Critical Grace Theory - Reflections On The Hyper-Grace Movement

There is a growing faction in the church that believes there is a very dangerous and twisted teaching on the grace of God, called “Hyper-Grace,” which in their estimation, takes God’s grace too far and preaches a license to sin because they don’t believe in repentance and are actually against God’s law.

The term 'Hyper-Grace' (aka 'greasy grace') is used primarily as a derogatory term against those who believe that the Born-Again Christian is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and not by their own works, but by the complete work Jesus did on the Cross to forgive them of all their sins, and purchase their redemption.

Hyper-Grace advocates believe that God's grace is greater than one's sin and super abounds (Gk: ‘huper-perisseuo’ - where we get the word 'hyper' from). It is grace upon grace and exponentially far beyond any sin that is committed by the Born-Again Christian, and they experientially know that Jesus gave them eternal water to drink that flows from the throne of God, and He is now their defense attorney. If they were to stumble, He promised to never leave or forsake them, or cast them out, no matter what, because He forgave all their sins upon the Cross before they were ever born.

They also have experienced being taken out of the world and made a complete citizen of Heaven by being adopted, transformed, sealed, anointed, called, justified, predestined, sanctified, glorified, their old nature crucified, and were baptized by God as they were filled with Himself. They are now the Holy of Holies, His dwelling place, and a blameless new creation, walking in newness of life with all their spiritual debts paid by Jesus, and have ceased from their labors and entered into His rest.

They fully understand that the Holy Spirit began a good work in them and will keep them from stumbling until the end when Jesus comes again.

They also recognize free will gives them the power to choose, and when they make poor choices or decisions, or when the storms of life are crashing in on them, God will enter into that situation and work it out for their best (Romans 8:28). As they walk in the light as He is in the light, they are compelled by the love of God to do what is right and holy before Him and know with great confidence that He has cleansed them of their sin.

While waiting with expectant joy for the appearing of Jesus, their primary desire is to practice righteousness and fulfill the Great Commandment and Great Commission by walking daily in repentant holiness and esteeming others more highly than themselves; believing that their good works prove they are Born-Again and do not save them, because a good tree naturally produces good fruit, and those who are a ‘bad tree’ habitually produces bad fruit (sin), which is why Jesus will say He never knew them.

They desire to be a natural worshiper of God in spirit and truth by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus, putting no confidence in the flesh. They are confident in the promise that death and life, angels and rulers, things present and things to come, powers, height and depth, and anything else in all creation, are unable to separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus. They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that “hyper-grace” is the only kind of grace taught in the Bible and how critical God’s grace is for healing and transformation of every human being.

They also realize that the power of sin is the law which reveals sin in the heart but gives no power to transform a person. It is according to God’s own mercy, goodness and loving kindness that His grace rescues a person, sets them free from sin, and justifies them by the washing of regeneration and rebirth by the Holy Spirit, and transforms them by the renewing of their mind as He reveals to them who they truly are in Christ.

Those who advocate ‘hyper-grace’ know through their personal experience that when a person religiously relies on their works and will power to keep all 613 laws in the Bible, there will externally be an initial decrease in observable sin. However, the strain and burden of keeping the law through works will inevitably make them self-focused on what they do, rather than what Jesus did for them, and will result in their belief system being no different than any other works based religion.

Hyper-Grace advocates also understand:

1. Hyper-Holiness is more about what Jesus has already done and less about what the Born-Again Christian does for Him. God has already made them Holy (Hebrews 10:10).

2. The Hyper-Love of God can’t be hyper enough (John 3:16; 1 John 4:16).