Update (5/9/2014):
We have recently put together a short book available on Amazon related to confronting the hyper-grace issues in the church today, as summarized here. In this new 200+ page book, we cover topics such as the “Words in Red”, many of the false-grace heresies in circulation today, including inclusion, as well as solid Scriptural support for the truth.
Additionally, because there is a great interest in this topic, and the subject is urgent in many people’s lives, if you cannot purchase one or have any other reason, we have made the entire contents of the book available via PDF online as well.
If you would like more information, please click here.
Additionally, feel free to check out our other articles on the topic of Hyper-Grace.
The best way to debate anything is the Word. The Word is sufficient. The Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. Anything you need to defend or define must have as its ultimate authority to be God, through His Word, or it will always end in the shifting sands of opinion.
However, when it comes to certain groups, because their doctrine is so far beleaguered and strays so far from the truth of the Word, because its source is still rather narrow, whenever you debate with them, they more or less follow the same basic script. That’s right. They don’t rely on the full counsel of the Word, they use a few texts, here or there, pulled and shifted out well beyond reason, and, if you know where they’re trying to go, you stay out of their predictable traps.
The most pernicious of these current camps is what has become known as “inclusion” or “universalism”. Don’t let what they say fool you–they’ll change their name as often as it suits them, and say “We’re not that”, until you challenge them, and ask them, and, yes, perhaps they differ on a few details, but that is exactly what they are, by definition.
The Hyper Grace camps of inclusion will more or less follow the same, basic script, since they’re all getting their teaching from a fairly narrow source. They will attempt to attack the basics of the faith, redefining them and misdirecting.
Salvation
First, they will claim that salvation is completely God’s part, and we cannot save ourselves. This more or less seems orthodoxy, until they are finally willing to be honest about what they’re saying. Believe me, they will re-define everything, just so they can keep their “talking points” in “Christianese”. You have to press them to find out that they’re heretical.
Here, they borrow from a “finished works” message, claiming it’s all about Christ, that we are new creations (2 Cor 5:17), and also from Calvinistic theology, saying that we save “by grace, through faith, and this not of ourselves, it is a gift of God”. But, they will then TWIST this, and say things like “I don’t have faith in faith”, that you are “saving yourself” if your faith did it. They will claim along with the Calvinists, that that faith was the gift from God, therefore it is not YOUR faith that saves you, but God’s faith. That’s right, they say that it is not your faith, but God’s faith, attempting to one-up Calvinism and take salvation completely out of the realm of man’s responsibility.
They’re splitting hairs to get to inclusion, and you just have to not give them an ounce. Romans 12:3 clearly says that God has given men a measure of faith, but once it’s given to us, it’s up to us what we do with it. I usually say that after it’s given to me by God, it’s “my” faith, not God’s faith.
But, the problem is they are re-defining faith, in rebellion and unbelief, and this is ultimately the root problem of their entire argument. Faith is not doctrine. Biblically, faith is the spiritual reality (substance or hypo-stasis in the Greek) of the thing that you’re hoping for. To have something by faith means you actually have it, even though you do not see it in the natural, so it is as good as courtroom evidence (Hebrews 11:1). It most certainly does come from God, but because God gives it to us, just like our own life, we are responsible for what we do with it. Faith is not a work, faith is simply believing. Because they deny “faith”, they attempt to push the whole of the work of salvation off onto God, denying personal responsibility.
Hell
This is one of the dividing issues. Do they believe in hell? They will say that they do, but what is hell? One said it was merely a less glorious place in heaven. Will people be there? They will say people will go to hell. But, often, they ultimately pull out the ultimate reconciliation doctrine, that even the devil will be ultimately saved. These are all historical heretical positions. There is no redemption for the devil.
At this point, you should be aware of the personal attacks. They will turn to these quickly, especially whenever you knock down their talking points, or challenge them on what they really man after claiming to be “orthodox”. If you push them, they will mock. If you tell them people are going to an Eternal burning hell, they will attack. It seems difficult to believe that this is taught directly to them directly, but it is the spirit of the groups to be irreverent. They will ask you why you’re a “hater”. Tell them, “You will love one and hate the other, either hate the world or the true Gospel”. They will ask if you hate other religious groups–always steer them back to the Word. They will always point the finger at YOU, and try to make YOU feel guilty for what the Bible says, the Gospel of Christ. The best and only solution on any of this is to get out of the way, point to the Book, point to Jesus, and say, I didn’t say it, He did. Keep yourself out of it. When you keep the focus off of you, you will keep yourself free from the shame they are attempting to defend their teaching with.
This in and of itself demonstrates both the character of the leaders of the movement, and also the sheer error of their doctrine. Their doctrine is based on fear; they will not come into the light and plainly reveal it, teach openly, for fear of being exposed (John 3:19-21), and, if you question them for an hour and a half, they actually usually get frustrated enough to actually let a little bit of their obvious error slip. They are also trained to simply tell you whatever you want to hear, simply to make you leave them alone. Stand your guard, Quote them Mark 16:16 that those who do not believe shall be damned. Tell them John 3:18, that those who do not believe are condemned already. They will take offense at the simple words of Christ, go off on a rant about how much you hate, tell them God is love, etc.
But, the question is always the same as in the garden, Did God really say? The Gospel has never been about man’s opinion or who man says God is, but who God truly is, as He has shown us, first in His Word, and then in our experience with Him.
Who Did Christ Die For?
If you’re a staunch Calvinist, you believe that Christ’s blood only paid for those who are predestined (Limited Atonement). If you are not, you believe that while Christ’s blood is sufficient for all, it is efficacious (it works) only for those who believe. Either way, it is contingent upon FAITH.
Because the grace-whacks get off on redefining faith, they are attempting to circumvent the whole process, and say things ranging from the mildly wrong to the acutely absurd, such as everyone is already saved and they don’t know it, or say there are many saved sinners in heaven. This is beyond ridiculous, but they will attempt to take a few isolated scriptures to “prove” their point (all the time of saying that you’re doing the same thing–they will always try to turn it against you, shame you, say you’re shaming them, etc). Your position is not to “condemn” anyone (John 3:17), but simply tell them they are ALREADY condemned (John 3:18). The difference is like saying, “Hey! You have a broken leg.”, as compared to BREAKING their leg yourself. They’re already broken, you’re simply pointing it out, and they don’t want to see it.
The simple comebacks are the obvious. You can tell them that without faith it is impossible to please God, and they will try to tell you that it is “God’s faith” their trusting, not their own. Again, this is a perversion of Ephesians 2:8, which says Faith is a gift from God. But, if God gave it to me, just like my breath, then I’m responsible for what I do with it. You can simply remind them that 2 Thessalonians 3:2 says, “Not all have faith”. Since it is impossible to please God without faith, those who do not have faith cannot please Him.
You can tell them that Romans 8:9 says that those who have not the Spirit are none of His (again, not trying to divide Pentecostals from evangelicals). They will resort to Joel 2:28, saying that God has poured out His Spirit on “all flesh”, meaning everyone, saying that everyone has the Spirit. The quickest way to deal with this is Peter’s words at Pentecost, saying “This is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel”. Since Peter said it was, his authority of interpretation on that day trumps ours. They will be contentious about this one, because it proves their point wrong, but Jude 19 also comes in handy here, where Jude says that certain men “do not have the Spirit”. Joel 2:28 simply says that the Spirit is no longer reserved for the few prophets and kings, but that it is poured out on “all mankind”, that is, from king to the lowest servant in the Kingdom, not to unbelievers. Obviously, if the false camps position was right, there would have been no reason to write the New Testament at all, since we’d all get there eventually anyway.
The Old Nature
The arguments will always mix a little bit of truth or scripture and mix it with a strong dose of lies. As said, they will redefine the principles of Christianity, such as faith and hell, they will deny the penal substitutionary atonement (claiming strange things like that Isaiah 53 is saying that Christ suffered “because of” our sins instead of “for them), and more or less departing from every major Biblical tenet of the faith, while attempting to say that “We’re on the same side.”
The problem with agreement on any level is that it means you agree with them. I prefer to insist that I do not agree with anything they say, that I will not “agree to disagree”, but that I will simply disagree.
If they cannot prove you wrong on a Biblical level, which they can’t if you know the Word, they will go to the personal shame. They will ask you if you have a pastor, and attempt to “pastor” you and say you are unstable. They will refuse to acknowledge the coming punishment and judgment coming to the world.
The Lying
Jesus said that He did not do or teach anything in secret. He taught in the temple and the synagogue, and when they questioned Him, He said, ask them what I said. He did not work in darkness, but in light. This is not the case with these movements. They will hide what they truly believe until the last dime, and then try to spin you with their deceptive and misleading questions.
They will bring arguments that, if applied to themselves, would defeat themselves.
The basic problem is rebellion, which is what they’re in regarding the Gospels and Christ and His cross. If you attempt to claim any form of authority of the Word, they will mock you and turn on you. Again, simply turn it back to the Scripture.
They will claim they have PhDs and are “highly respected”, but what is the respect and praise of man compared to that of God, using Christ’s words? If you say they are wrong concerning the Word, they will say that people have disagreed about the Word for a long time. Very plainly tell them that the Word is quite plain, quite simple, and has been understood in the same way for 2000 years. Any time you claim to authoritatively know something on the basis of the Word, or to claim that they are wrong, they will use the standard defense that the Pharisees thought Jesus was wrong and demon possessed.
This is perhaps the most contentious part of discussing this with people in this field. Proverbs 8:9 is useful, “My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge.” They will go to great lengths to attempt to say that hell is not Eternal, and “zoe” life means something other than everlasting life, and many other bizarre abberations of the Gospel. Simply remind them that Matthew 25:46 clearly puts “everlasting life” in direct contrast to “everlasting punishment”. If the reward is of an everlasting nature, then so is the punishment, because they are directly contrasted.
Don’t get distracted. They will bring many questions, and you can be sure, that since they’re just coming from their script, they are traps, every one of them. Try to not give them an inch, and try to quote the Bible.
If they ask you if you are able to save yourself, one of their preferred questions, simply quote the Bible to them, such as John 3:16, John 3:18, Mark 16:16, or some other, simple, plain Gospel scripture. If they try to re-define, bring them back to how Jesus and Paul describe things.
And, ultimately, you can bring them around right back to Paul. Since they like to try to claim a market on a “Pauline revelation”, be sure to bring them some of his words, since Paul agreed with Jesus. Galatians 1:8, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema.” (eternally cursed). 1 Corinthians 16:22, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema.” Colossians 1:23, “if you continue in your faith”… meaning, if you don’t continue in your faith, you are no longer in Grace.
Discussion
They will object to all sound doctrine, or anything that sounds harsh or “condemning”. But, that is what the Gospel is about. God said in His word that He does not delight in the destruction of the wicked, but the Gospel is “Love on God’s Terms”. You can’t have Him any other way than as He laid out, for He is the only door.
They will even quote Jesus and say He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father but by Him.” But, don’t believe them. Question them on anything, and be sure, whenever they ask you a question, if you don’t know how they are trying to deceive and trap you, they are, so answer with a verse. The Bible will defend itself, so keep yourself out of it.
If they object to you sounding like you know what you’re saying, or that you sound too harsh or condemning, point them to the Words of Jesus. Tell them you’re reading scripture. Tell them they’re in deception and have demons, if you’ld like. When they say that they said the same thing about Jesus, bring it back to the Word about who Jesus said He was. If I’m Okay, and you’re Okay, then explain Calvary. If everyone ends up saved, or probably saved, then why did the apostles and missionaries throughout history lose their lives to preach it?
Keep it pointed at the Word, not philosophy. Keep the authority of the Word, and the “plain interpretation” of scripture. If they challenge you, point them to God, and say you are simply agreeing with Him. If they claim their interpretation over yours, stand by the truth, insist it is not the honest reading of scripture (they are not “rightly dividing the Word of truth”), it is in plain contradiction of the “whole counsel” of scripture, and do not give an inch to their alternate opinions.
Doubt
Ultimately, do not doubt. They will try to pull into question everything about your faith, simply to defraud you of the truth. John the Apostle wrote this,
Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.
2 John 1:9-11
They will attack the authority of scripture, and your interpretation of it about any place it is convenient. They are not looking for truth in their understanding, but, rather, how they can twist the meaning of passages that clearly contradict their desired end.
They will ask you if you have ever been wrong about anything, attempting to undermine your confidence. Don’t budge for a moment. They will ask you if the Jewish leaders were ever wrong. They steer away from the point. The plain word of scripture is that we must believe in Christ for salvation. Period. Through doubt, confusion, and other tactic, they will simply try to trap you or intimidate or falsely condescend and “pastor” you.
Simply ignore them, speak the truth in love, and tell them that they preach a false gospel.
Whether you want to pronounce ‘Anathema’ is up to you.
These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Titus 2:15