The Necessity of Forbidden Fellowship

I want to express my thanks to Dr. Hixson for publishing his new book, and especially for the brief footnote section that addresses the Grace Evangelical Society’s “Crossless” interpretation of the Gospel. He has demonstrated that the Crossless gospel is not consistent with the Scriptures.

I am looking forward to the Free Grace Seminary’s New Book on the Doctrine of Salvation titled, Free Grace Theology: A Primer on Traditional Dispensational Soteriology.

The GES interpretation of the Gospel is “contrary to the doctrine (we) have learned” (Rom. 16:17). It is antithetical to the biblical plan of salvation. This reductionist view that originated with Zane Hodges, which is being perpetuated by the Grace Evangelical Society (GES) is the source of and reason for the necessary action of marking its advocates so that they will be avoided, especially by the unsuspecting (Rom. 16:17-18).

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

An expanded literal translation of v. 17 could read, “Now brethren, I am admonishing and begging you to continually scrutinize the ones causing divisions and offences.” That is, we are to take note of, and point out for others, those referred to in Romans 16: 17-20 as the ones who “cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned.” Dr. Mark Minnick said,

What is this paragraph talking about? If you would look at verse 17 you will see that it is a paragraph dealing with people who are teaching contrary doctrine. . . . These are people who are teaching as truth doctrine that actually is alongside orthodoxy. They are teaching what is a contradiction to, what is the opposite of, what is antithetical to, the doctrines that are taught in the Scripture.1

Those who through false teaching cause divisions are to be marked. It is biblical to personally identify false teachers and point them out so that others may avoid them. Paul uses the word cause (poieo), meaning produce, construct, form, or fashion in reference to those who are the authors of division through their false teaching. Minnick also said,

For the sake of those whom he is leading astray or who might be led astray by him if not properly warned from the Scripture, a faithful minister of Christ must warn against that man even though he pretends to, and perhaps to an extent does, preach the gospel. At best, this is a situation in which a disobedient Christian is behaving like a false teacher. . . . But when some man is the prime instigator, promoter, and advocate of an unbiblical position, we must expose that man as we denounce the sin he is promoting.2

It would be a genuine tragedy of the Crossless gospel if even one more unsuspecting believer were to swept into these egregious errors. It would be equally tragic if any one, who understands that this is a gross departure from the Scriptures on a major doctrine, were to encourage or seek out fellowship with its prime instigators. Unity at the Price of Truth is Treason!

Until recent months the spread of the Crossless gospel had been promoted largely unchecked. The Crossless gospel has been fully exposed and the teachers of this reductionist error identified. It is, therefore, far less likely that the GES will have many new opportunities or success spreading their interpretation of the Gospel into churches and fellowships.

I want to remind guests that the “REDEFINED” Free Grace Theology of Zane Hodges and Bob Wilkin is NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The GES has consistently slid into ever increasing errors that have isolated it as an extremist fringe element in the Free Grace community.

I am grateful the obvious meaning of the Free Grace Alliance covenant has been clarified. (Dr. Charlie Bing Affirms the FGA Covenant) Any advocate of the Crossless gospel, who is willing to be honest about his views, cannot be in agreement with the FGA covenant now that its meaning has been unmistakably clarified.

If the Free Grace community is to ever become an effective voice for the one true Gospel of Jesus Christ and effectively resist the errors of Lordship Salvation it must cease any cooperation with and withdraw fellowship from the advocates of the Grace Evangelical Society’s Crossless gospel.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple,” (Romans 16:17-18).

“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. . . . And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother,” (2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15).

If we are to live in obedience to the Lord we must follow the biblical mandates (Rom. 16:17-18; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15) that forbid fellowship and cooperation with brethren who are the instigators of egregious doctrinal error. The advocates of the GES’s “Crossless” gospel are without any question “prime instigators” of reductionist error on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Where does your first loyalty lie; to friends and fellowships, or to the Lord?


LM

1. The Scriptural Response To Teachers of Doctrinal Error, a sermon recorded November, 1997 at the Mid-America Conference on Preaching.
2. Ibid.