New Year 2025 - Revisiting Podcast 880: The Gospel of Grace - There Must Be a Catch!

Mike and Joel are off this week - but not wanting to leave you podcastless this week, we're bringing back a previous episode. We'll be back in the new year with more new Growing in Grace episodes, including our upcoming celebration of 20 years and our 1,000th episode!

Is the gospel of grace really as good as we’re making it out to be? Someone asked us if there was any kind of a catch … meaning is there some fine print that has God requiring certain expectations from us when it comes to contributing to our justification? The religious flesh will scream that there must be more to it than the grace of God and the blood of Jesus. It sounds too easy and too good to be true!

The religious business will usually pitch a gift of grace initially, but once you sign up, there will be plenty of fine print regarding what you need to do to ensure your salvation—and it leaves people in fear, hungering and thirsting for something God already provided. Religion will set aside the grace of God to emphasize various works requirements. But Paul stated that if right standing with God comes by any other way than grace, then Christ died needlessly. He also said to the one who does not work, but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. Some good news reminders for all of us.



   
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992. Faith Without Works Is Very Much Alive

Someone who out-performs the majority of Christians with extraordinary works and extends compassion towards others outwardly, could do so with great consistency without ever having claimed to believe in Jesus Christ. They could demonstrate what appears to be fruitful behavior through their works and actions without having faith that brings justification.

On the other hand, a believer in Jesus Christ may have faith without demonstrating it outwardly in ways that we or certain religious people think that it should be expressed. But that doesn't mean they are not saved and justified. The effort to produce and then boast in works is not proof of faith. Faith is the evidence of that which is not seen. Perhaps this is why Paul said we look at what is not seen ... because justification and righteousness is granted to those who-do-not-work but believe in Him who justifies the ungodly.



   
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991. Boasting in Works? Let's Talk Justification - By Grace Through Faith Alone

Understanding that James did not have a full revelation of grace apart from the law of Moses at the time he penned his letter to believers from the 12 tribes of Israel will clear up much confusion for Bible readers. After offering his perspective on Abraham in the attempt to make his case for law, he said this: "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." Is that the good news everyone was waiting to hear?

On the other hand, Paul also used Abraham as his example when he wrote this in Romans 4: "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness."

Look carefully (and honestly) at the significant difference in what was said ... and this is just one example out of many. Buying into the human ideology that declares everything written by men in the New Testament was dictated from the mouth of God will force people into coming up with all kinds of interpretations based on conjecture. Feeling the need to make it appear as though the apostles said the same thing leads to inconsistency about the gospel message. The NT pages explain to us where James was coming from in the early years after the cross when it came to the law and works ... and Jews and Gentiles. Therein lies the story of the bigger picture of the gospel which has brought the gift of God's righteousness, apart from works.



   
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912. Overheard From Fruit Inspectors: "Did They Have a Genuine Conversion?"

Over the years, we've heard from believers who attended church regularly and would often walk out of the building wondering if they were still saved. They heard a works-based message which planted fear and doubt because they would begin questioning whether they were "doing enough" to guarantee their salvation. Certain people from the legalistic department who self-identify as judgmental "fruit inspectors" will suggest that some who have confessed Jesus Christ and called on the name of the Lord "didn't really mean it" and therefore, did not have a genuine conversion. They will point to works as the manifested proof in the pudding. But they fail to provide the specifics—or it will vary greatly among the denominations.

The blessed assurance or guarantee we have is found within the person of Jesus Christ and belief in Him. Although we are created in Christ for good works—God working in and through us—salvation is a gift by grace through faith (apart from works) and is not the result of any effort on our part. As Paul said in Romans 4:5: "But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness."



   
Get the book

880. The Gospel of Grace - There Must Be a Catch!

Is the gospel of grace really as good as we’re making it out to be? Someone asked us if there was any kind of a catch … meaning is there some fine print that has God requiring certain expectations from us when it comes to contributing to our justification? The religious flesh will scream that there must be more to it than the grace of God and the blood of Jesus. It sounds too easy and too good to be true!

The religious business will usually pitch a gift of grace initially, but once you sign up, there will be plenty of fine print regarding what you need to do to ensure your salvation—and it leaves people in fear, hungering and thirsting for something God already provided. Religion will set aside the grace of God to emphasize various works requirements. But Paul stated that if right standing with God comes by any other way than grace, then Christ died needlessly. He also said to the one who does not work, but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. Some good news reminders for all of us.



   
Get the book