The Hyper-Grace Gospel: A Response to Michael Brown and Those Opposed to the Modern Grace Message

BOOK: The Hyper-Grace Gospel: A Response to Michael Brown and Those Opposed to the Modern Grace Message
7.12Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

The Hyper-Grace Gospel: A Response to Michael Brown and Those
Opposed to the Modern Grace Message

 

ISBN:
978-1-927230-17-6

Copyright
© 2014 by Paul Ellis

 

Published
by KingsPress. This title is also available as a paperback. Visit
www.KingsPress.org
for information.

 

All
rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents may not be
reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent
of the publisher. An exception is made for brief quotations in reviews. The use
of short quotes or occasional page copying for personal or group study is also
permitted and encouraged.

 

Unless
otherwise indicated all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,
Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
www.zondervan.com 

 

Scripture
quotations marked “
ESV”
are taken from the The Holy
Bible, English Standard Version®
.
Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a
publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.

 

Scripture
quotations marked “
AMP”
are taken from the Amplified
Bible. Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman
Foundation. Used by permission.

 

Scripture
quotations marked “
NKJV”
are taken from the New King
James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.

 

Please
note that KingsPress’ publishing style capitalizes certain pronouns in
Scripture that refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and may differ from
some publisher’s styles.

 

Quotes
taken from
Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message
,
copyright © 2014 by Michael L. Brown, published by Charisma House, Lake Mary,
Florida 32746, www.charismahouse.com, are used by permission.

 

Cover
layout and design by Brad Wallace of bradwallaceimaging.com.

 

Any
Internet addresses printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not
intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by KingsPress, nor does
KingsPress vouch for the content of these sites for the life of this book.

 

Version:
1.0 (April 2014)

 

Dedication:
This is for everyone who dares to preach the hyper-grace gospel!

 

 

E
ndorsements

 

Michael
Brown has unknowingly paid a great compliment to those of us who teach and
write about the gospel of grace. To label us hyper-grace teachers puts us in
some exceptional company, such as the Apostle Paul! Paul Ellis has masterfully
answered Michael Brown’s criticisms and untangled many of the distortions his
book represents. For that, I am profoundly grateful. This book is a must read!


    
CLARK WHITTEN

Pastor, Grace Church, Orlando, FL, and author of
Pure Grace

 

I
can think of no better person to respond to the accusations against the modern
grace message than my friend, Paul Ellis. His defense is filled with exactly
what I would expect

respect, wisdom, and an
abundance of grace. Those reading his new book,
The Hyper Grace Gospel
,
will be pleased to find, not an argumentative treatise, but a love story of
redemption and forgiveness that provides hope for the entire world.


    
LUCAS MILES

President, The Oasis Network For Churches

 

Paul
Ellis’ new book exposes the misrepresentations and misunderstandings of many
Christians concerning the grace message and grace believers. This book will not
only help you to see the flaws of a mixed gospel, it will help you to find your
true self. It is the modern day Magna Carta of Christianity.


    
SIMON YAP WEI TOONG

Teacher, The Grace Place Kuala Lumpur, blogger at His Grace is
Enough

 

Paul
Ellis’ new book
The Hyper-Grace Gospel
, is a brilliant and insightful
response to Dr Brown’s objections, as well as the many other myths and
misunderstandings that some have about the message of grace. I highly recommend
it.


    
ED ELLIOTT

President, Word of Life World Outreach

 

I
have never read anything by Paul Ellis that I didn’t love. His laser-sharp
focus on Jesus, his commitment to the authority of Scripture, and his gracious
demeanor go a long way in clearing the air with the grace and truth of our
Savior.
The Hyper-Grace Gospel
is no exception. It should be read by
anyone who wants to understand this current reformation and return to the
too-good-be-true message of salvation and life in Christ!


    
JEREMY WHITE

Pastor, Valley Church, Vacaville, CA, and author of
The
Gospel Uncut

 

All
I can say about this book is that I wanted to write a book in response to
Michael Brown’s book and have no need to do so anymore. This is a more than a
sufficient, answer to the logic followed by Dr. Brown. It is a must read.


    
BERTIE BRITS

Pastor, Dynamic Love Ministries, South Africa

 

In
his new book Paul Ellis clarifies the central tenets of the gospel message
while answering its critics with clarity and grace. Truly the gospel is the
liberating good news of a God who loves us beyond what we can imagine. That
message is worth defending and Paul does so eloquently. This book may well
become a handbook for all who preach God’s glorious grace.


    
TONY IDE

Pastor, Freedom Life Church, Perth, Australia

 

As a
preacher who has been labeled “hyper-grace,” I found myself with a grin from
ear to ear as I read this book. People have always twisted the message of grace
into a false message that they could attack. It’s refreshing to see someone
dealing with these issues in the same manner as the Apostle Paul. Bypassing
straw-man arguments, Paul Ellis writes concisely, yet comprehensively, all the
while preaching the truth in grace and love. It’s this skill that makes him one
of my favorite authors.


    
PHIL DRYSDALE

PhilDrysdale.com, author of
You Do Not Have a Sinful Nature

 

Grace
that is misunderstood, is grace that is not received. In this book, Paul Ellis
brings amazing clarity and understanding to grace, which is the very essence of
the gospel. I highly recommend
The Hyper-Grace Gospel
.


    
CHRIS BARHORST

Pastor, True Life Church, Greenville, OH

 

Paul
Ellis may have written this as a response to Dr. Brown’s book but the result is
an excellent picture of the importance of having a sure foundation in the true
love and grace of God. This is a great book to give to anyone to show them the
contrast between religious-based and grace-based Christianity.


    
TED NELSON

Pastor, The Grace Station, Wausau, WI

 

The
message of grace has drawn its fair share of judgment. While confronting issues
and answering critics in our own corners of the globe, many of us shake our
heads in frustration at the same old arguments rising up in new places. In Paul
Ellis’ work, we have found a voice that says, in a concise and all-encompassing
way, what many of us have said. Now that someone wrote it down, we can all
continue the business of making Jesus look good.


    
PAUL WHITE

Pastor, Midland Church, Poplar Bluff, MO, and author
Revelation
to Transformation

 

Whilst
I am not generally fond of dialogue which draws attention to doctrinal
differences and disagreements amongst Christians, many of the New Testament
epistles exist only because of this very thing. And we are all the better for
it. I commend both Michael Brown and Paul Ellis for their courage and convictions,
and for encouraging us to engage with such a worthy subject matter. Amazing
grace, how sweet the sound!


    
CHAD M. MANSBRIDGE

Pastor, Bayside Int. Church, Australia, and author of
He
Qualifies You

 

I
believe Dr. Michael Brown has a passion to protect the gospel and for that I
commend and respect him. However, in my opinion, his understanding of the
gospel is not quite rightly divided between the new and old covenants. It has
some misinterpretations that clearly contradict new covenant doctrine. His
views unfortunately put him at odds with many great preachers of today who also
love the Word of God and are passionate about keeping the gospel pure. I’m glad
Paul Ellis has written a response to Dr. Michael Brown’s book. Paul’s response
is fair, well written, gracious, and respectful. It’s not a fight or an
argument but a straight-forward response to a view that undermines the new
covenant, our faith, the goodness of God, the way we relate to God, and what
motivates us to live for Jesus.


    
RYAN RUFUS

Pastor, City Church Int., Hong Kong, and author of
After
the Revolution

 

In
Jesus you’re forgiven, sanctified, made holy and made eternally righteousness,
yet Dr. Brown says Jesus isn’t enough. Now he wouldn’t come right out and say
such a thing but Dr. Ellis pinpoints with laser sharp accuracy where Dr. Brown
still depends on human effort to complete the work Jesus began. Paul Ellis’
response to Dr. Brown is one of respect and brotherly love. It’s refreshing to
see mature communication on such a hotly debated issue. Paul’s explanation of
grace and sanctification brings a degree of clarity often missed in
Christianity today. To quote Dr. Ellis, “The hyper-grace gospel is easy to
recognize for it is nothing more than boasting about Jesus.”


    
CLINT BYARS

Pastor, Forward Church, Atlanta,
GA, and author of
Good God

 

How
saved are we? In Paul Ellis’ doubt-erasing new book, we are expertly guided
into the truth that our salvation consists wholly in the historic biblical
doctrine of pure grace, empowered by the message of unfailingly good news, and
is accomplished through the singularly glorious work of Jesus Christ. Marvelous
truth!


    
CHUCK CRISCO

Author of
Extraordinary Gospel: Experiencing the Goodness
of God

Table of
Contents

 

Introduction

The power of love

The backlash against the grace
message

Why I wrote this book

PART A: The Hyper-Grace Gospel

What is hyper-grace?

Alternatives to hyper-grace

20 Differences between the mixed- and
hyper-grace gospels

How to recognize a mixed-grace gospel

How to recognize the hyper-grace
gospel

The hyper-grace gospel quiz

PART B: 12 Myths about the
Hyper-Grace Gospel

Myth 1: Hyper-grace preachers are
against repentance

Myth 2: Hyper-grace preachers are
against confession

Myth 3: The hyper-grace gospel is
universalism in disguise

Myth 4: Hyper-grace preachers say
it’s wrong to ask God for forgiveness

Myth 5: Hyper-grace preachers say God
is not grieved by your sin

Myth 6: Hyper-grace preachers are
against the law

Myth 7: Hyper-grace preachers ignore
the Old Testament

Myth 8: Hyper-grace preachers
disregard the words of Jesus

Myth 9: The hyper-grace gospel
encourages sin

Myth 10: The hyper-grace gospel
discourages obedience and holy living

Myth 11: Hyper-grace preachers don’t
talk about hell and wrath

Myth 12: The hyper-grace gospel makes
people lazy

PART C: A Response to Michael L.
Brown

Preface

Chapter 1: Why I love the message of
grace

Chapter 2: Is there a new grace
reformation?

Chapter 3: Name-calling,
judgmentalism, and divisiveness in the name of grace

Chapter 4: Has God already forgiven
our future sins?

Chapter 5: Should believers confess
their sins to God?

Chapter 6: The Holy Spirit,
conviction of sin, and repentance

Chapter 7: Sanctified or not?

Chapter 8: Find out what pleases the
Lord

Chapter 9: Is spirituality
effortless?

Chapter 10: Is God always in a good
mood?

Chapter 11: Marcion revisited

Chapter 12: The law of the Lord is
good

Chapter 13: Why are we running from
the words of Jesus?

Chapter 14: The new Gnostics

Chapter 15: The finished work of the
cross

Appendix: Once saved, always saved?

Summary of
Hyper-Grace

Final Word

Acknowledgements

Other books by Paul Ellis

 

Other books

The Chevalier by Seewald, Jacqueline
Conquering Lazar by Alta Hensley
Mandy Makes Her Mark by Ruby Laska
The Keys to the Street by Ruth Rendell
Pirate Loop, The by Guerrier, Simon
Falling for the Boss by Matthews, Erica
Durbar by Singh, Tavleen
How Sweet It Is by Alice Wisler
The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith