The Hyper-Grace Gospel: A Response to Michael Brown and Those Opposed to the Modern Grace Message by Paul Ellis Page B

repent or otherwise
deal with “momentary blemishes and spots.” Since I don’t know any hyper-grace
preacher who says such imbecilic, ignorant, and crazy things, I see no need to
respond. For more on the myth that hyper-grace preachers are against
repentance, see Part B (Myth #1).
     

Chapter 6: The Holy Spirit, conviction of sin, and
repentance
     
    Just as there is only one verse in the New
Testament linking confession with forgiveness, there is only one verse linking
the Holy Spirit’s conviction with sin (John 16:8). But what a mountain has been
built on that one verse! Here are three points of view:
     
    (1)    Dr. Brown says the Holy Spirit convicts
Christians of their sins
    (2)    Most grace preachers say the Holy Spirit
never convicts Christians of their sins
    (3)    Some grace preachers also say the Holy
Spirit never convicts anyone—saved or unsaved—of their sins
     
    (If you’re wondering how the third
viewpoint could possibly be Biblical, it’s based on the stunning revelation
that Christ did away with all our sin on the cross and there is nothing left to
convict. The Holy Spirit seeks to convict or convince sinners of that truth.
“Regarding sin, see Jesus. Trust Him.”)
    Page 73: Most hyper-grace
preachers agree that the Holy Spirit never convicts believers of their sin.
However, Dr. Brown says that the Holy Spirit, as an expression of His love and
kindness, “makes us uncomfortable in our sins.” He notes that the Greek word
for convict can mean several things but mainly suggests fault-finding and
rebuke (see pages 75–6). But if it’s the Holy Spirit’s practice to find fault
and rebuking us, why did He inspire Paul to write 1 Corinthians 13:5? Perhaps
Paul misheard because apparently love does find fault and keep a record
of wrongs.
    Page 74: The Holy
Spirit says to the believer, “You have sinned.” Really? Why would the Spirit of
Christ seek to remind you of the sins Christ has carried away? It’s like Jesus
removed your sins as far as the east is from the west but His Spirit went on a
looooong trip and brought them back again. It’s as though the blood of the Lamb
blotted out all your sins (Is. 43:25), but the Holy Spirit wrote them back in
again. It’s like God the Father is sitting on the throne of grace saying, “In
honor of Jesus I choose to forget your sins,” but the Holy Spirit is saying,
“Don’t worry Lord, I’ll help you remember them.” It’s ridiculous.
    How exactly does
the Holy Spirit convict us? Through the law, says Dr Brown on page 77. “It is
by God’s law that we are convicted—the very Law that hyper-grace teachers want
to throw under the bus as dangerous and destructive.” And the very law that the
hyper-grace preacher Paul said ministered death and condemnation (2 Cor. 3:7–9).
Put this altogether and you discover that the Spirit of Life is really a
Minister of Death and your loving Father, who said He keeps no record of
wrongs, actually does keep a record of wrongs. Something doesn’t add up.
    (Incidentally,
why does Law get a capital “L” throughout Dr. Brown’s book, while grace must
get by with a little “g”? Is Dr. Brown trying to tell us something about the
relative unimportance of grace with respect to the Law?)
    Page 77: Dr.
Brown writes that he has been convicted of sin many times while reading the law
and that each time this has caused him to run to God and fall at His feet. His
experience testifies to the true ministry of the law—it helps us recognize sin
and our need for grace. But the law is not the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of
Grace does not minister to you through the law.
    Look into the
mirror of the law and you will always feel condemned (2 Cor. 3:9). This may
explain why Dr. Brown defines conviction ( elegcho ) as fault-finding and
rebuke (see page 75). But an interpretation of elegcho which is more
consistent with the Holy Spirit’s gracious character may be expose , or bring
into the light . How does the Holy