“THE HERESY OF CHEAP
GRACE”
I recently read an article by Kendra Creasy Dean that warns the
people of God about an old heresy that has resurfaced. Lutheran
pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it cheap grace back in
the 1930’s and 40’s. But this heresy has existed since the time of
the early Christian church.
This false gospel denies our individual rebellion against God (sin).
It glosses over the reality of sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel.
It tries to shift our focus away from a relationship with Jesus (as
a personal and active God who loves us and saves us). Instead, this
false gospel promotes the following:
· a god exists who created the world, but
otherwise is a hands-off god
· god wants people to be nice (live and
let live)
· the central goal of life is to be happy
and feel good
· god is not involved in my life except
when I need god to solve a problem
· good people go to heaven when they die
All Christians in the U.S., even Lutherans, have almost certainly
been influenced by this false national Deistic religion; it is
simply so pervasive. But most of us have been sufficiently exposed
to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ that we can tell the difference.
We know the points listed above portray a false gospel, even though
it sounds attractive. We know that Christ sacrificed everything for
us and we are called to sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel. We
know the primary goal of life is not to be happy but to know, trust
and love God. We know
that we can not earn our own way into heaven by “being good.”
Instead, we know that we are only saved by the grace of God through
the faith of Jesus.
This National Deistic false religion masquerades as Christianity. It
equates patriotism as the same thing as
being Christian. This is the error the Lutheran Church of
Germany fell into with the Nazis.
This heresy
substitutes appearance (the piety of the Pharisee) for
substance (doing the work of the body of Christ).
On the other hand, Stewards of the mystery of Christ (true
disciples) sacrificially follow Jesus and do the work of Jesus out
of their local mission center (church). These mission centers are
also more likely to:
* portray God as living, present and active
* place a high value on scripture
* explain their church’s mission, practices & relationships as
inspired by the “life and mission of Jesus Christ.
* promote outreach, mission and stewardship
* help all lead a life under the dominion of God that mirrors
the example of Jesus Christ.
In summary: Stewards of Jesus Christ are sent by God into God’s
world to love neighbor and change the world, helping to bring God’s
will to fruition. This is costly grace.
Pastor Harvey Johnson