Why Is Grace Considered Such A Strange Teaching?

After writing Hebrews, the writer penned these words.

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace...
Hebrews 13:9

From this verse we can conclude that any teaching that is not of grace is a strange teaching.

So what is grace?

Grace in Hebrews is Jesus dying our death through the sacrifice of himself on the cross (Hebrews 2:9) and shedding his blood for our eternal forgiveness of sins and cleansing from sins, resulting in a holy (pure, clean) standing before God and a close relationship with God.

We live in a time where grace has become a strange teaching.

When taught about the new testament of grace, believers will ask,

“Why has no one ever taught me this before?”

Most believers have heard few teachings, if any, on the cross and the blood of Jesus forgiving and cleansing all sins.

If they have heard teachings on the cross, it has been mixed with traditional, legalistic teachings that have been handed down from one pastor to the next and one church to next, such as:

“You need to continue to ask God for forgiveness so you can stay forgiven and clean before God and in fellowship and close to God.”

This teaching cancels out a believer’s experience of grace by placing the believer under a works-system.

Most believers have never been taught they are eternally sanctified (made holy, pure, clean before God) by faith in the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:10).

Rather, they are taught that sanctification (becoming holy) is progressively achieved daily by practicing a moral lifestyle.

However, a person cannot achieve a holy standing before God through “progressive sanctification.” (Click to read brad’s six-part blog series: Is Sanctification Positional, Progressive, or Neither?)

If they could, they don’t need the blood of Jesus.

Progressively achieving a holy standing before God through moral living was what the Pharisees were seeking to achieve.

Sanctification or holiness is done for us through the blood of Jesus.

Through faith in his blood, we are sanctified, made holy forever…made perfect forever (Acts 26:18).

Sadly, this is a strange teaching to believers because they have never been taught it.

Also, believers have never been taught the difference between the old and new testaments.

When they think about the old and new testaments, they think about books of the Bible, the Table of Contents, rather than the blood of animals that temporarily forgave the sins of people (old testament) and the blood of Jesus that eternally forgave the sins of people (new testament).

To them, the teaching that the old and new testaments are about blood and not books is a strange teaching.

Therefore, they do not understand that the old testament is obsolete and outdated (Hebrews 8:13).

They do not know what it means to live in the new testament of grace where forgiveness and cleansing from sins have been eternally accomplished for them in Jesus; therefore, they still seek daily forgiveness and cleansing.

They have never been taught that there is no more forgiveness of sins and God remembers their sins no more (Hebrews 10:16-18).

The teaching of the new testament of grace is a strange teaching to most believers; so strange for some, that they reject it simply because it does not fit their traditional theological system and also because it does not feel right to them emotionally.

What is familiar to many believers is the teaching of practicing spiritual disciplines and participating in small groups for growth.

Believers are told in churches and ministry organizations that if they want to grow then they must practice the disciplines and participate in groups.

Yet millions of believers practice disciplines and participate in groups with no understanding of the new testament of grace.

Then, when they are taught about the new testament of grace, many of them ask, “Why has no one ever taught me this before?”

The believers who are educated about the new testament of grace and embrace its truths, grow exponentially as these truths take root in their hearts and minds.

This happens because spiritual growth is not about practicing disciplines or participating in groups, but it is about understanding the spiritual truths of the new testament of grace.

In the above verses, the writer of Hebrews encourages his readers not to be carried away by strange teachings, but let their hearts be strengthened by grace.

Grace in the book of Hebrews is all that Jesus did through shedding his blood to establish the eternal new testament of grace, where he secured for us eternal forgiveness for sins and cleansing from sins, and eternal fellowship with God and closeness with God.

People enter the new testament of grace by faith in Jesus, then rest in what Jesus did for them.

Any teachings about forgiveness and cleansing from sins and any teachings about fellowship and closeness with God that are not established in the new testament of grace (the blood of Jesus) are considered strange teachings by the writer of Hebrews.

Any teachings about following religious practices or adhering to religious requirements for forgiveness of sins and cleansing from sins and fellowship with God and closeness to God are considered strange teachings by the writer of Hebrews.

Any teachings that place the responsibility upon a believer for forgiveness of sins, cleansing from sins, fellowship with God, and closeness with God is not grace, it’s not the new testament that Jesus established in his blood, and therefore should be considered strange teachings.

It was the goal of the writer of Hebrews that believers be so familiar with the new testament of grace, so familiar with all that God did for them in Jesus, that they can immediately spot strange teachings.

Therefore, they could then not allow themselves to be carried away by these strange teachings, rather their hearts could be strengthened by grace (the blood of Jesus poured out for them for eternal forgiveness of sins, cleansing from sins, fellowship with God, and closeness with God).

If you would like to listen to Brad’s teachings on Hebrews, check out his podcast (Gracereach with Brad Robertson) and his YouTube Channel.