This article is a summary from the following episodes:Thoughts on Costi Hinn and Cheap Grace
From time to time, we receive messages asking us to respond to certain sermons or teachings, and while we can’t cover everything, occasionally we engage when it touches on key issues we care deeply about—like law and gospel, assurance, and how Christians should think about obedience.
Recently, many of you shared a clip from a sermon by Costi Hinn titled “Will Jesus Even Know You?” Costi is someone we love and thank God for. The Lord has clearly done remarkable work in his life, and we’re encouraged by his boldness in confronting prosperity theology and pointing people to Christ. So this isn’t a critique born of animosity—it’s a conversation between brothers, meant to help clarify and encourage, especially for the sake of weary saints who might be left confused or frightened by certain language.
So, what was said? And where is there some confusion?
Let’s talk about it.
Cheap Grace and the Caricature
In the sermon, Costi warns against what he calls “cheap grace”—a kind of easy-believism where someone professes faith in Christ but lives in persistent sin, showing no transformation or obedience. He emphasizes that there must be “proof” of justification in our lives through obedience, or else our profession is false.
That concern isn’t new. It echoes debates from the 1980s when teachers like Zane Hodges promoted what became known as the “Free Grace” movement—teaching that one moment of intellectual assent secured salvation, regardless of any fruit or obedience afterward. John MacArthur famously responded with his book The Gospel According to Jesus, and what emerged was the Lordship Salvation debate.
And let’s be clear: we agree that true saving faith will bear fruit. We agree that revivalism and easy-believism have done damage to the church. But here’s where we start to differ—especially on the use of language like “cheap grace” and “proof of justification.”
Faith Is the Proof, Not the Fruit
The Reformed tradition has long affirmed: We are justified by faith alone, but the faith that justifies is never alone. Faith inevitably produces fruit—but fruit is not the proof of justification. It’s the result of it.
The moment we start telling struggling Christians that the proof of their standing before God is found in their obedience, we’re on dangerous ground. We’ve shifted their eyes from Christ to themselves. We’ve turned assurance into a performance review.
Evidence? Yes. Encouragement? Yes. But never proof. Because fruit ebbs and flows. Obedience is inconsistent. And the line between “enough fruit” and “not enough” is always moving.
We’ve seen this firsthand: Christians terrified that they might not “really be saved” because their lives don’t look radically different. Kids who grew up in the church and trust Christ, but now wonder if they missed something because they never had a dramatic conversion story. People caught in sin, struggling to believe they’re still loved by God.
What they need in those moments is not a checklist. They need Christ.
Not All Who Sin Are Hypocrites
Another point Costi raises is that many in the church “claim to have faith” but “live sinful lives,” and that’s evidence they’re not truly saved.
Again, it depends on what we mean.
If by “living sinful lives” we mean persistent, unrepentant rebellion while claiming grace—that’s a serious problem, and the New Testament gives us plenty of language for addressing it. But if we mean that Christians who sin regularly (which is all of us) are to examine themselves to see if they’re truly saved, we’ve confused the categories.
Paul doesn’t tell believers who are trapped in sin, “Maybe you’re not justified.” He tells them, “You have forgotten that you were cleansed from your former sins” (2 Peter 1:9). In other words, the problem isn’t that they’ve lost salvation—it’s that they’ve lost sight of the gospel.
Scripture speaks plainly: believers still sin. They often fall short. And sometimes they’re even trapped in sin (Gal. 6:1). But the call in those moments isn’t to question justification—it’s to remember grace.
Does Grace Produce Obedience? Absolutely.
This is where we want to be crystal clear: grace changes people. The same grace that saves you is the grace that sanctifies you.
Titus 2:11–12 says it plainly: “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation… training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions.” Grace trains us. Not the law. Not fear. Not guilt. Grace.
Grace is not passive. It’s not soft. It’s not an excuse to coast. It’s power. It’s the presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit, changing us from the inside out.
We don't preach grace because we want people to get lazy—we preach grace because it’s the only thing that actually works. Law can crush, but it cannot create life. Only Jesus raises the dead.
What About the Hypocrites?
We understand Costi’s concern. Every pastor has seen people play church. There are those who say “Lord, Lord,” but live as if they don’t know him.
But what’s the solution?
Not moralism. Not ramped-up obedience language. The solution is law and gospel.
We need to preach the law in all its weight—showing the holiness of God and the utter inability of man. We need to preach the gospel in all its glory—showing the mercy of God and the finished work of Christ. And we need to call people to trust, not in their performance, but in Jesus alone.
If someone’s a “faker,” they don’t need to try harder—they need to be born again. And that doesn’t happen through willpower. It happens through the Word.
Jesus Is the Rock
The last thing we want is to create fear and confusion in the hearts of sincere but struggling Christians. That’s why this conversation matters.
Yes, we want to see obedience. Yes, we want holiness and godly living. But never at the expense of assurance. Never at the expense of the gospel.
Jesus is our only hope. He is the proof. His obedience, not ours. His blood, not our sweat. His cross, not our consistency.
So to those who are tired, confused, and wondering if they’re really in—look to Christ. He will never cast you out. And for those concerned about hypocrisy in the church—keep preaching Christ. Keep holding out the gospel. And trust that the same grace that saves will also train and transform.
We’re grateful for Costi, and we’re grateful for the chance to have conversations like these—not to tear down, but to build up. The church needs clarity. And most of all, it needs Christ.
Let’s keep pointing people to him.
