The Gilding of Heresy

Why Bob Wilkin's New Views Aren't Orthodox

[View Illustration: The Gilding of Heresy]

I just read an article that Bob Wilkin of the Grace Evangelical Society (GES) posted a few years ago. He puts out so much content nowadays that sometimes it's hard to keep up with it. Not that I try, I'm just saying. It seems like every day Wilkin is working tirelessly to legitimize his unorthodox views of salvation – views labeled "heresy" by those in the Free Grace Movement who don't agree with his "new crossless gospel."[1] As John Malone has said:

"A heretic – a schismatic, or factious man – is 'self condemned,' according to the Scriptures [see Titus 3:10-11]. This means he judges himself to be wrong in his own mind. That doesn't mean he admits it to you, but it especially means he will not confess it to God, so that his conscience will be renewed. 'Heresy' is based on a word meaning 'to choose,' and therefore some have rightly called 'heresy' a division or gathering of a faction based on a self-willed opinion. Self-willed opinions now abound in the teaching of the GES.

It's so bad, in fact, that these GES fellows teach that 'they which are approved' in 1st Corinthians 11:19 are, in fact, they which are disapproved by God. That is a self-willed opinion!"[2]

Wilkin's article that I mentioned, titled "What Name Would You Give to Free Grace People Who Disagree with the Focused Free Grace Perspective?" (GES Blog, Nov. 18, 2024), is a good example of what I call his "gilding of heresy." What is the "gilding of heresy"? It is simply Wilkin's attempt to overlay his heretical views with a veneer that looks appealing to people so they are more easily fooled into believing or accepting his false gospel of Christ uncrucified. The true gospel is "Christ crucified," not uncrucified (see 1 Cor. 1:23, 2:2). While some try to separate what Paul preached from what a lost person must believe, the Apostle Paul explicitly states in the immediate context that it pleased God "by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Cor. 1:21, KJV). The message preached is the very message that must be believed for salvation—and that message is "Christ crucified." Think of it: Wilkin's new view is that the lost are saved by believing in Christ uncrucified! 

Wilkin often tries to dodge the "crossless" label by calling his view "the saving message" instead of "the gospel." But this is a distinction without a difference. By his own admission, "gospel" means good news, and he clearly believes his saving message is good news to the lost. Thus, by his own definition, it is a gospel message. But unfortunately, it is not the true gospel. By separating eternal salvation from the necessity of believing in "Christ crucified" (1 Cor 1:23), he is preaching "another gospel" (Gal 1:6–9) that is under the anathema of God. A message that saves apart from any knowledge of and/or belief in the cross is, by every rule of logic, a crossless gospel. Bible-believing Christians must not be fooled (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3-4). We must remember that "not all that glitters is gold." We must "hold fast to the traditions" which the Apostle Paul passed down to us, whether by word of mouth or by letter (see 2 Thess. 2:15).

In answer to Wilkin's question about "What Name Would You Give to Free Grace People Who Disagree with the Focused Free Grace Perspective?" I would call them biblical. That's the name I would give them. They are being biblical by standing up for the gospel truth of "Christ crucified" (1 Cor. 1:23), as opposed to Wilkin's distortion of it. In the article, Wilkin goes on to say: "I welcome those who disagree with us to devise a name for their version of Free Grace. Here are some names that I think they might consider: Genial Free Grace, Amiable Free Grace, Harmonious Free Grace, and Peaceful Free Grace." Wilkin seems oblivious to the fact that such names have already been proposed and have been in use for years. For example, in the Free Grace book titled Freely By His Grace (Grace Gospel Press, 2012), the subtitle of the book is: "Classical Free Grace Theology". For those who are unaware, Classical Free Grace theology is in distinction to "Crossless" Free Grace theology (i.e., Wilkin's new view). Another name for classic Free Grace is "traditional Free Grace". This title/designation has likewise been in use for years, yet strangely Wilkin never mentions it. Worse yet, Wilkin appears to be completely ignorant of it! This is hard to believe, which suggests he is either profoundly out of touch with his critics or intentionally ignoring their self-designation to avoid giving it added credibility. By way of contrast, Mike Lii (a GES acolyte) is more intellectually honest in his terminology when referring to classic Free Grace. Because Lii actually calls it "traditional Free Grace."[3] Thank you Mr. Lii, even a broken clock is right once or twice a day!

What I find striking about Wilkin's article is that he writes as if he and the GES are the last bastions of truth in the world, who have stood the test of time since the days of D. L. Moody, C. I. Scofield, and Lewis Sperry Chafer. But the very opposite is true. (I might add that Moody, Scofield, and Chafer would probably "roll over in their graves" if they knew what Wilkin is now teaching.) The truth is, Wilkin's heretical teachings are the new and unorthodox views in the Free Grace world, which have caused divisions (notice I said "caused," not "created") and have forced Bible-believing Christians to separate from Wilkin and from his organization. The Bible says: "Come out from among them and be ye separate, says the LORD, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And I will be a Father unto you" (2 Cor. 6:17-18, KJV). For those of us who want to enjoy fellowship with the Lord, we must separate from false doctrine.[4] False doctrine is what divides (cf. Rom. 16:17-18), and this is exactly why traditional Free Grace people have separated themselves from Wilkin and from his unorthodox views. Because he is teaching heretical doctrines and is causing schisms within the Free Grace Movement.[5]

It's good to see that Wilkin agrees with me on at least one thing though: Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 11:19, "For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you" (NKJV). But Wilkin twists this verse. Instead of taking personal accountability for his false teachings and acknowledging that his views are those which are not approved by God and therefore are causing divisions in the body of Christ (cf. Rom. 16:17-18), Wilkin uses the verse to justify the fact that Bible-believing Christians are separating from him! Wilkin apparently sees himself as a martyr, and he sees those who have separated from him similarly to how the Roman Catholics view the protestants: as "separated brethren". The point being that Wilkin refuses to admit that his views on the gospel are false teaching. As John Malone pointed out in his article, this just shows that Wilkin is self-willed and self-deceived! But my point is that I've been quoting 1 Corinthians 11:19 for years in reference to the Free Grace gospel debate.[6] So it's nice to know that even Wilkin agrees that this is indeed a valid application of the verse.

Unfortunately Wilkin will likely keep promoting his new and unorthodox views "Till Jesus Comes." So I urge all Bible-believing Christians to keep defending "the faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3)! We must keep preaching the simple gospel of "Christ crucified" (1 Cor. 1:23) – which to the Jews is a stumbling block, to the Greeks foolishness, and to the GES it is sadly "too much information"![7] But to those who are being saved, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God! (See 1 Corinthians 1:18-24.) Have you believed it? If not, do so today.

* * *

"For I delivered unto you as of first importance what I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen..." (1 Cor. 15:3-5).

ENDNOTES:

[1] Tom Stegall, "The Tragedy of the Crossless Gospel, Pt. 1," Grace Family Journal (Spring 2007): p. 9. For a more comprehensive discussion of these issues, see the following articles and books: Jonathan Perreault, "The Dangers of the Deserted Island Scenarios, Parts 1-10"; Kelly Sensenig, "Grace Evangelical Society and the Content of Saving Faith"; Thomas L. Stegall, The Gospel of the Christ: A Biblical Response to the Crossless Gospel Regarding the Contents of Saving Faith; Ken Wilson, Heresy of the Grace Evangelical Society, etc. These works provide detailed biblical and theological critiques of Bob Wilkin's position and should be consulted for a fuller treatment of the issues addressed in this article. Note: Not all these authors agree on the precise content of saving faith, but they all agree that Wilkin's new teachings on the gospel are, in fact, heresy.

[2] John Malone, "GES' Bob Wilkin: A Heretic's Vagaries and Intrigue," BibleStudy.net (August 2, 2007).

[3] Mike Lii, "Focused Free Grace Versus Flexible Free Grace," Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society (Spring 2024): p. 72.

[4] Commenting on 2 Corinthians 6:17, the Plymouth Brethren author and biblical scholar William Kelly aptly writes: "The apologist for ecclesiastical antinomianism [i.e., church compromise, where Christians tolerate false doctrine under the guise of grace] argues that the apostle is actually speaking of heathen impurity. Granted: it was the unclean thing there and then; but he was led by the Spirit to write with such breadth and depth as to cover everything that defiles. Is it meant that uncleanness is now consecrated or ignored? Is it denied that evil is most of all evil when coupled with the name of the Lord Jesus? Is not such an association the deceit, power, and triumph of the wicked one? To cleanse ourselves from every pollution is our clear and habitual duty as God's temple and family." (Kelly, Notes on the Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, p. 145.) Commenting on the same text, Charles Ryrie affirms: "Personal separation involves not being unequally yoked (v. 14); not loving the world (1 John 2:15-17), though using it (1 Cor. 7:31); not having fellowship with sinning brethren (1 Cor. 5:11 [cf. Matt. 18:15-17; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:12, 11:19; 2 Thess. 3:14-15; Titus 3:10-11]); and, on the positive side, exhibiting Christlikeness." (Ryrie, The Ryrie Study Bible, Expanded Edition [Chicago: Moody Press, 1995], p. 1854, brackets added.)

[5] For more information, see the article by Bob Nyberg titled "The Free Grace Fracture," academia.edu (no date).  

[6] See my summary chart titled "The Free Grace Gospel Debate" (FGFS, June 9, 2012).

https://freegracefreespeech.blogspot.com/2012/06/free-grace-gospel-debate.html

[7] See my article "Sharing the Gospel Clearly and Completely" (FGFS, August 6, 2025). Note that although Wilkin and his disciples sometimes include the cross in their gospel presentations, they do so mainly for illustrative and explanatory purposes. They do not believe that it is absolutely necessary for a lost person to believe for salvation.