Free Grace Theology – What is it? What is free grace?

what does the bible say?

Are we really saved by faith alone, or are works necessary to salvation? Free Grace Theology would say faith is all that is necessary. Its opposite is Lordship Salvation, and its proponents would disagree, saying that works are evidence of salvation. The Bible shows that both are correct. Faith is key, even in the Old Testament. Abraham’s faith and belief in God were “counted to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6). At the same time, Old Testament passages indicate that doing God’s will shows our love for Him (Deuteronomy 11:1; Joshua 22:5; Isaiah 56:6-7). In the New Testament, passages like Ephesians 2:8-9 make it clear that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ, not works. But the book of James shows that true faith is shown through works (James 2:14-17). The debate is a secondary issue, but either theological view can become unbiblical when taken too far.

from the old testament

• Noah was saved from the great flood by a boat he built with God’s instruction (Genesis 6:13-22). It took trust in God both to build it and to believe a flood was coming.
• Abraham was counted as righteous because of his belief in God, not because of anything he had done (Genesis 15:6).
• God choosing Israel as His “treasured possession” was not based on anything special about them (Deuteronomy 6): “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples” (Deuteronomy 7:7). Their being chosen was completely a gift from God.
• God gave the Promised Land to Israel with the intent they would care for it and be a light to the surrounding nations. They had done no work to receive it (Joshua 24:13), but were meant to be “a light to the nations” and use God’s gift for His glory (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6).
• At the same time, loving God is associated with following His commands (Deuteronomy 11:1; Joshua 22:5; Isaiah 56:6-7).

from the new testament

• God initiated salvation by sending His Son Jesus to die in our place. Only through our belief in Him as Lord and Savior are we born again (John 3:3, 3:16-17).
• Jesus stated, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). We can’t earn our way to God.
• Only by the grace of God and the faith that He gives us are we saved (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• Even so, Jesus pointed out that a “tree is known by its fruit,” using a metaphor to show that good works are a natural outgrowth of faith. .
• Proponents of Free Grace theology are sometimes accused of “easy believism.” When taken to the extreme, it can be twisted into a theology that says any behavior is fine because salvation is only through faith. This issue was one that Paul addressed in his letter to the Romans: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2). True believers will not lead lifestyles of sin; in this way, the life of true believers testify that they belong to Jesus.
• The apostle James writes, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:14-17). If you profess Jesus and claim to have salvation, your life should show it.

implications for today

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). What then, is the will of the Father? The next verse tells us: “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22–23). How can people who prophesied and cast out demons and did mighty works in the name of Jesus be called ’lawless’? The key is in Jesus’ words: “I never knew you.” Their works could not save them because the “faith” they had was not saving faith. They “never knew” Jesus. Works are a result of salvation, but they do not contribute to salvation. The thief on the cross, who Jesus saved at the last moment of his life, had no time to do any works. But if he had lived, he would have been sanctified, and his life would have become conformed to Christ’s (Hebrews 10:10, 14). The Bible fully supports the idea that God’s power is what saves us (Romans 1:16). It also fully supports the idea that “faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). The Bible does not always bend to fit into the molds we prepare for it. Justification and sanctification are a package deal. You don’t get one without the other. Free Grace theologians focus on justification, and Lordship Salvation theologians focus on sanctification, but none of us really knows what is happening in the heart of another person. We may not see sanctification taking place, but that doesn’t mean that God is not working on that person. We may witness a conversion that seems utterly genuine but may be insincere. Rather than playing guessing games about others’ salvation, we should focus on our own justification and sanctification, which are both settled in Christ’s blood (Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37; Romans 5:1–5).

Recap

understand

• Free Grace theology indicates that salvation is based completely on faith in Christ, not works.
• Lordship Salvation, often considered the opposite of Free Grace, says that works are a sign of faith.
• The Bible supports both Free Grace and Lordship Salvation, the difference being that the former focuses on justification while the latter focuses on sanctification.

reflect

• How does God’s gift of grace through faith in Christ impact how you live your life?
• What differences have you noticed in your life that show God’s process of sanctification?
• What are some secondary theological issues that you’ve encountered among believers? How do you handle those?

engage

• How might believers engage with each other on secondary theological disagreements in a way that honors Christ?
• What are some spiritual dangers that might arise from belief in Free Grace theology or in Lordship Salvation, if taken to extremes?
• How can we show the love of Christ without communicating a works-based salvation?