The need for the law, authority and religion (structured, doctrinal Christianity).

A LAODICEAN PROBLEM

Across the Western Church, a convergence is occurring of so called “Free Grace” messages. On the one side are some Fundamentalist, cessationist Dispensationalist groups, and on the other, certain charismatic groups including entertainment-driven megachurches with corporate messaging based on positivity and emotional uplift.

A hallmark of this “Grace” Gospel is that it rejects Biblical authority for emphasis on individual freedom. While the details differ across the movements, the common traits are unmistakable and growing, of free-grace, easy-believing, anti-Lordship and spiritual libertarianism.

We are living in the last Church era of history.

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15, 16).

This “Free Grace” messaging, which has radically re-interpreted the Gospel, is predicted by the Apostle Paul, where he wrote, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves …” (2 Timothy 3:1, 2a).

He also shows where the message is going, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,” (2 Timothy 3:5, 6).

Paul prophesies of the end of the Grace Libertarian message and also contrasts it to his own teaching. “But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, … But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience” (2 Timothy 3:9a, 10).

SALVATION AND WORKS

According to Romans, in order to be saved, one has to believe in one’s heart and confess with one’s mouth.

If you think Jesus is coming soon, and if you think as many as possible people should be saved, then the “Grace” people take it further. Why bother establishing the law? Why bother showing that no man can obey it? Why bother exalting the law of God as a set of standards no one can keep? Why bother concluding that all men are guilty, and can do nothing, and are worthy of eternal separation?

The “Grace” people have denied that God’s Word is law in the universe. They have denied that God is a judge. They have denied the severity of hell, the whetted sword of judgment that is now dangling over the heads of sinners, where their feet are about to slip…

But no, the “Grace” people say, “He loves you when you’re happy; He loves you when you’re sad; He loves you when you’re very good And when you’re very bad.” So, no matter what you do, God loves you!

You see, in rejecting working for salvation, they have made a mistake as they have also rejected the works of salvation. They are allowing that a person can just mutter some glib prayer with half a mind to it, probably manipulated at some concert gathering or as the result of some sweaty “evangelism”, and then you’re in, heaven bound and now you are a “saved sinner”.

The whole saved sinner message abounds everywhere too, throughout the Reformed, Anglican and Baptist worlds.

What we end up with in practice is either false converts or antinomian Christians, ones who sin on expecting that God absolves them. Some go so far to say you don’t even need to be sorry, you don’t even need to confess what you did wrong. Apparently “intentions” are accepted now, even though Paul described the person under conviction and not yet saved as wanting to do good, but find evil in him (see Romans 7 for those sinners with the awakened conscience).

Why then is there an attack on lawfulness, on the conscience, on conviction, on doing things? Is it not because the Christians want to persist in carnality rather than conformity?

Let’s be honest about this. The reason why the want to lower the standards is because they really don’t want to obey. It’s called antinomianism, which means, to have a self-satisfaction of salvation, but the freedom to sin. This is a grand delusion of our times. It is a heresy.

GRACE WITHOUT OBLIGATION

Whether from hyper dispensationalist fundamentalists or from slick charismatic messaging, the same false message is being presented. Apparently, it’s just believe in your heart, say a prayer and you are eternally saved. You don’t have to really make Jesus Lord, you don’t really have to obey Christ’s commandments nor show any evidence of regeneration.

This message, though dressed in the language of grace, is nothing less than modern antinomianism. It reduces conversion to easy believism. And it is certainly not the gospel of the historic fathers, who always saw salvation as both an event and the lifestyle of obedience, discipline, sanctification and Spirit-empowered holiness.

Charles Finney preached that Jesus came to save His people from their sins and turn them from their iniquities. That’s what he saved you from. The escape from Hell was just a mere consequence of the main work. But these people don’t believe in power for sanctification or the ability to walk in holiness by faith.

Let’s take a case study. The Old Testament teaches tithing, it’s ten per cent. The New Testament also teaches tithing.

“And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.” (Hebrews 7:8).

“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” (1 Corinthians 16:2).

But they rebel at this. They say they are not under the law but under grace. They say they can give “whatever”. And now you know why they don’t want to tithe 10% but just make it “whatever” … because they are looking to give and do as little as possible. This is actually evil.

WHY ARE THEY FIGHTING THE LAW

One of the defining marks of this new theology is the rejection of the law of God in the life of the believer.

In both its cessationist form (which insists the teachings of Paul alone governs the Christian life) and in its charismatic form (which treats law as the instrument of Satan and enemy of “positivity” i.e. feelings), this movement claims things like:

• The law has no place in Christian living.
• The believer has no obligation to keep Christ’s commandments.
• Morality flows purely from “identity” and never from obedience.

Some views like this are entirely foreign to Scripture.

Here is the correct view:

• “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” (Rom. 7:12)
• “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3)
• “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.” (1 Cor 7:19)
• Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

Christ did not come to abolish righteousness, which is measured by the law, but to write His law upon our hearts (Heb 8:10), empowering us by the Spirit to fulfil the righteous requirement of the law (Rom 8:1, 4).

REPENTANCE

Of course, it is easy to slip off to the Greek or to redefine what words like “repentance” actually mean, but we need to elevate the Bible’s words and it’s definitions, not impose false and seductive meanings onto the Scripture.

Another shared feature of this libertarian theology is the reduction of repentance to nothing more than a mental adjustment. According to this mentality:

• Repentance does not require turning from sin.
• Repentance does not involve godly sorrow.
• Repentance has nothing to do with obedience or transformation.

But Scripture reveals a very different repentance, involving:

• the conscience,
• renunciation of sin,
• submission to Christ’s Lordship,
• and the power of the Holy Ghost to walk in newness of life.

To replace this with a shallow “change of mind” is to reduce the Gospel into some sort of magic.

THE OBSESSION OF RELIGION VERSUS RELATIONSHIP

Another phenomenon appearing in both certain fundamentalist and charismatic realms is the insistence that Christianity has nothing to do with “religion” or “commandments” and only with an undefined sense of “relationship”.

They say that a Christianity of actually doing things is “dead”, and instead, they want “freedom”.

The same applies in relation to the Lordship of Christ.

They proclaim a false liberty where a person does not have to submit to the Lordship of Christ.

THE COLLAPSE OF STANDARDS

If you are going to throw out discipline, order and obedience, then I can confidently predict not only a collapse in morality, but a rushing headlong into the most craven, naked and utter forms of worldliness, carnality and wickedness.

With a doctrine which is against the idea of authority, structure, rules and guidelines in churches, we can expect:

• no structure of accountability,
• no expectation of holy conduct,
• no pastoral authority to call out sin,
• no sense of the fear of the Lord,
• no boundaries to stop bad behaviour, and
• no limitations because of rebellion.

People are assured of heaven based on a prayer prayed once, rather than a life of obedience to Christ. But Scripture teaches:

• Pastors are overseers (Acts 20:28).
• Elders are to rebuke sin (1 Tim 5:20).
• Churches must judge those within (1 Cor 5:12).
• The Spirit produces discipline (Gal 5:22–23).

The Word-and-Spirit tradition has always taught real authority in the house of God—not oppressive control, but righteous shepherding and holiness.