Free grace theology
Free Grace theology is a Christian soteriological view which holds that the only condition of salvation is faith, excluding good works and perseverance, holding to eternal security. Free Grace advocates believe that good works are not necessary to merit, to maintain or to prove salvation, but rather are part of discipleship and the basis for receiving eternal rewards. This soteriological view distinguishes between salvation and discipleshipthe call to believe in Christ as Savior and to receive the gift of eternal life, and the call to follow Christ and become an obedient disciple, respectively. Free Grace theologians emphasize the absolute freeness of salvation and the possibility of full assurance that is not grounded upon personal performance. Thus, Free Grace theology allows for the salvation of an individual despite moral failings, although the disobedient Christian will face divine discipline. Norman Geisler has divided this view into a moderate form and a more radical form. The moderate form being associated with Charles Ryrie and the strong form with Zane Hodges.
The modern form of Free Grace theology has its roots in the soteriology of formulated by many dispensational theologians, though not being necessarily tied to dispensationalism. This form of soteriology was coined with the name "free grace" by Zane Hodges. Free Grace views of salvation have been mainly taught among Southern Baptists, Independent Baptists, Plymouth Brethren, Calvary Chapel churches, non-denominational churches, churches affiliated with Florida Bible College, Bible churches, local churches influenced by Watchman Nee, churches influenced by R. B. Thieme, Greater Grace churches, the IFCA, and other independent churches. Similar views were in the past were also held in some form by the extinct Sandemanian churches alongside some old Scotch Baptists.
History
Early Church (4th-6th centuries)
According to Ken Wilson, Augustine of Hippo criticized unnamed individuals who held to the view that one is saved by faith alone and that God's future judgement for Christians only consisted of temporal punishment and reward; Hell was out of question. Thus, they held that deeds such as turning from sin and doing good works were not necessary to enter Heaven.Jody Dillow quoted the 6th-century writer Pseudo-Chrysostom as holding the view held by some Free Grace theologians that the one who does not obey will be in the kingdom but not "reign" with Christ.
Background (18th-20th centuries)
Although the modern Free Grace movement does not directly descend from Glasite churches, the doctrines of Sandemanianism concerning salvation, which were popularized by the non-conformist Robert Sandeman and the Baptist preacher Archibald McLean have been compared to some segments of the Free Grace movement, particularly in the controversy between Andrew Fuller and McLean. This is largely due to the Sandemanian denial that commitment or affections were a necessary part of faith, which Andrew Fuller rejected by arguing that faith must involve commitment to Christ, viewing Sandemanianism as antinomian. Some similar views to Free Grace theology were also held by some early Keswick influenced writers in their strong distinction between salvation and sanctification, including writers such as D. L. Moody, who allowed truly saved people to experience carnal lives. Nonetheless, the views of these Keswick authors did not fully align with modern Free Grace theology, as they still retained several distinct theological differences. Even so, Keswick thought exerted some influence on the early faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary, including figures like Lewis Sperry Chafer and W. H. Griffith Thomas.Free grace views on topics such as assurance without introspection and eternal rewards were also found very commonly among early dispensationalists; this includes John Nelson Darby, James Hall Brookes and C. I. Scofield, who argued for every believer's right for absolute assurance of salvation and the distinction between eternal life which is based on belief in the gospel and eternal reward which is merited, although despite these similarities, many of them nevertheless still held to a soft form of the perseverance of the saints. Nevertheless, this dispensationalist system made it possible to interpret large portions of the Bible as non-soteriological, allowing for the free grace distinction between justification and sanctification, and the emphasis on eternal reward as distinct from salvation.
Free Grace ideas were especially supported by the English dispensationalist dissenter Robert Govett, who left the Church of England over the issues of infant baptism and eschatology, as according to Govett, the Christian's conduct does not influence whether they receive eternal life, but rather it determines the nature of their rewards in the age to come. Govett influenced a number of later writers such as G. H. Lang, D. M Panton and Watchman Nee, who held to similar views of salvation. Despite major theological differences on multiple issues, similar views to Free Grace theology on the topics of salvation by faith and eternal rewards were also taken by many ultradispensationalists, which emerged primarily through the influence of E. W. Bullinger, a prominent English biblical scholar and dispensationalist.
The modern Free Grace movement (20th-21st centuries)
The modern Free Grace movement is significantly influenced by in the theological views articulated by Lewis Sperry Chafer, who published the book He That Is Spiritual in which he articulated many Free Grace viewpoints. This caused a smaller scale controversy in his day, when B. B. Warfield took issue with Chafer's doctrine. His views were a major influence upon modern proponents of Free Grace theology. Slightly before the Lordship salvation controversy, Everett F. Harrison opposed the view that one must make Christ the "Lord of one's life" and make a commitment to follow Jesus in order to be justified. Harrison held a debate with John Stott on the issue in 1959, mirroring the Lordship salvation controversy.The Lordship salvation controversy involved those holding to Free Grace theology. The debate was centered around the question on whether accepting Jesus Christ as savior necessarily implies one must make a concrete commitment in life toward the Christ, such as following a certain behavior or moral system. The debate surfaced when John McArthur's book The Gospel According to Jesus generated a strong response from proponents of Free Grace theology. The first to respond against the views of McArthur was Charles Ryrie, who wrote the book So Great Salvation where he articulated Free Grace theology. Zane Hodges followed by publishing his books against the Lordship salvation view. The debate was reignited in the 21st century when Wayne Grudem wrote against Free Grace theology, leading to a renewed interest in the topic.
Around the 1990s, Hodges began to articulate what has been called the "crossless gospel", which—although often seen as a derogatory term—is the belief that one must only believe in Jesus' promise of eternal life to be saved; knowledge of the substitutionary atonement is unnecessary for salvation. This evolved into the crossless gospel controversy in 2005, when the Grace Evangelical Society officially declared its stance on faith to include only Jesus' promise of eternal life to the one who believes, causing many members to leave. Other Free Grace theologians associated with the Free Grace Alliance such as David R. Anderson, Joseph Dillow, Charlie Bing, and Charles Ryrie hold that one must believe in the person and work of Christ to be saved, disagreeing with the view of the Grace Evangelical Society.
Similarly, there has been controversy among Independent Baptists on Free Grace views, as the chief editor of The Sword of the Lord newspaper, established by John R. Rice, became Curtis Hutson after Rice's death. However, that has been highly controversial among Independent Baptists, as he held to a Free Grace view of salvation, believing that repentance is simply a synonym for belief in Christ. Some Independent Baptists believe that Curtis Hutson changed the original stances of the newspaper held by John R. Rice, while the current chief editor Shelton Smith argued that John R. Rice did not disagree with the soteriological views of Curtis Hutson. This view was shared by the widely influential Independent Baptist author Jack Hyles, who in his widely influential book Let's Go Soulwinning, advocated for the change of mind view of repentance.
Free grace views of salvation were also held by the famous Southern Baptist preacher Charles Stanley. He articulated this perspective notably in his book Eternal Security, where he argued that a single moment of simple faith is sufficient to receive salvation, even if a person later apostatizes. This book was also personally endorsed by Zane Hodges.
Dallas Theological Seminary
Many modern proponents of Free Grace theology studied and taught at the Dallas Theological Seminary, including Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Zane C. Hodges, and Dave Anderson, though the seminary itself does not hold to Free Grace. A number of Free Grace churches are pastored by graduates of Dallas Theological Seminary. A number of opponents of Free Grace also graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary, including Darrel Bock and Daniel Wallace.Dallas Theological Seminary was more influenced by Free Grace theology during the 20th century. Despite the influence of Free Grace theology at the seminary, its popularity has declined there over the last century.