Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 23:44 (Spring 2010)
Article: Zane Hodges and GES Did Not Change The Gospel
Author: Don Reiher

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JOTGES 23:44 (Spring 2010) p. 31

Zane Hodges and GES Did Not Change The Gospel1

Don Reiher

IT Director: Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School, Aston, PA

I. Introduction

Unless you have been hiding in a cave the last decade, you are familiar with the conflict in Free Grace circles over a supposed crossless gospel. Most of the people bringing the charge claim to have left GES because of a major shift in doctrine.

The alleged huge shift has been that Zane Hodges and Bob Wilkin and everyone in GES used to believe that at the moment of saving faith a person had to believe in the full deity of Jesus Christ, Jesus’ substitutionary death, and His bodily resurrection from the dead, in addition to believing in the person of Christ alone, to be born again. According to these accusers, Hodges, Wilkin, and others in GES later veered off into proclaiming that anyone who believes in Jesus for eternal life is born again, regardless of how unorthodox their belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ might be. It is my contention that Hodges, Wilkin, and GES have always said that a person can be born again with deficient theology. In addition, I suggest that Hodges, Wilkin, and GES have never advocated a bare minimum method of evangelism (i.e., by giving people only a ten word statement, with no Biblical or doctrinal support).

Let’s begin by reviewing some of the major accusations.

JOTGES 23:44 (Spring 2010) p. 32

II. The Accusations

A. Tom Stegall, The Gospel Of The Christ

Stegall observes,

It is my contention that…with the G.E.S. there has been an intentional doctrinal shift in the last decade or two—a radical change for the worse.2

He further contends:

There was once virtual unanimity among us who hold to the Free Grace position that in order for lost sinners to receive eternal life they must believe that Jesus Christ is God-incarnate who died for their sins and rose again to save them eternally.3

Stegall disapprovingly quotes Hodges: “Neither explicitly nor implicitly does the Gospel of John teach that a person must understand the cross to be saved. It just does not teach this.”4 He also finds fault with this statement by Hodges: “The simple truth is that Jesus can be believed for eternal salvation apart from any detailed knowledge of what He did to provide it.”5

B. T...

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