Week 9: Chapter 8 — Grace Avoidance

1.Paul anticipated the "grace avoidance" objection in Romans 6:1 — "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" Yancey takes this question seriously. What are the legitimate fears behind it, and when do those fears tip over into a distrust of grace itself?

2.Yancey identifies several ways that churches and individual Christians "avoid" grace — by adding conditions, by making people earn acceptance, or by preaching a gospel of moral improvement rather than free forgiveness. Which of these patterns have you observed most often, and which are you most susceptible to yourself?

3.He argues that the antidote to moral licentiousness is not less grace but more — that only grace (not guilt or fear) produces lasting transformation. Do you believe that? What is your evidence from your own life or from others you have observed?