Authors: Paul Ellis
Tags: #Christianity, #God, #Grace, #Love
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
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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.
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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
The backlash against the grace
message
PART A: The Hyper-Grace Gospel
20 Differences between the mixed- and
hyper-grace gospels
How to recognize a mixed-grace gospel
How to recognize the hyper-grace
gospel
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
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 8: Find out what pleases the
Lord
Chapter 9: Is spirituality
effortless?
Chapter 10: Is God always in a good
mood?
Chapter 12: The law of the Lord is
good
Chapter 13: Why are we running from
the words of Jesus?
Chapter 15: The finished work of the
cross
Appendix: Once saved, always saved?