Andrew Farley - The Grace Message: Is the Gospel Really This Good?

The Grace Message

Is the Gospel really this good?

Andrew Farley

Foreword by Bart Millard of MercyMe

Copyright 2022 by Andrew Farley

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Unless otherwise marked, all Scriptures are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan.

Scriptures marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Names and identifying details of individuals have been changed to protect their privacy.

The author is represented by Don Gates at The Gates Group, www.the-gates-group.com.

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Cataloging-in-Publication data on file with the Library of Congress

ISBN: 978-1-68451-128-0

eISBN: 978-1-68451-287-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021946355

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I came to Christ when I was thirteen years old, but I always felt like something was missing. Then, fast-forward decades later to my first encounter with the grace message.

Its hard to believe the religious ideas youve been told your entire life arent quite the whole truth. So, at first, the grace message seemed too good to be true. But all of a sudden, the light turns on and you go free in the finished work of Christ. The powerful simplicity of the message just blows you away!

In no uncertain terms, Andrew Farley shows why the good news is actually great news. This extraordinary, battle-tested message of hope and freedom has a proven track record of transforming lives. And its a surprising alternative to the popular behavior-improvement message that offers no more than the illusion of sin management. Theres just no comparison, so dont settle for less.

The Grace Message is bursting with truth. The love of God practically drips from its pages. God can use this important book to reinvigorate your faith as you discover how to get way more out of your new life in Christ. Here, youll celebrate Jesus to the fullest and maybe even fall in love with Him all over again. Read it and see for yourself!

Bart Millard

singer/songwriter for MercyMe

A few years ago, I was giving a weekend conference on the grace message. There were a few hundred people packed into the fellowship hall of a small church in the Midwest. Some were taking notes, and many were asking questions.

Everyone was loving it. Well, almost everyone.

I could tell one man was really struggling with what I was saying. He couldnt reconcile everything he was hearing with what hed been taught his whole life. Halfway through the second day, he hit his breaking point. He jumped to his feet in the middle of the session and, in a belligerent tone, declared, All you talk about is grace. What about the deeper things of the Gospel?

Youre ignoring the sanctification process, he continued. Yes, were saved by grace, but you preach a message of cheap grace. Youre giving people a license to sin!

A license to sin? I questioned. People seem to be sinning just fine without a license. What if we give Gods grace a chance?

He stormed out of the room, leaving the audience wondering what might happen next.

This wasnt the first time someone got revved up enough to speak out during my teaching. And it certainly wouldnt be the last. Over the years, Ive seen people become furious and walk out of Bible studies, conference sessions, and Sunday morning servicesall because they didnt agree that Gods grace was really this good.

The fact is that many peopleyes, even lots of well-intentioned believers in Jesusobject to a focus on Gods grace. To them, too much grace seems dangerous. Maybe they think grace teachers are secretly leading lives of wild, unrestrained sin and leading others down that road too. So they attack the message, calling it cheap grace or greasy grace or hyper-grace.

Cheap grace? It cost Jesus everything, and its absolutely free to us! Greasy grace? Were not climbing a firepole up to God and slipping back. God climbed down to us in the person of Christ. Hyper-grace? Well, Im certainly hyper about Gods never-ending grace. Arent you? The Bible actually uses the expression hyper to describe Gods grace:

Romans 5:20: hypereperisseusenGods grace over-abounded!

Ephesians 2:7: hyperballonGods grace surpasses and exceeds (expectations)!

1 Timothy 1:14: hyperepleonasenGods grace was in surpassing abundance!

The Greek prefix hyper, meaning above and beyond, over the top, or in excess, is used a few times to describe Gods grace in the New Testament. Why shouldnt we be hyper about the surpassing overabundance of His grace?

• God is the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10).
• Grace is multiplied to us in the knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:2).
• Jesus is full of grace (John 1:14).
• The Old Testament prophesied about this grace we have today (1 Peter 1:10).
• Theres more than enough grace to go around (1 Timothy 1:14).
• Weve received an abundance of grace (Romans 5:17).
• For us, its grace upon grace (John 1:16).
• We stand in grace (Romans 5:2).
• The grace of God overflows to us (Romans 5:15).
• The Gospel itself is called the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24; Galatians 1:6).
• Were saved by grace (Ephesians 2:5, 8).
• Grace doesnt just bring salvation. It teaches us to say no to sin (Titus 2:1112).
• Its important not to miss the grace of God (Hebrews 12:15).
• When theres sinning going on, God dishes out grace even more (Romans 5:20; Romans 6:1).
• God knows sin wont master us if were under His grace (Romans 6:14).
• Paul and Barnabas urged converts to continue in Gods grace (Acts 13:43).
• Were supposed to set our hope completely on Gods grace (1 Peter 1:13).
• Its good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace (Hebrews 13:9).
• We grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18).
• Were called to stand firm and be strong in the grace of God (1 Peter 5:12; 2 Timothy 2:1).

I could keep going.