Liberal Theology Makes An Idol of God's Grace

Mike Ratliff says in part (teaching on Romans 8:1-2):

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2 ESV)


Liberal theology makes an idol of God’s grace. It claims that God’s grace trumps His wrath, His judgment, His holiness, and His righteousness. Some of its proponents go so far as to separate our Lord Jesus Christ from God as He is revealed in the Old Testament. The New Evangelism and the emergents have bought into these errors in a big way. Combine this with very “cool” preachers, such as Rob Bell, who are somewhat intellectual in how they write and preach and you have a combination of sorts that is particularly attractive to the younger generation. Of course, those who believe like this are most certainly not limited to just the young. In any case, of what does the genuine Christian life in the Spirit consist? What does it mean that Christians belong to the Lord Jesus?

End quote.

He goes on to share a Puritan Prayer and then exegete Romans 8:1-2. But the above caught my eye because he is RIGHT ON TARGET! He said it better than I could. Liberal theology really does make an IDOL of God's grace. That is to say, its no longer true grace nor that of the true God of Scripture---twisting and distorting Scripture and God is what the ignorant and unstable do, to their own destruction, 2Peter 3:16 says.

People who reject God's holiness will never see their own total depravity and therefore their need of forgiveness of sin, mercy, and grace. They still own pride and wave it around in their rebellion against the Holy Holy Holy God. They are glory robbers, white-washed tombstones: looking pretty good with some "good" works, but inside they are dead, rotten, and decayed with a stentch that is putrid.

Coming "face to face" with the God of Scripture, not the god of our own imagination or dreams, but as HE truly IS, will cause us to face ourselves as we TRULY ARE: sinful, unclean, unholy, desrving Hell, dead, disobedient, in the flesh, lawless, disobedient, and His enemy.

A few examples of those who saw God as He is:

Isaiah:

Isa 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Isa 6:3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
Isa 6:4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5 And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
Isa 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
Isa 6:7 And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."

Job:

Job 42:5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

The Samitan villiage where the woman at the well lived:

Joh 4:42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."