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21 Tough Questions about Grace
Dedicated to a champion of grace, Dr. Earl Radmacher, this book deals with questions that every serious student of God's Word and recipient of God's grace has asked. For example: Is Free Grace "Cheap Grace"?; How Were People Saved in the Old Testament?' and, Didn't Jesus Say We Must Persevere to the End to Be Saved? Written for those who treasure GRACE, this book is a wealth of information in one volume that is useful for both personal and classroom study. Dr. Larry Waters Dallas Theological Seminary Lead Editor: Bibliotheca Sacra We hear so many caricatures and distortions about the meaning of Free Grace that a book setting the record straight is long overdue. These twenty-one answers to twenty-one questions about grace do a masterful job of clarifying the issues and explaining the proper understanding of Free Grace. The collection of contributors deals fairly with accusations like "cheap grace," "easy believism," "no fruit–no faith," and many other grenades lobbed at Free Grace Theology. Through exegesis of pertinent passages, the authors address issues like loss of salvation, fruit inspection for assurance of salvation, fellowship versus relationship, temporal judgment versus eternal judgment, and many more. For anyone wishing for a more clear understanding of Free Grace, this book is a must. Dr. David R. Anderson President: Grace School of Theology Author: Free Grace Soteriology
- GenresChristian
313 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 9, 2022
A collection of essays that address questions about grace and salvation from the "Free Grace" soteriological view. To be honest, I felt a lil out of my depth, but I found it to be an interesting read nonetheless. Gonna have to jump into some Arminian, Reformed, and Catholic writings on these topics later.
4.4/5
Lots of quotes, cause I read this on Kindle and can easily copy-and-paste all my highlights:
"Free Grace is the belief that we receive justification—a once for all declaration that we are righteous—and eternal life as a free gift through faith alone in Christ alone... We did not earn grace through our own actions, and we cannot lose it through our own actions. Grace is free and there are no strings attached."
"The value of His blood in God's eyes is more than sufficient, it is infinite. Jesus’ death for the sins of the world includes our sins—all of them, not just some of them. It includes the little ones, the big ones, the unspeakable ones, the cruel ones. All were nailed to the cross with our Savior."
"Because Christ died as a full, satisfactory payment for our sins, God is not unjust to declare us righteous when we believe in Jesus. But when we say something like, “Somebody like that cannot possibly be saved” or “somebody like me cannot possibly be saved,” we are undervaluing Christ’s blood which was shed for us."
"Salvation is God's work, not ours. We simply believe in Christ, and God goes to work."
"Doubt sucks the power out of the Christian life because the Christian life is a life of faith."
"The fear of death brings lifelong slavery, slavery to sin, especially, but also slavery to worry and doubt. But by resting in His Free Grace, we can meet trials, temptation, and opportunities with confidence, knowing that Christ is in us, and that He is able to meet any challenge that may arise."
"When we pursue sin, we miss what God desires for our life here and now... We lose purpose, power, joy, peace, and contentment when we sin rather than following Him."
"The basis of salvation in every age is the death of Christ; the requirement for salvation in every age is faith; the object of faith in every age is God; the content of faith changes in the various dispensations."
"God’s revelation to man differs in different dispensations, but man’s responsibility is to respond to God in faith according to the manner in which God has revealed Himself... Dispensationalists thus emphasize that in every dispensation salvation is by God’s grace through faith according to His revelation."
"Old Testament people could be saved by believing what God had promised, that there would be a Redeemer, a Savior, an Intercessor, a sinless Substitute who would bear the sins of the world, pay the penalty for man’s sins and satisfy the demands of infinite justice. Those who would believe in God for this Deliverer were justified or declared righteous before God, for He imputes His righteousness to all who put faith in Him for salvation."
"People before the time of Christ did not have a full picture of the Savior and the Cross. However, they did have an adequate picture that was sufficient for salvation. God has always revealed His plan of salvation and that revelation has always been sufficient to bring man to salvation."
"Proponents of Free Grace Theology hold to the Reformation principles of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, under the authority of Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone in their truest and purest sense."
"Numerous passages state that even in the absence of discipleship, or the failure of the believer to embrace and continue in their discipleship, there is still grace present because the dispensing of God’s grace in salvation does not depend on one’s works."
"It is grace because the believer has done nothing to merit the righteousness that is given. The only thing that the believer has brought to the situation is the very sin that he or she needs to be saved from."
"He [Paul] reveals four basic truths often overlooked by those who minimize grace as nothing more than an excuse to sin. (1) We have a new life (Romans 6:2-14), (2) We have a new master (Romans 6:15-23), (3) We cannot keep the law (Romans 7:1-25), and (4) The Holy Spirit enables holy living (Romans 8:1-39)."
"His death, which released us from guilt in the past, also releases us from bondage in the present!"
"It is sad but true that believers may relapse into sinful behavior. A glance at Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth will convince you of that."
"Grace is our greatest motivation and most powerful resource for living a life that pleases God."
"We are each given responsibility in this life. We are enabled and charged to work, using the spiritual enablement Christ has given us, to build up the Body of Christ. If we are faithful with this small task, we will be given much more responsibility upon Christ’s return. This responsibility will be in proportion to our labors now, though the reward is exceedingly generous."
"Fear might become a primary motivation for obedience if heaven is not assured. There can be the fear of the loss of justification in an Arminian system of theology and there can be the fear of being among the non-elect in a Reformed system of theology."
"Jesus asserted, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). We don’t look at our performance for our assurance of heaven but at Christ’s promise."
"We must be careful not to confuse godly guidelines with requirements for forgiveness and entrance into heaven."
"The purpose of endurance is not to secure God’s forgiveness, or prove that we have God’s forgiveness. Rather, endurance is part of God’s sanctifying process."
"The Bible speaks of three tenses or phases of salvation. At phase one, we are saved from the eternal penalty of sin, justification salvation (Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). During phase two we are saved from the power of sin, experiential sanctification (Rom 5:9-10; Phil 2:12; 1 Tim 4:16). And in phase three we are saved from the presence of sin, glorification salvation (Rom 13:11)."
"Doubts in any relationship are incompatible with deeper intimacy in that relationship. For example, intimacy in marriage is built on the security of unconditional love and acceptance which encourages each spouse to open up to know the other and to be known. Intimacy in a relationship cannot thrive if one person doubts whether he or she is accepted by the other or if that acceptance is made conditional upon the other’s performance. How could anyone think that causing doubt about one’s acceptance in a relationship is healthy or enhances that relationship?"
"Believing is the only condition for eternal salvation (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 1 John 5:1, 11-13), but abiding is a condition for a deeper fellowship with God, an essential of discipleship that is given to those who have already believed in Jesus Christ (cf. John 8:31)."
"First John addresses the quality of a believer’s relationship with God, not the reality of that relationship. The book’s purpose is not to initiate the readers’ relationship with God, but to deepen the relationship that they already have. Taken in this way, First John does not question the readers’ salvation or lead them into insecurity about their acceptance by God. It assumes their salvation and seeks to enhance their desire to be more intimate with God."
"Salvation has three distinct phases. First, justification is the heavenly announcement of positional righteousness the moment we trust Christ. Second, progressive sanctification involves learning to draw upon divine resources, such as the Spirit, so that our daily lives gradually become Christ-like. Third, glorification occurs when we are liberated from our present bodies, which retain a propensity for sin, at the moment of death."
"Repentance is the means by which a Christian is able to restore his fellowship with God by seeking and maintaining paternal forgiveness from Him. One’s repentance and subsequent forgiveness depends upon the availability of the Intercessor. Renewal to such a place of abiding with Christ or fellowship with God becomes impossible when a believer falls away or cuts ties with the great High Priest. The benefits and protection of His high priestly office simply are not available to one who has denied Him."
"No sin can separate the believer from his everlasting life because of the sufficiency and superiority of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died once-for-all."
4.4/5
Lots of quotes, cause I read this on Kindle and can easily copy-and-paste all my highlights:
"Free Grace is the belief that we receive justification—a once for all declaration that we are righteous—and eternal life as a free gift through faith alone in Christ alone... We did not earn grace through our own actions, and we cannot lose it through our own actions. Grace is free and there are no strings attached."
"The value of His blood in God's eyes is more than sufficient, it is infinite. Jesus’ death for the sins of the world includes our sins—all of them, not just some of them. It includes the little ones, the big ones, the unspeakable ones, the cruel ones. All were nailed to the cross with our Savior."
"Because Christ died as a full, satisfactory payment for our sins, God is not unjust to declare us righteous when we believe in Jesus. But when we say something like, “Somebody like that cannot possibly be saved” or “somebody like me cannot possibly be saved,” we are undervaluing Christ’s blood which was shed for us."
"Salvation is God's work, not ours. We simply believe in Christ, and God goes to work."
"Doubt sucks the power out of the Christian life because the Christian life is a life of faith."
"The fear of death brings lifelong slavery, slavery to sin, especially, but also slavery to worry and doubt. But by resting in His Free Grace, we can meet trials, temptation, and opportunities with confidence, knowing that Christ is in us, and that He is able to meet any challenge that may arise."
"When we pursue sin, we miss what God desires for our life here and now... We lose purpose, power, joy, peace, and contentment when we sin rather than following Him."
"The basis of salvation in every age is the death of Christ; the requirement for salvation in every age is faith; the object of faith in every age is God; the content of faith changes in the various dispensations."
"God’s revelation to man differs in different dispensations, but man’s responsibility is to respond to God in faith according to the manner in which God has revealed Himself... Dispensationalists thus emphasize that in every dispensation salvation is by God’s grace through faith according to His revelation."
"Old Testament people could be saved by believing what God had promised, that there would be a Redeemer, a Savior, an Intercessor, a sinless Substitute who would bear the sins of the world, pay the penalty for man’s sins and satisfy the demands of infinite justice. Those who would believe in God for this Deliverer were justified or declared righteous before God, for He imputes His righteousness to all who put faith in Him for salvation."
"People before the time of Christ did not have a full picture of the Savior and the Cross. However, they did have an adequate picture that was sufficient for salvation. God has always revealed His plan of salvation and that revelation has always been sufficient to bring man to salvation."
"Proponents of Free Grace Theology hold to the Reformation principles of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, under the authority of Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone in their truest and purest sense."
"Numerous passages state that even in the absence of discipleship, or the failure of the believer to embrace and continue in their discipleship, there is still grace present because the dispensing of God’s grace in salvation does not depend on one’s works."
"It is grace because the believer has done nothing to merit the righteousness that is given. The only thing that the believer has brought to the situation is the very sin that he or she needs to be saved from."
"He [Paul] reveals four basic truths often overlooked by those who minimize grace as nothing more than an excuse to sin. (1) We have a new life (Romans 6:2-14), (2) We have a new master (Romans 6:15-23), (3) We cannot keep the law (Romans 7:1-25), and (4) The Holy Spirit enables holy living (Romans 8:1-39)."
"His death, which released us from guilt in the past, also releases us from bondage in the present!"
"It is sad but true that believers may relapse into sinful behavior. A glance at Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth will convince you of that."
"Grace is our greatest motivation and most powerful resource for living a life that pleases God."
"We are each given responsibility in this life. We are enabled and charged to work, using the spiritual enablement Christ has given us, to build up the Body of Christ. If we are faithful with this small task, we will be given much more responsibility upon Christ’s return. This responsibility will be in proportion to our labors now, though the reward is exceedingly generous."
"Fear might become a primary motivation for obedience if heaven is not assured. There can be the fear of the loss of justification in an Arminian system of theology and there can be the fear of being among the non-elect in a Reformed system of theology."
"Jesus asserted, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). We don’t look at our performance for our assurance of heaven but at Christ’s promise."
"We must be careful not to confuse godly guidelines with requirements for forgiveness and entrance into heaven."
"The purpose of endurance is not to secure God’s forgiveness, or prove that we have God’s forgiveness. Rather, endurance is part of God’s sanctifying process."
"The Bible speaks of three tenses or phases of salvation. At phase one, we are saved from the eternal penalty of sin, justification salvation (Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). During phase two we are saved from the power of sin, experiential sanctification (Rom 5:9-10; Phil 2:12; 1 Tim 4:16). And in phase three we are saved from the presence of sin, glorification salvation (Rom 13:11)."
"Doubts in any relationship are incompatible with deeper intimacy in that relationship. For example, intimacy in marriage is built on the security of unconditional love and acceptance which encourages each spouse to open up to know the other and to be known. Intimacy in a relationship cannot thrive if one person doubts whether he or she is accepted by the other or if that acceptance is made conditional upon the other’s performance. How could anyone think that causing doubt about one’s acceptance in a relationship is healthy or enhances that relationship?"
"Believing is the only condition for eternal salvation (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 1 John 5:1, 11-13), but abiding is a condition for a deeper fellowship with God, an essential of discipleship that is given to those who have already believed in Jesus Christ (cf. John 8:31)."
"First John addresses the quality of a believer’s relationship with God, not the reality of that relationship. The book’s purpose is not to initiate the readers’ relationship with God, but to deepen the relationship that they already have. Taken in this way, First John does not question the readers’ salvation or lead them into insecurity about their acceptance by God. It assumes their salvation and seeks to enhance their desire to be more intimate with God."
"Salvation has three distinct phases. First, justification is the heavenly announcement of positional righteousness the moment we trust Christ. Second, progressive sanctification involves learning to draw upon divine resources, such as the Spirit, so that our daily lives gradually become Christ-like. Third, glorification occurs when we are liberated from our present bodies, which retain a propensity for sin, at the moment of death."
"Repentance is the means by which a Christian is able to restore his fellowship with God by seeking and maintaining paternal forgiveness from Him. One’s repentance and subsequent forgiveness depends upon the availability of the Intercessor. Renewal to such a place of abiding with Christ or fellowship with God becomes impossible when a believer falls away or cuts ties with the great High Priest. The benefits and protection of His high priestly office simply are not available to one who has denied Him."
"No sin can separate the believer from his everlasting life because of the sufficiency and superiority of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died once-for-all."
April 8, 2022
Poorly written.
I believe in Free Grace the part on Free Grace is good almost everything else is bad.
This book agrees with Dispensationalism which is not biblical and goes completely against the teaching of Free Grace.
Dispensationalism teaches salvation is different in each dispensation. It teaches some people were saved because of their good works called salvation by faith and works.
The Bible is not divided into dispensations. The Bible is divided into the Old and the New Testament.
This book I can not recommend to anyone.
I believe in Free Grace the part on Free Grace is good almost everything else is bad.
This book agrees with Dispensationalism which is not biblical and goes completely against the teaching of Free Grace.
Dispensationalism teaches salvation is different in each dispensation. It teaches some people were saved because of their good works called salvation by faith and works.
The Bible is not divided into dispensations. The Bible is divided into the Old and the New Testament.
This book I can not recommend to anyone.
February 26, 2020
It felt like it was talking in circles. Lots of good points, but lots of reiteration.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews