The Narrow Path Ministries

Steve,

The "cheap grace" movement is really big down here where I am. There's a very large Bible church in town that teaches that you can accept Jesus as your Savior but deny Him as your Lord and still go to heaven.

Anyway, do you have any teachings and/or notes that would cover this topic? Do you have anything on the history of the cheap grace movement... when and how it got started? I know it's been promoted by Dallas Theology Seminary in the past.

Thanks!

-Rachel

Hi Rachel,
The term "cheap grace," I believe, was coined by Dietrich Bonhoffer, in his book "The Cost of Discipleship." Bonhoffer did not advocate cheap grace, but criticized it. The doctrine is characteristic of the teachings of some Dallas-Seminary-type dispensationalists (e.g., Charles Ryrie, Zane Hodges), but is opposed by other dispensationalists (like John MacArthur, see his book "The Gospel According to Jesus"), as well as Arminians and Reformed Christians.

If by "cheap grace" we are referring to the idea that you are saved by grace, regardless how you live your life, and that Jesus is Savior of all who say a "sinner's prayer," even if they do not acknowledge and honor His lordship, then we are talking about a doctrine formally called "antinomianism" (meaning, literally, "against law"). Antinomianism has been around since the early days of the church. Paul and John both had to refute it (e.g., Romans 6:1, 15/ 1 John 2:3-6; 3:6). Of course, Jesus had earlier spoken so as to preclude this idea (Matt.7:21-27). The doctrine is refuted by Hebrews 5:9, and, of course, James 2:14ff. It is, in fact, contrary to the whole tenor of scripture, where commands of God are found throughout, and with the command the implication of duty to obey.

As for the possibility of "accepting Jesus as Savior" but not as Lord, this is another way of saying that a person does not accept Jesus at all. Jesus is everywhere declared to be the Lord of all. If someone does not acknowledge Jesus as Lord, they are apparently not acknowledging the Jesus of scripture. The shepherds were told by the angels, "Unto you is born this day...a SAVIOR who is CHRIST the LORD" (Luke 2:11). From the moment of His birth, Jesus held all three offices: Savior, Christ, and Lord. If you "accept Jesus," therefore, you are accepting one who is Savior, Christ and Lord.

If the "Jesus" that you accept is not Lord, He is not the same Jesus. He is a modified version of the biblical Christ, and you can expect a "modified" destiny other than that which followers of the genuine Christ can anticipate. "If that servant...begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him...and will cut him in two, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites" (Matt.24:48-51). It is interesting that Jesus said that the Lord will "cut" that servant "in two." This is a fitting judgment for one who had done the same thing to Jesus. In separating between "Jesus, the Savior" and "Jesus, the Lord", that servant had effectively cut Him in two!

The Bible never asks anyone to "accept Jesus as personal Savior." However, the Gospel does call for an unequivocal acknowledgment of His lordship. In the closest thing to an "altar call" to be found anywhere in scripture, Peter said, "Therefore, let all the house of Israel assuredly know that God has made this same Jesus, whom you crucified, BOTH LORD AND CHRIST" (Acts 2:36).

Christ becomes your Savior at precisely the moment you acknowledge Him as your Lord. As Paul put it, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord...you shall be saved" (Rom.10:9).

John said, "He who has the Son has life; and he who has not the Son of God has not life" (1 John 5:12). Thus, possession of life is equivalent to possessing the Son of God, Jesus. Since Jesus is plainly declared to be Lord, those who possess Christ (and therefore have life) are those who possess a Lord. He is both Lord and Savior, and He will not be one of those things at one time and the other at another time.

Imagine a bridegroom at a wedding, when asked if he would indeed take "this woman to be thy lawful wedded wife," saying, "I will take this woman to be my personal cook, house-cleaner and bed-partner, but I will wait until some later date to decide whether I will forsake all others and cling only to her as long as we both shall live." This man would go home without a wife! Some women might accept those terms with a man, but they could not be said to be married. Marriage is a covenant relationship, as is salvation. The covenant includes both privileges and stipulations for both covenanting parties. In the covenant of salvation, we receive the benefit of having Christ as our Savior, but also the stipulation that He will forever be our Lord and Master as well.

I might add this one caveat: There are those who are truly saved, but who have much to learn with respect to the specific claims of Christ, and who may, for that reason, not be living lives of complete conformity to the commands of Christ (e.g. Apollos and his "converts"—Acts 18:24—19:3). The process of making disciples takes some time, and involves "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matt.28:20). A person may be a true, but poorly-informed, disciple of Jesus—whose life is not exemplary of that which the lordship of Christ calls for, but who is committed to obeying Christ nonetheless. Such people need to be discipled, not condemned.

Steve,

Thank you so much for your reply! Do you know where I could find a detailed history of the movement? I remember someone saying it started becoming more popular with the Plymouth Brethren and then really popular with the Scofield study Bible, but that's all I know.

Thanks!

-Rachel