Free Grace Women

Why it matters, an OCD perspective

Introduction

What must I believe to be saved?

While this question seems so innocently simple, it has caused much confusion throughout our churches. I first experienced this confusion, and the immense mental anguish that accompanies it, when I was new to Christianity and had just left New Age. As I visited countless churches in an attempt to understand the truth, I noticed that in every church the message being preached was different. I identified the works-based messages as false, as I knew we were saved by grace through faith. However, I found myself confronted with a question concerning the content of that faith. I went to multiple churches that claimed to be Free Grace, yet when asked the same question, “What must I believe to be saved?” I continued to receive a different answer. As one could imagine, the lack of clarity regarding the saving message was extremely disturbing, leading to many mental health struggles and reminding me of my time in New Age, where doctrine remains purposely abstract. Yet, by His grace, the Lord ultimately used those struggles to fuel my search for the objective truth. I came up against multiple points of confusion, but eventually the mental fog began to lift, and the saving message was brought into focus.

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” 1 Corinthians 14:33a (NKJV)

The Distinction between Flexible and Focused Free Grace 

The first point of confusion I experienced was the distinction itself between Flexible and Focused Free Grace. Being new to Free Grace, I had never heard these terms, nor did I initially realize there was a distinction. I figured that everyone who claimed Free Grace was on the same page. However, as I listened to more and more sermons it became clear that this was not the case. There was a line drawn in the sand, and the difference was significant. In the simplest of terms, this difference comes down to what is the truth about Jesus that must be believed in order to be saved. While the Flexible Free Grace camp is divided amongst two subdivisions, Focused Free Grace remains unified and consistent in their answer. The first subdivision within Flexible Free Grace holds to the belief that there are multiple saving messages, and that any truth believed about Jesus is sufficient to save. In contrast, the second subdivision believes there to be a single saving message, but that the content of that message is found within 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection). While Focused Free Grace would agree with the latter subdivision, in that there is only one saving message, it differs in regard to the content of that message, believing that the answer given to us by the Lord is not only clear, but precise (see here).

¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)

The Error of Flexible Free Grace

One of the biggest errors amongst Flexible Free Grace is the lack of clarity regarding the content of saving faith. It is the most important information a person can know, and yet, if you ask 10 different people, you’d still get 10 different answers. I can recall numerous nights spent in agony from the amount of metal pain I was in. Although I had never endured such intense mental pain prior to being exposed to false teachings, I now found myself facing many repercussions due to the uncertainty and confusion. My head pounded with so many diverse responses that it felt as if I could no longer think clearly, and I was left hopeless and in tears. While some would say you need to believe in the death, burial and resurrection, others would say that believing in any aspect of Jesus’s identity is sufficient to save. Some examples of these aspects would include knowing He is God, knowing He is sinless, knowing He is the Lamb of God, etc.–the combination of facts I was told to believe was endless. Without definitive truth, people’s well-meaning attempts to help and assure me instead led to instability and anguish.

Knowing the Focus of our Faith

It’s important to know that the Lord wants people to be saved and would not hide the answer to this question. Therefore, when identifying the content of saving faith, we must always go back to the Scriptures. We see that multiple passages verify Jesus as the focus of our faith. 

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”                                                                                                                                         John 11:25-26 (NKJV)

The Lord makes it clear that we are to believe in Him to be saved. Specifically, we are to believe in Him for what He promises, which is everlasting life. Notice that the Lord never asks the unbeliever to believe in His death, burial, and resurrection. Nor does He ask them to believe a list of facts about Him or themselves. He simply is asking for them to believe Him, to take Him at His word, and the moment they do they have everlasting life that can never be lost.

Why It Matters

The result of not knowing what one must believe to be saved is detrimental, not only to one’s assurance, but to mental health as well. Assurance and a sound mind go hand in hand. Without one, the other is susceptible to suffer. Traditional OCD therapy teaches that one can’t have assurance, but the word of God teaches that we can. It is not the Lord’s desire for His children to be unsure if they are His forever. He wants us to know without a doubt that we are, and that our eternal destiny is secure in Him. Although I’m not completely cured of OCD, Focused Free Grace has given me the tools and resources necessary to combat any doubts when they come up. It’s taken time, but my mind continues to be renewed day by day as I replace lies I had been fed with the truth of God’s word. Knowing the Scriptures is essential in order to have an inflexible mindset when confronted with confusing messages. It allows mental clarity and most importantly keeps the offer of eternal life in focus.