Theological Prerogative
For some time, I have felt the need to set forth a clear statement of our theological perspective. Too often, “statements of faith” are crafted to be bland, uncontroversial, and ultimately empty—designed to signal belonging rather than to confess anything with substance. Such statements do not foster discernment or conviction; they are theological placeholders, not living confessions. We reject this approach. Our position is not about organizational legitimacy or club membership—it is about Christ Himself as the center and substance of the Christian life.
Christ: Our Righteousness, Sanctification, and Reward
The heart of our teaching is this: Christ is our righteousness, our sanctification, and our reward (1 Cor 1:30; Gen 15:1). This is not a slogan, but the very foundation of assurance and Christian living. When justification is reduced to nothing more than “going to heaven when you die,” the result is catastrophic. Believers are left with no anchor for assurance, no present experience of Christ as life, and no vision of Him as their inheritance. Instead, they are pushed back under a system of works—striving endlessly to “be better,” relating to God as slaves rather than heirs.
This is the Galatian error: having begun by faith, many attempt to be perfected by the flesh (Gal 3:1-6). The result is a life lived under law, not under grace; a life of striving, not of rest; a life of fear, not of sonship. The Spirit’s supply is cut off by the return to self-effort, and the inheritance is treated as a wage to be earned rather than a gift to be received.
What is lost if this error is accepted? You lose Christ as your present righteousness, your daily sanctification, and your eternal reward. You forfeit the joy and freedom of the Spirit, and instead inherit only the bondage of fear and the endless treadmill of self-improvement. The very assurance and liberty that Christ died to secure are surrendered.
The Error of Merit-Based Reward and the Fear of Judgment
Most Christians, even those who have heard justification by faith, are still taught to dread the judgment seat of Christ—as if it were a punitive reckoning for their failures. The doctrine of reward is twisted into a system of merit and debt, where God is imagined as a hard taskmaster, and the believer as a debtor who can never pay enough. This produces only fear and condemnation, not joy.
But the Pauline revelation is clear: the Bema seat is a celebration, not a whipping post. Christ Himself is our reward, and our inheritance is secured in Him, not in our performance. The Church is not a party to Israel’s covenants; we are testament heirs, joined to Christ and sharing in all that is His by grace alone.
Pauline Dispensationalism: The Framework of Assurance
Our teaching stands unapologetically on Pauline dispensational truth. The Church—the Body of Christ—was a mystery hidden from ages past, revealed to Paul alone (Rom 16:25-26; Col 1:26-27; Eph 3:3-6). The rule of life for the believer is not found in the Mosaic law, the Psalms, or even in James (written before the full revelation of the Body of Christ). Rather, we read all Scripture in the light of Christ, with Paul as the divinely appointed interpreter.
This distinction is not academic. It is the dividing line between law and grace, between fear and assurance, between slavery and sonship. To conflate Israel and the Church is to collapse the believer’s inheritance into a system of works and uncertainty. To see the Church as distinct is to recognize our heavenly calling, our union with Christ, and our position as joint heirs—not wage-earners.
Christ Is Our Sanctification—Not Progressive Self-Improvement
The popular notion of “progressive sanctification” is a theological mirage. It deceives believers into thinking their flesh is being gradually improved, only to leave them disillusioned and defeated when sin inevitably reasserts itself (2 Pet 2:19). Scripture teaches no such thing. Christ is our sanctification (1 Cor 1:30). We partake of His life not by striving, but by the supply of the Spirit through the hearing of faith.
God has judged the flesh at the cross. He is not seeking anything from it, nor is He surprised or disappointed by its failures. The flesh, with all its supposed virtues and obvious sins, has been crucified with Christ (Rom 6:5-14). In His resurrection, we are raised to newness of life—not to try harder, but to rest in what He has accomplished.
This is not passivity, but true transformation: the Spirit renews our minds, washes us with the Word, and quickens us to walk in newness of life (Rom 12:2; Eph 4:23; Col 3:10). The Christian life is not regulated by outward commands, but by the inward law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1-2).
Christ Is Our Reward—Not a System of Wages
The confusion over the nature of reward is rooted in a failure to distinguish the Church from Israel, and law from grace. The Bema seat is not a future threat, but a present hope. It is the celebration of the Bride of Christ, the masterpiece of God’s grace, not a tribunal of fear. Our reward is not a wage for service, but the inheritance of Christ Himself—shared freely with all who are in Him.
To teach otherwise is to guarantee a life of anxiety and bondage, and to rob the believer of the joy that is his birthright in Christ. The legalistic view of reward collapses the doctrine of justification and inheritance, and leaves the conscience perpetually uncleansed.
The Everlasting Covenant and Our Position as Heirs
We are not covenant parties, but testament heirs. The everlasting covenant was made with Christ, the Seed of Abraham and David, the Shepherd of the sheep (Gen 15:18; 2 Sam 7:12-16; Ps 2:7-9; Gal 3:16). All the promises of God are “yes” in Him, and we are joint heirs by faith (Heb 9:15-17; Rom 8:16-17). The New Covenant, in every scriptural reference, is for Israel; the Church partakes of the blessing as heirs with Christ, not as parties to the covenant.
This is not a minor point. To lose this distinction is to lose the ground of assurance, the clarity of inheritance, and the liberty of sonship.
Our Stand Against Galatianism
We categorically reject Galatianism—the teaching that what is freely given in Christ must be earned by works. This is not a secondary issue; it is a subtle but deadly perversion of the gospel. Our righteousness is in Christ, received by faith. Our sanctification is enjoyed through union with Him. Our reward is Christ Himself and the inheritance we share as His Body. The Bema seat is a celebration, not a reprimand. Our view of reward is grounded in the generosity of the Master, not our merit. We are sons and heirs, enjoying Christ’s portion through the Spirit.
This is the only perspective that guards the gospel, cleanses the conscience, and brings true joy.
In Conclusion
Christ is the Seed of Abraham and the Captain of our salvation. By justification through faith, we are made joint heirs with Him (Rom 4:1-5; Gal 3:16; Heb 6:13-20). He is our righteousness, sanctification, redemption, reward, and life (1 Cor 1:30; Col 3:1-4; Gal 2:19-22). The Bema seat is a celebration of His work in us. Our inheritance is Christ Himself—the Son of David, the Heir of all things (Rom 1:2-4; Rom 8:16-17; Gal 3:29; Eph 1:5-14). We enjoy His access, His fellowship with the Father, His position, and His blessing through the Spirit (Gal 4:7; Eph 2:18; Eph 3:12).
Let this be the principle by which we interpret all of Scripture: Christ is the heir, and we are joint heirs with Him. Anything less is not the gospel, and anything else is not Christianity.
We teach and write from this perspective without apology. If you are content with works-based assurance, you will find no comfort here—only the challenge of the finished work of Christ and the freedom of sonship. If you are weary of striving, condemned by law, and hungry for assurance, you will find rest, joy, and inheritance in Him alone.
