Righteousness
Part 5 — both extremes push back

How both ditches argue against this

Righteousness-by-faith gets attacked from both sides. The cheap-gracer says it's too strict ("why all this talk of hunger and transformation?"). The legalist — and its extreme, Last Generation Theology — says it's too soft ("you've made obedience optional"). Here's each objection, and the gospel answer that keeps the road centered.

⟵ "Too strict!" (cheap grace)
RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH
"Too soft!" (LGT) ⟶

From the cheap-grace side

The cheap-gracer objects

"Why all this hunger-and-thirst, filthy-rags, transformation talk? Christ paid it all. Grace means I'm fine exactly as I am — stop making people feel needy or pushing 'change.' That's just guilt."

The gospel answer Grace is not God shrugging at sin — it cost Christ His life and His blood, symbolized in every communion cup. And the same grace that forgives also transforms: received righteousness is "a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct" (COR 99). A "grace" that leaves you exactly as it found you is the faith of demons, who "believe, and tremble" (James 2:19). The hunger isn't guilt — it's the doorway to being filled. The Laodicean who feels no need stays empty (Revelation 3:17); the beggar who admits he's empty gets filled (Matthew 5:6).

From the LGT / legalist side

The LGT believer objects

"You've made obedience optional. The Bible nowhere teaches salvation by justification alone — salvation is based on both justifying AND sanctifying righteousness. Obedience to the commandments is the condition of salvation. A final generation must actually overcome all sin."

The gospel answer Obedience is anything but optional here — but it's the fruit of salvation, not its condition. Blending justifying and sanctifying righteousness into one condition is the Council of Trent's formula, not Paul's: "justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:28); "to him that worketh not, but believeth… his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5). The righteousness that justifies is imputed — Christ's flawless work for us, our title to heaven. The righteousness that sanctifies is imparted — His work in us, our fitness for heaven. Make the imparted (carried in a weakened frame) the ground of acceptance, and you turn your fitness into your title and destroy all assurance. "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6) — even the sanctified ones can't be the legal ground. Christ is.

Both ditches, one diagnosis

Cheap grace says
  • "Keep the gift, drop the change."
  • Transformation is optional
  • Error: faith without works (James 2:17)
The gospel says
  • "Keep both, in order."
  • Gift received → life transformed
  • Title imputed, fitness imparted
Legalism / LGT says
  • "Make the change the price of the gift."
  • Obedience is the condition
  • Error: works that justify (Romans 3:28)

Who are the "LGT folks"?

Last Generation Theology is the furthest extreme of the legalism ditch — teaching that a final generation must achieve sinless perfection to vindicate God and allow Christ's return. There's a whole companion topic on this site explaining what it is, where it came from, why it's dangerous, and how to respond with grace.

→ Meet them on the LGT topic pages

What LGT is, its history, the real proof-texts, the field manual for responding, and the floating-grandpa game. If the legalism ditch is new to you, start there.

Go to the LGT topic →
Sam says So the whole site balances on this page, friend. The cheap-gracer says righteousness-by-faith asks too much; the legalist (and LGT) says it asks too little. They can't both be right — and in fact, neither is. The gospel keeps the gift and the change, in the right order: received first, transforming after. Hungry enough to reach for it, resting enough to stop striving for it. That's the narrow road home.

Go deeper: the LGT topic → The full field manual Back to Righteousness Home