For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2Corinthians 8:9
Last Sunday evening we were confronted with the subtleties and dangers of false gospels that abound today. These gospels all have tenants of truth according to the Scripture but have been altered somewhat according to men’s ideas and opinions. In other words the true gospel of Jesus Christ has been changed to mean something other than what it was intended by God to mean.
One of these subtle twists, prevalent in our day is to treat and view God’s grace, cheaply. This is not new. Deietich Bohoeffer the Lutheran pastor during the Second World War first coined the phrase “cheap grace.” He stated, “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjack's wares. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.”
Cheap grace is another false gospel. This abounds in evangelicalism today. Its the idea that God’s grace toward us in salvation is so intrinsically powerful that our responsibility to walk in the Spirit, or our sanctification, does not need the guarding and protection of personal disciplines. To put in place personal discipline is deemed as entering into legalism. In other words, God’s grace is all that is needed; so don’t get hung up too much on how you live!
This is viewing infinite cost of God’s grace in Christ toward us, as like some cheapjack transaction that has no authority, right or ownership over us.
But God in His grace has called us to be what? Holy. (Rom. 6) This involves personal discipline - “do not let sin reign in our mortal bodies” (Rom. 6:12).