Cheap grace

[Eoghan]

How would you describe/define cheap grace? I found myself using the term in conversation but struggled to come up with a pithy/concise definition

 

[Ed Walsh]

How would you describe/define cheap grace?

Hi, Eoghan from Scotland,

My knee-jerk response goes something like this.

Anything, that in any way diminishes the wonder, awe, power, wisdom, and sheer joy this passage from 1 Peter 1 cited below.

1 Peter 1:13–2:1 (ESV)

Called to Be Holy
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
24 for–

“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”​

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

~~~~~~~​

How's this for starters?

Ed

 

[Eoghan]

I listened to a definition of social justice by D Prager.
A court has to make a judgment in a court case between a poor man and a rich man. If it decides against the poor man the fine will have a major impact on his life, if it decides against the rich man he will barely notice. Therefore you should decide against the rich man!

Pithy, brief and understandable.

For "cheap grace" I think of "the prayer" that folks are led through at mass evangelism crusades when they come forward. It is not even their prayer but given to them. After repeating it that are told they are saved, they go to heaven and avoid hell. Bish bash bosh - your saved! It is almost like an automated carwash, you park on the ramp and it drags you through the car wash. I have an image in my head of a carwash adapted to become the savomatic with the shampoo spray adapted to perform baptism!

 

[Eoghan]

I listened to a definition of social justice by D Prager.
A court has to make a judgment in a court case between a poor man and a rich man. If it decides against the poor man the fine will have a major impact on his life, if it decides against the rich man he will barely notice. Therefore you should decide against the rich man!

Pithy, brief and understandable.

For "cheap grace" I think of "the prayer" that folks are led through at mass evangelism crusades when they come forward. It is not even their prayer but given to them. After repeating it that are told they are saved, they go to heaven and avoid hell. Bish bash bosh - your saved! It is almost like an automated carwash, you park on the ramp and it drags you through the car wash. I have an image in my head of a carwash adapted to become the savomatic with the shampoo spray adapted to perform baptism!

Currently preaching through James with his emphasis on "bearing fruit in keeping with repentance".

 

[Deleted member 12865]

For "cheap grace" I think of "the prayer" that folks are led through at mass evangelism crusades when they come forward. It is not even their prayer but given to them. After repeating it that are told they are saved, they go to heaven and avoid hell. Bish bash bosh - your saved!

Like “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom,” or perhaps, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”?

I would be careful about whose grace you call cheap and whose prayers you make light of. (By no means do I intend to defend all aspects of “mass evangelism crusades.”)

 

[Andres]

Cheap grace is the idea that God expects nothing from a person after they "make a profession" for Christ. The Scriptures call us to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil 2:12). Also, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matt 16:24-25).

 

[alexanderjames]

“Cheap grace” for me is a misnomer, completely misunderstanding what grace is. The grace of God is effectual and transformative.

The apostle Paul warns not to receive the grace of God in vain. John Gill says upon this,

“that ye receive not the grace of God in vain: by "the grace of God", is not meant the grace of God in regeneration, and effectual calling, which can never be received in vain; for the grace of God never fails of producing a thorough work of conversion; nor is it ever lost, but is strictly connected with eternal, glory: but by it is meant either the doctrine of grace, the Gospel of Christ, so called, because it is a declaration of the love and grace of God to sinners, ascribes salvation in part, and in whole, to the free grace of God, and is a means of implanting and increasing grace in the hearts of men. Now this may be received in vain by ministers and people, when it is but notionally received, or received in word only: when it is abused and perverted to vile purposes, and when men drop, deny it, and fall off from it;..”

 

[Taylor]

“Cheap grace” for me is a misnomer, completely misunderstanding what grace is.

I had never considered this before, but it is a significant thought. When most folks use the term "cheap grace," they typically are criticizing it because they believe such "grace" is too easy, as if the correct alternative to "cheap" grace is "costly" grace. While I can understand and appreciate this criticism, the real antidote to "cheap" grace is not "costly" grace but free grace. And, as you rightly say, free grace is transformative and effectual. While "cheap grace" should be opposed, I wonder if much opposition to "cheap grace" actually ends up being fundamentally legal.

 

[Gesetveemet]

Cheap grace is the idea that God expects nothing from a person after they "make a profession" for Christ. The Scriptures call us to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil 2:12). Also, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matt 16:24-25).

Andres, discussion boards are difficult for me as people cannot see or hear a person speak, with that said I speak kindly even questioning myself. Is it really so that GOD expects something? We know that a great change takes place and a regenerated soul has an ongoing desire to do the will of God and also prayer becomes his very breath barring a declension which takes place time to time.

 

[ZackF]

Is the OP speaking of the theological position espoused by a few Dallas theologians about 30 years ago?

 

[Eoghan]

Bonhoeffer "the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance" brief pithy and accurate

 

[alexanderjames]

This appears to have been discussed in the past - https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/cheap-grace.92241/

Bonhoeffer "the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance" brief pithy and accurate

 

[pgwolv]

While "cheap grace" should be opposed, I wonder if much opposition to "cheap grace" actually ends up being fundamentally legal.

The opposition of "cheap grace" should always be tempered by Rom 11: "6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace."

 

[Semper Fidelis]

We've been going through The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson during Adult Sunday School. It's a good historical and theological work discussing how The Marrow Man controversy teaches us about the Gospel and the distortions that accrue as we consider the work of Christ.

My problem is that the term "Cheap Grace" typically comes from those who don't understand grace and think that the solution to antinomianism is a reminder that God takes His Law seriously. Christianity is seen as a balancing act between understanding what grace does and what demands it places on the believer. The proper belief is seen as balancing between not being too legalistic and not thinking that the Law grounds our standing with God.

The distortion occurs because grace and the Gospel are seen apart from union with Christ. The Biblical paradigm is not that we consider salvation as things God has done and that we would simply apprehend them and trust in them and receive the benefits. Rather, when we understand that salvation is, at root, being transported from being "in Adam/flesh/sin" to "in Christ/life/Spirit".

ALL Evangelical graces flow from our union with Christ. We are made, by the Spirit's work, partakers of Christ because He purchased our faith. When united to Him we partake of justificaiton, adoption, sanctification, and (eventually) glorification. There is no "theological idea" that is apart from Christ and His Mediatorial work. Our repentance, faith, good works are all evangelical graces that flow from our union with the Mediator.

Thus, the solution to "cheap grace" is not to be serious about the Law but to completely reorient one's thinking that you are either in Christ or you are not. If you are in Christ then you are a new creation. The entire life of a believer is in Him and there is no contemplation or action of a believer outside of Christ or outside of grace (which is what is provided in Him).

Both the antinomian and the neonomian see God's Law is essentially a bunch of demands from a God waiting on us to fulfill conditions. The grace of the Gospel sees the Law as the words of a loving Father to His children. Eve, in Garden, was convinced by the Serpent that God's Law was stingy and that the fence she had placed to protect her from the command was unwise. She became an antinomian when she determined that the only way to be free was to disobey what was essentially stingy. Missing in all of it was her disposition toward God and why He had commanded them to begin with.

 

[MarrowMan]

We've been going through The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson during Adult Sunday School. It's a good historical and theological work discussing how The Marrow Man controversy teaches us about the Gospel and the distortions that accrue as we consider the work of Christ.

My problem is that the term "Cheap Grace" typically comes from those who don't understand grace and think that the solution to antinomianism is a reminder that God takes His Law seriously. Christianity is seen as a balancing act between understanding what grace does and what demands it places on the believer. The proper belief is seen as balancing between not being too legalistic and not thinking that the Law grounds our standing with God.

The distortion occurs because grace and the Gospel are seen apart from union with Christ. The Biblical paradigm is not that we consider salvation as things God has done and that we would simply apprehend them and trust in them and receive the benefits. Rather, when we understand that salvation is, at root, being transported from being "in Adam/flesh/sin" to "in Christ/life/Spirit".

ALL Evangelical graces flow from our union with Christ. We are made, by the Spirit's work, partakers of Christ because He purchased our faith. When united to Him we partake of justificaiton, adoption, sanctification, and (eventually) glorification. There is no "theological idea" that is apart from Christ and His Mediatorial work. Our repentance, faith, good works are all evangelical graces that flow from our union with the Mediator.

Thus, the solution to "cheap grace" is not to be serious about the Law but to completely reorient one's thinking that you are either in Christ or you are not. If you are in Christ then you are a new creation. The entire life of a believer is in Him and there is no contemplation or action of a believer outside of Christ or outside of grace (which is what is provided in Him).

Both the antinomian and the neonomian see God's Law is essentially a bunch of demands from a God waiting on us to fulfill conditions. The grace of the Gospel sees the Law as the words of a loving Father to His children. Eve, in Garden, was convinced by the Serpent that God's Law was stingy and that the fence she had placed to protect her from the command was unwise. She became an antinomian when she determined that the only way to be free was to disobey what was essentially stingy. Missing in all of it was her disposition toward God and why He had commanded them to begin with.

Make sure you read Fisher with Boston's notes afterward. Ferguson's book is excellent to wet the whistle, but it doesn't compare to the Marrow.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Make sure you read Fisher with Boston's notes afterward. Ferguson's book is excellent to wet the whistle, but it doesn't compare to the Marrow.

I read Fisher's book with Boston's notes years ago. I only mentioned Ferguson's book to note that we are currently studying that book.

 

[Jerusalem Blade]

Mentally assenting to the reality of Christ and the truth of His gospel, apart from having Him and it in the heart – and living accordingly.

 

[Before]

If a man is called by God's grace, nothing will be cheap.
Grace comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Those not called, most likely will reject what costs.

 

[Eoghan]

I was interested to see that in James 2 he seems to be drawing on Mark 12 where Jesus quotes the Shema when discussing the most important law and the second one being love thay neighbour as thyself. That test of orthodoxy amongst Jews is shared by devils who shudder.