Is Hyper Grace a Danger?

The people who throw around the term hyper-grace need to define it. At what point does plain old grace go too far and become hyper-grace? I have a feeling that there is no disagreement with regard to salvation, justification, and regeneration. We are saved by grace apart from works. I have a feeling that the disagreement exists when discussing sanctification. This is the age-old heresy of Galatianism. The idea that now that we are saved we need to keep the law of Moses to be acceptable to God. Grace + Law. The law was and is good. It declares the unimpeachable holiness of Almighty God. Romans declares that the problem is with us. The flesh is at enmity with God and cannot please God no matter how hard it tries. At salvation God births us anew by implanting His Holy Spirit in our spirit. Thus God writes in our hearts what is pleasing to Him. We as New Testament believers do not need a list of do's and don'ts to govern our conduct. We have the Spirit.

While I believe that both groups place high emphasis and importance on holy living, conduct and behavior, they approach it differently. Those who wish to place NT believers under the law as a rule of life apparently think that by practicing holy and righteous conduct and behavior, they themselves become holy. They are focused on externals (the outside of the cup). Jesus tells us that our behavior and conduct come forth out of what is already in our hearts. 1 Corinthians tells us that Jesus Himself is our sanctification. The definitive imputed holiness of Christ which we receive at the new birth by grace is the LIFE and power we need to have a holy walk, or progressive sanctification.

Legalists want to make righteous and holy conduct the condition on which acceptance and approval with God comes to us. Grace posits that we are transformed from the inside by the new birth of the Spirit within our Spirit and as we yield and submit to the Spirit within and reckon ourselves dead to the old Adamic life we once were, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit in our conduct and speech.

Let us also keep in mind that there are many tares (false converts) among the Body of Christ. They heard a false or watered-down gospel and think they are saved because the "believe in Christ." When pressed on what that means, they say that they believe all the facts about Jesus found in the Bible to be true. While important, this answer falls woefully short of what is required to be born again. Admitting guilt before God and repenting of the lifestyle and attitude of sin against God must come first. Believing the Gospel of grace freely given to sinners by Christ must come next. Any person who claims to proclaim the Gospel without pressing the message of "all have sinned" and the need to repent is presenting a false gospel. Let us not rail against preachers of the true gospel because there exists some individuals who only hear what they want to hear (the grace part) and skip the repentance part. When presenting the gospel, I think it is important to explain that in one sense salvation is absolutely free. But in another sense, it will cost you everything. What I mean is that if you purposely withhold anything from the one you call your LORD, you cannot be a disciple. Look at the rich young ruler. But if you are willing to let the Lord strip you of anything and everything that displeases Him, you can receive the free gift of salvation in Christ and have true riches.

I personally believe there is nothing called Hyper grace. There are people who do not know the full meaning of Grace. They think grace is our sins are forgiven. But Grace that Jesus brought to this earth is more than just forgiving our sins. It is a power that saves us from past, present and presence of Sin. Since they do not know what Grace can do they do not seek it. It is like a man who does not know that he has a million dollar in bank account and still lives as beggar. This is why many preach and live a life under the dominion of Sin because they do not know the true purpose of Grace.

There are also people who do not want to know as they are happy with what they have. Hence they do not seek to know the full purpose of Grace, though it is clearly written in the very first promise of New Covenant (Matthew 1:20).

So the point I am bringing is - people who believe that we are under grace and deliberately live in Sin are actually are not living in some imaginary hyper grace but have actually ignored the power of Grace. Hence they are people under micro grace!!!

Sree said:

So the point I am bringing is - people who believe that we are under grace and deliberately live in Sin are actually are not living in some imaginary hyper grace but have actually ignored the power of Grace. Hence they are people under micro grace!!!

Well said Sree!

Hyper grace is actually the term the Apostle Paul uses in Romans 5:20. So I think it's a mistake to be speaking of hyper grace as a bad thing. If anyone is interested I can post the definitions of the greek words. Or you can look it up for yourself.

Andrew

I would really like to ask a question here.:

If there were just ONE word that satan would benefit from,and just love to have DISTORTED,... Would it not be the word "Grace"...?

Could he not deceive many people's and bring them into hell, and really increase his kingdom on that one lie,?.....seeing ,he is the father of all
LIE'S,..and a deceiver ?

In Him alone,
elizabeth

perhaps lasciviousness would be a better word than hyper grace but I think Bear has brought up a legitimate consern

'For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.'

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

I wonder how many of us would get that reaction from our presentation of the gospel like Paul did?

'For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.'

So I think maybe a question that we should ask ourself is, how is the modern gospel denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ??

Right, that was posted already. But the question Paul says followed his delivered gospel is...

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Would the same be said of all of us that post?

Hi ceedub

ceedub wrote ///Right, that was posted already. But the question Paul says followed his delivered gospel is...///

I apologize, I did not mean to but in front of your post, I was just thinking about how the modern gospel is /denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ??/

ceedub wrote ///1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?///

Answer: God Forbid

ceedub wrote ///Would the same be said of ally's that post?///

I am not sure who or what you are reffering to by 'ally's' ?

Follow up Paul's question in Rom 6:1 and note how many times he refers to Christs death and how many he refers to our death? Note 6:1 in context.

Hi ceedub

ceedub asked ///Follow up Paul's question in Rom 6:1 and note how many times he refers to Christs death and how many he refers to our death? Note 6:1 in context.///

Romans 6 was vital for me in understanding the full Gospel and being set free of habitual sin,

Many modern preachers choke out all the power in Romans 6 by attributing Romans 7 to the normal christian life

Right, but just looking firstly at the response to Paul's gospel.

RE: by ceedub on 2013/2/26 16:58:37

Right, but just looking firstly at the response to Paul's gospel///

(as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

hi all,
excellent thread,some very important points made.Would totally agree with Elibeth;regarding Satan's desire to distort one term it would be Grace.
Also True Witness you read my mind(thats not allowed by the way!)and probably you dont want to get inside my head!
I would say that when I was Saved,I believed Jesus was God/Saviour and my Spirit was born in Christ and then I had a desire to repent(although I didnt repent in the majority of areas at that time).So the Holy Spirit entered me before I repented but after I believed.
The term Grace cannot be thrown around;as one other threader said in another thread it cost too much,everything God had!
Yours Staff

Hi ceedub

after reading all of your post again and with you editing
///Would the same be said of ally's that post?/// to ///Would the same be said of all of us that post?///

Are you asking?? Would many ask us after we presented the Gospel clearly like Paul did 'Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?'

This is a good point, and we can agree that this is why Paul spends so much time with explaining our death burial and resurection with the Lord, The reality of our death and the power of reckoning ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin.

Is this where much of the modern church is failing at presenting the full Gospel, when they are not including our codeath and Resurrection with the Lord? I think so.

edit for clairity

I don't see in the beginning of Rom 6 where our baptism is about our dying at all. It seems all 5 instances speak of Christs death.

ceedub wrote ////I don't see in the beginning of Rom 6 where our baptism is about our dying at all. It seems all 5 instances speak of Christs death.////

bearmaster answered //// by bearmaster on 2013/2/27 12:22:19

Romans 6 does speak of Christ's death. But also shows the believer is to be identified with the death of Christ on the cross. But likewise the believer is to be identified with the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

At least my limited understanding of Romans 6.

Bearmaster.

It seems Paul encapsulated the truth of one dying to self and living in Christ in Galatians 2:20.////

Exactly Bearmaster !!!

Romans ch 6
2:...How shall (we), (that are dead to sin), live any longer therein

3 Know ye not, that so many of (us) as were baptized into Jesus Christ were (baptized into his death?)

4 Therefore (we) are buried with him by baptism (into death): that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so (we also) should (walk in newness of life.)

5 For if (we) have been planted together in the (likeness) of (his death), (we) shall be also in the (likeness) of (his resurrection):

6 Knowing this, that (our old man) is (crucified with him), that the (body of sin) might be (destroyed), that henceforth (we) should (not serve sin.)

7 For (he) that is (dead) is (freed from sin.)

8 Now if (we) be (dead with Christ), (we) believe that we shall also (live with him:)

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

11 (Likewise) reckon (ye also yourselves) to be (dead indeed unto sin), but (alive unto God through Jesus Christ) our Lord.

HI ceedub
I am confused at what you are implying by RE:////I don't see in the beginning of Rom 6 where our baptism is about our dying at all. It seems all 5 instances speak of Christs death.////

This is I feel where much of the modern church is failing at presenting the full Gospel, when they are not including our codeath and Resurrection with the Lord.

Water Baptism is a pictorial of this reality.

I feel Much of the modern church has denied the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ to some degree in the gospel message, by choking out the power of this reality and replacing it with christian counceling, 12 steps and the like.

The full Gospel has the power to instantly remove the guilt and completely break the power of sin, such as an alcholic or drug addict etc, they can instantly be set free.

Edit: for clarity

Yes it is. Oskar

Yes it is. Oskar