Grace Has Been Hijacked
If grace leaves sin’s rule intact, it isn’t grace
If your definition of grace can’t survive Romans, Titus, and Jude, it isn’t grace. It’s a religious story that leaves sin’s rule intact.
That’s not tone. That’s life and death.
Grace is unmerited favor with real power—not permission, not payment
If you read Grace In The Scriptures and Seven Ways We Have Neutered Grace, you already know the problem: we keep describing grace like it does nothing. Here’s the truth: grace is not God being “nice;” grace is God intervening—free favor with real power. Not God lowering the bar—God raising the dead.
So any “grace” that makes peace with sin, makes works the ground, or leaves sin’s dominion unchallenged is not a harmless emphasis. It’s counterfeit.
Counterfeits kill in predictable ways: they produce false assurance, numb the conscience, dull biblical warnings, and shift trust off Christ—either onto self-righteousness or spiritual apathy—until repentance feels unnecessary.
Grace can be received “in vain”—so not every “grace” saves
Grace has been softened into a church-word—something gentle enough to cushion every warning and excuse every compromise. Hard texts get sanded down. Sin gets renamed. Repentance gets postponed.
Scripture won’t allow that.
“We… beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” — 2 Corinthians 6:1
Grace without a repentant life—without turning from defended sin—is danger dressed as comfort.
Define the terms before the slogans hide the truth
Grace trains and changes direction
Biblical grace is unearned favor and effective help in Christ—grace that doesn’t only forgive; it trains.
“The grace of God… bringing salvation…
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly…” — Titus 2:11–12
Grace trains the heart increasingly toward what God loves. If the “grace” being preached can coexist with ongoing rebellion, it is not the grace Titus describes.
Works cannot be the ground
Works become poison when they’re treated as the basis of acceptance—so Christ becomes “helpful” instead of necessary.
“And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.” — Romans 11:6
If works are the ground, grace has been redefined out of existence.
Fruit is the effect, not the price
Fruit is what grace produces—not what we pay to obtain grace.
“His grace… was not in vain; but I laboured… yet not I, but the grace of God…” — 1 Corinthians 15:10
Grace doesn’t erase effort. It kills boasting. It produces obedience without making obedience the purchase price.
“Unchanged” doesn’t mean struggling—it means defended dominion
When I say “unchanged,” I do not mean you still struggle, still feel temptation, or have seasons where the fight is ugly. Scripture recognizes real saints in real battles.
What it does not treat as normal is defended, unrepentant practice—sin you protect, excuse, and refuse to bring into the light; sin you will not forsake; sin you demand to keep while expecting grace to approve you.
The diagnostic isn’t “Are you flawless?”
It’s: Who rules?
“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” — Romans 6:14
Dominion language. Rule language. Ownership language.
Four counterfeits Scripture condemns
Earned grace: Christ plus my contribution
Claim: Christ helps, but I still earn my standing.
“If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” — Galatians 2:21
If acceptance is earned, the cross becomes unnecessary. Christ is no longer Savior—just assistant.
Verdict: Not grace. A different gospel.
Alibi grace: security used as permission
Claim: I’m “covered,” so sin can still rule me.
“Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.” — Romans 6:1–2
“Turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness…” — Jude 1:4
Clarification: this is not a debate about perseverance. It’s a warning to anyone using “security” as an excuse for unrepentant practice.
Verdict: Not grace. A spiritual alibi.
Inert grace: forgiveness with no training
Claim: Grace forgives, but never confronts, never forms, never changes direction.
“Receive not the grace of God in vain.” — 2 Corinthians 6:1
“This is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.” — 1 Peter 5:12
If there is “true” grace, there is counterfeit grace. A grace with no repentance and no training is grace in name only.
Verdict: Not grace. A gospel with no power.
Soft grace: kindness without cleansing
Claim: Grace means God isn’t bothered by sin anymore.
Grace is kind—never morally indifferent. Grace cost blood.
“Redemption through his blood… according to the riches of his grace.” — Ephesians 1:7
Verdict: Not grace. Comfort detached from Christ—forgiveness without lordship, kindness without cleansing.
Cross-examination: What does your “grace” produce?
What has grace trained you to deny?
“Teaching us that, denying ungodliness…” — Titus 2:12
Name it. What has grace actually trained you to put to death?
Do you come for help—or keep sin undisturbed?
“Come boldly unto the throne of grace… find grace to help…” — Hebrews 4:16
Do you come for mercy and help, or do you avoid the throne because you want your sin undisturbed?
Does “grace” in your mouth require truth to be silent?
“Full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14
Does your version of grace need truth to shut up, soften, or stop naming sin?
When you fall, do you repent—or rename sin?
“Sin shall not have dominion over you…” — Romans 6:14
When you fall, do you return, confess, and fight—or do you rename sin so you can keep it?
These questions aren’t comfort. They’re a test of ownership.
For the terrified struggler: the fight and the returning matter
If you hate your sin, confess it, keep coming back to Christ, and refuse to make peace with what God condemns—do not confuse the presence of battle with the absence of grace. The fight matters. The returning matters.
But hear this too: if you claim to “hate” a sin while defending it, hiding it, and keeping it fed, you don’t hate it—you’re protecting it.
Grace does not demand you pretend you’re strong. Grace demands you stop pretending you’re fine.
Do something with this—this week
It is possible to agree with every sentence in this essay and still be deceived. Agreement is cheap. Repentance is real.
Name the sin you’ve been protecting
Name it plainly, before God. Not “my struggles.” Not “my issues.” The sin.
Repent in actions, not intentions
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Repentance, in action:
Confess it. Cut access. Set a boundary. -
Obedience, this week:
Choose one concrete change you will make in the next seven days—and make it.
Come for help, not appearances
“Find grace to help in time of need.” — Hebrews 4:16
Come for mercy. Come for help. Come for cleansing.
This is Titus 2 grace: help that trains you in this present world.
If grace is Christ, stop hiding—come into the light and let Him save you all the way
Here’s the line you can’t cross without changing the gospel:
Grace is free—so you cannot earn it.
Grace is powerful—so it will not leave dominion untouched.
Grace is holy—so it will not bless what God forbids.
If your “grace” is an alibi for sin, it will betray you.
If grace is Christ, stop hiding—come into the light and let Him save you all the way. (Hebrews 7:25)