Dennis Rokser on the FGA Panel Discussion
The following is from Pastor Dennis Rokser. He is pastor of the Duluth Bible Church in Duluth, MN. Pastor Rokser also hosts the Grace Family Journal
Greetings everyone in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ:
I also attended the Free Grace Alliance (FGA) conference and am thankful for their desire to stand for the grace of God.
Dr. Charlie Bing made it clear in his plenary session that while we must be gracious in our manner, the FGA stands behind their covenant/statement of faith:
“The Grace of God in justification is an unconditional free gift. The sole means of receiving the free gift of eternal life is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose substitutionary death on the cross fully satisfied the requirement for our justification. Faith is a personal response, apart from our works, whereby we are persuaded that the finished work of Jesus Christ has delivered us from condemnation and guaranteed our eternal life.”
Dr. Bing then proceeded to clarify that that “finished work” involves the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that those who cannot agree with that statement should not be in the FGA.
Also, I heard a number of comments after the panel discussion from a variety of people in attendance that they greatly appreciated Tom Stegall's use of the Scriptures to defend his position as well as his humble & gracious manner. I thought his biblical defense was outstanding for the time allotted.
I was encouraged with the basic doctrine and direction of the FGA leadership, and they will be in my prayers, especially their new executive director, J.B. Hixson, whom I respect.
As any start-up organization, they have some loose ends to tie up and issues to address, and may God give them the courage to stand for the Gospel and the truths of grace, leaving the results with the Lord, and to not practice the “ends justify the means” mentality of human viewpoint so prevalent in evangelical circles today.
We were assured by FGA leadership that they are going to continue to discuss and resolve the issue of the Crossless gospel in the near future. Please pray for them.
The atmosphere was relaxed; the fellowship was encouraging; the panel discussions were informative (though they needed a couple more hours on the crossless issue).
I'm glad that I attended. It was also great to meet new folks and fellowship with those I've met in the past.
Dennis Rokser
That is very interesting Dr. Bing stated that those who cannot agree with the statement of faith should not be in the FGA. I know a number of people in the FGA cannot honestly agree with that statement. I wonder if anyone is honest enough to admit it and leave for that reason? Is there any evidence that individuals who openly argued against this statement will be asked to leave at this point?
ReplyDeleteI'm also happy to hear Pastor Tom Stegall made the most of the time alloted.
-- Greg
Hi Greg:
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don’t know how a man could, in good conscience; stay on the FGA when his personal position is not consistent with the FGA statement of faith.
What I do know is that the same thing goes on at some of the seminaries.
This summer one man at a well known seminary told me directly that there are men on the faculty that sign a document that states they are in agreement with the seminary’s statement of faith. The problem is that these men are NOT in agreement, but sign it anyway.
What they do is use the seminary to teach what they believe is right; knowing that what they are teaching is counter to what the seminary stands for.
In any event, I am highly confident in Dr. Bing’s leadership. Of the FGA and it will all be sorted out in due time.
Lou
Greg:
ReplyDeleteI also heard from some additional men, who were at the FGA and heard the panel discussion, that Tom Stegall was the only man who spoke from the Scriptures.
Lou
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you delete my comment?
ReplyDeleteBecause the contents of the site you linked to (if written by a Christian) could only come from a mind that is not just carnal, but quite possibly under the influence of the Devil.
ReplyDeleteLM
You might want to post that link at sites that promote the "Crossless" gospel.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I believe they might be very uncomfortable with being associated with it.
LM
I would like to expound on the following statement by Dennis Rokser. He writes:
ReplyDelete"Dr. Charlie Bing made it clear in his plenary session that while we must be gracious in our manner, the FGA stands behind their covenant/statement of faith:
'The Grace of God in justification is an unconditional free gift. The sole means of receiving the free gift of eternal life is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose substitutionary death on the cross fully satisfied the requirement for our justification. Faith is a personal response, apart from our works, WHEREBY WE ARE PERSUADED THAT THE FINISHED WORK OF JESUS CHRIST HAS DELIVERED US FROM CONDEMNATION and guaranteed our eternal life' (bold added).
Dr. Bing then proceeded to clarify that that “finished work” involves the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that those who cannot agree with that statement should not be in the FGA."
These statements are also in writing at the FGA website. Under the "Join FGA" link, we read:
"Membership first means standing in agreement with the Free Grace Alliance. Our beliefs are stated in our covenant and we ask that all individuals who wish to join us agree with us on these central issues."
To "AGREE" with the aforementioned FGA covenant/statement of faith, it seems Antonio da Rosa & Co. would have to CUT and EDIT it to read as follows: "Faith is a personal response, apart from our works, whereby we are persuaded that . . . Jesus . . . has . . . guaranteed our eternal life."
JP:
ReplyDeleteYou are essentially correct.
The “Crossless” advocates insist the lost man does not need to know, understand or believe that Jesus died on the cross in payment for his sins. Hodges, who originated the “Crossless” gospel says that a lost man can saved apart from any detailed knowledge of what Jesus did to provide salvation.
The cross, the “finished work of Christ,” obviously refers to His death on the cross and bodily resurrection.
According to “Crossless” men His death and resurrection is NOT something the lost man must be persuaded of. That is counter to the FGA statement. I am seeing signs that the issue is becoming politcal from the "Crossless" side of the debate.
The “Crossless” advocates will stay in the FGA as long as they can despite their being at odds with the FGA statement of faith. They will do what they can to influence for “Crossless” theology from the inside. They’ll keep at it until such time they are removed from, resign their membership or the “Crossless” men take control of the FGA.
There can and should never be middle ground on this doctrinal divide!
LM