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Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message
The great deception of the 21st century
At a time when the church needs an urgent wake-up call and a fresh encounter with Jesus, the hyper-grace message is lulling many to sleep. Claiming to be a new revelation of grace, this teaching is gaining in popularity, but is it true? Or is the glorious truth of grace being polluted by errors, leading to backsliding, compromise, and even the abandonment of faith?
Hyper-Grace looks at the major teachings put forth by many adherents of this “grace reformation” and prayerfully compares those teachings with the Word of God, answering questions such as:
· How do our sins affect our relationship with God?
· What is the relevance of the Old Testament to our faith?
· What does Jesus actually have to say about grace?
Without watering down the Bible’s true message of grace, Michael Brown gives you the facts, demonstrating the dangers of this seductive message and showing you how to keep from being taken in.
At a time when the church needs an urgent wake-up call and a fresh encounter with Jesus, the hyper-grace message is lulling many to sleep. Claiming to be a new revelation of grace, this teaching is gaining in popularity, but is it true? Or is the glorious truth of grace being polluted by errors, leading to backsliding, compromise, and even the abandonment of faith?
Hyper-Grace looks at the major teachings put forth by many adherents of this “grace reformation” and prayerfully compares those teachings with the Word of God, answering questions such as:
· How do our sins affect our relationship with God?
· What is the relevance of the Old Testament to our faith?
· What does Jesus actually have to say about grace?
Without watering down the Bible’s true message of grace, Michael Brown gives you the facts, demonstrating the dangers of this seductive message and showing you how to keep from being taken in.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2014
100 people are currently reading
531 people want to read
About the author
Michael L. Brown
142 books192 followersMichael L. Brown (born March 16, 1955) is a Messianic Jewish Old Testament scholar, professor, activist, itinerant speaker, and author who has preached in numerous countries and written twenty books. He is the founder and president of ICN Ministries. His writings have been translated into more than a dozen languages. He was married to Nancy Gurian on March 14, 1976 and they have two daughters, Jennifer and Megan, and four grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
May 28, 2020
I picked this book up after it was referenced in another book. Before that, I had only the vaguest of ideas about this theology and thought of it as only a fringe liberal theology. But almost from the first chapter I was shocked to find out that its influence had struck very close to home. It was very informative and helped me understand some theological changes that I have seen around me over the last few years.
Really it all boils down to a Biblical understanding of justification vs. sanctification. The author points out that many if not most of the hyper-grace teachers are spot on when they teach that we can do nothing toward our salvation from sin, but he also wants us to see that they have taken a glorious truth about grace and exaggerated it. He very carefully refutes their idea that because we can do nothing for our own salvation we should not strive toward holiness.
It is easy, almost conversational, in style. The author takes great pains to keep it accessible to everyone. Any theological terms are explained so that they are easily understood.
I have been blessed and informed through this book, but I cannot recommend it unreservedly. My concerns about this book are quite minor, but I feel that they are important enough to include in this review to warn anyone wanting to research this subject. The author is strongly Charismatic. That does not directly influence the vast majority of this book. He mentions praying in tongues, but of more concern, he quotes favorably from Pentecostals such as Smith Wigglesworth. He does not rely solely on them to support his position. Mostly he uses Spurgeon, Ryle, and other well-known Christian teachers. I don’t believe that it affects the veracity of the Biblical exposition in this book but to makes me extremely wary of his broader theology. He also believes it is possible for a saved believer to lose his salvation. He does not elaborate on this position much, but there is a very short appendix where he explains his beliefs.
Really it all boils down to a Biblical understanding of justification vs. sanctification. The author points out that many if not most of the hyper-grace teachers are spot on when they teach that we can do nothing toward our salvation from sin, but he also wants us to see that they have taken a glorious truth about grace and exaggerated it. He very carefully refutes their idea that because we can do nothing for our own salvation we should not strive toward holiness.
It is easy, almost conversational, in style. The author takes great pains to keep it accessible to everyone. Any theological terms are explained so that they are easily understood.
I have been blessed and informed through this book, but I cannot recommend it unreservedly. My concerns about this book are quite minor, but I feel that they are important enough to include in this review to warn anyone wanting to research this subject. The author is strongly Charismatic. That does not directly influence the vast majority of this book. He mentions praying in tongues, but of more concern, he quotes favorably from Pentecostals such as Smith Wigglesworth. He does not rely solely on them to support his position. Mostly he uses Spurgeon, Ryle, and other well-known Christian teachers. I don’t believe that it affects the veracity of the Biblical exposition in this book but to makes me extremely wary of his broader theology. He also believes it is possible for a saved believer to lose his salvation. He does not elaborate on this position much, but there is a very short appendix where he explains his beliefs.
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February 4, 2014What a great book !
This was all new material for me. I've been a Christian for 50 years and never heard of hyper-Grace. the book explains this new doctrine and the dangers that it presents. Every Christian needs to read this book so they don't fall into the trap of cheap deceiving Grace. To think that the words of Jesus spoken before the cross has no revelance for believers today is just ridiculous. Michael Brown is a great writer and Bible scholar. I believe the book speaks to the church today.
This was all new material for me. I've been a Christian for 50 years and never heard of hyper-Grace. the book explains this new doctrine and the dangers that it presents. Every Christian needs to read this book so they don't fall into the trap of cheap deceiving Grace. To think that the words of Jesus spoken before the cross has no revelance for believers today is just ridiculous. Michael Brown is a great writer and Bible scholar. I believe the book speaks to the church today.
July 9, 2017
Michael Brown misrepresents John Calvin and Martin Luther, carrying forward fallacious popular thought. He is confused on the distinctive difference between the act of saving grace that justifies us in Christ Jesus, and the work of saving grace that sanctifies us in Christ Jesus. Speaking as one who was conservative evangelical baptist, now gospel confessional Presbyterian (a long way of saying I am a believer in Jesus Christ who lives by the inspired inerrant Word of God), Michael Brown has expressed poor understanding of key doctrines, and misunderstanding of Scripture. Hard to enjoy a book on grace when he does not present the truth if grace adequately, by historic church leaders who Paved the road for us.
November 21, 2017
I purposed to read this book because I read Dr. Brown referring (with this title or in an article, I don't remember) to something called hyper-grace. Hyper-grace? It pretty clearly wasn't taught by my Southern Baptist church or in any of the books I read, or extolled by any Christian friends I interact with, because (similarly to some other reviewers) I had never heard of it or heard of the major preachers or writers who apparently teach it. Being inquisitive, I immediately wanted to know what hyper-grace is, preferably from perspectives both for and against. So I first read The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley, whose book I saw suggested at Amazon among the pro-hyper-grace books; then this book.
Hyper-grace, as described by Dr. Brown (with heavy quotation from hyper-grace teachers themselves) and interpreted by me, is fairly easy to understand and avoid, because much of it sounds so absurd as to insult the intelligence of Christians who have received salvation and spent much time reading the Bible. Hyper-grace teaches that under grace, you don't need to (and shouldn't, even) pay attention to the Ten Commandments or confess sins to God after being saved (because all future sins are forgiven, per hyper-). Although, in comparison the hyper-grace teachers don't seem to emphasize ignoring the Ten Commandments, but they particularly insist that confessing sins is wrong--a sin, even.
In short, hyper-grace is simply the opposite extreme from legalism. Had I been in the position of Dr. Brown or some other Bible teacher, I would have regretted needing to dignify hyper-grace with a response. But substantial numbers of Christians have received this teaching and believe it. When I read this, in exasperation I stopped reading the book very closely, ignoring most of the pro-hyper-grave quotations (or even Dr. Brown's deflations of them).
More interesting than the obnoxious tenets of the doctrine itself are the comparisons with legalism and also ancient Christian heresies. Dr. Brown gives a quotation from some hyper-grace teacher fervently opposing confession and offering an alternative prayer that pointedly refuses to confess; Dr. Brown then opines that the prayer sounded "extremely legalistic." (Also patronizing to God, I thought.) I interpreted Dr. Brown's remark as a hint that despite purporting to counter legalism, militant hyper-grace (not necessarily all hyper-grace teaching) may itself be a new, clever repackaging of legalism. Brown outright states that the strongest hyper-grace teaching (again, not necessarily the more subtle forms) approach Gnosticism in their willingness to ignore sin. Also, a few hyper-grace teachers teach that the Old Testament is irrelevant and believers in Christ can ignore it.
Brown devotes a chapter to observing that this approximates the Christian heresy of Marcionism, which rejects the OT and even much of the NT. (I wanted to note that Marcionism otherwise is dead and buried, but it's actually not. I didn't know what it was until Brown explained it; but then I immediately recognized that hyper-grace aside, Marcion's idea that the OT God is not the NT God is common enough among contemporary Bible critics.) Anyway, hyper-grace teachers' rationalization for ignoring much of the NT is that much of Jesus' teachings, and Jesus Himself, were "under the old covenant." Excuse me? ...This represents why I had stopped taking the idea of hyper-grace seriously once I understood it. Jesus under a covenant? He made the covenant, you clowns. It's somewhat like the Pharisees demanding that Jesus observe Sabbath regulations.
And my copy of The Naked Gospel, which I bought because local libraries didn't carry it, is now sitting in a receptacle waiting to be recycled.
Hyper-grace, as described by Dr. Brown (with heavy quotation from hyper-grace teachers themselves) and interpreted by me, is fairly easy to understand and avoid, because much of it sounds so absurd as to insult the intelligence of Christians who have received salvation and spent much time reading the Bible. Hyper-grace teaches that under grace, you don't need to (and shouldn't, even) pay attention to the Ten Commandments or confess sins to God after being saved (because all future sins are forgiven, per hyper-). Although, in comparison the hyper-grace teachers don't seem to emphasize ignoring the Ten Commandments, but they particularly insist that confessing sins is wrong--a sin, even.
In short, hyper-grace is simply the opposite extreme from legalism. Had I been in the position of Dr. Brown or some other Bible teacher, I would have regretted needing to dignify hyper-grace with a response. But substantial numbers of Christians have received this teaching and believe it. When I read this, in exasperation I stopped reading the book very closely, ignoring most of the pro-hyper-grave quotations (or even Dr. Brown's deflations of them).
More interesting than the obnoxious tenets of the doctrine itself are the comparisons with legalism and also ancient Christian heresies. Dr. Brown gives a quotation from some hyper-grace teacher fervently opposing confession and offering an alternative prayer that pointedly refuses to confess; Dr. Brown then opines that the prayer sounded "extremely legalistic." (Also patronizing to God, I thought.) I interpreted Dr. Brown's remark as a hint that despite purporting to counter legalism, militant hyper-grace (not necessarily all hyper-grace teaching) may itself be a new, clever repackaging of legalism. Brown outright states that the strongest hyper-grace teaching (again, not necessarily the more subtle forms) approach Gnosticism in their willingness to ignore sin. Also, a few hyper-grace teachers teach that the Old Testament is irrelevant and believers in Christ can ignore it.
Brown devotes a chapter to observing that this approximates the Christian heresy of Marcionism, which rejects the OT and even much of the NT. (I wanted to note that Marcionism otherwise is dead and buried, but it's actually not. I didn't know what it was until Brown explained it; but then I immediately recognized that hyper-grace aside, Marcion's idea that the OT God is not the NT God is common enough among contemporary Bible critics.) Anyway, hyper-grace teachers' rationalization for ignoring much of the NT is that much of Jesus' teachings, and Jesus Himself, were "under the old covenant." Excuse me? ...This represents why I had stopped taking the idea of hyper-grace seriously once I understood it. Jesus under a covenant? He made the covenant, you clowns. It's somewhat like the Pharisees demanding that Jesus observe Sabbath regulations.
And my copy of The Naked Gospel, which I bought because local libraries didn't carry it, is now sitting in a receptacle waiting to be recycled.
August 8, 2014
A very good summary of the theology around the current Grace messages
December 1, 2015
Fascinating look at the extreme side of the grace spectrum in Christian faith. Brown does a great job of breaking down the arguments and making a defense for the true gospel according to Scripture.
May 15, 2016
Dr. Brown does a wonderful job Biblically countering the fallacies of the Modern Grace movement. A should read in this hour.
February 7, 2017
This was a chore to read. It's probably a 5 star on thought, effort, comprehensiveness and soundness - but a 3 for me on my interest level on this topic - so giving it a 4. I wasn't raised under the law or in legalism - so certain things about this movement (before I knew it was a movement) didn't appeal or ever make sense.
I was given this book and didn't realize it was a theological step by step through the hyper grace movement. John Crowder (I believe he's the tokin' the Baby Jesus and angel feathers evangelist) and others are mentioned that have a colorful "free grace" stance. The author does a great job of systematically going over pros and cons in their teaching. He quotes different pastors extensively and then addresses each concern. He freely attributes and quotes a few named pastors (not John Crowder) what they are solid on and what he can absolutely agree on based on scripture. It's not an all out attack, but a thoughtful and concerned missive. The author is a long time Hebrew scholar - I would take note. Not perhaps a good read for anyone without any theological standing - it would just be confusing and boring. Confusing because he quotes the authors and their errors - so one has to really be paying attention to every sentence. But for people who want to dig into this subject - the author has it segmented into 14 chapters by topic so one could also just use as a reference for what appealed to them. Also I could see this helpful for those who are in a church where these things start to come through and one senses they aren't quite right but wants to jump in and figure out why. Use this as a reference. Does your pastor tell you that all your sins have been forgiven and you never need to ask forgiveness again because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross? Read this book. Does your pastor say you can be without sin? Really read this book. Does your pastor preach free grace - whatever you do and however you live it doesn't matter because of Jesus? Read this book. Maybe you gladly threw off all law and legalism when someone told you that you didn't have to live like that - and perhaps you went too far and scriptures commandments ruffle your edges. Might want to check this out. There is healing and truth under the shadow of the Almighty... As a fairly non-denominational Christian in a SBA affiliated church, I found the author's urge to live in real relationship with the Lord, strive for purity and holiness and read and be transformed by the Bible to be encouraging. His personal testimony of simply being captivated by Jesus and wanting to spend hours every day with Him was lovely and something I simply have never experienced.
The appendix on "once saved always saved" piqued my interest because I've always been taught surety and confidence in my salvation. Lots to think about.
I was given this book and didn't realize it was a theological step by step through the hyper grace movement. John Crowder (I believe he's the tokin' the Baby Jesus and angel feathers evangelist) and others are mentioned that have a colorful "free grace" stance. The author does a great job of systematically going over pros and cons in their teaching. He quotes different pastors extensively and then addresses each concern. He freely attributes and quotes a few named pastors (not John Crowder) what they are solid on and what he can absolutely agree on based on scripture. It's not an all out attack, but a thoughtful and concerned missive. The author is a long time Hebrew scholar - I would take note. Not perhaps a good read for anyone without any theological standing - it would just be confusing and boring. Confusing because he quotes the authors and their errors - so one has to really be paying attention to every sentence. But for people who want to dig into this subject - the author has it segmented into 14 chapters by topic so one could also just use as a reference for what appealed to them. Also I could see this helpful for those who are in a church where these things start to come through and one senses they aren't quite right but wants to jump in and figure out why. Use this as a reference. Does your pastor tell you that all your sins have been forgiven and you never need to ask forgiveness again because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross? Read this book. Does your pastor say you can be without sin? Really read this book. Does your pastor preach free grace - whatever you do and however you live it doesn't matter because of Jesus? Read this book. Maybe you gladly threw off all law and legalism when someone told you that you didn't have to live like that - and perhaps you went too far and scriptures commandments ruffle your edges. Might want to check this out. There is healing and truth under the shadow of the Almighty... As a fairly non-denominational Christian in a SBA affiliated church, I found the author's urge to live in real relationship with the Lord, strive for purity and holiness and read and be transformed by the Bible to be encouraging. His personal testimony of simply being captivated by Jesus and wanting to spend hours every day with Him was lovely and something I simply have never experienced.
The appendix on "once saved always saved" piqued my interest because I've always been taught surety and confidence in my salvation. Lots to think about.
December 31, 2023
" The truth is that the modern grace message is quite mixed, combining life-changing, Jesus-exalting revelation with serious misinterpretation of scripture, bad theology, divisive and destructive rhetoric, and even fleshly reaction. And, in all too many cases, it is being embraced by believers who are not just looking for freedom from legalism but also freedom from God's standards."- Dr. Michael Brown
In this book, Dr. Michael Brown takes on many of the hyper-grace proponents with a spirit of grace and sharp reasoning solidly grounded in the Holy Scriptures. He unravels their claims and doctrines with the ease of a skilled theologian.
I didn't know a ton about the hyper-grace folks but I encountered one recently who was quite difficult to reason with when I provided some pushback to some of his claims. So, I decided to pick this book up and it proved to be most helpful. I now feel better equipped to handle such interactions more effectively in the future as well as steer people towards a more Biblical application of grace in the Christian life.
If you're a fan of the popular preachers in the hyper-grace movement, you would do well to pick this book up. It's not an attack on these preachers, (you won't find any ad hominem arguments within the pages of this book), but it does challenge a lot of what they teach. It will help you sift through the chaff that is in their messages and help you live a more fruitful Christian life. I'm referring to preachers like the following -
Andrew Farley
Joseph Prince
Ryan Rufus
Clark Whitten
John Crowder
Andre Van der Merwe
Tony Ide
Steve McVey
Rob Rufus
Paul Ellis
Mick Mooney
Benjamin Dunn
James Mulholland
Philip Gulley
An easy 4 stars!!
In this book, Dr. Michael Brown takes on many of the hyper-grace proponents with a spirit of grace and sharp reasoning solidly grounded in the Holy Scriptures. He unravels their claims and doctrines with the ease of a skilled theologian.
I didn't know a ton about the hyper-grace folks but I encountered one recently who was quite difficult to reason with when I provided some pushback to some of his claims. So, I decided to pick this book up and it proved to be most helpful. I now feel better equipped to handle such interactions more effectively in the future as well as steer people towards a more Biblical application of grace in the Christian life.
If you're a fan of the popular preachers in the hyper-grace movement, you would do well to pick this book up. It's not an attack on these preachers, (you won't find any ad hominem arguments within the pages of this book), but it does challenge a lot of what they teach. It will help you sift through the chaff that is in their messages and help you live a more fruitful Christian life. I'm referring to preachers like the following -
Andrew Farley
Joseph Prince
Ryan Rufus
Clark Whitten
John Crowder
Andre Van der Merwe
Tony Ide
Steve McVey
Rob Rufus
Paul Ellis
Mick Mooney
Benjamin Dunn
James Mulholland
Philip Gulley
An easy 4 stars!!
March 21, 2017
So, after I marked the book as '100% read' on this website, Goodreads automatically displayed: "I'm finished with Hyper-Grace". And so it is! After having read Destined to Reign before, by HC preacher Joseph Prince and now Dr. Brown's book, I can only say Michael Brown has a much more profound and solid theological approach to the subject. Where Prince excels in taking verses out of context and putting meaning into them, while ignoring other scriptures, Dr. Brown puts the verses back into their context. Dr. Browns book radiates a deep respect for letting the scripture tell its own message instead of making it support a preconceived theology.
HC is a typical example of 'exaggaration theology, where bible texts are selected based on the desired outcome and with their meaning extended - sometimes even to absurdity. Michael Brown does a great job to show and refute this.
However, this book is not just a rant against some preachers he doesn't agree with. It is rather a well-balanced book. Brown admits that much of what HC teachers teach is actually true, but the problem is where they deviate and exaggerate. If it's true, Brown gives them the due credit. This way, he's being fair to the proponents of the teaching his opposes. Arguments are never ad hominem, but always to the point. Although HC teachers also teach truth, of course the problem is not where they are right, but where they are wrong. And the danger is in the mixture of both.
Finally, I consider this a valuable book and recommend it to everyone who has been exposed to HC theology. It's good antidote.
HC is a typical example of 'exaggaration theology, where bible texts are selected based on the desired outcome and with their meaning extended - sometimes even to absurdity. Michael Brown does a great job to show and refute this.
However, this book is not just a rant against some preachers he doesn't agree with. It is rather a well-balanced book. Brown admits that much of what HC teachers teach is actually true, but the problem is where they deviate and exaggerate. If it's true, Brown gives them the due credit. This way, he's being fair to the proponents of the teaching his opposes. Arguments are never ad hominem, but always to the point. Although HC teachers also teach truth, of course the problem is not where they are right, but where they are wrong. And the danger is in the mixture of both.
Finally, I consider this a valuable book and recommend it to everyone who has been exposed to HC theology. It's good antidote.
June 4, 2021
This book is a crucial must read. What I love about the author , is unlike so many of the "hersey hunters " out today he is able to see strenths in preachers such as Paul Ellis, Joseph Prince and Andrew Farley however he argues with great respect and kindness (perfectly modeeling truth in love) how the "hyper- grace" message they proclaim has real errors too that are concerning to the church . Therfore, the reader is taken through the main beleifs of this message, such as all our past, present and future sins are already covered so we no longer need to confess sin, the holy spirit doesn't EVER convict us of sin, all of the law is totally irelvent even sermon on the mount... and with precise qoutes from these leading men, Brown biblically analysizes these arguments- if there's any positive he'll find it, while also clearly exposes the dangers in these teachings, explaining why there are concerns. Brilliant! A point being made clearly void of self - righteousness, something so needed in the modern church today. I'm only giving it a 4, because in one epologue at the end he says he does not believe in once saved always saved which I do. This however does not reflect the whole book that I'd highly reccomend
September 26, 2025
He’s right
This was an excellent job of refuting hypergrace. But he could have started and stopped with them reaching that Jesus words are irrelevant now lol. The best advice I can give anyone for learning what Jesus wants from us is get to know Him. Read the Bible pray about what you read,especially any of it you dont feel really comfortable about what you think it means. And then TALK to the author and I don’t mean the folks that wrote it. Be honest, lying to Him is pretty dumb. Don’t be afraid to,respectfully ask questions. I would not go outside the Bible for answers to theological questions until I was so certain of my relationship with Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit that I felt His guidance in every aspect of my life. People can be wrong, people can lie, God never does either.
This was an excellent job of refuting hypergrace. But he could have started and stopped with them reaching that Jesus words are irrelevant now lol. The best advice I can give anyone for learning what Jesus wants from us is get to know Him. Read the Bible pray about what you read,especially any of it you dont feel really comfortable about what you think it means. And then TALK to the author and I don’t mean the folks that wrote it. Be honest, lying to Him is pretty dumb. Don’t be afraid to,respectfully ask questions. I would not go outside the Bible for answers to theological questions until I was so certain of my relationship with Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit that I felt His guidance in every aspect of my life. People can be wrong, people can lie, God never does either.
May 30, 2018
Took me a while to get this book finished. Very well written book with solid content arguing against the hyper grace movement.
Dr Brown has presented his arguments in a logical and structured manner, backed by biblical interpretation.
Highly recommended read for anyone wanting to find out more about the dangers of hyper grace.
Dr Brown has presented his arguments in a logical and structured manner, backed by biblical interpretation.
Highly recommended read for anyone wanting to find out more about the dangers of hyper grace.
November 26, 2018
Great book that every christian should read.
January 26, 2020
Well researched, and as timely today as it would have been 2000 years ago. Dr. Michael L. Brown humbly and graciously rebuts the hyper-grace message.
May 18, 2020
Dry, interview like read
Read
March 2, 2024Grateful for Dr. Brown diligently wading through the teachings of Joseph Prince and others in order to contend for the faith and preserve the truth and beauty of biblical grace.
May 20, 2014
Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message
This book is all about doctrine, the doctrine of grace, modern grace, hyper-grace or what others term the grace reformation. It names names….like Joseph Prince, Clark Whitten, Steve McVey, Andrew Farley, Rob Rufus, Paul Ellis, John Crowder, John Sheasby and others. Most of these men I have never even heard of.
Even though Mr. Brown names names he is neutral in tone and never accusatory nor condemning. On the contrary several times he allows for the fact that some people are truly highly blessed by the modern grace message. What he objects to is it’s imbalance.
This author is very good at differentiating between things and qualifying things. He is extremely thorough and with great detail goes over every “stone”. I would even classify this book as scholarly in that regard.
Some of the actual doctrines or issues that Mr. Brown addresses are the forgiveness of future sins, the need for the ongoing confession of the saints, ongoing sanctification and repentance and conviction of sin. He helped to clear up an issue I had with one the author’s mentioned and helped me to understand why I didn’t agree with this particular author, in a way that I would now be able to explain it to other people.
Imbalanced doctrine seems to stem from taking a truth from scripture and then completely ignoring or justifying away any scriptures that seem to say the opposite when in fact there are lots of dichotomies in His Word that require us to blend seemingly opposite views. Taking all scriptures on any certain topic, without injecting any pre-conceived notions into them is the only way to arrive at balanced views. This book illustrates this truth very well.
If you have felt uneasy about some of the modern grace teachings and didn’t quite know why or was unable to articulate why they were wrong but would like to be able to, this book is for you. If you think you may have been deceived and want to find out for sure, this book is for you. In any case, real truth is able to stand up to scrutiny.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Charisma House Publishers through their blogging for books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
This book is all about doctrine, the doctrine of grace, modern grace, hyper-grace or what others term the grace reformation. It names names….like Joseph Prince, Clark Whitten, Steve McVey, Andrew Farley, Rob Rufus, Paul Ellis, John Crowder, John Sheasby and others. Most of these men I have never even heard of.
Even though Mr. Brown names names he is neutral in tone and never accusatory nor condemning. On the contrary several times he allows for the fact that some people are truly highly blessed by the modern grace message. What he objects to is it’s imbalance.
This author is very good at differentiating between things and qualifying things. He is extremely thorough and with great detail goes over every “stone”. I would even classify this book as scholarly in that regard.
Some of the actual doctrines or issues that Mr. Brown addresses are the forgiveness of future sins, the need for the ongoing confession of the saints, ongoing sanctification and repentance and conviction of sin. He helped to clear up an issue I had with one the author’s mentioned and helped me to understand why I didn’t agree with this particular author, in a way that I would now be able to explain it to other people.
Imbalanced doctrine seems to stem from taking a truth from scripture and then completely ignoring or justifying away any scriptures that seem to say the opposite when in fact there are lots of dichotomies in His Word that require us to blend seemingly opposite views. Taking all scriptures on any certain topic, without injecting any pre-conceived notions into them is the only way to arrive at balanced views. This book illustrates this truth very well.
If you have felt uneasy about some of the modern grace teachings and didn’t quite know why or was unable to articulate why they were wrong but would like to be able to, this book is for you. If you think you may have been deceived and want to find out for sure, this book is for you. In any case, real truth is able to stand up to scrutiny.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Charisma House Publishers through their blogging for books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
March 25, 2014
Dealing with the erroneous 'free/effortless/hyper grace' teaching of Womack, Prince Crowder, Bell and others, Dr. Brown very directly refutes them by expounding on scripture and by going back to other men of God who taught the same. The modern teaching of Hyper Grace by teaching a false view of God, Man and Grace is nothing more than neo-Gnosticism repackaged. It denies the impact of Sin and the need for Repentance and Holiness in a Christian's life by conflating Justification and Positional Sanctification into ongoing progressive Sanctification and future Glorification. This teaching has led to many false assurance given to men and leads many on the broad road. I appreciated Dr. Brown's lengthy quotes of primary sources when critiquing it and also the many references to the biblical teachers(ironically most of them are Calvinists) who prove Dr. Brown's exegesis and understanding of Grace to be right. The Kindle version of the book has some defects (incomplete appendix/missing bibliography) that needs to be corrected. Read this if you want to understand this modern heresy and be ready to defend biblical Grace!
June 30, 2016
Not what I expected. Michael Brown is taking on the Rasputin strain of Christianity. Anything goes because I'm a believer. I was looking for his thoughts on apostasy and maybe a breakdown of some of those Bible passages. Still, it's a worthwhile read for Brown's unequaled polemical skill.
Notes:
(1) The difference between Christianity and every other religion is Grace (13)
(2) Confession compared to a lifetime voucher for car washes (ala foot washing) (81)
(3) We can now keep the law because it's written on our heart? (202)
(4) Brown has a gift for "taking the roof off" (207). He shows how certain passages are ridiculous when read according to the "Hyper grace" grid.
(5) Good counter to the idea that Jesus was only addressing Jews or his direct hearers in the Gospels (231). Do we really think it's so narrow an audience? Why record, study and distribute if the message if it wasn’t for the church?
(6) I bought the book for Brown's discussion of eternal security, but it's relegated to an appendix (265)
(7) Perseverance of the saints commits the Scotsman fallacy. If someone falls away, we can always say he was never one of the elect (265)
Notes:
(1) The difference between Christianity and every other religion is Grace (13)
(2) Confession compared to a lifetime voucher for car washes (ala foot washing) (81)
(3) We can now keep the law because it's written on our heart? (202)
(4) Brown has a gift for "taking the roof off" (207). He shows how certain passages are ridiculous when read according to the "Hyper grace" grid.
(5) Good counter to the idea that Jesus was only addressing Jews or his direct hearers in the Gospels (231). Do we really think it's so narrow an audience? Why record, study and distribute if the message if it wasn’t for the church?
(6) I bought the book for Brown's discussion of eternal security, but it's relegated to an appendix (265)
(7) Perseverance of the saints commits the Scotsman fallacy. If someone falls away, we can always say he was never one of the elect (265)
May 3, 2014
Dr. Michael Brown does what he said in his sub-title: exposes the Biblical fallacies and false emphases of the Hyper-Grace theology and how dangerous such a belief would be to a believers relationship with God.
My problem—andI did have a problem with the material—was that it is argumentative by nature. I am tired of arguing.
A number of Christian books are written in the spirit of confronting controversy—some in the name of controversy, others in the spirit of full-discosure of the true message of Scripture. This idea in of of itself had value to, probably, most Christians but not for me. I am into the Psalms and talking life, not theology.
Dr. Brown writes in a true spirit of Christian love—even Jesus who is the Spirit of Divine love incarnate had to call a Pharisee a pharisee at times. Exposing hypocrisy, heresy, a divisive spirit and all things bad for Christianity—well, it—has to be said by someone, somehow and Michael Brown thankfully is willing to take the heat to expose these.
It just does;t make favorite reading for this old man... any more.
My problem—andI did have a problem with the material—was that it is argumentative by nature. I am tired of arguing.
A number of Christian books are written in the spirit of confronting controversy—some in the name of controversy, others in the spirit of full-discosure of the true message of Scripture. This idea in of of itself had value to, probably, most Christians but not for me. I am into the Psalms and talking life, not theology.
Dr. Brown writes in a true spirit of Christian love—even Jesus who is the Spirit of Divine love incarnate had to call a Pharisee a pharisee at times. Exposing hypocrisy, heresy, a divisive spirit and all things bad for Christianity—well, it—has to be said by someone, somehow and Michael Brown thankfully is willing to take the heat to expose these.
It just does;t make favorite reading for this old man... any more.
March 5, 2014
I have a family member who is into this hyper grace teaching and it really concerned me when I heard things she was being taught. I have tried to ask the teachers themselves questions and they just avoid the question by telling me to refer to their podcasts but not ever addressing my concerns. The family member didn't think it odd one bit that they never answered my questions when I was addressing many passages in the Bible.
It was very refreshing to read Dr. Browns writing on hyper grace because I thought I was only one seeing this weird teaching because no one else I would talk with ever heard of many of these guys so it was really nice to see Dr. Brown address this hyper grace theology.
I would highly recommend this to every Christian
It was very refreshing to read Dr. Browns writing on hyper grace because I thought I was only one seeing this weird teaching because no one else I would talk with ever heard of many of these guys so it was really nice to see Dr. Brown address this hyper grace theology.
I would highly recommend this to every Christian
July 7, 2020
Dr. Brown does a great job of analyzing the modern day grace message without throwing its leaders under the bus. He is fair in his assessments and makes very valid arguments for what he sees as questionable teaching. He acknowledges that most of what the "hyper-grace" teachers are correct, but its the 10% error that can be so damning. He takes this 10% and takes it apart, piece by piece and shows how it is out of line with the entirety of God's Word. Excellent reading and a "must-have" resource.
March 24, 2014
This is an important book especially as we see the ultralight movements in both the church people and outside the church people. My thoughts are that the church references this trend as grace and the unchurched love. Both very similar if you compare the attributes, just different contexts.
Anyway the book is helpful to walk through many common arguments and affirming the more true statements from the bogus exaggerations hyper-grace holds. This will be a good resource to reference in the future.
Anyway the book is helpful to walk through many common arguments and affirming the more true statements from the bogus exaggerations hyper-grace holds. This will be a good resource to reference in the future.
February 9, 2015
Sometimes we hear things that sound good yet catch us off guard later on. Such is this hyper grace teaching that has been spring up across the nation. I read this book to get a clearer picture of what was going on. The is a counter book by Paul Ellis which presents another side of the issue. I will probably read this next, but perhaps the truth is in the middle here, between both books by Brown and Ellis. We must search the scriptures carefully and rightly divided the truth of the word. Perhaps both authors touch on the truth, but not the whole truth.
November 20, 2014
As a whole, I think that Dr. Brown's theology is sound--something for which I've always respected him. Without a doubt, errors concerning our understanding of grace must be adequately addressed. I do, however, agree with another reviewer who found the book to be argumentative. Even though Dr. Brown is always respectful,the argumentative approach just doesn't resonate with me. I'd give the book 3.5 stars if I could, but since I can't, I'm rounding it up to 4.
April 25, 2015
Excellent Book. Not just another elementary teaching on grace, but rather a theological and historical refutation of a very real and modern misunderstanding of what God's grace is and what it does. Dr. Brown offers great insight as well as extensive Biblical reference to his argument. I have come to appreciate Dr. Browns books, his articles, his radio program, and his teaching. Such a clear and deep voice for those of us walking with Jesus.
January 31, 2016
WOW! This book is fantastic! Every Christian should read it. Brown exposes the false doctrine that is lurking in the modern grace message through explanation of Scripture, careful study of Greek and Hebrew, contextual understanding, and basic logic, combating the lies we've been sold with the truth of what the Bible has to say. Grace as God defines it, truly is far better than anything we could contrive on our own!
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January 28, 2014Every Believer Needs To Read This Book!
This Book is thoroughly scriptural and documented. The exposition of scripture given in these pages will cause you to cherish the "So great Salvation" at a brand new level, and appreciate so much more that which Jesus purchased with His precious Blood!
This Book is thoroughly scriptural and documented. The exposition of scripture given in these pages will cause you to cherish the "So great Salvation" at a brand new level, and appreciate so much more that which Jesus purchased with His precious Blood!
March 17, 2014
Another great book by Dr. Michael Brown; easy to read and conversational style. This is an excellent rebuttal to the erroneous hyper grace movement which is common in many churches today. Simply put, God's grace certainly saves us from God's wrath, but also empowers us to live a life pleasing to Him. A must read for anyone in full time ministry today.
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