I am reading 'Hyper-Grace: Exposing the dangers of the modern grace message' by Micheal L. Brown at the moment. It's well worth a read even though I disagree with some of his thoughts I think he raises some interesting points.
I passionately believe God is highlighting grace to the church in this hour. It is not a cheap grace but perfectly twinned with truth. It's aim is to awaken us to fresh zeal based on God's love for us so we realise we are well-equipped to be about our Father's business.
Grace certainly does not dull us into inactivity in our walk with God or into a dishonour of Christ's bride, the church or her ministries. Nor does real grace lead us into an arrogant dismissive attitude towards God's Word to us in the Scriptures. Neither does grace lead us into a disrespectful relationship with the Holy Spirit or into the dangerous foolishness of universalism. This is no grace at all.
My reading of books on grace by authors such as; Joseph Prince and Rob Rufus have actually encouraged me into deeper intimacy with God, as fear, condemnation and legalism start to dissolve away. I do think Brown is somewhat selective in his quotations of these two authors and does not really grasp the gospel of grace they present, which I believe to be empowering for many people in a life giving way.
Having said that, we do need to avoid the more extreme views packaging themselves under the grace banner which I find Brown addresses thoughtfully in his book.
For example some grace teachers can be as legalistic in peddling a version of grace as any other legalist peddling their pet doctrine. I have read and heard things said such as "you can't say 'there is a blessing in church commitment or in giving to God' - that is law."
Or, "you can't confess sin and mistakes to God as He has already forgiven you."
I do believe it is good to confess we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and in an intimate honouring relationship with Father God it is a mark of emotional maturity to admit when we have done something to grieve His Spirit. Brown raises this point well and believes as I do that 1 John 1:9 is a Scripture for the edification of the believer.
If we cannot admit to our Heavenly Father (even though He already knows) when we are wrong in action and heart, when we have have sinned and messed up the danger is we take no responsibility for grieving our relationship with God. Yes, He has brought us into relationship, but surely we don't want to become so clinical in our approach to God that we fail to show empathy in our relationship with Him.
I have experienced some believers taking hold of the grace message in an insular manner and not only in their relationship with God but also in relationship with others not owning up to mistakes, never saying sorry or asking for forgiveness and also taking relationships for granted. Again this can't be the fruit of grace.
One other danger with some proclaiming a version of grace is a subtle ebbing away at the need for the gathered church and the need for evangelism. Some deconstructionists have latched on to the topic of grace in order to 'grind an axe' at everything they despise about church and leadership.
Using grace as a weapon of attack and deconstruction in the body of Christ is abhorrent. Please let us not use this beautiful message and transforming power of grace to simply infect the church with rebellion and dissatisfactions in order to propel forward selfish agendas.
Whilst there are some dangers in some of Brown's interpretations I sense in reading, that his heart is for grace and not for legalism. The book is perhaps at best a call for wisdom to avoid all extremes (Ecclesiastes 7:18b)
Let us allow the grace of Jesus, which is God's love in action to transform us, to heal our hearts and deal with our rejections, hurts and orphan identities, and let grace transform us into passionate lovers of God (as we our passionately loved by Him), passionate lovers of the bride of Christ and passionate rescuers of those kidnapped royalty in the world around us. People all around us who need to accept for the first time the glorious message of the Gospel of grace and make Jesus Christ The Lord and Saviour of their lives.
Come on, He has saved us by grace through faith, has bestowed this amazing free gift upon us of Sonship and has prepared glorious works for us to walk in. Let the longing of the whole of creation be fulfilled and satisfied as the true sons of God and the bride of Christ go about the Father's business.
