The Grace Message stresses the finished work of Christ Jesus, unconditional forgiveness, eternal security, and freedom from law-based performance or any mixture of works with grace. Any holdover from Reformation-era legalism that does not fully embrace New Covenant freedom is a mixed-grace gospel, which is no gospel at all. Any doctrines of men that add conditions to salvation, sanctification, or Yahweh God's favour are law mixtures, religious additives that dilute pure grace and obscure the basic Gospel.
| Denomination | Key Shortcomings According to The Grace Message |
|---|---|
| Catholics | Emphasizes sacraments (e.g., Eucharist, confession to priests) as necessary for grace, implying works or rituals earn forgiveness rather than Christ's finished work. Purgatory suggests incomplete atonement. Veneration of Mary and saints dilutes sole reliance on Jesus. Catholicism is problematic, promoting a hierarchical priesthood contradicting the believer's direct access to God as a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Overall, viewed as a system of religious performance over pure grace. |
| Lutherans | Retain elements of law-grace mixture through consubstantiation in communion (implying ongoing need for rituals) and infant baptism, which grace teachers see as non-scriptural and not reflective of believer's choice. Confession for absolution often implies forgiveness is conditional, not once-for-all (Hebrews 10:10). Critiqued for Reformation-era legalism remnants that limit full New Covenant freedom. |
| Calvinists | TULIP doctrines (e.g., limited atonement) contradict unlimited grace for all; perseverance of the saints often implies works or endurance prove salvation, fostering performance anxiety. Calvinistic predestination limits God's universal offer of grace, undermining assurance by tying security to behavior rather than Christ's work. Overly deterministic, missing the relational aspect of grace. |
| Anglicans | Liturgical and sacramental focus (similar to Catholics) adds rituals to grace, such as confirmation or ordained clergy mediating forgiveness. Infant baptism and hierarchical structure seen as Old Covenant remnants. |
| Anabaptists | While believer's baptism aligns better with grace, emphasis on pacifism, community rules, and separation from world can become legalistic "works" for holiness. Avoid any rule-based living that replaces resting in Christ's righteousness. |
| Presbyterians | Strongly Calvinist, so same issues as above: limited atonement and predestination viewed as restricting grace's scope. Covenant theology sometimes mixes Old and New Covenants, which is law contamination. Infant baptism adds non-voluntary ritual. |
| Baptists | Varies by subgroup; some (Arminian-leaning) teach loss of salvation, contradicting eternal security in grace (Hebrews 13:5). Others (Calvinist-leaning) share TULIP flaws. Emphasis on "lordship salvation" (requiring submission as proof) is backdoor legalism, not pure faith. |
| Episcopalians | Similar to Anglicans: sacramental system, ordination, and liturgy imply grace is dispensed through church rituals, not directly through Christ. This is contrary to the believer-priesthood model. |
| Mennonites | Like Anabaptists, plain living and non-resistance can turn into performance-based rules for acceptance. Grace message sees this as self-effort over relying on Christ's imputed righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). |
| Methodists | Arminian theology allows for losing salvation through sin or apostasy, which is fear-based, not grace-assured. Wesleyan perfectionism (entire sanctification via works) is striving for holiness instead of receiving it by faith. |
| Pentecostals | Focus on second blessing (baptism in the Spirit), speaking in tongues as evidence, and ongoing experiences often imply grace is incomplete without additional works or signs. This as divides believers into "haves" and "have-nots," contradicting one-time righteousness in Christ. |
| Seventh-Day Adventists | Mandatory Sabbath-keeping mixes Old Covenant with New, which is legalism (e.g., in teachings on Galatians). Investigative judgment doctrine suggests ongoing evaluation of works, undermining finished atonement. Ellen White's prophetic status adds extra-biblical authority. |
Mormons are not Christian by any stretch of the word or the imagination as they teach a different Jesus (created being, brother of Lucifer), works-based exaltation to godhood, and have additional scriptures (Book of Mormon). Mormonism is a false gospel (Galatians 1:8), with no true grace since salvation involves temple rituals and obedience to laws.
Jehovah's Witnesses are likewise not Christian by any stretch of the word of the imagination as they deny Jesus' deity and Trinity, teach works-based salvation (door-to-door witnessing, etc.), and a limited 144,000 in Heaven. This is heresy, with grace absent due to rejection of Christ's full atonement for all believers. Blood transfusion bans are extreme legalism.