Free Grace Theology is under attack!
There has been much ado coming from a very small few vocal objectors to the GES. They state that Free Grace theology is fractured, and they state other misinformation and out-right lies, which will be documented in a post coming discussing the sentiments of Dr. Earl Radmacher. The fact of the matter is that dissention is very small in the Free Grace world and on the whole, unity and charity are desired.
Charles Ryrie, Dr. Earl Radmacher (founding president of the FGA), Dr. Fred Chay (on the FGA executive council), Dr. Fred Lybrand (on the FGA executive council), Dr. Stephen R. Lewis (on the FGA exectutive council), Dr. Charlie Bing (on the FGA executive council) do not think that the Zane Hodges or the GES teaches heresy. They may have some issues with certain doctrines within the family of Free Grace theology, but consider Bob Wilkin and Zane Hodges as Free Grace brothers and advocates worthy of respect.
Free Grace theology is under attack by a vocal minority! These in the minority do not have doctorates or have had much sway in Free Grace circles. They are obsessed with disputes and arguments.
One of the very few who have a problem with the GES and consistent Free Grace Theology wrote recently:
The real question is not: "What does Radmacher say?" but "What does the Scripture say?" (Rom.4:3; Gal. 4:30). If the risen Savior disagrees with your "promise-only" position (Jn.2:22,19:35, 20:19-21:14), does it really matter what a man named Earl Radmacher says?
First, I disagree with this person. It does matter what Radmacher says. He is a well-respected figure in the Free Grace community, also one that has experience and terminal degrees. His advice and opinion, although falling infinitely short of scripture, ought to be taken into consideration! He is a brother, and elder, and a Christian statesman who has taken up the banner of Free Grace theology! We ought not to disregard his testimony with a wave of the hand! I still do intend to write some of what we discussed some weeks ago.
Second, I do insist that we ought to listen to the risen Savior and His apostles.
"If anyone... does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ... he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men..." --The Apostle Paul
"You have the words of everlasting life!" --The Apostle Peter speaking to the Lord Jesus Christ
"The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life." --The Lord Jesus Christ
"I solemnly assert to you, whoever believes in Me has everlasting life." --The Lord Jesus Christ
"I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." --The Lord Jesus Christ
I consent to the prima facie rendering of Jesus' words in the context in which He uttered them.
The Duluthian faction has been "obsessed with disputes".
They are my Free Grace brothers. But they are erring.
The questions are not over what I believe, but how I do evangelism. Let it be known here on this thread that my mandate is not to do evangelism but to make disciples. If any products of my evangelism do not endure, or proceed into heresy, it is a problem for them in the sight of God. At any rate, no sound church will welcome them.
I preach the cross and resurrection. I preach faith in the real Jesus Christ. If someone professes faith in Jesus, I endeavor to plug them in and get them discipled. If they end up bailing, or creating heresy, that is their problem and God will sort it out. If they grow and mature, then I have done my job. And I do not rest until they grow and mature!
Evangelism is only a means to an end. My purpose is to herald the proclamation of the King whereby He invites all to be companions with Him and sit with Him at His banqueting table in the Kingdom. But such requires two conditions to be met:
1) Faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life
AND
2) Sanctification and endurance in confession of Jesus Christ until the end.
As such, I preach sanctification, I preach doctrine, I teach the wonderful truths of our Savior, I encourage, admonish, and exhort!
I want unity in the Free Grace world. The discord is being used of Satan to reak all kinds of havoc! Their problem with me is how I do evangelism. But the bottom line in my evangelism is with a view to discipleship! I am not out there looking solely for professions of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! I am seeking to make disciples of Christ who will love Him, grow and mature in their understanding of the Savior, and take up His challenge to persevere until the end, keeping their garments unsoiled.
Those from Duluth need to see things from another perspective. My insistence that I preach the death and resurrection, which I will do as long as their is breath in me, and my determination to make disciples, fully instructed in both doctrine and the ways of righteousness, should suffice them!
Any who would turn away from discipleship will not be a problem for the churches nor a blight on the glorious message and gratuitous promise of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am not satisfied with a profession of faith! I will not rest until those who profess the name of Jesus depart from iniquity and until those who profess the name of Christ consent to the doctrines which accord with godliness.
Properly understood, there should not be a single Free Grace brother out there who should continue to dispute this!
The disputes have caused "envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings," even to which I have become involved in such. For this I genuinely apologize!
Brothers and sisters in the Free Grace world, I am sorry for my attitudes and behaviors that have increased to more ungodliness.
I preach the Christ crucified, I preach the Christ resurrected, I preach the deity of Christ, and I preach faith alone into the bonafide Jesus Christ alone for eternal life, apart from works of any kind. I endeavor to make disciples of Christ, fully prepared for every good work and fully instructed in the docrtines of Christology. I will not rest until I die, preaching Christ, and Him crucified! I will not rest until everyone who names the name of Christ will be fully instructed.
I am reaching out my hand to those of Duluth and those associated with their concerns. I am your Free Grace brother, sharing a rich heritage and common theology with you!
Let their be peace so we can join with each other proclaiming Christ's saving work, in preaching faith alone in Christ alone, and in informing others against the errors of Lordship Salvation!
All of you who are sympathetic with my concerns for Free Grace theology, please pray! Pray for unity, pray for peace, which can only be had when TRUE understanding has been accomplished! Pray for understanding! The GES and I are on the same page as those from Duluth! We want strong advocates of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We want to proclaim the cross of Christ and His death for sins! We want to preach resurrection from the dead and new resurrection life!
Join with me brothers!
Charles Ryrie, Dr. Earl Radmacher (founding president of the FGA), Dr. Fred Chay (on the FGA executive council), Dr. Fred Lybrand (on the FGA executive council), Dr. Stephen R. Lewis (on the FGA exectutive council), Dr. Charlie Bing (on the FGA executive council) do not think that the Zane Hodges or the GES teaches heresy. They may have some issues with certain doctrines within the family of Free Grace theology, but consider Bob Wilkin and Zane Hodges as Free Grace brothers and advocates worthy of respect.
Free Grace theology is under attack by a vocal minority! These in the minority do not have doctorates or have had much sway in Free Grace circles. They are obsessed with disputes and arguments.
One of the very few who have a problem with the GES and consistent Free Grace Theology wrote recently:
The real question is not: "What does Radmacher say?" but "What does the Scripture say?" (Rom.4:3; Gal. 4:30). If the risen Savior disagrees with your "promise-only" position (Jn.2:22,19:35, 20:19-21:14), does it really matter what a man named Earl Radmacher says?
First, I disagree with this person. It does matter what Radmacher says. He is a well-respected figure in the Free Grace community, also one that has experience and terminal degrees. His advice and opinion, although falling infinitely short of scripture, ought to be taken into consideration! He is a brother, and elder, and a Christian statesman who has taken up the banner of Free Grace theology! We ought not to disregard his testimony with a wave of the hand! I still do intend to write some of what we discussed some weeks ago.
Second, I do insist that we ought to listen to the risen Savior and His apostles.
"If anyone... does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ... he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men..." --The Apostle Paul
"You have the words of everlasting life!" --The Apostle Peter speaking to the Lord Jesus Christ
"The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life." --The Lord Jesus Christ
"I solemnly assert to you, whoever believes in Me has everlasting life." --The Lord Jesus Christ
"I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." --The Lord Jesus Christ
I consent to the prima facie rendering of Jesus' words in the context in which He uttered them.
The Duluthian faction has been "obsessed with disputes".
They are my Free Grace brothers. But they are erring.
The questions are not over what I believe, but how I do evangelism. Let it be known here on this thread that my mandate is not to do evangelism but to make disciples. If any products of my evangelism do not endure, or proceed into heresy, it is a problem for them in the sight of God. At any rate, no sound church will welcome them.
I preach the cross and resurrection. I preach faith in the real Jesus Christ. If someone professes faith in Jesus, I endeavor to plug them in and get them discipled. If they end up bailing, or creating heresy, that is their problem and God will sort it out. If they grow and mature, then I have done my job. And I do not rest until they grow and mature!
Evangelism is only a means to an end. My purpose is to herald the proclamation of the King whereby He invites all to be companions with Him and sit with Him at His banqueting table in the Kingdom. But such requires two conditions to be met:
1) Faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life
AND
2) Sanctification and endurance in confession of Jesus Christ until the end.
As such, I preach sanctification, I preach doctrine, I teach the wonderful truths of our Savior, I encourage, admonish, and exhort!
I want unity in the Free Grace world. The discord is being used of Satan to reak all kinds of havoc! Their problem with me is how I do evangelism. But the bottom line in my evangelism is with a view to discipleship! I am not out there looking solely for professions of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! I am seeking to make disciples of Christ who will love Him, grow and mature in their understanding of the Savior, and take up His challenge to persevere until the end, keeping their garments unsoiled.
Those from Duluth need to see things from another perspective. My insistence that I preach the death and resurrection, which I will do as long as their is breath in me, and my determination to make disciples, fully instructed in both doctrine and the ways of righteousness, should suffice them!
Any who would turn away from discipleship will not be a problem for the churches nor a blight on the glorious message and gratuitous promise of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am not satisfied with a profession of faith! I will not rest until those who profess the name of Jesus depart from iniquity and until those who profess the name of Christ consent to the doctrines which accord with godliness.
Properly understood, there should not be a single Free Grace brother out there who should continue to dispute this!
The disputes have caused "envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings," even to which I have become involved in such. For this I genuinely apologize!
Brothers and sisters in the Free Grace world, I am sorry for my attitudes and behaviors that have increased to more ungodliness.
I preach the Christ crucified, I preach the Christ resurrected, I preach the deity of Christ, and I preach faith alone into the bonafide Jesus Christ alone for eternal life, apart from works of any kind. I endeavor to make disciples of Christ, fully prepared for every good work and fully instructed in the docrtines of Christology. I will not rest until I die, preaching Christ, and Him crucified! I will not rest until everyone who names the name of Christ will be fully instructed.
I am reaching out my hand to those of Duluth and those associated with their concerns. I am your Free Grace brother, sharing a rich heritage and common theology with you!
Let their be peace so we can join with each other proclaiming Christ's saving work, in preaching faith alone in Christ alone, and in informing others against the errors of Lordship Salvation!
All of you who are sympathetic with my concerns for Free Grace theology, please pray! Pray for unity, pray for peace, which can only be had when TRUE understanding has been accomplished! Pray for understanding! The GES and I are on the same page as those from Duluth! We want strong advocates of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We want to proclaim the cross of Christ and His death for sins! We want to preach resurrection from the dead and new resurrection life!
Join with me brothers!
posted by Antonio at 5:14 PM
7 Comments:
Hi Antonio
Is what all these who are attacking have in common is that they believe that a person must believe MORE then just Jesus promise to give eternal life? If so I don’t see how there can be unity when the difference is on the most basic question “what one MUST believe to be saved. Or am I missing something here?
You know where I stand, but these ones who believe that you MUST believe in the diety of Christ and the death burial and resurrection before Jesus will give you eternal life are never going to stop attacking unless they change there bottom line. They believe in this dispensation the saving message has changed. Which you and I know is not true, the living water is the same "The Christ" the One who guarentees your eternal destiny.
But they flat don't believe that. Most of the pastors that I gave the tapes on of Zane's "Desert Island" senario rejected them. They all believed you had to know more. That John 6:47 wasn't enough and 6:43 (Jesus said). These few who are attacking are like a dog with a bone and there not going to let go. Unless they get more light they will always mark us as heritics.
They don't have the knowledge of the simplicity of Christ, that we ALL can come to Him for His gift like a little child simply believing His promise.
alvin
Night of the living dead discernment hacks.
I know Jesus words have life, whether it's "Lazurus come forth" or "Most assuredly he who believe's in Me has eternal life", there is life giving power in either one of those statements. These ones limit the power of God's word to bring life and think one must have exactly the right amount of knowledge before Jesus words are true.
A dead man can't walk, but the moment those words go forth and are received there's life!!!
I join with you in your prayer!
For life and light!
Alvin,
good saying, man!
I do agree with Diane that your are often very insightful. I learn alot from you, brother!
Antonio
Hi Antonio
If anybody can learn anything from me, Praise The Lord! He's the source of all truth! The Lord has had me under His wing, and chose not to take me at an very young age when He took my Mom. I know He foreknew who are His and all though I do not believe in perseverance of the saints, I do believe in preservation of the saints. I look forward to the change when we will see Him face to face. I see ones like Zane and Bob and Diane and yourself being very near to Him. I just see His heart in your hearts, and am thankful that your lives have touched mine!
blessings alvin
Antonio, Well done with this article.. you are right on!
Antonio, Well done! This is a great article that properly describes what is going on with the GES and FGA.
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