GRACE-CHEAP
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.
Grace is
never cheap. It is absolutely free to us, but infinitely expensive to God…
Anyone who is prone to use grace as a license for irresponsible, sinful
behavior, surely does not appreciate the infinite price God paid to give us His
grace.
Jerry Bridges
Transforming Grace, NavPress, 1991, p.
134. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com. All rights
reserved.
We
abuse grace when, after sinning, we dwell on the compassion and mercy of God to
the exclusion of His holiness and hatred of sin.
Jerry Bridges
Copied
from The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, © 1996, p. 65. Used by
permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com. All rights
reserved.
If our
teaching of grace causes us to make light of sin, or to slight the requirements
of the Savior, then we have not really understood either the monstrosity of our
sin or the greatness of the heart that forgives it.
Bryan Chapell
Holiness by Grace, Crossway Books, p. 35.
The
reason some folks don't believe in missions is that the brand of religion they
have isn't worth propagating.
Author Unknown
The
nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day
evangelist. He announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin. And
that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to
escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality
and worldliness.
A.W. Pink
We
are too apt to rest in a bare profession of faith, and to think that this will
save us; it is a cheap and easy religion to say, “We believe in the articles of
the Christian faith;” but it is a great delusion to imagine that this is enough
to bring us to heaven.
Matthew Henry
We
have suffered from the preaching of cheap grace. Grace is free, but it is not
cheap. People will take anything that is free, but they are not interested in
discipleship. They will take Christ as Savior but not as Lord.
Vance Havner
While sin is an occasion for grace, grace is never
to be an occasion for sin.
Bob Deffinbaugh
The Grace of God, Part I – Ephesians 1:5-12;
2:1-10, www.bible.org, Copyright
©1996-2005, All rights reserved.
A confident
assurance of God’s grace does not lead men into antinomianism and sin.
Don Fortner
The Sinner’s Advocate, 1 John 2:1, Used by Permission.
Why is it
that so many professing Christians make no spiritual progress, and indeed make
no efforts to grow in grace? Why? Because they care nothing about it! To take
up a “mere profession” is all they desire; but to proceed from one degree of
piety to another; to grow in grace – is no part of their desire... Is it
possible to be a Christian and yet destitute of this desire to grow in grace?
No, it is not! I tell you, it is not! If you have no concern to grow in grace –
there is no grace in you! You are a
piece of dead wood – and not a living branch! You are a spiritual corpse – and
not a living man! In this state there can be no growth – for dead things never
grow!
John Angell James
Christian Progress, 1853.