The Free Grace Alliance

Doctrine and Unity

noreply@blogger.com (Grant Hawley) — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 20:16:00 +0000

Those who know me well know I am committed to endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3). I am also committed to sound doctrine for the same reasons. I often see commitment to sound doctrine and commitment to unity in the Body presented as opposing principles, but that idea doesn’t reflect reality.

I don’t believe any believer in Christ has ever had a stronger commitment to unity in the Body than the Apostle Paul. He was obsessed with it and saw it as an elementary implication of the gospel. As a Pharisee, a Hebrew of Hebrews, his Jewishness was an integral part of his identity, perhaps the most fundamental aspect of it. Yet, it was primarily to him that the mystery of Jews and Gentiles together in one Body was revealed. He was the one sent as the Apostle to the Gentiles. It was he that publicly rebuked Peter for his implication that the Gentiles were not equal members of the Body, and it was he that championed the Gentiles’ case as fully accepted members of the Body of Christ at the Jerusalem Council (Peter at this time defended his cause).

Yet, I also doubt if anyone has ever had a fiercer commitment to sound doctrine than he did.

The truth is that false doctrine tears apart the Body of Christ (practically speaking). It causes division by turning people against each other. In the case of works salvation, or denying salvation by faith alone, it causes suspicion and judgmentalism, and even carnal oppression of others in an attempt to enforce holiness. I've seen it. I've been guilty of all of that. It is the natural outcome of legalism.

On the other hand, when we start from a place of recognizing that we were all guilty before God if based on our own merits, not just a little, but extremely so, and if not for Christ we would be utterly without hope, and if we recognize that we contribute nothing at all then we can be free to love each other, broken as we are, into the spiritual healing that is found only in a grace-filled community. I am fully accepted on His merits alone--and so are you--so there's no grounds for boasting, no grounds for condemnation or gossip. And just as I've been guilty of the judgmentalism, the implicit boasting, the division that comes with legalism, I've experienced the unconditional love of Christ expressed in a community that understands and embraces grace. A community that does that is committed to sound doctrine and is so unified that people do not hesitate to show their love for one another with their actions. This is just one example of sound doctrine promoting unity in the Body of Christ.

Sound doctrine promotes unity and sound praxis uses doctrine to build unity. The godly man who is committed to sound doctrine seeks to gently and humbly persuade those who are in opposition (2 Tim 2:24-26). Our ministry is one of reconciliation. Godly wisdom is peaceable and gentle and the one who seeks to promote righteousness does so by sewing in peace (Jas 3:17-18). And it’s the wolves who seek to divide the flock and draw some after themselves (Acts 20:29-32).

Sound doctrine is not the source of divisiveness. It can come from false doctrine (the term translated “heresy” in the New Testament means “division”) or it can come from carnality or behavior that is inconsistent with sound doctrine.

Let’s increase our commitment to sound doctrine, and as we do, let us use it as a tool in our striving to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That’s what it means to walk worthy of our calling (Eph 4:1-3).

Full of Grace and Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Grant Hawley) — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:52:00 +0000

John 1:14 tells us that Jesus is “full of grace and truth.” It’s an amazing thought. In Jesus Christ, God is manifested in a way man could see and touch and hear and understand. We know God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, so He must be the perfect embodiment of truth, and when this Truth came to us, it was to bring glad tidings of grace upon grace, even though that good news cost Him His life. He is full of grace and truth. No one has ever been more truthful and no one has ever been more gracious because He is perfectly filled up with both.

So why are we so often told that we need to have balance between grace and truth? I can’t count how many times I’ve heard something along those lines. It is presented as if these concepts are in tension and Christian maturity has the correct balance between the two. A graceless person might be said to “lean too much on truth and not have enough grace,” or someone who has few convictions might be told, “It’s good to be gracious, but we need truth as well.” This perspective has a deficient understanding either grace or truth or both.

Grace and truth are so intertwined that we cannot have one without the other. Satan is the father of lies, yet his lies mix in a little truth for believability. That’s what all good liars do, and it’s what makes discernment so essential. We have to be able to separate the truth from falsehood and to understand that if falsehood is mixed in with the truth, the statement is a lie. When we are sworn in as a witness, we promise to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” because a truth can become a lie by omitting essential parts of it or mixing falsehood in with it. Those who are said to “lean too much on truth and don’t have enough grace” would be guilty of perjury if they did it on the witness stand. We’re called as witnesses and as God’s witnesses, we need to be held to the high standard of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Grace is an essential part of the truth.

Likewise, someone who has no convictions and doesn’t consider anything to be wrong isn’t showing grace because grace is by definition showing favor to the undeserving. If we say everyone is deserving of that favor, then we aren’t showing grace. Grace calls sin sin and then counts it nailed to the cross.

So, “grace” without truth is not grace at all, and “truth” without grace is a lie.

Understanding Romans 9, Part 1, Context and Theme

noreply@blogger.com (Grant Hawley) — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 16:18:00 +0000

This post was originally published at thegracelings.org

Introduction

There are a lot of passages in Scripture that people intentionally avoid. Usually it is because they have an idea about what it says, and they don’t like that idea. Romans 9 is one of those passages, and there are a lot of jokes at the expense of non-Calvinists because of it. Calvinists use it as a proof text for the idea that God unconditionally predestined some to salvation and some also use it to suggest that the unelect are predestined to damnation. It says things like, “He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens,” and that is assumed to mean that God chooses individuals for each from eternity past and without conditions.

I don’t expect this series of articles to solve the debate about Romans 9, or even to persuade those who are committed to Calvinism. That isn’t the point of this series. What I’m hoping to accomplish is to help those who say, “I’m not sure I understand Romans 9, and I haven’t wanted to spend a lot of time there” to have a foundation to study the passage without fear. It’s an amazing passage that fiercely defends the righteousness of God, and it’s a shame that so many are missing out on it.

A Bit about Interpretation

One paradox of Bible interpretation is that one needs to understand the whole book before he can understand the individual passages, and he needs to understand the individual passages before he can understand the whole book. The way we address this is something called the “hermeneutical spiral,” which is to say we go back and forth between reading the whole book and digging into the individual passage we hope to understand. In this way, we can get a good understanding of individual passages in context as we gain a better-defined big picture of the book.

Context and Themes

I am teaching through Romans at church now, and one of the most important things I discovered through the hermeneutical spiral process is the particular aspect of wrath and judgment that Paul uses as a theme in the book. He sets the definition in Romans 1 when he writes, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” followed by “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness” and “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions” (Rom 1:18, 24, 26). So, the aspect of God’s wrath Paul calls to mind is that as a response to their “suppress[ing] the truth in unrighteousness,” God gives people over to their sinful desires.

This theme continues in Romans (4:12; 5:9; 9:22), but it isn’t just with the term “wrath” it also shows itself in other terms of judgment, such as “death/die/died” (5:21; 6:16, 23; 7:5, 9, 10, 13; 8:6, 13) “condemnation” (5:16, 18; 8:1), and, more explicitly, “hardens” (9:18). The basic idea is that God’s righteous judgment is shown in that he gives people over to sinful passions/desires in response to their rejection of Him. Paul uses Pharaoh as an example of this in Rom 9:17, and this follows what we see in Pharaoh’s story. Pharaoh suppressed the truth in unrighteousness (first, by exalting himself to divinity, then by keeping God’s people enslaved, then again in Exod 5:2, 6-9; 8:15, 32), so the LORD hardened his heart in judgment.

Another interesting thing about the book of Romans is that Romans 9 actually picks up a discussion that began in 3:1-7. After demonstrating that the Jews outside of Christ are just as much under God’s condemnation as the Gentiles (Romans 2), Paul asks, “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of the circumcision? Much in every way!” (3:1-2a), but he only lists one advantage in that context: “Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God” (3:2b). He doesn’t get to the rest of the advantages until Rom 9:4-5.

There are two other questions posed in Rom 3:1-7 that aren’t answered until Romans 9-11. The first is, “For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?” (3:3). The question here is asking if God will still keep His promises to Israel if some don’t believe. Paul answers “Yes!” which is most clearly seen in Rom 11:26a, “And so all Israel will be saved” and 11:29, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” God hasn’t forgotten His love for or His promises to the Jews.

The next question from Romans 3:1-7 that is answered in Romans 9 is: “But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?” (Rom 3:5-7). In other words, if God gives people (and, in this case, nations) over to sinful desires as part of righteous judgment, why does God still find fault with those whom He has given over to sinful desires? Who could resist His will? (This is summarized in Rom 9:19.)

Conclusion

Romans 9 (and 10 and 11) is about defending God’s righteousness in regard to His dealings with Israel, and the subject is nations, not individuals. Even in the example of “JACOB I HAVE LOVED, BUT ESAU I HAVE HATED” (Rom 9:13), the nations of Israel and Edom are in view. We know this because, in Rom 9:12, Paul recalls Gen 25:23: “And the LORD said to her [Rebekah]: ‘Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.’” Esau, the individual, never served Jacob. In fact, it was the opposite (Gen 32:4), yet the fate of these nations was set.

The reason so many can’t see this is because for more than a thousand years, the church, for all intents and purposes, universally rejected the idea that God would fulfill His promises to Israel. Instead, they believed that God had rejected Israel and instead will fulfill His promises allegorically in the Church. With that basic foundation missing, Romans 9 can’t be understood literally. To try to make sense of it, people read into Romans 9 the idea of God choosing individuals for salvation and damnation, but that idea isn’t there unless we put it there.

What is there is a look at the advantages the Jews have as God’s chosen nation, a defense of God’s righteousness relative to His keeping His promises to Israel, and a defense of the righteousness of God’s judgment.

In the next article, we will look at the reasoning behind God’s choice to show mercy or to harden. Some say it’s a mystery that is only known to God, but it’s not. It’s right there in the text.
If this is interesting to you, you might enjoy this book, Dispensationalism and Free Grace: Intimately Linked.

Carnal Christians. No Such Thing?

noreply@blogger.com (Grant Hawley) — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 21:16:00 +0000

Carnal Christians. No Such Thing?

First Corinthians 3:1-4 is a passage that has ironically been a source of contention between Christians with different views. Lewis Sperry Chafer had a dictionary of theological cuss words and guilt-by-association arguments hurled at him for publishing his view that 1 Cor 2:14-3:4 does indeed teach the existence of carnal Christians. That First Corinthians was written to Christians is not in doubt (see 1:2, 26, 30; 3:16; 6:19-20). And even in the passage in question, Paul compares them to "babes in Christ" (3:1), which is a poor comparison if they are not in Christ. For this reason, the disagreement about this passage is not on whether these carnal people are truly Christians, but whether these Christians are rightly characterized as carnal in general.

For example, Brian Borgman writes from the Reformed perspective:

Nevertheless, Paul does not imply that their carnality is universal, but rather localized to one serious and destructive area, their arrogant party-spirit. Paul is not saying that they are completely carnal, he is pointing out that in this area they are acting like normal men (3:3b-4). He is telling them that they have the characteristics of the flesh. He then points out that this is the source of their jealousy and rivalry. In acting like this Paul could ask, "are you not being only too human?" (3:4b, NJB).¹

The Corinthians' Carnality

But was their carnality truly "localized to one serious and destructive area"? Or was their carnality indeed "the rule in their lives"? Sadly, it seems to be the latter. Of course, in the immediate context Paul is addressing only their sectarian attitudes, "...for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not carnal?" (1 Cor 3:3-4).

But the rest of First Corinthians was also written to the same people at the same time. These same brothers were tolerating, and even puffed up over, sexual sin within the congregation (5:1-8). One of them was sexually involved with his stepmother (5:1). ² These brothers were suing one another in the unbelievers' courts (6:1-7). They were doing wrong and cheating their brothers (6:8). It is likely that they were involved in sexual immorality (6:12-20). They were fighting over food and wine and getting drunk at the Lord's Supper (11:17-22). They were lobbying for position and attention "you are zealously desiring the best gifts," (12:31, literal translation) and were taking their spiritual gifts as an opportunity to edify themselves rather than the church (compare 12:7; 14:4; and Eph 4:11-16). All of these issues show that they were selfish and generally living without love for one another. The famous "love chapter," 1 Corinthians 13, was not written to give pastors something to read at weddings; it was given to show these brothers a better way to live amongst each other. How can we look at the book as a whole and claim that these Corinthian Christians were living in anything but pervasive carnality?

And what do sectarian attitudes really say about their walk with Christ? Jesus wanted nothing more than for His disciples to "love one another" (John 13:34), and said it was by loving one another that others would know that they are His disciples (John 13:35). Likewise, John tells us that if we hate our brothers we are in darkness (1 John 2:9, 11), and that if we don't love our brother we are "not of God" (1 John 3:10). ³ And every bit of the fruit of the Spirit from Gal 5:22-23 shuts down sectarianism in its tracks. How can a community living in "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" be sectarian in the way that these Corinthian believers were? It simply isn't possible to be generally spiritual and living divisively at the same time. In fact, in Galatians, Paul describes "hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies" (Gal 5:20)—all the makings of party-spirit—as "the works of the flesh" (5:19).

What Is a Carnal Christian?

We need to be careful not to redefine carnal to mean that they don't care at all about spiritual things. A carnal Christian may or may not care about spiritual things. That just simply isn't the point. A carnal Christian is a Christian who lives according to the flesh (carnal means "of flesh"). It is a Christian who is living like a mere man (1 Cor 3:4), as if he were not the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), as if Christ did not live in him (John 14:20; Gal 2:20), as if he had not died with Christ and been risen with Him (Rom 6:1-14).

A carnal Christian may very well care about spiritual things. We have clear examples in Scripture of believers who did indeed care about spiritual things (even very much), who were still carnal. For example, in Romans 7 Paul describes himself as carnal while living as if under the law. He was struggling, living in the flesh (see especially vv 5, 14, 23); yet no one would say that he was not concerned for spiritual things. In fact, he desired very much to obey God's law (7:14-19), but while living under law (in the flesh, 7:5, 14) he was unable to obey. He was living as a mere man trying to live up to a supernatural standard. That is why he said, "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin" (Rom 7:14), and "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find" (7:18). It isn't that he didn't want to obey, but that while living as a mere man he didn't have the means.

Likewise, the Galatian Christians were warned against pursuing spiritual maturity in the flesh: "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect [mature] by the flesh?" (Gal 3:1-3). This passage, as clearly as any other, shows us that to live legalistically is to live fleshly (carnally).

Even the Corinthian Christians were concerned with spiritual things (1 Cor 1:4-9). This is clear from their repentant response to Paul's letter (2 Cor 7:2-12) and the fact that the tenor of Second Corinthians showed that there was marked improvement since the writing of First Corinthians (pastoral care like that of Paul tends to have that effect). It is likely from 2 Cor 2:3-11 that the brother who was sexually involved with his stepmother even responded positively to church discipline. Yet at the time First Corinthians was written, carnality invaded seemingly every area of their life together.

Conclusion

Are there believers who through tragic circumstances, neglect from spiritual leaders, and/or bad choices become completely hardened and unresponsive to spiritual things? Experience would argue that there are (see also Solomon in First Kings 11). And we know that if there are any such people, they are eternally secure (John 6:39-40; Rom 11:29). But that simply isn't the point of the passages in the Bible about carnal Christians. These passages are about living "like mere men."

But being like mere men is far from who we are in Christ. We are called to a Divine standard (John 15:12) and given Divine enablement (John 14:12-14; 15:5). Sometimes it's easier to simply say "you must not really be a Christian" than to bear the burdens of our brothers who are living like mere men. But we are called to bear their burdens nonetheless (Gal 6:2).

Carnal Christians exist. And until we recognize that fact we will never be able to offer the kind of pastoral care that Paul did toward the Corinthians. We will never be able to help carnal Christians lay carnality aside and walk worthy of their calling. But those who are themselves spiritual must correctly assess the situation and "restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness" (Gal 6:1). Our brothers in Christ—even the carnal ones—are worth it.
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1 Brian Borgman, "Rethinking a Much Abused Text: 1 Corinthians 3:1-15," Reformation and Revival Journal (Winter 2002), 79.

2 The NASB rendering, "so-called brother" in 5:11 is troublesome because it implies that the brother is not really a brother. But this translation is not supported by the Greek text. The phrase in the Greek is, tis adelphos onomazomenos, literally, "anyone named a brother" as in the NKJV. When this verse is put in context, it is obvious that a believer is intended. Paul wrote, "I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extoritoner-not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person'" (1 Cor 5:9-13). They should not keep company with this immoral person specifically because he is a brother. The entire passage loses its meaning if this person were not Christian brother.

3 These verses are about fellowship with God, not about testing whether we are born again or not.

Understanding Hebrews 10:26: Is Christ’s Sacrifice Sufficient for Me?

noreply@blogger.com (Grant Hawley) — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 17:32:00 +0000

(Originally posted at thegracelings.org)

Bible wasn’t given to us as a bunch of unconnected verses that all make perfect sense on their own. Sometimes, without the context, verses can sound like they mean the opposite of what the authors meant by what they wrote.

It’s a terrible thing, but many times people take advantage of this fact and use isolated verses in a way that hurts people and devastates their walk with Christ. (Sometimes it’s out of ignorance. Sometimes it’s malicious. It’s always tragic.) It’s especially common for people to cite Scripture out of context in order to cause believers to doubt Christ’s love for them or the security of their salvation. This article is about one verse that is often used this way. It’s Hebrews 10:26, which reads, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (NKJV, same throughout the article).

Often, people throw this verse out there on social media like a grenade without understanding what it means and without any concern for how it might affect new and/or sensitive Christians. The Holy Spirit groans in me with concern for those who are hurt by the shrapnel.

Without context, it sounds like Hebrews 10:26 is saying that Christ’s sacrifice is insufficient to cover sinning willfully, and what it means to “sin willfully” is not defined, so any sensitive person will wonder if that includes his or her sin. One might think, “Well, I hate sin and want to obey the Lord, but it isn’t like my sin is an accident. What if the blood of Jesus can’t wash away my sin?” In this article, we will look at the context so that we can see that Christ’s sacrifice is more than sufficient for every kind of sin.

Context

Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were under pressure to give up their confidence in Christ and return to living under the Mosaic Law. We know it was written to believers because the author calls them “holy brethren” and “partakers of the heavenly calling” (both in Heb 3:1), and he repeatedly calls them to hold fast to their faith, not to place faith in Christ for the first time. We know they were under pressure to return to the Law because the author warns against doing so many times and talks about the superiority of Christ related to the things of the Law. Christ is a better leader than Moses (Chaps 3-4), His priesthood is better than Levi’s (Chapter 7), His covenant is better than the Mosaic Covenant (Chap 8), and His sacrifice is better than animal sacrifices (Chaps 9-10). He also is better than the angels (Chaps 1-2), and His city (New Jerusalem) is better than the current Jerusalem (chaps 11-13), but those are not relative to the Mosaic law.

Hebrews was written with two major practical goals in mind. The first purpose for the book is to encourage the readers to “hold fast the confidence [that we have in Christ] and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end” (Heb 3:6), and the second is to call the readers to encourage one another toward that end (3:13-14). So, when Hebrews 10:26 is used to discourage believers and undercut their confidence in Christ, it undercuts everything that Holy Spirit inspired the book to accomplish.

Ironically, they are also committing the same kind of sin that the verse warns against.

The Author of Hebrews labors to communicate the sufficiency and once-for-all nature of Christ’s sacrifice in contrast to the insufficient, repeated sacrifices of animals. In the discussion on Christ’s better priesthood, the Author of Hebrews writes:

Also there were many priests [under the Mosaic Law], because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He [Jesus], because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever. (Heb 7:23-28)

In this passage, we see that Christ is the Forever-Priest, and He doesn’t need to keep repeating His sacrifice, because it was once-for-all. This has been a theme since the very beginning of the book, since Christ “by Himself purged our sins, [He] sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:3). He is seated because His work is finished (John 19:30).

But the priests under the Law had to keep working because their work was never finished:

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. (Heb 10:1-4)

But Christ’s sacrifice does take away the sins of the world (John 1:29) once for all, and the Author of Hebrews makes this clear:

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR HEARTS, AND IN THEIR MINDS I WILL WRITE THEM,” then He adds, “THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. (Heb 10:10-18)[1]

The most important thing to note about the passage above is that when the author says, “there is no longer an offering for sin” he means that Christ doesn’t need to continually offer Himself for sin because He did it right the first time.

What Does Hebrews 10:26 Mean?

So, what can it mean when the same kind of language is used a few verses later (v 26) as a solemn warning? He meant it as an encouragement in v 18 and a warning in v 26. What’s the deal? The biggest key is understanding what sin he is warning against. The Author of Hebrews tells us in vv 28-29: Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

And later in v 35: “Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.”

The sin in view is to say, “Christ’s sacrifice may not be enough, I need to add to it” by returning to animal sacrifices. This insults the spirit of Grace and calls Christ’s blood “common” or, it could be translated, “profane.”

Another key to understanding what is happening here is that the author alludes to Numbers 15, in which it says that there is no sacrifice under the Mosaic law for willful sin.

What the author is saying is that if these believers cast away their confidence in Christ by running to the Law, the Law they would seek for refuge actually condemns that action and offers no sacrifice for it. In other words, the Law they would seek for protection condemns them to death and worse if they seek it after knowing the truth about what Christ did for them.

Conclusion

Hebrews 10:26 doesn’t say Christ’s sacrifice isn’t sufficient for you (or anyone else). It says that animal sacrifices won’t help if believers count Christ’s blood as insufficient. We aren’t often tempted to sacrifice animals today, but we can still learn from and apply this verse in a secondary way by thanking God for Christ and resting knowing that Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for all of our sins. Let’s seek to live holy lives because the Lord who saved us is holy, not because we are afraid He isn’t enough. He is more than we could ever need.
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[1] The phrase here “He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” is translated poorly [Greek talk coming. The TL;DR is that the “are being sanctified” should read “who were sanctified” and it looks at our initial salvation.]. The “are being sanctified” translates a present participle. In Greek, the time of participles is related to the main verb of the sentence, not to real time. For example, a present participle that relates to a future verb will occur in the future. This participle is concurrent with the aorist verb translated, “He has perfected,” which, you can tell in the English, occurred at a particular time in the past, namely, when Christ died. What that means is that the sanctifying happened at the same time as the once-for-all perfecting, and should be translated, “who have been sanctified.” So, when we believe in Christ, our being set apart (sanctification, as the Author of Hebrews refers to it), is actually already a done deal going back to Christ’s death on the cross.

noreply@blogger.com (Grant Hawley) — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 17:50:00 +0000

Patient Hope for Struggling People

By Andy Stacy

I have been serving in various capacities in Olympia, WA for several years. In the last few years there has been a steady increase in homelessness and apparent drug use. Tents and RVs popping up out of nowhere, more and more people wandering around just looking out of their minds. I’m not one to see a demon under every bush, but I’ve watched people here scream and suffer and thought, “There’s definitely something demonic going on there.” It’s not the wild west here, people still have jobs, take their families to the park, normal things. But things are definitely getting worse. Like most regional problems, local ministries are affected. Friends and family succumb to a lifestyle of drug use and suffer the consequences. It touches everyone in our church in some way. And it’s not hard to understand. Without Jesus, I would be right there. To me, without Jesus, there is no reason not to live for the pleasure that drugs bring. So that’s the situation here. Some churches are doing well despite the problems, reaching people in various ways. Others are struggling. I live in a town where if you aren’t willing to attempt to make a disciple of Christ out of a heroin addict, you’re in the wrong place. Here are some things I’ve learned:

1. Pray without Becoming Cynical

When people share these requests in a Bible study or prayer meeting, our first thought is often cynical. Is it likely that so-and-sos cousin will get clean? Not really. So we settle in to offer a prayer, not expecting that the Living God is going to answer in a powerful way, but instead to minister to the grieving friend or relative. And we become cynical. Pastors especially struggle with this. Instead of focusing so much on adding other qualifiers to “the prayer of faith,” I wish we had more resolve to practice it. I confess that recently God has answered some cynical prayers that I prayed. I should know better because I was once the subject of many such prayers. So don’t be cynical. Trust that God is able to answer prayers for people that are in sin, and pray with that in mind.

2. Love without Compromising Purity

“We love you and we don’t want you to die.” That is one response I heard to a friend that was addicted to heroin. A believer who had been a role model, a part of a local church, and then a drug addict. How do we respond to people like that? When you are free grace, your response should be different than the normal church response. If the person is a believer, we are not absolved of our obligation to love him or her. In Lordship Salvation, drug user = unbeliever. But we know that’s not always the case. We should recognize our unique position to love a believer like that. We are also in a unique position to call such a believer to “…walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called…” (Eph. 4:1b). Some may picture Free Gracers as soft on sin, but we should be more biblical about the awful consequences that come from sin. Graciously, God has removed the greatest consequence of our sin for the one who believes in Christ. And we can affirm that. We should also warn of the other consequences that will come, including church discipline, loss of eternal reward, and physical death.

3. Be Gentle and Patient

In 2 Timothy 2:23-26, Paul writes about how to approach believers that are trapped by the devil. Unfortunately, that does happen in the church. What approach should we take? Play the long game. God requires gentleness in correction and patience in the face of opposition. Don’t expect that they will change overnight. Even if we do start to see changes, we need to be realistic about how long it will take for them to be free. You may be most sympathetic if you think about how long the Lord has been working on you.

I must be a slow learner because the Lord has had to teach me this lesson more than a few times: have patient hope for struggling people. I look forward to some of you adding the lessons you have learned with your own FGA blog post. With brotherly love,
Andy

Andy lives in Olympia, WA with his wife Sarah and their two little boys Peter and Jude. He pastors at Grace Redeemer Bible Church in Olympia, WA and works as a construction estimator at Emtech in Centralia, WA. He graduated from Grace School of Theology with a BA in Biblical Studies. He likes hunting deer and listening to talk radio. Andy is hosting an FGA Regional Conference on Saturday, Nov. 2nd at Grace Redeemer Church in Olympia, WA. You can find out more and register here.

Boldness and Access in Prayer - Hebrews 9 and 10

noreply@blogger.com (Grant Hawley) — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 20:37:00 +0000

(Taken from The Guts of Grace)
When the temple made of stones still stood during Jesus’ earthly ministry, someone entering the temple would go through a gate in a large wall to reach the Court of the Gentiles. Here, anyone who wanted to come and worship the Lord could come. If this person were Jewish, he or she could pass through the beautiful gate and enter the Women’s Court. All Jewish people, both male and female, could enter this area. Through one more gate was the Court of Israel, where all Jewish men were allowed to go. This is where the Brazen Altar was, and where the priests would perform sacrifices. Through another large gate, the men of Israel, who were also of the tribe of Levi, who were also descended from Aaron, and whose lots had been cast that day could enter. This was the Holy Place. But still, even these could not go past the three‑inch (7.5cm) thick, intricately woven fabric that set the Holy of Holies apart.

The Holy of Holies was where God’s Shekinah glory was manifested. God resided above the Mercy Seat (Heb 9:5). In the Holy of Holies, between the wings of the large angelic images, the Ark of the Covenant sat. The Ark of the Covenant was an ornate box which contained the golden pot full of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the stone tablets on which God inscribed the Ten Commandments (Heb 9:4).

There was one person who could go into the Holy of Holies. The High Priest could enter once per year on the Day of Atonement, but not without blood to sprinkle onto the Mercy Seat, and before he entered he had to fill the Holy of Holies with the smoke of incense so that he could not see the Shekinah glory undimmed. The Mercy Seat was the top of the Ark, where the High Priest would sprinkle the blood of an unblemished lamb. So, between the Ten Commandments, which were constantly broken, and the Shekinah glory of God, was the atoning blood. There was no provision in the Bible for cleaning the Ark, so year after year, the Ark would have been covered with more and more blood.

If the High Priest did anything incorrectly as he went in on this one day, he would be struck dead. If he died, the other priests would not be able to go in to retrieve his body or they too would be struck dead. So, the High Priest would wear a rope with bells so that people could periodically make sure he was still alive and pull him out if not.

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple closing off the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom (Matt 27:51). The way inside was now open to all. The author of Hebrews wrote:

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Heb 6:19‑20)

And,

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Heb 10:19‑21)

Wall after wall after wall, and then a thick veil and the fear of death separated the people from God—but no more. Because Jesus died for us, He has opened the way to freely enter into God’s presence any time we need His help with anything: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). In fact, His temple now is our very body and His glory resides in our own spirit (1 Cor 6:17‑19), so nothing separates us from Him. Because of His abundant grace toward us, there are no walls or gates or veils, just full and free access into His presence (Rom 5:2).

Knowing that this access we have is based upon what Christ has done, not what we have done should impact our prayers. Sometimes it feels like we cannot approach God when we are very aware of our sins, or that when we have had a good day, spiritually, we have more confidence in prayer. But this misunderstands both the value of Christ’s blood and the purpose of prayer. Our ability to come boldly to the throne of grace isn’t based upon our merits and we cannot demerit our way out of that access. Prayer is part of the process of cleansing the sin out of our lives, and we cannot wait until we clean ourselves up to approach God. He has removed all barriers, we should not reconstruct them.
What does this mean, practically? People have always been able to pray to God. But because of Jesus’ sacrifice, the distance created by sin is gone. Know confidently that you are welcome in the Lord’s presence, not because of anything you have done, but because of what Jesus has done. And know that He delights in giving you every truly good thing.

Understanding Hebrews 6

noreply@blogger.com (Grant Hawley) — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 20:42:00 +0000

One of the most misunderstood passages in all of Scripture is Hebrews 6:4-8. This passage has been used to bring fear and anxiety to so many people, but it is actually a great comfort.

The passage reads:

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. (Heb 6:4-8)

Some take this passage to mean that people can lose their everlasting life, and some take it as proving that those who fall away never really had salvation to begin with. But if we look closer, we can see that neither of these views fits what is being said.

The first thing we need to address is, "who is in view here?" We can see that the author is talking about "those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come." Now, let's set our theology aside for a moment and consider this description. Looking over it carefully, it has to be genuine believers. Only holding to a theology that says a genuine believer cannot "fall away" would prevent us from coming to this conclusion. In fact, I would argue that there may not be a more robust description of a believer anywhere in Scripture.

Many recognize this and have declared that this is talking about an impossible hypothetical. There is one important translation issue here that causes a lot of confusion. It's found in the phrase "if they fall away." Leading up to this phrase is a list, and each aspect is joined by the Greek connector, "kai" (usually translated "and"). "Those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and [a different Greek word for this one] the powers of the age to come." In the Greek, the list doesn't stop there. It adds, "and have fallen away." There's no word for "if" here. So, these people are people "who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and have fallen away." Some people have taken the "if" in the English translations and used it to say the author of Hebrews is describing an impossible hypothetical, but that doesn't make sense because there is no "if" in the passage.

So if we are talking about real believers who have fallen away, the question is, what happens to these people? They have fallen away from the basic elementary doctrines of Christian freedom (see vv 1-2). The eternal destiny of these believers is never mentioned in the passage and is simply not the point. All believers are secure in their eternal destiny, no matter what (John 6:39-40; Rom 11:29).

The phrase "since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame" from v 6 refers to the fact that by returning to law especially through animal sacrifices, they are actually denying the value of Christ's crucifixion and "insult[ing] the spirit of grace" (Heb 10:29). This shames the Son of God. Because of this, falling into legalism is one of the most destructive sins a believer can commit.

The text says it is impossible to renew these brothers to repentance (turning from dead works toward faith in God, see v 1). The word "impossible" here has the place of emphasis in the Greek and is the emphasis of the passage. This is not describing something that is impossible with God, however (nothing is, Matt 19:26), but something that is impossible for us to do.

It is often missed in discussions on Hebrews, but the book really isn't about encouraging individuals to press on in perseverance. Instead, the book pleads with the body of believers to encourage one another to that end. Hebrews 3:13, "but exhort one another daily, while it is called "TODAY," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin," is the peak verse in an elaborate chiasm going from 2:9 to 5:9 and it carries an enormous emphasis. This theme is carried throughout the book.

When a brother falls away from grace into legalism, we cannot convince him to return to grace. We've missed our opportunity to play our part as encouragers in his perseverance. Only God can do that now, and it must come through chastisement. This is what vv 7-8 are about.

Hebrews 6:7-8 is describing by illustration the experience of the believer described in vv 4-6. That believer is like the earth drinking in the rain, and actually bearing useful herbs, and receiving blessing from God, yet still going on later to bear thorns and briers (useless plants that choke out the good). Like that field, this believer needs drastic measures to recover it. The Greek word translated "end" here does not mean eternity, but the "conclusion of an act or state." The state of falling away is concluded with chastisement. A field is not burned in order to destroy the field, but to return it to productivity. This is an illustration of chastisement for the good of the fallen believer. A parallel concept is found in First Corinthians 5.

What happens to believers who fall away? They have to go through chastisement in order to be renewed, just like a field that bears thorns and briers must be burned to be renewed. This passage is a warning of chastisement, but it is also one that expresses the love that God has toward His erring children which is demonstrated through chastisement to bring renewal. Like any loving parent would, God will discipline us when it is necessary, and that discipline is for our good. "Whom the Lord loves, He chastens" (Heb 12:6a).

Even more, this passage should not simply be taken as a warning against falling away, but also as an exhortation to all of us to help our brothers and sisters in Christ to hold fast their confidence in Christ.

Learning from the Failure of a Leader (Tullian Tchividjian)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 16:38:00 +0000

By Dr. Roger Fankhauser, FGA President

The fallout of Tullian Tchividjian's admission of an "inappropriate relationship" will sweep broadly through the Christian community.

First, how does it impact the message of Free Grace? I'll call Tchividjian "Free-Grace-ish," as he seems to have moved substantially towards a free grace position, but may not be fully free-grace. His views recently led to a separation between him and the Gospel Coalition, as explained by Tim Keller and Don Carson:

It was obvious to observers that for some time there has been an increasingly strident debate going on around the issue of sanctification. The differences were doctrinal and probably even more matters of pastoral practice and wisdom.[1]

So, reformed theologians already have their eyes on him. As I write this, I have yet to see any article by a prominent reformed writer which connects his fall with "antinomianism" or his free-grace-ish views. I hope that trend continues. But it would not surprise me if rocks are thrown connecting his doctrinal convictions and this issue. A well-known Lordship author wrote some years ago when a Free-Grace pastor he knew fell to sexual immorality:

Was his theology an accommodation to his sinful lifestyle? It surely might have been. This much is certain: No-lordship theology [aka, Free Grace] would have a soothing effect on a professing Christian trying to rationalize their long-term immorality... Certainly preaching that constantly touts 'grace' but never features law could help someone like that find comfort while sinning.[2]

Such thinking has no room in the free-grace position. The issue is not faulty theology but faulty obedience (aka, yielding to sin). No theology prevents sinful choices; only faithful obedience relying on the power of the Spirit prevents it. No matter what system one accepts.

For those of us in the Free-Grace camp, two issues: (1) Be alert to those who use faulty logic (the fallacy that correlation implies causation) to incorrectly conclude that the system lead to the actions, and (2) teach and practice the truth that Free Grace theology should motivate towards righteousness, not lawlessness and licentiousness. Paul addresses this very issue:

¹ What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? ² May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? (Rom 6:1-2)

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! ¹⁶ Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? (Rom 6:15-16)

Second, this situation should remind Christian leaders of two important truths: (1) The failure of a leader causes greater repercussions than the failure of a "person in the pew." The sin is not worse (infidelity is horrible no matter who is involved), however, because of the influence held by a leader, the ripple effects of his failure significantly harm the ministry he serves and those who choose to follow him. Leaders who fail cause greater damage to the cause of Christ and provide great fodder for critics precisely because they are leaders. (2) We are neither immune to temptation nor beyond its power. We must guard our walk and our lives carefully.

Third, when anyone falls, whether or not someone in our camp, all of us (not just leaders) should remember the warning Paul gave the Corinthians: "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall (1 Cor 10:12)." None of us can completely avoid temptation, however, we have the ability in Christ to resist it. We can look for "the way of escape" promised in 10:13; we can recognize the truth that we are no longer slaves to sin (Rom 6:6); we can "walk by the Spirit and not carry out the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16).

I don't know what lies ahead for Tullian Tchividjian, his wife, his church, his future ministry. I do know it will not be easy. We can and should learn from this situation, but at the same time, pray for him, pray for his wife, pray for his family, pray for his church, pray for other who looked up to him as a leader. Pray that God will be glorified in the long haul through this trial, because "we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28).

[1] http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/may/tim-keller-don-carson-explain-why-tullian-tchividjian-tgc.html, accessed June 25, 2105, emphasis added.

[2] John F. MacArthur, Jr., Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles, (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1993), 124.

A Request and a Prayer For 2015 and Beyond

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 16:25:00 +0000

Dear Friend of the Gospel,

As you consider year end giving, would you consider helping the Free Grace Alliance? I'm prayerfully asking God to give us $25,000 or more. Would you help?

The FGA turned 10 this year. And the need to "connect, encourage, and equip" is greater than ever! 2014 was a good year. We heard great speakers at the annual conference in October. Dr. Charlie Bing, one of the founding members of the FGA presented a excellent workshop about our history some of the misunderstandings about the Free Grace Movement. You can read his manuscript on our website (http://freegracealliance.com/). We held several regional conferences throughout the year. Many FGA members travelled around the world, helping to connect with, encourage, and equip church leaders who might otherwise not receive much grace-friendly training. As I was typing this appeal, a man who was one of my students in Ghana called me and thanked me (again) for the training we brought. All around the world, we find church leaders who want to learn more about God's amazing grace! We want to explore ways to help those around the world who hold to Free Grace but have limited resources and opportunities to interact face-to-face with us.

But battles are also erupting against Free Grace. One well known reformed theologian chose to publicly critique the Free Grace Movement and the FGA. At one of the national meetings where he spoke, we were denied the opportunity to present a defense of Free Grace. But in a way, his presentation is good news! It means this man thinks the Free Grace message is dangerous enough (from his perspective) to warrant this kind of attention! We provided a lengthy response to this individual and we and made this response available to our members.

The coming year looks exciting. Of course, we will meet again in October for our national conference and we will hold regional conferences around the country. Right now, we are working on one in Salem, Oregon and in Houston, Texas. If you are interested in hosting a regional, contact us and we will be happy to help you. We are also working with the publishing arm of Grace School of Theology to provide opportunities for publishing high quality Free Grace books. We are redesigning our website in general and specifically our church and job opportunity listings. We are working on a paper for members summarizing grace-friendly views on an often misunderstood concept, repentance and hope to have that available to you mid-year. And of course, in all of this our main thrust continues to be "sharing grace graciously" as we strive to expand awareness the grace gospel and living by grace.

And that gets me back to the original request. Our membership dues are pretty low ($25 per person) and do not cover the cost of running the organization. They certainly do not allow us to expand our scope. That's where we need your help. I am trusting God will provide our needs. In fact, between the time I started writing this letter and the time I finished it, someone handed me a check for $1,000 for the FGA (I'm not making this stuff up!). So, $1,000 down. $24,000 to go. Would you help us? You can give directly on-line (http://freegracealliance.com/support.htm) or you can mail a check to the address below.

Thank you in advanced for your help. I am looking forward to seeing what God does this coming year!

In His grace,

Roger Fankhauser
FGA President

Membership Has Its Privileges!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 20:58:00 +0000

Okay, we stole the line. But it is a true statement!

Some of you think you've joined the Free Grace Alliance or that your dues are current, and thus you think you are a current member. Here are a few tests to see if this is true:

If you have joined the Free Grace Alliance and your dues are current, you recently received access to the "Members Only" page, which allows access to a "live" membership directory. What a helpful tool if we really want to connect - encourage - equip!
If you joined the Free Grace Alliance and your dues are current, you recently received a paper addressing a critique of free grace in general and the Free Grace Alliance in particular given by a prominent reformed theologian. The paper corrected many of the misconceptions this theologian had about free grace.
If you joined the Free Grace Alliance and your dues are current, you recently received an invitation to provide literature on your ministry for us to include in the folders given to those who attend the FGA conference October 13-15.

If you didn't get these, then chances are:

Your dues are not current (you can quickly take care of that by clicking the link http://freegracealliance.com/join.htm), or
Our e-mail address for you is incorrect (send corrections or questions to julie16689@aol.com).

Either way, if you are in agreement with the Free Grace Covenant, we want you.

There are a lot of reasons to be part of the Free Grace Alliance. These are just three! By the way, we have done a great deal behind the scenes to improve keeping up with dues and notifying you when they are due (or overdue). And we'll continue to provide valuable resources to our members.

Membership does have its privileges.

Still not sure if you're dues are current? E-mail Julie (julie16689@aol.com). She'll check and let you know. We DO want you!

Member Update - August 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Free Grace Alliance) — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 21:47:00 +0000

Good news... and a headache or two!

Good news #1: The Free Grace message seems to be gaining some momentum. I think this in part because we are getting some "push back." For example, one of the sessions at the next Evangelical Theological Society is called "Salvation without Repentance from Sin? A Critique of the 'Free Grace' Gospel." Why do I consider this good news? Because a prominent, globally known reformed theologian thinks the Free Grace message is worth critiquing at the ETS meeting, and thus sees it as more than just an inconsequential viewpoint! I'll say a bit more about this workshop below.

Good news #2: We see the message going around the globe. I recently returned from Ghana, where we trained church leaders, focusing on a strong emphasis on grace. I know of a number of other "free gracers" who have traveled or will soon travel. And I know of many around the globe, such as a friend of mine in Nepal, who receives grace-based theological training via the internet. Incidentally, in most of the places I've been outside the U.S., the predominant issue has not been reformed theology but rather eternal security.

Good news #3: "The mission of the Free Grace Alliance is to connect, encourage, equip and lead the body of Christ to advance the grace message throughout the world." In order to better connect with one another, we will soon be unveiling a "members only" page on our website. One link on this site goes to a new database we are using that will allow up-to-the-minute access to other members of the FGA. It will function like a "live" version of a member directory. And, there are some helpful tools for individual members. More information will be coming soon.

Good news #4: The 2014 Annual Conference is shaping up well! Don't forget to enroll by September 10 and receive a free coffee cup. As an avid coffee drinker, I am thinking about enrolling twice!

Good news #5: This year marks the tenth anniversary of the FGA!

Of course good news does not preclude a headache or two. It is no surprise that the Free Grace movement in general and the Free Grace Alliance in particular has its detractors. Recently, a well known reformed theologian publicly criticized both in two separate settings. And, as mentioned above, he is scheduled to critique the "problem" of Free Grace Theology at the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting in November. Unfortunately, some of his critique misrepresented Free Grace thinking. And he's not alone - others have also criticized us while painting an inaccurate picture of our position. Equally unfortunately, ETS declined an FGA member the opportunity to present a workshop defining and defending Free Grace theology. Of course this theologian is free to disagree with Free Grace thinking. But we hope that he would critique an accurate picture of Free Grace theology, not a caricature of it. We wrote a paper which we sent him (and also made available to FGA members) to clarify and explain our position. Only time will tell whether he represents a more accurate picture of Free Grace in the ETS session.

While our primary focus should be teaching and promoting grace positively, we sometimes do need to address our critics. When we do so, we need to do so graciously and accurately. And in all we do, let's "share grace graciously!"

Walking with you in grace,

Roger Fankhauser, D.Min.
FGA President

President's Update July 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 23:50:00 +0000

After having great intentions of writing something each month, I find I am behind a month or two. Please forgive my tardiness! I have lots of excuses that I won't bore you with, but some of them are legitimate!

I want to briefly address four ideas this month.

First, how is the Free Grace message getting spread? I am leaving for Ghana two days after writing this and I know others of you travel to other countries. We'd like to know where you are going! Our mission is to "connect, encourage, and equip," and hearing about what God is doing through your work is a great way to encourage and be encouraged. I know of trips either "on the books" or recently completed to Ghana, Finland, Burundi, Ukraine, Nepal, Philippines, India, Honduras, and Papua New Guinea. I'm sure there are others. Drop a note on Facebook and/or send a short write-up to our blog master, John Correia (pastorjohn@westgreenway.com), and we'll post it on the blog! Let us know, too, if you are involved in a church plant or other work. We need more Free Grace churches on our own soil! A couple in my church is being transferred to another city in which no Free Grace churches exist (well, to be honest, no Free Grace churches I that I can find). And if you have published something promoting Free Grace, let us know about that as well. In other words, let us know anything you are doing to promote Free Grace!

Second, mark out Oct 13th - 15th for our annual National Conference. This year's theme - "What's God Got to Do With It? - The Divine Side of Salvation" promises to provide fascinating sessions and discussion after the sessions. Dr. Norm Geisler will be our special guest this year. Come if you can! And if you cannot, think about attending a regional conference - or even better, hosting one. Contact us and we'll send you the information you need to set up a conference.

Third, we have had a lot of "behind the scenes" activities going on. We recently sent out a first draft of our directory to everyone who is an active member. If you did not receive the information, has your membership lapsed? Join (or rejoin!) us (http://www.freegracealliance.com/join.htm). In the months ahead, we hope to improve our ability to connect with one another. We have some other activities in the works but which we can't yet comment on. Pray for us as we move ahead on these.

Fourth, even though our overall goal is to positively promote the Free Grace message, sometimes we have to get involved in "fire fights." Some of these we choose not to participate in; others we choose to. Recently, as many of you know, a well-known reformed theologian chose to point out publicly the errors he perceives in the Free Grace message and in the FGA in particular. Some of what he said is based on a misunderstanding of Free Grace theology. We are crafting a response for him to help point out those misunderstandings, without attacking him or his theology. We know many disagree with the Free Grace message we promote, but we want to help them understand our position. We tentatively plan to send this response to all FGA members for their awareness and for them to use as they see fit.

The more work I do related to promoting the simple message of Free Grace, the more I am in awe of the God of grace and the incredible message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Thanks for all you do to promote this incredible message. Keep on connecting, encouraging, and equipping!

In His grace,

Roger Fankhauser, President

And a Good Time Was Had By All!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 May 2014 23:27:00 +0000

Three speakers talking free grace and discipleship; 70+ people in attendance; great facilities; delicious lunch. And it didn't hurt that a bald eagle flew over us as I was standing in the parking lot after the conference! The leadership of Lacey Chapel did an outstanding job hosting an FGA regional conference recently (April 30th) in Lacey, WA (although I don't think they are directly responsible for the eagle).

What is Lordship salvation? What is the difference between "salvation" truth and "discipleship" truth? What is the true cost of discipleship? How can we "do" discipleship? Drs. Jack Lewis (of Moody Bible Institute, Spokane, WA), Charlie Bing (GraceLife Ministries, Burleson, Texas), and Roger Fankhauser (Burleson Bible Church, Burleson, TX) each spoke, followed by an intriguing Q&A! By the end of the day, those who already held a free grace view were encouraged, and those who did not hold a free grace view heard a solid explanation of what free grace is all about. It's hard to believe so many good things could be packed into one day!

Of course, it is almost impossible to describe a day like this. There is something about being there, in person, that adds so much more. To those who attended the conference, or knew about the conference and prayed for the day, thanks!

For those who could not attend, look for one in your region. Can't find one? maybe you can be the coordinator! We have guidelines to help you set one up. Contact Charlie Bing, the FGA coordinator for regional conferences, for more information (ccbgracer@aol.com)!

noreply@blogger.com (Free Grace Alliance) — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:58:00 +0000

Fight Fair!

^"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." (Eph. 4:29, NASB)

²“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:20, NASB95)

In any theological debate - whether face-to-face, in writing (journals or books) or even on Facebook, the debaters can easily slide into "the ways of the world" in their approach. This last week, I read or heard two different attacks against free grace in general and, included in the attacks, each criticized the Free Grace Alliance. Such attacks are nothing new. And, like most attacks, the attackers did not "fight fair". Both attacks made incorrect statements about free grace theology, both employed emotional arguments to make their position sound stronger, both used weak logic in some of their arguments.

What they said isn't important here, we address that elsewhere. What I do want to address is, how do we fight the fight? We will face theological challenges, some significant, some less so. But no matter how serious the issue, I hope this principle rises to the top:

Practice grace when talking about grace (or any other topic, for that matter).

I know when I am attacked my initial response is to fight back. The trick is learning to respond differently; to "give grace to those who hear." I'm not saying harsh words are never necessary, but usually I jump to such words far too quickly. How can we "give grace" and "heap burning coals on their head?

(1) Know your opponents viewpoint. Too often I am too busy defending my view without understanding the other's view. I get irritated when they misrepresent me; it is no longer a "fair fight" if I misrepresent them. If you are really brave, summarize to the other person what you understand their view to be. You might be surprised by their response!

(2) Avoid pejorative terms. In the Lordship / Free Grace debates, those we call "lordship" often refer to our position as "no Lordship" or "cheap grace". Some labeled the position of Zane Hodge's, et al, as "the crossless gospel". Such terms do not promote discussion; they denigrate both the position and the person who holds it. Granted, the position may be untenable, but we still need to avoid pejoratives!

(3) Avoid bad logic! I've had people say, "If you hold the FGA position, then you believe x, y, z". They then knock down x, y, and z. The problem with their conclusion? I don't believe x, y, or z! For example, "If you hold the FGA position, then you believe you can do anything you want"! That's only partially true - I do believe I can do anything I want without fear of hell, but I do not believe I can do anything I want with no consequences, perhaps including severe discipline from God (Heb. 12). Be careful to avoid bad logic when debating someone else's view.

I hope those outside the FGA, will see us differently. I want us to be known as people who believe in free grace (whether or not the person agrees with that view) and practice grace when addressing people and issues. I've heard far too many people shy away from the Free Grace Movement because they perceive too much in-fighting. Let's not be legalistic about grace; let's practice what we preach. We do need to take a stand on certain issues; we need to takes such stands graciously.

^"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."

"Just make sure it's your ideas that offend and not you, that your beliefs cause the dispute and not your behavior." (Gregory Koukl, "Tactics"). *

Walking with you in grace;
Roger Fankhauser, D.Min.
President, FGA

* I highly recommend this book to challenge our thinking about how we address those with whom we disagree, Christian and non-Christian alike. Greg Koukl, Tactics, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

A Time of Transition by Dr. Fred Chay

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 23:57:00 +0000

Times of transition cause one to contemplate the state of things. Having been with FGA since its inception, on the FGA council for 6 years, serving as president for the past 4 years, and now having recently stepped down to hand thing off to Dr. Roger Fankhauser, I thought I would reflect on where we are and what has changed.

Although it is true that we are not in danger of the Lordship salvation debate abating soon, it does seem that there has been a subtle transition in the Lordship camp. It seems that we have seen the moving away, slight as it may it be, from the “frontloading” error evidenced by the early works of the Lordship persuasion demanding that faith be attendant with remorse and a repentant change of life evidenced by obedience, full commitment and total surrender as a condition for receiving the free gift of eternal life.

The subtle transition is seen in that the focus has now shifted to the “back-loading” of the gospel with the fixation on assurance being gained through obedience, submission, and a committed life of holiness to validate the faith on the front end. As to which is worse, I would suggest the former is a far more significant theological problem. It is not that the latter is not worthy of great debate; it is! But removing the frontloaded elements allows the purity of the free gospel gift of eternal life not to be compromised when presented as “faith being the only condition” to the question being asked, “What must I do to be saved?”

I would suggest that the FGA is partially responsible for this transition within the Lordship camp. The force of “Causation” is hard to determine and there is often more than one change agent involved in the movement of ideas. However, I sense that the Lord has utilized many of the resources whether books, articles, papers and sermons as well as personal dialogue, produced by FGA members to influence and impact those in the Lordship salvation camp. Of course the greatest asset has been the fervent and diligent prayer by many of our members asking the Lord to lead His Church into all truth.

Let us be thankful for “small victories”.

Serving Him with you

Until He comes for us,

Fred Chay

What Does It Take To Lose Salvation?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 00:26:00 +0000

By Dr. Roger Fankhauser

Some people have heard the sad words, "we're disowning you" or "we're writing you out of the will". Some think something comparable can happen to the believer; God can "disown us" under certain circumstances. Have you ever thought carefully about what must happen for us to lose our salvation? I started making a list in my mind. To lose my salvation for any reason, including for "losing faith", would require God to:

Unjustify us
Unadopt us
Unredeem us
Unreconcile us
Unregenerate us
Unforgive us
Unsanctify us (positional sanctification)
Remove eternal life from us
Uncircumcise our circumcised heart
Disinherit us (remove our birth inheritance)
Unbaptize us (Spirit baptism, 1 Cor. 12:13)
Unseal us (take away the Holy Spirit)
Make both Father and Son release their hold of us (John 10:28-29)
Make the New Creature old again
Transfer us out of the Kingdom of light and place us back in the kingdom of darkness
And most importantly, it would require the faithful, promise-keeping God to be unfaithful (2 Tim. 2:13)

You get the idea. And I suspect there is more we could list. So, "losing my salvation" isn't as "simple" as it sounds. It forces God to undo so much that he has done and so much that he has promised us.

I'm grateful I'm held by His grace.

The FGA at Work!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 21:09:00 +0000

One example of how the Free Grace Alliance works:

"The mission of the Free Grace Alliance is to connect, encourage, equip and lead the body of Christ to advance the grace message throughout the world"

Tero Fredrikkson of the Greater Grace Church in Finland (a free grace church) discovers Gracelife Ministries (a free grace ministry) on the internet and uses some of their materials. The church calls Gracelife Ministries and invites Charlie Bing ( a free grace teacher, writer, and missionary) to Finland. Charlie travels to Finland to teach. He invites Tero to attend the Free Grace Alliance conference in 2012.

Tero attends the conference and meets many others who hold the Free Grace position. He returns to Finland with many new friends and a lot of Free Grace material! Some, including John Corria (a free grace pastor) and Richard Grubbs, agree to travel to Finland to assist the work there by teaching.

Tero returns to the United States for the 2013 conference. He speaks at Burleson Bible Church ( a free grace church) where Roger Fankhauser (a free grace pastor) serves. The church is challenged and encouraged by Tero. At the conference, Tero shares his testimony at the banquet, so many who did not previously know him now know at least a bit about God's work in Finland.

Tero connects with many others, including Dr. Dave Anderson, president of Grace School of Theology (a free grace school). The two discuss seminary training in Finland, with at least some preliminary talks about how GSOT and the Greater Grace Church might work together to enhance theological training in Finland and beyond, since Tero's church includes a large international community.

Do you think anyone was or will be connected, encouraged, or equipped by just this one set of interactions? I do!

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Tero connected with other ministries and people not mentioned above. And connections like this happened and are happening between other people and other ministries with a free grace perspective.

That's what the Free Grace Alliance is about. It's not primarily about the Free Grace Alliance as an organization. It's about

Free Grace, and

Alliances between believers who hold to free grace.

Connect, encourage, equip. Let's do it!

Habitual Sin by Dr. Roger Fankhauser

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 20:40:00 +0000

I have come to the conclusion I am not "truly" saved.

I hope that rattles you. Let me explain why I have come to this conclusion: Traffic.

Yep, traffic.

You see, I consistently get irritated when other drivers fail to use their turn signals. I get a snarky attitude, and I often make some obnoxious comment about said driver (which does not please my wife, by the way).

I am stuck in habitual sin. Sure, I confess.... but then it pops up again. And again. And again. Probably has for decades. Even after deciding to write this post, fully aware of my tendency, I still responded poorly to traffic. While driving through a little town outside Seattle, it took us 30 minutes to go two blocks through two lights. My attitude was stinky, my comments were not kind. My wife was, rightfully, not pleased with me. And then again today, I gave a snide "gee, thanks" to someone who failed to use their blinker.

So here's my problem. As one well-known writer puts it, "The apostle John ... wrote an entire epistle about the marks of a true believer (1 John 5:13)... Scores of ... passages throughout the epistle confirm the same truth, that the one who is truly saved cannot continue in a pattern of unbroken sin (1 John 3:6-10)." Others use the term "habitual sin" rather than "unbroken sin", but the idea is the same.

Habitual sin means I'm not 'truly' saved. And I am a habitual sinner (at least behind the wheel).

Maybe I can read your mind at this point. "That's not really unbroken sin, Roger. You may slip into it again and again, but the pattern is broken. You probably even confessed it" Or, you may think "Really? You think that sin is serious enough to prove you are not 'truly saved'?" And, at this point in your reading, some of you might have already called me or texted me to straighten me out. But keep reading before you react!

Here's the truth. I do not believe what I said above about the consequences of habitual sin. I have no doubt that I am "truly saved". I think what the above writer and others like him say about habitual sin is wrong.

Think about how subjective and troubling the "habitual sin" or "unbroken sin" trap is. It is easy to look at someone else's life; it is tougher to look at my own. It is easy to think of "big" sins (like addiction to pornography); it is tougher to think of "little" sins (like attitudes towards obnoxious drivers - oops, there I go again). It becomes very subjective! And of course, how does one define "habitual"? What sins? How often?

Over how much time (days, months, years)? I hope you get my point. If habitual or unbroken sin of any kind means I never "truly believed" I have a problem and so do most of you (probably all of you). Maybe the sin is as "minor" as anger while driving. Maybe it's our attitude towards certain politicians (I told you this is a problem for most of us). Maybe it is as serious as addiction to something (coffee doesn't count). And if only certain kinds of habitual or unbroken sins cause the problem (instead of any habitual sin), I'm still in trouble, because I don't have a biblical list to differentiate which-sins-are-which. I only have the opinions of people.

Here's the whole truth: When I react poorly to another driver, my actions, words, and attitude are not the result of "walking in the light". They are not a reflection of following Jesus. They are, well, sinful! And I need to let God work on my heart so that the next time that guy fails to signal..... well, you get the idea.

I am saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus alone. My security is based on the objective truth that Jesus died on the cross for my sin, was raised from the dead, and gives, as He promises, eternal life to all who believe in Him.

Thankfully, confirmation of my salvation is not based on how I respond to those drivers. Or on any other "habitual" or "unbroken" sin. Those sins are growth issues, not identity issues. That's the beauty of grace. My confidence lies completely on what He has done for me, freely, as a gift.

The Pastoral Impact of Our Theology by Dr. Fred Chay

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 02:01:00 +0000

I think all of us of FGA realize the impact theology can have at the pastoral level. Consider the advice from Dr. John Piper, noted pastor, prolific author, and reformed theologian.

“When I confronted a man about the adultery he was living in, I tried to understand his situation, and I pled with him to return to his wife. Then I said, “You know, Jesus says that if you don’t fight this sin with the kind of seriousness that is willing to gouge out your own eye, you will go to hell and suffer there forever.”

As a professing Christian, he looked at me in utter disbelief, as though he had never heard anything like this in his life, and said, “You mean you think a person can lose his salvation?”

So I have learned again and again from firsthand experience that there are many professing Christians who have a view of salvation that disconnects it from real life, and that nullifies the threats of the Bible, and puts the sinning person who claims to be a Christian beyond the reach of biblical warnings. I believe this view of the Christian life is comforting thousands who are on the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

Jesus said, if you don’t fight lust, you won’t go to heaven. Not that saints always succeed. The issue is that we resolve to fight, not that we succeed flawlessly.”

This is a quote from Piper’s book, “Future Grace” published in 1995, page 331. This selection is offered in the daily devotional called “Solid Joys” posted July 27, 2013, over 18 years after its original publication. Think about the impact this could have on a Christian, especially one with a weak conscience or one that has difficulty with certain sins. Think about the theology that leads to such a statement.

This is the theology that Dr. Piper received from his teacher, Dr. Dan Fuller, (“The Unity of the Bible” 1992 Zondervan) who he credits in “Future Grace” as being totally influential in his theological convictions. Dr. Fuller and Piper take it back to Jonathan Edwards. And of course all of the above would go back to John Calvin, who in his “Institutes” put it so eloquently - “Thus it appears how true it is that we are justified not without, and yet not by works.” (Institutes 2:98-99)

I hope you are ready to explain how you would respond to such a theology.

Why Teach Grace?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Roger Fankhauser

Why proclaim grace?

“I must not be saved if I can’t beat this sin.” The person then walked away from their faith.

Someone else said, “I've lived way too many years of my life in bondage, conforming to religious rules instead of only looking to Christ... Some days I feel as if my heart will burst knowing how much God loves me. Some time ago, I started meeting with a group that, unfortunately, was a shame based group that doesn't practice or walk in grace. I feel like I've been saved all over again finding freedom in Christ as he is showing me truth in his word.”

The subtle – or not-so-subtle – problem with any kind of performance based “Christianity” is that it is counterproductive. Instead of producing joy or producing “abundant” life, it produces guilt or unreasonable introspection. Instead of producing power for living, it knocks us down. Instead of producing hope, it produces despair. It doesn’t produce freedom, it produces bondage.

I know not everyone under this type of teaching ends up in the dumps. But it is far too common.

The first person above could well be a believer, one who has eternal life, but one needs help in dealing with an overpowering sin. He needs to see God’s incredible love for him; he needs to see that our relationship with God is based on the objective reality of who Jesus is and what He has done, not on the subjective basis of how well we live. He needs to better understand God’s grace for living. (I say “could well be a believer” only because I have not spoken to this person about what they believe. Others who know him said he has trusted Jesus for eternal life. But he’s been under teaching that says “if you habitually sin, you’re not really saved”).

The second person tasted grace. She and her family are now out from under bondage and enjoying God’s grace.

Don’t misunderstand; grace does not take sin lightly. It realizes the consequences of sin might be severe, but that sin does not mean I have lost my salvation or that I never “really” had it. Grace doesn’t minimize sin, it maximizes God’s love. Grace realizes that God loves us, when we sin and when we don’t. It is not an “excuse” for sin, but it helps us deal with sin the right way.

When we live under the grace of God, we experience freedom and life unlike anything else. Live it, teach it, and help others understand it. I wish we had more of the second story – someone who basks in God’s grace – and fewer of the first.

noreply@blogger.com (Free Grace Alliance) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 17:46:00 +0000

Greetings,

The arrival of June means that it is officially Summer. For some of us that means summer school has started, for others it is vacation time or time with family. Hopefully it includes a change of pace for ministry and a chance to work on some special projects.

FGA has been busy this spring. We have had three very successful Regional Conferences. In March we had one in Phoenix. In April we held a conference in Salem, Oregon. In May we had our first Regional Conference in Tampa, Florida and we're looking forward to one more Regional Conference this month in Charlotte, North Carolina with Dr. Norm Geisler and Dr. Charlie Bing speaking. If you are close to the area I encourage you to attend. I invite you to look at some of the write ups and the photos of these conferences that we have posted on our website.

I also want to encourage you to save the date for the National FGA Conference in Irving, Texas October 14-16. Our theme this year is Grace for Saints and Sinners: 1 Corinthians and our speakers will include Dr. Ron Allen, Professor of Old Testament from Dallas Seminary, Dr. Charlie Bing, Dr Roger Fankhauser, Dr. Jody Dillow, Dr. Ken Wilson, Dr. Sukhwant Bhatia and me. We also will have a full slate of workshop speakers, including a special workshop for the women taught by Linda Dillow; along with ministry booths, and of course plenty of books to peruse and purchase.

One of the ministries of FGA is providing resources that help in theological education and ministry opportunities. I would like to point you toward a new research paper that will be helpful regarding the interpretation of James 2:14-26. Much has been written on this key text regarding Free Grace Theology; but not much has been done on James 2:1-13 and the context. I encourage you to read a paper on our website titled: JAMES 2:1-QUESTION or COMMAND? An Examination of the Grammatical Ambiguity in Translating James 2:1, the Exegetical Significance of Each Translation Option, and the Context of the Passage as the Determining Factor in Translation by J.L. Phillips. Now that is a mouthful, but it is a great description. And what is more important is the significance this has for a Free Grace interpretation to James 2:14-26. I encourage you to take a look at this new article. Jeff is a new member to FGA, a superb exegete, and will be able to contribute at many levels in the Free Grace movement.

The strength of FGA is you! As pastors, teachers, writers, speakers, evangelists and leaders, you influence our country and our world in a variety of ways with the message of the grace of God. FGA is simply all of us, as we use our gifts and opportunities to serve the Lord Jesus and tell a lost and dying world about His free gift of the glorious grace of God.

Serving Him with you
Until He comes for us,

Dr. Fred Chay
President, FGA

noreply@blogger.com (Free Grace Alliance) — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:09:00 +0000

Dear FGA,

As those who hold to Free Grace Theology we are often accused of defining faith as simply mere mental assent. This is often interpreted as meaning we simply believe a set of facts in our head and do not really believe in the person or work of Jesus. I recently found myself being accused of this and reminded my accuser what the FGA actually believes. The FGA covenant actually says what we believe and who we believe in, is the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Grace of God in justification is an unconditional free gift.
The sole means of receiving the free gift of eternal life is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose substitutionary death on the cross fully satisfied the requirement for our justification.
Faith is a personal response, apart from our works, whereby we are persuaded that the finished work of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, has delivered us from condemnation and guaranteed our eternal life.
Christ has delivered us from condemnation and guaranteed our eternal life.
Justification is the act of God to declare us righteous when we believe in Jesus Christ alone.
Assurance of justification is the birthright of every believer from the moment of faith in Jesus Christ, and is founded upon the testimony of God in His written Word.
Spiritual growth, which is distinct from justification, is God’s expectation for every believer; this growth, however, is not necessarily manifested uniformly in every believer.
The Gospel of Grace should always be presented with such clarity and simplicity that no impression is left that justification requires any step, response, or action in addition to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Make no mistake; we do not simply “believe a set of facts”. We believe in a person and the work He has done and the results He has accomplished for us. We call that - Good News!

More good news---FGA presented its second Regional Conference for 2013 April 20^th in Salem, Oregon. There were 58 people who gathered for a day of fellowship and theological exploration. Dr. Ken Wilson taught on the theology of Augustine. This was from part of his doctoral dissertation at Oxford University, England, which will be published. Dr. Charlie Bing also spoke concerning the ministry of FGA and the message of Grace. The sessions were recorded and will be available. Please look at the FGA website for details and for a photo slideshow of the conference. We will host two other Regional Conferences. Dr Bing and Dr. Yankee Arnold will be speaking in Tampa, Florida on May 18th and Dr. Charlie Bing, Dr. Norm Geisler, and Pastor Donnie Preslar will be presenting at the FGA North Carolina conference on June 22^nd. Also, we are excited about the variety of ministries FGA members are involved with both nationally and internationally. The Lord is using all of us to preach the freeness of the gospel and the grace of God. My hope is that you are enjoying the grace of God in your life and ministry.

Serving Him with you
Until He comes for us,

Dr. Fred Chay
President, FGA

Letter from the President-April 1, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Free Grace Alliance) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:08:00 +0000

Dear FGA,

The celebration of Easter Sunday has come and gone but the importance and impact is forever.

As Faulkner put it; “And so in the end we live not in the darkened shadow of Good Friday but on ground that has been illuminated by the dawn of Easter Sunday.” This is the life giving truth that we have the privilege of proclaiming to a lost and dying world, a gift of God’s Grace. So simple and so wonderful!

One of the great proclaimers and defenders of that gracious message went home to be with the Lord this past month. Dr. Roy Zuck, Senior Professor of Biblical Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary and editor of Bib Sac, was a faithful and gracious man who had been part of FGA from its inception. Roy was also awarded the Trophy of Grace Award this past year at the FGA National Conference in Dallas. Roy was a skilled expositor, educator, and editor and had a way of always remembering his students’ names. His kind demeanor and unassuming presence always manifested the grace of God in his life.

We also lost another defender of the grace message two months ago, Dr. Howard (Howie) Hendricks. Many of us felt the life changing impact of “Prof” as he was affectionately known, either in the classroom or at a conference. His commitment to the distinction between discipleship and the reception of eternal life paved the way for many who are part of the FGA.

May both Roy and “Prof” have an abundant entrance into the eternal kingdom of their Lord and Savior who they served so loyally.

The passing of both these men reminds us that we are watching a changing of the guard. There are many great leaders, both men and women, who are coming to the end of their time of service for the Lord. This is true of the evangelical church in America as a whole, but it is also particularly true of those who are part of the Free Grace movement. It is ever true: The Lord buries his workmen but His work continues. I hope this motivates you to be sure to pass the torch. I pray that the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy are guiding your time and stay upon the earth;

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. (2Timothy 2:1-2)

As “Prof” once told me, as I am sure he told others; “Fred, when I come to see you the first question I will have for you is, “Where are your men?”. He did come and visit me and he did ask. And I was able to point him to one of my men. Jesus will be asking as well. So, count the days and make the days count.

Let me encourage you to take a look at the FGA website. We have new resources available. You can now download and listen to previous FGA national conference sessions. Let me also encourage you to view the FGA blog and perhaps even contribute a ministry update or a theological consideration. Finally, let me remind you to look at the information concerning the upcoming FGA Regional Conferences (Salem, Oregon on April 20^th , Tampa, Florida, May 18^th and Charlotte, North Carolina, June 22nd) These conferences are a great way to be personally encouraged and participate in gaining some pastoral and professional education and equipping.

If we can serve you and your ministry please let us know. If you have an idea of how we can serve you better, please share it with us.

Serving Him with You
Until He comes for us,

Fred Chay
President, FGA

Letter from the President - March 3, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Free Grace Alliance) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 01:27:00 +0000

Greetings to the FGA Family,

This is an exciting season for the FGA. Let me share with you some of the strategic ministry undertakings.

First, we have a full slate of regional conferences. On March 2nd we had a regional conference in Phoenix in conjunction with my ministry, Grace Line. We had over 300 people attend. There were five plenary speakers (two from the FGA executive council) and two others that are FGA members. We also held ten workshops led by the FGA council and many of our members. Topics included: Evangelism in the Workplace, The Relationship of Regeneration and Faith in the New Testament, The Role of Puritan Theology in Colonial America and its Modern Day Impact, A Theology of Spiritual Formation, Why Grace is Difficult for the African American Christian as well as a basics class on Free Grace Theology and many others. I had an opportunity to speak to the pastors and parachurch leaders about the purpose and plans of the FGA and invited them to join us in our vision.

There is another regional conference scheduled for April 20^th in Salem, Oregon featuring Drs. Charlie Bing, Ken Wilson and Steve Hill. The theme is “Grace Investigation”. There will be another regional conference in Tampa, Florida on May18th. Bob Tebow, Charlie Bing and Yankee Arnold will be our speakers for that event. Finally, there will be a conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 22nd. We will have the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Norm Geisler on the Relationship of Election and Free Will in Conversion. Dr. Charlie Bing and Pastor Donnie Preslar will also be speaking concerning issues pertinent to the FGA.

I hope you are able to attend one of these wonderful regional conferences. If you are interested in hosting a conference in your city please email me and we will see how we can provide the resources to make it happen.

Second, in terms of pastoral training, Drs. Roger Fankhauser and Charlie Bing, (FGA council members) are going on a two week ministry trip to India and Nepal. Please pray for their personal safety and ministry effectiveness. We have other pastoral training trips in the works, such as Pastor Jonathan Logan, who goes each year to Africa, and John Correia who has been invited to Finland to help teach at a Bible conference for pastors.

Third, there are many engaged in the research and writing of new materials for the FGA. Dr. Ed DeZago is working on a 4 volume Systematic Theology from a Free Grace perspective. Dr. Dave Anderson will have his book on Romans 6-8 published soon. Dr. Ken Wilson will have his dissertation from Oxford published by Oxford--high praise indeed! Todd Mathis is working on a Theological Resource Curriculum via the internet. I will have a book on suffering coming out soon. I am sure there are many more of you who are working on writing projects that will help the Free Grace movement. Please let me know about them if you will.

This brief report does not begin to share with you all the work of the faithful members of FGA in America and around the world who seek to proclaim the glorious grace of God. Praise the Lord that He allows us the privilege of serving Him by serving His people. I count it a joy to be on the team with you.

Serving Him with you

Until He comes for us,

Fred Chay, Ph.D.
President, FGA