Free Grace Theology Muestra

Free Grace Theology

During seminary, we didn't hear much about free grace. It was initially brought to my attention in the 1990s. Zane Hodges, the author of Absolutely Free, defends the view that getting to heaven is a free gift from God to us. The only requirement for receiving this gift is our faith in God’s offer.

The question first voiced by the Philippian jailer to Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:31), has preoccupied church history for centuries. People in the pews are profoundly affected by a pastor's response. I once interviewed a lady for church membership and she began by asking questions similar to this. As I explained that the sole prerequisite was simply faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, she cried and replied, “I have never heard about this kind of love.” 

I inquired about her church background. She claimed to have been a fifteen-year member of a well-known pastor's church. “One day at church,” she said, “the pastor declared, ‘If any of you have an ongoing sin you have wrestled with for many years, then you probably are not a Christian.’” 

She was pretty emotional as she added, “I have wrestled with smoking most of my adult life. I think it’s a sin because I’m destroying my body, but I can’t seem to quit. Because of what the pastor said, I’ve been living in fear that I won’t go to heaven when I die.”

That encounter brings to mind a conversation I had with Tony Evans, a well-known American preacher, who asked me, “Do you ever wrestle with pride?” My reply, “Only every day.” He responded, “I have wrestled with pride all my life. Does that mean I’m not a Christian?” 

Ongoing sin battles are causing many professing Christians to doubt their salvation. Tony did not doubt his salvation. He was pointing out the problem of anyone thinking they do not have ongoing sin in their life, along with believing that ongoing sin is a sign they’re not born-again.

Justification and sanctification relate to one another, but the Gospel of God is not burdened with requirements that extend beyond simple faith in Jesus. We want to highlight six aspects of Free Grace that bring the believer greater assurance, intimacy, motivation, and understanding of God.