Twisting The True Grace Message - THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST

Twisting the True Grace Message

How the Church Turned Almighty Grace into an Offer Depend-On-You Gospel

They call it a gift.
They wrap it in nice words, decorate it with church sayings, and deliver it from polished pulpits with a confident smile.

“Salvation is free,” they say.
“Grace is yours — all you have to do is accept it.”
“If you say yes, it’s yours. If you say no, God just puts it back in His pocket.”

And so the preacher pulls out his story —
a little parable to help the people understand:

“I have a brand new pocketknife in my hand. It’s a free gift!
Who wants it? All you have to do is say yes, and I’ll give it to you.
But if you say no — I’ll put it away. You made the choice.”

The room nods. The people smile.
They’ve heard it a thousand times.
But Heaven is not smiling.

Because what they’re preaching isn’t grace —
it’s a man-made gospel dressed up like good news.

Grace is not a knife in God’s hand.
It’s not a gift on a table.
It’s not a polite offer that waits for your permission.

It is resurrection power.

It is the breath of God awakening a lifeless Adam.
It is the voice of Jesus calling Lazarus from the tomb.
It is the sovereign act of mercy that moves when man is incapable.

“You did not choose Me — I chose you.” (John 15:16)
“No man can come to Me, unless the Father draws him.” (John 6:44)
“Of His own will He gave us birth.” (James 1:18)

The modern grace message has twisted the truth —
They’ve made salvation hinge on the decision of man,
rather than the finished work of God.

They preach grace as an opportunity, not a verdict.
As a hopeful offer, not a sovereign act.
They reduce the cross from a cosmic victory to a conditional possibility.

But there’s a sound rising —
a voice like a trumpet on the mountain of the Lord.

And it’s saying:

“Enough with the counterfeit.
Let the true gospel of grace be heard again.
Let the Lamb receive the full reward of His suffering.
Let the dead rise — not by choice, but by command.”

This is that trumpet.
This is that sound.
This is the chapter that starts the shaking.

CHAPTER ONE
Twisting the True Grace Message
How the Church Turned Almighty Grace into an Offer Depend-On-You Gospel

The preacher stood behind the pulpit with confidence.

His voice was warm, his tone inviting, and the congregation leaned in as he began to speak:

“We believe Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world… but folks, you’ve got a problem with that truth.
You see, grace works like this…”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a brand-new knife. Holding it in the air, he smiled.

“This knife is a free gift. I don’t want anything for it. It’s all grace.
All you have to do… is say yes.
But if you say no?
I’ll put it right back in my pocket.
I offered it — but you didn’t take it.”

The people chuckled, nodded, and many even “Amen’d” his little story.
It sounded so humble.
So reasonable.
So right.

But it was spiritually wrong — tragically wrong.

That little parable, told in thousands of pulpits around the world, is not the gospel.

It is a man-made tale that exalts human will over divine power.
It reduces resurrection life to consumer choice.
It twists the grace of Almighty God into a fragile deal — waiting on man’s decision.

Let’s be honest:
Have you ever tried to offer a gift to a dead man?

Walk into a funeral home, lean over the casket, and try to get the man inside to accept your gift.
He doesn’t see you.
He doesn’t hear you.
He can’t reach.
He can’t respond.

Why?

Because he’s dead.

And the Bible says that’s exactly how we were:

“Dead in trespasses and sins… without God… and having no hope.” (Ephesians 2:1,12)

Grace is not an offer to the slightly interested.
It’s a divine command that awakens the utterly lost.

Grace doesn’t knock on the door of a corpse.
Grace breaks open tombs.

SECTION TWO
The Condition of Man — Born Dead, Blind, and Without Hope
Before the Church can understand grace, it must understand man’s true condition.

The modern message says,

“You just need to say yes to Jesus. He’s knocking. All you have to do is open the door.”

But the Word of God says something far more sobering — and far more glorious:

“You were dead in trespasses and sins… without God… and having no hope in the world.”
(Ephesians 2:1,12)

Dead.
Not confused. Not spiritually curious.
Not alive enough to choose God.

Dead — unable to see Him, hear Him, or respond to Him.

Grace is not a choice for the living.
It is a resurrection for the dead.

What can a corpse do to receive life?
Can the dead man raise his hand and ask for salvation?
Can he cry out in prayer?
Can he say, “Yes, I choose You”?

Absolutely not.

He is silent.
Still.
Lifeless.

That’s the divine picture of humanity before grace.

Jesus didn’t come into a world full of “almost saved” people needing a boost —
He came to a graveyard.

And only the voice of the Son of God can raise the dead:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is,
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
(John 5:25)

This is not metaphor. This is spiritual fact.

We weren’t “bad people needing good choices.”
We were dead people needing divine life.

And Scripture drives it deeper:

“The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
(1 Corinthians 2:14)

That verse leaves no room for debate.

The natural man — the carnal-minded human — cannot receive the things of the Spirit.
They are invisible to him.
They sound like foolishness.
He is spiritually blind, spiritually deaf, and spiritually dead.

That’s why grace cannot be explained into him.
It must be revealed and performed upon him.

SECTION THREE
The Lie of Freewill Grace — A Man-Centered Gospel
The modern Church, in its zeal to be practical, has exchanged revelation for reason.

It has humanized grace — made it understandable, marketable, and even negotiable.

They say:

“God has done His part — now you must do yours.
Grace is a free gift — but only if you choose to receive it.”

It sounds right.
It feels balanced.
But it is completely carnal.

This version of grace depends on human will, not divine power.

It turns the cross into a half-done transaction — as if Jesus paid the price, but the receipt isn’t printed until you decide to believe.

Let us be clear:

Grace is not dependent on man’s response.
It is rooted in God’s eternal purpose.

When Paul spoke of grace, he didn’t talk about it as a door waiting to be opened.
He spoke of it as a force that transforms the dead into sons.

He wrote:

“It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy.”
(Romans 9:16)

The will of man — no matter how sincere — has no power to generate salvation.
The runner — no matter how determined — cannot outrun the grave.

Only God who shows mercy can call the dead to life.

The popular “free will” doctrine says God is a gentleman who stands back and waits.
But Scripture reveals a Father who moves, draws, chooses, and raises.

Jesus didn’t say,

“If you come to Me, I’ll save you.”

He said,

“No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him.”
(John 6:44)

And again:

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you…”
(John 15:16)

That’s not a suggestion.
That’s not a soft invitation.

That is divine election.

It removes the spotlight from man and places it fully on the sovereignty of God.

Grace is not an offer.
Grace is a declaration.
It is God speaking light into darkness,
life into death,
and sons into being.

SECTION FOUR
God’s Grace Is Resurrection — Not a Religious Transaction
The Church has made grace a transaction.
A deal.
A mutual agreement between God and man.

“Here’s Jesus. You say yes. He becomes yours.”

But the truth of the gospel is not a deal.
It is a death-to-life resurrection.

Grace is not a polite handshake between heaven and earth.
It is a divine act of power that takes place entirely in the Spirit realm —
initiated by God, performed by God, and completed in God.

When Jesus stood outside of Lazarus’s tomb, He didn’t wait for Lazarus to respond.
He didn’t shout,

“I’ve done My part. Now you do yours.”

No. He cried out:

“Lazarus, come forth!”
(John 11:43)

And the man who had been dead for four days —
wrapped in grave clothes, unable to move, see, or speak —
came alive.

That is grace.
Not offered.
Commanded.

Not hoped for.
Performed.

The Church today has turned that command into a question.

They say,

“Do you want to be raised?”

But grace doesn’t ask the dead for permission.
It speaks resurrection.

Just as God said in the beginning:

“Let there be light…”
(Genesis 1:3)

So also He speaks in every new creation:

“Let there be life.”

And just as Lazarus didn’t help himself out of the tomb,
neither do we raise ourselves from spiritual death.

Paul wrote it plainly:

“Even when we were dead in sins, He hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved).”
(Ephesians 2:5)

Who did the quickening?

He did.
Not when we were seeking.
Not when we were repenting.
But when we were dead.

So what is grace?

Grace is the creative command of God that causes the dead to live.

It is not a transaction.
It is transformation.

It is not dependent on our awareness.
It is based on His divine will.

It is not an offer for us to accept.
It is a resurrection that claims us — in His appointed time, by His eternal purpose.

SECTION FIVE
Every Man in His Own Order — The Timing of Grace
The Church teaches that grace is available right now,
but the Word teaches that grace is performed in God’s appointed time.

Not all men are saved at once.
Not all men are called in the same moment.
But all will be made alive.

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept…
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order…”
(1 Corinthians 15:20–23)

This is God’s divine order — not chaos.
It’s not man choosing grace.
It’s God assigning each man his own appointed moment of awakening.

The Church preaches:

“Today is the day of salvation. If you don’t choose now, you may never have another chance.”

But that contradicts the sovereign plan of the ages.

God is not in a hurry.
He is not limited to your church service or altar call.
He has ages to come, and each soul has a place and purpose in that unfolding.

“That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace…”
(Ephesians 2:7)

The “ages to come” are not empty time.
They are divine stages of God’s plan —
times appointed for the rest of mankind to be raised, healed, and restored.

You see, Christ is the Firstfruits.
Then comes the elect, the overcomers, the manchild company.

And then the rest of the harvest —
every man in his own rank, his own order, his own appointed time.

That’s not universalism by man’s reasoning —
That’s divine reconciliation by God’s order.

Brother, this truth tears down the fear-based gospel and reveals the hope of glory.

God’s grace is not late.
It is not waiting on man’s will.
It is perfectly timed, eternally ordered, and cannot fail.

“Of His own will He begat us with the word of truth…”
(James 1:18)

Not by pressure.
Not by pleading.
But by His will — at His time.

SECTION SIX
Not of Works, Not of Will — Only of Mercy
The gospel of man says:

“Do your part. Make your choice.
God did His work — now it’s up to you.”

But the gospel of the Kingdom says:

“It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God who shows mercy.”
(Romans 9:16)

Salvation does not come from effort.
It does not come from desire.
It comes from God’s mercy, revealed in His own sovereign moment.

The Church has glorified human will and turned it into an idol.
But the Spirit declares:

“The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.”
(1 Corinthians 2:14)

The natural man is blind, deaf, and dead to the realm of the Spirit.
He cannot receive.
He cannot respond.
He cannot even recognize the presence of grace.

Why?

Because he is not alive until God breathes.

God doesn’t wait for the dead to seek Him.
He walks into the tomb.
He speaks the Word.
And He raises the man.

Just like Jesus said:

“I am the vine, ye are the branches…
without Me, ye can do nothing.”
(John 15:5)

Nothing.
Not believe.
Not repent.
Not receive.
Not choose.

Without the vine — the source — the branch is lifeless.

So how does grace work?

By divine initiative.
By electing love.
By eternal mercy.

That’s why Paul declared:

“He hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works,
but according to His own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
(2 Timothy 1:9)

Grace is not a reaction.
Grace is a pre-existing decree from before time.

The Church must return to this foundational truth:

We are not saved by our faith in Christ.
We are saved by Christ’s faithfulness to the Father.

We are not brought into life by works or will.
We are brought forth by mercy.

SECTION SIX
Not of Works, Not of Will — Only of Mercy
The gospel of man says:

“Do your part. Make your choice.
God did His work — now it’s up to you.”

But the gospel of the Kingdom says:

“It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God who shows mercy.”
(Romans 9:16)

Salvation does not come from effort.
It does not come from desire.
It comes from God’s mercy, revealed in His own sovereign moment.

The Church has glorified human will and turned it into an idol.
But the Spirit declares:

“The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.”
(1 Corinthians 2:14)

The natural man is blind, deaf, and dead to the realm of the Spirit.
He cannot receive.
He cannot respond.
He cannot even recognize the presence of grace.

Why?

Because he is not alive until God breathes.

God doesn’t wait for the dead to seek Him.
He walks into the tomb.
He speaks the Word.
And He raises the man.

Just like Jesus said:

“I am the vine, ye are the branches…
without Me, ye can do nothing.”
(John 15:5)

Nothing.
Not believe.
Not repent.
Not receive.
Not choose.

Without the vine — the source — the branch is lifeless.

So how does grace work?

By divine initiative.
By electing love.
By eternal mercy.

That’s why Paul declared:

“He hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works,
but according to His own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
(2 Timothy 1:9)

Grace is not a reaction.
Grace is a pre-existing decree from before time.

The Church must return to this foundational truth:

We are not saved by our faith in Christ.
We are saved by Christ’s faithfulness to the Father.

We are not brought into life by works or will.
We are brought forth by mercy.

SECTION EIGHT
The Potter, the Clay, and the Sovereign Will of God
The modern grace message flatters the flesh.
It preaches choice instead of election…
decision instead of divine appointment.

But the Word of the Lord stands forever:

“Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?”
(Isaiah 45:9)

“Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?
Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Hath not the potter power over the clay…?”
(Romans 9:20–21)

The clay has no voice.
The clay has no say.
The clay has no choice.

The potter chooses the vessel, the timing, the purpose, the fire, and the glory.

Jesus said plainly:

“Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.”
(John 15:16)

Yet pulpits all across the world thunder the opposite:

“You must choose Him — or He cannot save you.”

That’s not gospel.
That’s not grace.
That’s not God.

The vine does not wait for the branch to decide.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches… without Me, ye can do nothing.”
(John 15:5)

Nothing. Not one thing.

You cannot grow.
You cannot believe.
You cannot choose.
You cannot even respond — unless the life of the vine flows first.

This is where sovereign grace destroys the idol of free will.

“It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy.”
(Romans 9:16)

Mercy doesn’t wait for permission.
Mercy moves by divine prerogative.
Mercy raises the dead, writes the story, chooses the vessel, and finishes the work.

“Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth.”
(James 1:18)

Brother, this is where grace becomes glorious.

When man has no strength — God shows power.
When man has no voice — God speaks resurrection.
When man is blind, deaf, and dead — God says, “Let there be light.”

The potter does not ask.
He forms.
He decides.
He fills.

SECTION NINE
Every Man in His Own Order — The Timed Unfolding of Grace
Here lies one of the greatest revelations the Church has forgotten:

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order…”
(1 Corinthians 15:22–23)

This is the divine choreography of salvation.

All are made alive —
but not all at once.

There is an order.
There is a rank.
There is a set time.

The Church has mistaken grace as a moment of man’s decision.
But God’s Word unveils it as a divinely orchestrated unveiling.

There is a firstfruits company —
those who awaken in this present age.

There is a harvest to follow —
the rest of humanity in the ages to come.

God is not running a limited-time offer.
He is conducting an eternal plan of the ages.

“In the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ…”
(Ephesians 1:10)

The grace of God is not failing —
it is unfolding.

Just as seasons do not bloom all at once,
neither do men awaken all at once.

There is a day of visitation for every man.
A calling for every soul.
A light that pierces every darkness — in God’s time, not man’s.

The modern Church says:

“If they die without choosing Him — it’s over.”

But the Spirit says:

“The plan is not finished — until all are made alive.”

There are still ages to come.
There is still resurrection to manifest.
There is still glory to be revealed in vessels not yet awakened.

“God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.”
(Romans 11:32)

Brother, when the Church awakens to this truth,
she will stop begging men to “make a decision,”
and start declaring the everlasting gospel that unveils Christ as all in all.

SECTION TEN
Grace Reclaimed — Christ the Author and Finisher of All Salvation
The religious Church system began with the truth of grace…
but it twisted it into a powerless doctrine,
surrendering the glory of God to the will of man.

They say,

“Grace is free — but you must activate it.”

“Salvation is God’s offer — but your choice must complete it.”

“Jesus paid it all — but you must accept the transaction.”

This is not the grace of the cross.
This is not the revelation of the Lamb.
This is not the eternal gospel that shakes the heavens and fills the earth with glory.

God’s true grace is not a gift waiting on the table —
it is a decree from the throne.

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…”
(Hebrews 12:2)

Grace doesn’t begin in you —
it begins in Him.

Grace doesn’t depend on your “yes” —
it depends on His choosing.

Grace is not about accepting Christ —
it’s about being accepted in Christ before you even knew Him.

“He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world…”
(Ephesians 1:4)

This is the gospel:

He authored it.
He is finishing it.
He loses nothing.
He makes all things new.

“He shall see the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied…”
(Isaiah 53:11)

Not disappointed.
Not halfway.
Satisfied.

Christ will not rest until every vessel formed by His hands is filled with the fullness of His Spirit.

So we declare to the Church:
Grace is not up for debate.
It is not offered, delayed, or denied.

It is working now, from glory to glory, until all things are summed up in Christ.

It is not your will that will prevail —
It is not your choice that will determine the outcome —
It is not your effort that will complete the story —

“For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”
(Philippians 2:13)

And when the final trumpet sounds —
it will not echo man’s decision…
It will thunder God’s mercy.

The grace of God reclaims all,
redeems all,
and raises all — in perfect timing, perfect order, and perfect glory.