8 Signs that a Church Doesn’t Get Grace
A while ago I listed eight signs of a hypergrace church. A hypergrace church preaches the unconditional love of God and the undiluted gospel of grace. A hypergrace church is so focused on Jesus that it begins to look like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and smell like Jesus.
To highlight a positive it helps to accentuate the negative. So how do we get it wrong? What are the signs that a church is missing the grace of God?
Here are eight of them:
1. They are self-conscious
The message you hear is, “You must nail yourself to the cross every day.” So Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t good enough? “You have to cleanse yourself and make yourself holy.” You cannot succeed.
A focus on self and the things you must do to stay saved, get holy, and be blessed, is the number one sign you have missed the grace of God. Self says I will, but the gospel says He will.
Self cannot supply what God freely provides. We don’t need seven keys to success or fourteen steps to sanctification. We need a revelation of Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. Christ is our righteousness and holiness from God.
2. They’re not sure if God likes them
“Sure, he’s a God of love, but he’s also a God of justice. He sends earthquakes and pandemics to punish cities. He takes away your children. He trains you with sickness and scourging, so don’t make him angry.”
What awful lies! What fear and insecurity this graceless teaching has brought to those whom God loves.
See the cross! If God did not spare his own Son, what won’t he do to reveal his love to us? God is not mad at you, he’s mad about you!
3. They speak the faithless language of lack and longing
A sure sign that some have missed grace is they ask Jesus to do what he’s already done. “Oh Lord, come down.” He already did. “Have mercy on us.” Ditto. “Make us holy.” “Come and cleanse us.” “Bind the strong man.” Tick, tick, tick.
Or they beg God to do what he never would do. “Lord, don’t leave us.” He said he wouldn’t. “You give and take away.” No, he doesn’t.
The language of longing is the language of the old covenant. Good news: The wait is over. Christ has come! In him you are home. Everything you need for life and godliness has been provided.
So change your tune and learn the new song of the new creation. It’s a song of praise and thanksgiving (Ps 34:1, Heb 13:15).
4. They are sin conscious
“I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” “Let’s examine ourselves for sin before worshipping.” “Confess your sins to remain in fellowship with the Lord.”
What an insult to the Spirit of grace. If the Holy Spirit chooses to remember your sins no more (Heb 10:17), what business is it of yours to remind him?
An obsession with sin is a hallmark of the old covenant, but it has no place in the new. Behold the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world.
When you sin, a graceless church will shovel the shame. “Look at what you did.” They will reach for the stones instead of reaching for the only thing that can empower you to go and sin no more. Hint: it’s grace (Tit 2:11-12).
5. They are law-minded
“The law shows us how to please God.” No it doesn’t.
“The law helps you overcome sin.” Actually, the law helps sin overcome you (Rom 7:9).
“God gives us grace so that we might keep his commands.” No, God gives us grace because he loves us.
As Paul explains in Romans 7, running after the law is committing spiritual adultery. It’s cheating on Jesus. A church that mixes law with grace is lukewarm and nauseating to the Lord.
6. They think grace just is for sinners
“We are saved by grace, but kept by discipline.” Nope. It’s grace from start to finish (Heb 12:2).
Grace is not one aspect of God that must be balanced against his other, less gracious aspects. Grace is everything. You are saved by grace and kept by grace. Grace is for everyone. Period. The end. Amen.
7. They treat people as resources
In a graceless church your value is determined by your behavior. Are you a hard worker? You’ll go far. Are you divorced? Forget about it.
In a graceless church visitors are valued as potential members, while members are valued as potential leaders. And because there are never enough people to fulfill the vision, everyone is busy, busy, busy. When activity replaces fellowship and friendships become task-based, when children are kept out of the way because they get in the way, real life has left the building.
8. They are insecure and anxious
A graceless church is an uncertain church. “Are you saved? Are you sure? Are you doing enough?” Instead of preaching the promises of Jesus, a graceless church promotes the promises of man. And since we can’t keep the promises we make, the result is failure and despair.
A graceless church is attractive to the self-righteous but unappealing to sinners. It is a place the zealots call home but the prodigals avoid. It is a place where the sheep are fleeced and the poor are exploited. It stinks of self-righteousness and it is a terrible advertisement for Jesus.
But here’s the good news: God loves graceless churches.
He loves the mixed-up people inside them and the misguided leaders who run them.
I know this because I was a misguided pastor and this list was my testimony. But God has given me a new and better testimony, a testimony of his grace.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, my friends. (Galatians 6:18)
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This is absolutely BEAUTIFUL !!!
“Couldn’t agree more !!!!!
About 5 years ago Holy Spirit started showing me the true Covenant of Grace that we should be living under. I realized how so many in the body were living with one foot in law and one foot in Grace. We cannot live in death and life at the same time. The Bible talks all about this in Corinthians and even refers to the Ten Commandments as a ministry of death. I now have both feet in Grace and what a difference. The double minded person is unstable in all their ways. Thank you Jesus that you are Grace personified. Thank you for your finished work at the cross. Man is truly redeemed! There is NO CONDEMNATION IN CHRIST JESUS!!
Wow a nrw version of once saved always saved.
Continue in your sin who cares??? Come on then why did Hod make the laws I believe in grace but not exactly this way. Where is repentance? Is this just another way to tickle ears? If we are going to do away with all the rules then why not tithing too?
Interesting thought bet that rule didn’t get thrown out.
God Bless
Actually , tithing is thrown out too : ) We were never invited to the law as gentiles. Christ IS the end of the law ,and that includes tithing.
Beautifully and graciously said Bro. Don! So thankful for our Savior and His grace that teaches us to deny ungodliness and to look for that blessed Hope when He returns! What believer really wants to continue in sin when we have Jesus?
The main reason why we repent/avoid sin is not to demonstrate faith (to God) or to get to heaven — it’s to live an abundant life (John 10:10) and to avoid getting our lives wrecked. Sin ruins lives and induces avoidable guilt.
I think what so many don’t realize is that the law came about because the Israelites chose not to live according to God’s goodness and grace, but they wanted to be judged on their own goodness. The law proved that man could not live a sinless life on his own–he needs God. The law leads to idolatry and increased sin. The Bible refers to the law and 10 commandments as a ministry of death. (2 Cor. 4: 2-18) Jesus redeemed man from sin. He paid the price for all the sin of the world, past, present and future. The sin issue is finished. God sees only the blood of Jesus. He said He would remember our sin no more. Jesus was the final sacrifice for sin. The Covenant of Grace is not based on what we do or don’t do, it is based on what Jesus did–His finished work on the cross. Grace is a ministry of life. Knowing the true ministry of grace causes us to know the love of God in a very intimate way, thus causing us to move away from sin and to live in the holiness and righteousness that Jesus established for us. Our spirits are perfect and as we walk in His love and renew our minds to His word, our flesh lines up. Grace is a gift and we cannot earn it by any good works. The law was based on works, grace is based on believing the finished work of Jesus. We are forgiven, healed and prosperous. Unconditional love cannot be earned–it has no conditions on it!
Hi, Marjorie. You articulated that very well me thinks : ) Paul E has taught us well wouldn’t you agree ?
Thanks Don! In 2014 Holy Spirit led me to write a book. He started to teach me about real Grace. He also taught me what the story of Job was really all about. I always knew we were being taught wrong, but I couldn’t seem to get a handle on it and was not good at arguing about translation of Scripture. I was scared to release my book as I knew it was controversial, but Holy Spirit assured me I should. Right after that Holy Spirit took me to Paul Ellis’ site. I was so excited, as he was teaching what I had written and he was filling in all the blanks for me. His book AD70 put the icing on the cake for me, as I had always questioned what was being taught about end times. I thank God for Paul and also Creflo Dollar who is teaching on living under the Covenant of Grace. All these years it was right under our noses, but it takes bold teachers to step out and give these revelations to the body of Christ, which has been bound by the law for far too long. God bless you Don! I can tell you have been set free too!
Was pushed out of a graceless Church, because I called it the way it was. But we won’t abandon our Savior, we will pray for the miss guided and forgive the wrongs. A Church without grace is a Church whose leadership is without grace. Without grace not one of us could enter into the gate.
Faith is believing that God will do what He promises. We speak the word of God over our situations by faith, not looking at what we see, but knowing that God will do what He says He will do. Grace does not eliminate faith. Grace eliminates performance and dead works. We do not have to perform to receive what Jesus finished on the cross. We receive it by believing in His finished work…we are healed by His stripes, we are prosperous and successful in every area of life, our sin is washed away never to be remembered again for His sake. We still have to have faith to believe and receive what He has done. He has given to every one of us the measure of faith. God’s faith is resident in us. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth and it will manifest in your life. We do not have to beg God to do what Jesus has already done, but we do need faith in His promises to receive what He has done.
Grace is the New Covenant through which God relates to us. We are no longer under the curse of the law that we could never keep.
Right, good word, we do not have to beg God to do what Jesus has already done, as all one need do is believe, as God has forgiven the whole world 1 John 2: 2 and John 3:16. Sad that so many preachers include in their prayer for salvation to prospective converts, “Ask God to forgive you”. No where in the New Testament will you see such scripture, as the only requirement is faith believing in what God has (past tense) done. Never need to beg, for, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:38,39. As “but now once in the end of the world has he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26, Hebrews 10:10 and 1 Peter 3:18.
Well said Thomas. It is wonderful to tell people that they are welcome to freely share in God’s Grace available to them, and to experience the joy of knowing a loving Father is smiling over them. …singing, rejoicing even!
Telling people to ask God to forgive their sins makes no sense when God says as far as the east is from the west He’s removed our transgressions from us. Our sins and unrighteous deeds He remembers NO MORE. He does not want us sin consciousness, that awful soul destroying miserable state that sucks all joy and peace from us and makes it near impossible to receive what we need from a loving Father.
Right, “He does not want us sin consciousness,” as that only means we are conscious of sinning and “we know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen him, neither known him.” 1 John 3:5,6.
For we can both, see him (through his word John 1:1) and know him (receiving him through faith believing John 1:12)).
#4. “When you sin, a graceless church will shovel the shame.” The church we attend has in its bylaws prohibitions against marrying couples who live together, have a baby out of wedlock, etc.
A couple of years ago a young daughter of church members became pregnant. We were not allowed to have a baby shower in the church building. My dear mother-in law-held it in her home and most of the women, including the pastor’s wife, attended. It was almost as if the women were saying to the curmudgeony, male elder board, “This could have been me. We are going to give her grace and support.” It was a very hurtful and exasperating situation, but turned out well.
By the way, another church in town had heard about the dilemma and offered their fellowship hall for us.
Wow – thanks for sharing, Anne.
and this could be why so many in this position do opt for abortion, as only grace can nurture such life.
“Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors.”
Being sin conscious is bad? Was the Lord mistaken when he taught us to pray?
No, but you might be if you thinking he was teaching you how to pray. Jesus preached law to people born under law. The law of conditional forgiveness was fulfilled at the cross. This is why Jesus spoke about a different kind of forgiveness the night he rose from the dead. In the new covenant, we don’t forgive to get forgiven. We forgive as Christ forgave us.
Wow !!! Thankyou so much, this has blessed me. Still get those whom critize the Hyper Grace message, and say it’s an excuse to continue sinning. I thank Jesus for this revelation of freedom in Grace.
The Lord bless you, we appreciate you.
I believe that God’s Grace is enough ,nothing more hardship ,no harsh labour no head spinning lectures is needed to come close to or be the righteous of God ,there is no other way round ,either you are with the Lord or against the Lord ,either you are in Grace and saved or you are not and you are doomed ,a little of anything with Grace isn’t Grace at all ,Grace alone is powerful.
I remember well the hurt in my fathers eyes when I disobeyed him. Yes, I got punished once in a while, but my behavior was guided more by my desire to please my father than to not be in trouble. My fathers love was unconditional as is mine to my kids. Jesus love is the same and I want to please Him more and more each day. When you realize for the first time that you are royalty, it gets easier to behave like royalty!