Paul sounds the alarm:

If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (Galatians 1:9)

Sadly, adding requirements to grace and Jesus’ work is rampant within the core of our church communities, too—more so than we care to admit! We fall for this misguided theology anytime we buy into the lie that we can march in a way that improves our position with God. How might we do this?

• Listening to the right music
• Wearing the right clothes to church
• Adopting a certain political agenda
• Serving the poor
• Getting a theological education
• Praying
• Serving on committees
• Abstaining from alcohol or drugs
• Tithing
• And on, and on, and on…

Don’t get me wrong. These could all be good things, but only if they’re an extension of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit living through us. Otherwise, they’re just legalistic works that pollute the power of the Gospel by mixing two things that never belonged together: law and grace.

Oh Jesus, by the power of Your Spirit in me right now, show me the good things I am doing for the wrong reasons. Show me where I am still trying to earn favor with You by my works rather than dancing in the freedom of Your Spirit and letting Him work through me. Thank You. Amen.