A Rebuttal Of Hyper Grace

The odious video that started this study was, “If We Confess Our Sins: 1 John 1:9 and Religious Paranoia.” It’s hosted by “The UnSunday Show” with Mike Adams (I would add it’s more like “The Unbiblical Show”). Like the devil, he starts with some “fine sounding” biblical statements, enough to suck you in and put your guard down, but his conclusion resonates with the hiss of the serpent.

The description of the video:

“Do you feel a constant pressure to be confessing all of your sins [i.e. the Bible calls this “conviction”] while at the same time, filled with anxiety and seldom experiencing peace? What if I told you 1 John 1:9 has nothing to do with believers recounting all of their sins to stay forgiven? [I would say you’re a liar and a religious fraud!] Let's talk.”

• See the Bible study Delaying At The Opening Of The Womb in regards to God’s pressure on His body at the end of this age, likened to the final push of a woman giving birth.

• It is my firm conviction that your doctrine of salvation will determine how you perceive and understand the Bible. This thinking runs parallel to the “once saved, always saved” doctrine. Both deceptions are deadly. There are numerous deceptions, but only one truth.

The gentleman in the video says that we are wrong if we put into practice 1 John 1:9 after turning to Christ, because all of our sins, past, present, and future have been forgiven at the moment we turned to Christ. If we do confess and repent afterwards, our relationship with Him, he says, has then become performance-based rather than grace-based. (1:48) This might sound good at first glance to the unsuspecting, but is actually very deadly if adhered to.

I am reminded of what I heard years ago from a very wise, older preacher, exposing this deceptive mentality. He used the example of a man who had been caught stealing purses. When in court, the judge asked him, “Sir, are you sorry for the purse you stole?” The man said, “Yes, I am sorry.” The judge replied, “Are you also sorry for the past purses you stole?” Again, the man replied, “Yes, I am.” The judge then asked, “And are you sorry for the purses you will steal in the future?” This is the foolishness of that thinking.

The Hyper-Grace Lie; Another “Wind Of Doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14)

(AI Overview)

“Hyper-grace is a contemporary Christian teaching emphasizing God's grace so strongly that it minimizes or dismisses the need for ongoing repentance, confession of sin, and striving for holiness, asserting that once forgiven, believers' sins (past, present, future) are covered, and they are not bound by the law or fully responsible for sin, viewing disagreement as legalism. Critics call it an extreme distortion of grace, leading to antinomianism (lawlessness) and a license to sin, contrasting it with biblical teachings on sanctification and the need for a transformed life.”

Core tenets of hyper-grace:

All sin forgiven: Past, present, and future sins are already covered by Christ's sacrifice.

No need for confession: Believers don't need to confess sins because God sees them as righteous and perfect.

Not under the law: Believers are free from the Old Testament law and its demands.

Grace as power, not license: While proponents claim it's not a license to sin, critics argue it effectively becomes one, downplaying sin's seriousness.

Rejection of “Lordship Salvation”: They reject the idea that a believer must strive for holiness or obey commands to be saved, seeing it as adding works to grace.

Criticisms and concerns:

Downplays sin: Ignores the Holy Spirit's conviction and the reality of ongoing sin in a believer's life.

License to sin: Critics argue it removes accountability and encourages disobedience, contradicting Paul's warnings in Romans (e.g., Romans 6:1-2).

Distorts true grace: Takes a partial truth (God's grace) and removes necessary complements (repentance, obedience, holiness).

Leads to immorality: Some point to a rise in immorality among leaders in churches associated with this teaching.

Contrast with traditional grace:

Traditional Christianity teaches that while salvation is by grace through faith, God's grace also empowers believers to overcome sin and pursue holiness, with confession and repentance being vital for fellowship and growth.

True grace motivates obedience [instructing us what to do (Titus 2:11-14)], whereas hyper-grace can be seen as negating the need for it, according to critics.”

What Is Grace? (A deeper study would be good to do.)

“grace” – [NT:5485] charis (khar'-ece)

(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)

from NT:5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude [a thankful heart, one of gratitude toward God; see Hebrews 12:28 below]

KJV - acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, grace (-ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).

(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

grace

   1.   properly, that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech

   2.   good-will, loving-kindness, favor (Luke 2:52)

   3.   what is due to grace

      a.   the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace,

      b.   a token or proof of grace (2 Corinthians 1:15)

   4.   thanks (1 Corinthians 10:30)

(Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)

“grace,” indicating favor on the part of the giver, “thanks” on the part of the receiver, is rendered “acceptable” in 1 Peter 2:19-20.

2 Corinthians 6:1 – Per the inspired word of God, it is possible for a Christian to receive His grace, His good-will, loving-kindness, and favor shown toward us “in vain.” This happens by our not “working together with Him.” The Greek we interpret as “vain” is defined as, “empty, fruitless, without effect, empty-handed.” In other words, the divine influence upon the heart was not reflected in the life. It had no effect in transforming us into the image of Christ. There was a defiant roadblock, a rebellious attitude that exists within all of mankind (i.e. the fallen nature), that was not repented of after turning to Christ. This process of breaking down our will, in order to do the will of God, can only occur as we walk according to the Spirit. It’s called lordship;

“In the Bible, Lordship (Kyrios in Greek) means recognizing Jesus Christ's supreme, sovereign authority and power over all creation, requiring total submission, obedience, and surrender of one's life to His will, not just acknowledging Him as Savior but as ultimate Ruler of one's entire being, spirit, thoughts, and possessions. It's about yielding control to Him as God and King, moving from merely knowing about Jesus to living under His rule, signifying a fundamental change in life direction.”

“Performance-Based” Commands Of God

Performance – “The action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function.”

• In a worldly sense: “Performance-based” means tying rewards, compensation, funding, or outcomes to achieving specific, measurable goals or results, rather than just effort or time. It creates clear “if-then” scenarios (e.g., “if you hit X target, you get Y bonus”) and is used in business (pay, incentives), education (learning), and government (funding) to motivate desired results and ensure accountability.”

• The Lord has a performance-based reward system revealed in the New Testament, with many “if you hit X target, you get Y bonus” type of declarations (Mathew 5:10-12, 6:1, 10:40-42; 1 Corinthians 3:8, 14; 2 Peter 2:13-15; 2 John 8; Revelation 11:18, 22:12). They are the many “if you… then this will occur” declarations inspired by the Holy Spirit that the hyper-grace adherents arrogantly dismiss as not really that important in regards to your relationship with the Lord because “He is never not pleased with you.” For them, hyper-grace will become a hyper-grave. The end result of their “X target” is the “Y bonus” of eternal separation from Christ.

Here’s just a couple of the numerous “performance-based” instructions in the New Testament.

John 13:12-17 – Jesus told His disciples how to receive a performance-based blessing. It would come by doing what had been revealed to them through His example. He had served them by washing their feet.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

NASU

Acts 13:43 – Why urge them to continue in the grace of God (performance-based), unless there is the possibility of not doing so, of not continuing in it (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; not continuing, believing in vain).

43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

NIV

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 – “come out and be separate” – performance-based commands of the Lord

Hebrews 10:26-31 – This is a VERY strong warning, based on performance, that will determine whether or not God will “judge His people.” He says He will judge those who go on sinning willfully after receiving Him… Repentance matters because, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God”!

Revelation 2:1-7 – Jesus rebukes the church in Ephesus, telling them where they have fallen from, and to repent. This is another performance-based outcome in regards to our behavior.

2 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;

3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.

4 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

5 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen [4098- “used of descent from a higher place to a lower, , and repent [3340- “to think differently, to change one’s mind”] and do the deeds [2041- “works, toil”] you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent [3340].

NASU

Revelation 2:20-23 – Jesus rebukes the church in Thyatira. He tells His “bond-servants” to repent of their/her deeds.

20 'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

21 'I gave her time to repent [3340], and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

22 'Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness [2825- “signifies to afflict with a disease”], and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent [3340] of her [“their”] deeds. 

23 'And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. [“works”; performance based]

NASU

Statements from the video:

“Jesus has all the skin in the game. You and I have none. Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, past present, and future.” (2:26-2:33; Again, the example of the man who stole purses standing before the judge. This removes all personal responsibility and accountability.)

“… the gospel of grace apart from works, there’s nothing you can add to it.” (And yet, they have taken away MUCH from it!)

If you believe there’s nothing you can do, or are required on your end in regards to salvation, that you have “no skin in the game,” no responsibility on your end for a “faith that saves” (James 2:14-26), you will also believe there is nothing you can do to lose the “right” of that salvation (i.e. “right to become sons of God”; John 1:12) because “it’s all of Christ and none of me.” That sounds very pious, but creates confusion and doubt. According to this line of reasoning, no one can fall away from Christ with an apostate heart because it’s not based on your “performance,” even though the Bible clearly says otherwise (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, and 1 Timothy 4:1; also see 1 Timothy 4:16 for more performance-based teaching of the Holy Spirit.)

The same Greek word interpreted “right” in John 1:12 above is interpreted “power” in 2 Timothy 3:5; “…holding to a form of godliness, although they [based on their performance] have denied its power.”

• “right/power” – [1849]- “privilege, power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases, the power of rule or government.”

“The Father is never displeased with you. Even when you sin, He’s never displeased with you.” (5:28, 5:34)

• As a father who disciplined my children, when necessary, I was never “pleased” with my children when they rebelled by doing what they knew was wrong. I still loved them, but was not pleased that they did something destructive, either to themselves or others. That had to be corrected, forcefully at times.

• 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them [the children of Israel]; their bodies were scattered over the desert [God killed them].

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 

NIV

Things to consider:

• Why have revivals happened in the church throughout history? (The need to repent and return.)

• What about the discipline and scourging of the Lord of His children? (See Hebrews 10:26-31, 12:4-17; Revelation 3:19)

Matthew 18:23-35 – Jesus tells a parable of the “Master’s” (i.e. God’s) anger toward a servant of His (i.e. a Christian). He gives him over into the power of demons to “torture” him, until he repays all the debt that he had been forgiven of by the Master. Thankfully, the Lord is very patient with us, but He does have a line that we would be wise to not toy with.

32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'

34 In anger his master turned him over [3860- to surrender, to give into the hands of another, to give over into one’s power or use”] to the jailers to be tortured [930- “one who elicits the truth by the use of the rack, an inquisitor [interrogator], torturer”), until he should pay back all he owed.

35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

NIV

My Conclusion:

God initiates His salvation toward us while we’re still sinners (Romans 5:8). He approaches us first, convicting us of sin. We then either reject His plea, or accept His mercy and lovingkindness with a repentant heart, submitting to Him as our Messiah, our Lord and Savior. From then on, we are taught by the Holy Spirit to work together with Him, not receiving His grace in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1), His working on our inner man with kindness and favor by fighting against His working to change us into His image (i.e. the spirit of anti-Christ).

The Holy Spirit is very patient with us as we learn, like a child, to follow Him rather than our fallen natures in the process of salvation, but when we do not allow His power within us to change us (2 Timothy 3:5), we are receiving His grace in vain. It is rendered powerless in our lives, unable to have any effect in conforming us from our fallen state into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Hyper grace advocates arrogantly see no need to submit to the Holy Spirit’s work within them. Being a Laodicean Christian (Revelation 3:15-17), one that does not truly see themselves from God’s perspective after turning to Him (Hebrews 10:26-31), they believe that because they started the race, they will automatically finish the race. Paul declared, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that there is the possibility of being disqualified, of not finishing per the boundaries of the Lord (i.e. revealed in His instructions within His word), thereby receiving the prize of eternal inheritance in Christ (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

Without repentance, those who propagate these teachings will have a lot of blood on their hands. They will not be meeting the Lord “in the air” when He comes to gather His faithful servants (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), but will be cast out of the kingdom of heaven into a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Their judgment will be severe for causing the “little ones” of the Lord to be led astray into their error (Matthew 18:5-7). It will be for them as I heard while in prayer one day, “If you do not fear Me, I will bring on you what you do fear.”

2 John 7-11 – The command of God on how to handle those who do not continue in the teaching of Christ. This passage reveals that it is possible to lose what you have worked for.

7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.

9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. [See 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 which speaks of those who have received the gospel, which is to receive Christ, but do not continue in His word, believing in vain.]

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. 

11 Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

NIV

A couple of statements made in another video hosted by Mike Adams called “[Another] Gospel Roundtable.”

“The new covenant [New Testament] is not dependent on doing, or not doing, but on Jesus.”

• Therefore, according to them, there is no personal obligation or responsibility on our part to be doers of the word (James 1:22-25, Romans 2:1-11). It really won’t matter what we do, we can never become so bad, I guess, to deserve any discipline that the Lord said we would, for our good, out of His love for us (Hebrews 12:4-13, Revelation 3:19).

• This sounds very pious, but is the broad-way Christianity Jesus warned us of that leads to death (Matthew 7:13-14, Luke 6:47-49).

“You’re not going to find a list of to-do’s in the new covenant… you’ll find some good wisdom, some good instructions in there [but obviously not any commands that we must do… wow]…”

• Among the numerous foolish statements, this is one of the most foolish. Titus 2:11-14 is a good place to start about the “list of to-do’s” that grace instructs us of.

• I would add that, yes, we can never fulfill the demands of the new covenant alone, but obviously also not just treat them as something to possibly think about, and implement. The Holy Spirit is given to us to help us fulfill the “to-do’s,” giving us the strength, and willingness to do what we are being commanded to do. John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) This is the way to maturity in Christ. The mentality that produces the above statement will never result in a decrease of me, and more of Him.

• We are commanded to work together with the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 6:1). This mentality will cause a person to fight against Him, which is the spirit of anti-Christ. They have usurped the throne of God within themselves, and will be numbered among the apostate Christians (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

• This belittling of the written word of God was on a level of arrogance that caused me to listen to it again, just to make sure I heard him right… wow.