The cost of cheap grace cannot be fully measured, as it deals with an item of infinite worth: your soul.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12, ESV).

What is Cheap Grace?

Grace is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, but too many American churches have reduced it to a cheap commodity. This “cheap grace,” as Dietrich Bonhoeffer warned, is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without the living Christ. It offers a feel-good message that demands no sacrifice, no repentance, no transformation—just a superficial nod to Jesus while lives remain unchanged.

Congregations are filled with people who profess faith yet live indistinguishable from the world, chasing selfish desires under the guise of divine acceptance. This distortion ignores the true cost of grace. Jesus paid for it with His blood, calling us to “deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24, ESV). True grace, as Titus 2:11-12 reveals, is not a license to sin but a transformative power that trains us to reject ungodliness and pursue holiness.

Yet, many pulpits peddle a gospel that excuses sin rather than confronts it, leaving believers spiritually stagnant. The American church must reject this counterfeit grace and return to the costly grace that demands our all—our surrender, our obedience, our lives.

The Consequences of Cheap Grace

The consequences of cheap grace are dire. It produces shallow faith, empty pews of nominal Christians, and a powerless witness to a watching world. We must reclaim the biblical gospel: grace that saves and sanctifies. Pastors must preach the fullness of Christ’s sacrifice, and believers must respond with lives that reflect His lordship. The church cannot afford to offer a diluted message when the stakes are eternal.

Examine your heart today. Are you living under cheap grace, excusing sin, or under true grace, pursuing a life of holiness and surrender to Christ? Repent where needed and seek His transforming power.