What is a Grace Bible Church?

I have visited hundreds of churches, and I have discovered that some churches may have “grace” in their name, but not in their DNA. They don’t provide what they’re advertising.

Which is a shame, because grace is what the world desperately needs.

Grace is Christianity’s defining characteristic. Grace is what separates us from every manmade religion and philosophy. By definition, every church has a measure of grace. It’s just that some dilute grace with other things. They mix grace with law and end up lukewarm.

How do you tell if a church is preaching grace or law or some unholy mixture of both? You just need to listen. You keep your ears open for the keywords of grace and law.

A church that preaches law will emphasize words like: work, duty, debt, obligation, perform, produce, lack, service, strive, struggle, suffer, obey, sin, confess, convict, judgment, commandment, guilt, condemnation, penalty and punish.

A church that preaches grace will use words like; love, faith, rest, forgiven, favor, receive, believe, righteous, justified, accepted, abide, abundance, fullness, fellowship, beloved, sons, children of God, good news, hope, blessed, freedom, spiritual, new creation, life, light, truth, power and Jesus.

And a church that is mixing grace with law will indiscriminately use words from both lists.

What is a grace Bible church?

Churches come in all shapes and flavors, but here are 8 signs that a church gets grace:

1. Grace churches preach Jesus and nothing but Jesus
2. Grace churches reveal a God who loves you like a Father
3. Grace churches esteem the words of Jesus
4. Grace churches esteem the law and the purpose for which it is given
5. Grace churches understand that obedience is a fruit not a root
6. Grace churches empower people to overcome sin
7. Grace churches promote security and trust
8. Grace churches look like Jesus, smell like Jesus, walk like Jesus, and talk like Jesus

A grace church is attractive to sinners and unappealing to the self-righteous. It is a place where the prodigals come home and the zealots stay out. It is a family where the broken are made whole, the captives are freed, and all are loved.

What is a graceless church?

Sometimes to accentuate a positive, it helps to highlight a negative. Here are 8 signs a church doesn’t get grace:

1. Graceless churches are self-conscious
2. Graceless churches are not sure if God likes them
3. Graceless churches speak the faithless language of lack and longing
4. Graceless churches are sin conscious
5. Graceless churches are law-minded
6. Graceless churches think grace just is for sinners
7. Graceless churches treat people as resources
8. Graceless churches are insecure and anxious

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.

Not every church is the same which is why you need to read the label:

God gives grace to the graceless

Now before you think I am some self-appointed arbiter of church quality, let me confess that as a pastor I embodied all the attributes on the graceless list.

Sure, I preached grace, but I balanced it with law. I preached faith, but I also preached dead works. Since I did not interpret scripture through the lens of the cross, I was like a pharmacist indiscriminately dispensing medicine and poison.

I loved the Lord with all my heart and I was doing the best I could, but I was a mixed-up preacher with an incomplete grasp of grace.

I did not preach the gospel of grace but a mixed-grace gospel that combined the unmerited favor of God with the wage of human-effort. I understood that we were saved by grace, but I did not realize we are kept by grace.

I did not appreciate what made the new covenant new.

Maybe this sounds like you or your pastor or your church. If so, I have good news. Jesus loves mixed-up Christians and graceless churches.

You may be tempted to give up on your pastor – “he doesn’t get it” – but Jesus never will. He didn’t give up on me and he won’t give up on you.

We are all on a journey. Maybe you get grace, or maybe you’re still figuring it out. Maybe all this talk of grace and law unsettles you. Fear not. Here is a truth you can cling to: He who began a good work in you (and your pastor and your church) will carry it on unto completion.

Jesus is making his church glorious and beautiful.

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