The following excerpts from the writings of Charles (Chuck) Swindoll are available on this page:

A Different Gospel
The Freedom of Grace
Liberty is Always Worth Fighting For
The Christian's Emancipation Proclamation

It is a "different gospel" that says, "salvation is not by faith alone it requires works. Human achievement must accompany sincere faith before you can be certain of your salvation". We continue to hear that "different gospel" to this day and it is a lie. A theology that rests its salvation on one ounce of human performance is not good news; it is bad information. It is heresy.

A salvation that begins with God's love reaching down to lost humanity and is carried out by Christ's death and resurrection results in all the praise going to God. But a salvation that includes human achievement, hard work, personal effort, even religious deeds distorts the good news because man gets the glory, not God. The problem is, it appeals to the flesh. Paul's twice-repeated reaction to the one who introduced that doctrinal heresy is "Let him be accursed!" The original word is anathema! It is the strongest single Greek term for condemnation.

Nevertheless, the heresy goes on. Most every cult you could name is a cult of salvation by works. It appeals to the flesh. It tells you, if you will stand so long on a street corner, if you will distribute so much literature, if you will sacrifice so much of life, if you will be baptized, if you will contribute your money, if you will pray or attend numerous meetings, then your good works and hard effort will cause God to smile on you. Ultimately when the good is weighed against the bad on the Day of Judgement, you will finally earn His favor. The result in that, I say again, is man's glory, because you added to your salvation.

Grace says you have nothing to give, nothing to earn, nothing to pay. You couldn't if you tried! Salvation is a free gift. You simply lay hold of what Christ has provided. Period. And yet the heretical doctrine of works goes on all around the world and always will. It is effective because the pride of men and women is so strong. We simply have to do something in order to feel right about it. It just doesn't make good humanistic sense to get something valuable for nothing.

Please allow me to be absolutely straight with you: Stop tolerating the heretical gospel of works! It is legalism. Wake up to the fact that it will put you into a bondage syndrome that won't end. The true gospel of grace, however, will set you free. Free forever.

From: The Grace Awakening

Won't some people take it to an extreme? Doesn't a minister run the risk that some in his flock may take unfair liberties if he presents the message of grace. Couldn't an awakening of grace lead to an abusing of grace?

Martyn Lloyd-Jones states that preaching grace is not only risky, but the fact that some take it to an unwise extreme is proof that a minister is indeed preaching the true grace of God. Some people will take advantage of it. They will misrepresent it. They will go to such an extreme that they will promote the erroneous idea that you can go on sinning as much as you like. If you claim to be a messenger of grace, if you think you are really preaching grace, yet no one is taking advantage of it, maybe you haven't preached it hard enough or strong enough. I can assure you of this: Grace killing ministers will never have that charge brought against them. They make sure of that! This issue of grace is indeed controversial. It brings grace abusers as well as grace killers out from under the rocks!

All who embrace grace become "free indeed." Free from what? Free from oneself. Free from guilt and shame. Free from the tyranny of others' opinions, expectations, and demands. Free to obey. Free to love. Free to forgive others as well as myself. Free to allow others to be who they are ­ different from me! Free to live beyond the limitations of human effort. Free to serve and glorify Christ.

Because of grace we have been freed from sin, from its slavery, its bondage in our attitude, in our urges, and in our actions. But having been freed and now living by grace, we can actually go too far, set aside all self-control, and take our liberty to such an extreme that we again serve sin. But that isn't liberty at all, that's license. And knowing of that possibility, many opt for legalism lest they be tempted to live irresponsibly. Bad choice!

Freedom is frightening. There are people who want to be told what to do and when ­ how to believe and why. And the result is tragic ­ perpetual adolescence.

You can't be afraid of the heights if you're going to walk on the tightrope of grace. But at the same time you have to watch out for the strong gusts of wind that will occasionally blow like mad.

From: The Grace Awakening

I find it amazing that we as a nation will fight other nations for our national liberty, and that we as a people will if necessary, fight one another for the freedom of those within our borders, but when it comes to the living out of our Christianity, we will give up our liberty without a fight. We'll go to the wall and square off against any enemy who threatens to take away our national freedom, but we'll not be nearly so passionate as Christians under grace to fight for our rightful liberty. Let enough legalists come aboard and we will virtually give them command of the ship. Peace at any price leads to slavery.

If Patrick Henry had the courage to say "Give me liberty or give me death," then the Christian ought to have the courage to say, "Give me freedom because of Christ." Bondage is bondage, whether it is political or spiritual. Give me the liberty that He won at Calvary or I am still enslaved. To live in slavery is to nullify the grace of God.

Grace brings a freedom to enjoy the rights and privileges of being out from under slavery and allowing others such freedom. Its freedom to experience and enjoy a new kind of power that only Christ could bring. It is a freedom to become all that He meant me to be, regardless of how He leads others. That freedom is then released to others so they can be who they are meant to be ­ different from me! God isn't stamping out little cookie-cutter Christians across the world so that we all think alike and look alike and sound alike and act alike. God is pleased with variety.

Freedom to be who we are is nothing short of magnificent. It is freedom to make choices, freedom to know His will, freedom to walk in it, freedom to obey His leading me in my life and you in your life.

It is a liberty you will have to fight for. Why? Because the ranks of Christianity are full of those who compare and would love to control and manipulate you so you will become as miserable as they are. "Misery loves company" is the legalists' unspoken motto.

The one place on earth where we would most expect to be set free is, in fact, the very place we are most likely to be placed into slavery: the church. Surely, that must grieve our God.

From: The Grace Awakening

In Romans six as in no other section of Scripture, is the foundational truth of our liberty ­ freedom from Satan's intimidation and sin's domination. It is here the believer discovers his or her freedom from sin's control and how to live on that victorious level above fear, guilt, shame, and defeat. In this wonderful sixth chapter of Romans, Paul presents three techniques for living by grace, above sin's domination.

(1) KNOW - When we came to Christ, we were placed into Him as His death became ours, His victorious resurrection became ours, His "awakening" to new life became our "awakening," His powerful walk became our powerful walk. Before we can experience the benefits of all that, we have to know it.

You will meet well-meaning Christians who teach about crucifying oneself. But I have good news for you: That has already been done. You are in Christ. He was crucified once for all. He died for you so you never need to die again. Because we have our identification with Him, we have all the power needed to live the rest of our lives above the drag and dregs of slavery. Death to sin is an accomplished act, a finished fact. A victorious walk begins with our knowing this fact.

(2) CONSIDER - Consider is from a Greek word that means "to calculate, to take into account, to figure." It is a financial term, and accounting term. Rather than meaning "act like it is so," it means "reckon it true. Enter it in the ledger. Record it in the creases of your brain."

(3) PRESENT - Not only must there be intelligent calculation ("consider") based on true information ("know"), there has to be a conscious presentation of ourselves to God. Since we have been emancipated, it is high time we start living like it. I remind you that our adversary doesn't want us to think like this. He would erase grace immediately if he could. But since he cannot, his strategy is to do everything in his power to deceive us into thinking like slaves. Why? Because when we start operating like free men and women, our old "master" can no longer control us. Our adversary, Satan, won't back off easily. Neither will the legalists he uses. The enemies of our souls despise this message of freedom. In order for you to leave the security of slavery and ignorance and walk out into the new, risky fields of freedom and grace, you will need courage and inner resolve. There Is a "grace awakening" beginning in the hearts of God's people.

From: The Grace Awakening