I love being accused of giving people a license to sin.

True, that’s a serious misunderstanding of my position. However, it’s a misunderstanding that arises when someone realizes what I’m saying about the freeness of eternal life.

They don’t make that mistake about other religions!

Every other religion in the world, and most of the denominations within Christendom, tell people that salvation depends on doing good works, being faithful, loyal, and true, and trying your best to repent of your sins.

So when people hear the truth about salvation by grace, through faith—and without gimmicks!—it comes as a shock. Naturally, they object! (No one objects to works salvation because that’s our default setting.) So it’s an excellent sign when people object that grace must lead to sin. It means you’re hitting a nerve. As Michael Eaton explained:

When you preach the gospel properly you are likely to be misunderstood. Someone is likely to say, “You are preaching grace too much. You are preaching that we can just sin.” I hope you are not saying that, but the true gospel of God’s amazing grace is liable to misunderstanding. They misunderstood Paul, they misunderstood Jesus. Do they misunderstand you? If they don’t have any problem with you, are you preaching the gospel of Jesus? If you are preaching what Jesus and Paul preached, you will get misunderstood in the same way (Michael Eaton, Living Under Grace, p. 17).

Free Grace people are misunderstood a lot. Lordship salvationists, not so much.

So what has been your experience? When you share your faith with your family, friends, and co-workers, do they misunderstand you? If not, why not?

My question is: do you have such a high doctrine of the wonderful, amazing, overwhelming, grace of God that people (falsely) jump to the conclusion that you are tolerating sin? (Eaton, Living Under Grace, p. 17)

If they’re not jumping to conclusions, raise the bar higher.