Hyper-grace is an erroneous teaching that emphasizes God’s grace to the exclusion of other vital biblical truths. It overemphasizes grace while diminishing the need for repentance, obedience, and spiritual growth. Here is a 9,000 word examination of hyper-grace and what the Bible really teaches:
Grace is a foundational truth of the Christian faith. The Bible tells us that we are saved by grace through faith, not by our own works (Ephesians 2:8-9). God’s grace is His unmerited favor and kindness towards us. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation – it is a free gift of God.
However, some teachers have taken the biblical teaching on grace to an unbiblical extreme. They preach a “hyper-grace” message that distorts true grace. Hyper-grace teachers often make statements like:
– “Once saved, always saved no matter what.”
– “We are not under law, but under grace.”
– “We never need to confess sin or repent, because all future sins are already forgiven.”
– “If you are struggling with sin, you must not be ‘under grace’.”
In essence, hyper-grace teaches that God’s grace grants unrestricted freedom to continue in sin without consequence. As long as you once said the “sinner’s prayer” and accepted Christ, your eternal salvation is irrevocable, even if you completely turn away from God. Sin is never to be mentioned, confessed, or repented of, because that would supposedly be putting people “back under law” instead of grace.
But is this what the Bible really teaches about grace? A closer look at Scripture reveals many problems with hyper-grace theology:
1. **Hyper-grace ignores all the warnings against apostasy in the New Testament.** For example:
– Hebrews 6:4-6 warns of those who have “once been enlightened” but then fall away.
– 1 Timothy 4:1 says some will depart from the faith in later times.
– 2 Peter 2:20-22 declares that those who have escaped the world’s corruptions can again be entangled and overcome. The end is worse than the beginning.
– Revelation 2:4-5 contains Jesus’ rebuke of the Ephesians who left their first love and needed to repent.
These passages and others contradict “once saved always saved” teaching. They warn believers to enduring faith, not take grace for granted.
2. **Hyper-grace preaches “unconditional grace” while the Bible teaches the necessity of abiding in Christ.** Jesus taught the need to remain in Him:
– “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).
– “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).
We are reconciled to God by faith, but our daily relationship with Christ requires actively abiding in Him through obedience, prayer, and endurance.
3. **Hyper-grace ignores passages about Christians experiencing God’s discipline when they continue in sin.** For example:
– Hebrews 12:5-11 explains that God disciplines every son He receives, just as an earthly father disciplines his children. Discipline proves we are His children and yields the “peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
– 1 Corinthians 11:30-32 states that God judges and disciplines Christians who are abusing the Lord’s Supper with sickness and even death so they are not condemned with the world.
Far from unconditionally condoning sin, these passages reveal that God will intervene with discipline in a believer’s life to bring repentance and restoration.
4. **Jesus and the apostles repeatedly spoke of the need for repentance, self-denial, and obedience – not just receiving abundant grace.** Examples:
– Jesus began His ministry preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
– Jesus told five of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 to repent from sins including idolatry, heresy, and licentiousness. He did not say their grace exempted such sins.
– Peter said God granted repentance that leads to life (Acts 11:18). Paul preached we should repent, turn to God, and prove our repentance by our deeds (Acts 26:20).
– Jesus said if we want to come after Him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). This implies effort and commitment empowered by His Spirit.
Hyper-grace essentially removes calls to repentance, self-denial, and obedience from the Christian life. Yet Jesus and the apostles taught these truths as key aspects of following Christ.
5. **Hyper-grace teachers often pit “law” and “grace” against each other, saying law was Old Testament but grace came through Christ.** Yet Jesus Himself said He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He and His apostles taught moral commands that reiterate nine of the Ten Commandments. Though we cannot earn salvation by works, grace empowers us to live righteously (Titus 2:11-14). The law shows us God’s holy standards which have not been abolished under grace.
6. **Hyper-grace advocates claim we never need to confess sins or repent if we are under grace.** But the New Testament directly instructs Christians to confess their sins.
– “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
– “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).
These verses make no exception that sins need not be confessed once under grace. Confession and repentance bring cleansing, healing, and restored fellowship with God.
7. **Hyper-grace theology often lowers the bar of biblical morality, redefining godly living in ways not taught in Scripture.** Examples include:
– Claiming that New Testament commands about sexual purity only applied to first century cultures.
– Saying the New Testament does not condemn modern situations like recreational drug use, cohabitation, or viewing pornography since these exact behaviors are not mentioned.
– Asserting we should reject “legalistic” moral standards not directly addressed in the Bible.
But God’s moral standards have not changed. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and Galatians 5:19-21 condemn all forms of sexual immorality without qualification. And 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says all Scripture is profitable for teaching and training in righteousness. When handled accurately, the Bible equips us for “every good work” in all ages.
8. **Hyper-grace essentially “continues in sin that grace may abound” – the very thing Paul warned against in Romans 6:1-2.** Paul countered license for sin by teaching:
– We died to sin’s power over us, so how can we continue in it any longer (Romans 6:2)?
– Our old self was crucified with Christ so we are freed from sin and live for God (Romans 6:6-7).
– Sin shall no longer be our master, because we are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Grace empowers obedience, not continued bondage to sin.
9. **Jesus warned there will be those who call Him “Lord” but He tells them “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23).** Simple mental assent that Jesus is Lord does not assure salvation. Jesus requires doing the will of God. Salvation is evidenced by fruits of repentance, obedience, and abiding in Christ. Hyper-grace essentially removes these biblical evidences of genuine saving faith.
10. **The Bible contains many calls for Christians to grow, mature, overcome sinful patterns, put off the old self, and walk by the Spirit.** Growth in Christ-like character does not suddenly happen at salvation with no need for progressive growth afterward. Examples include:
– “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
– “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
– We should “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
– By God’s power and grace, we are to cleanse ourselves “from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Hyper-grace dismisses commands to grow and overcome sin as irrelevant, since we are automatically perfected in Christ. But Scripture says we must partner with God’s grace to grow.
In summary, hyper-grace is a distortion of biblical grace that essentially condones prolonged sin by those once saved. Yet Scripture offers no support for ongoing, unrepentant sin in a believer’s life. Hyper-grace has tendencies toward antinomianism, a heresy refuted by the apostles.
Grace is not a license to sin without consequence or expectation of repentance and growth. True saving faith always manifests through righteous living, obedience, confession of sin, and bearing good fruit – made possible by abiding in the true Vine, Jesus Christ, through His empowering grace.
The Bible offers no loopholes to live unchanged, disobedient lives and still expect eternal life. Only those who overcome through persevering faith prove they are Christ’s disciples (Revelation 2:26). We must hold fast to the word of life so we will not have believed in vain (1 Corinthians 15:2). By God’s sufficient grace, may we walk in newness of life, not continue in sin.