A little more than 20 years ago, a debate among theologians began to intensify about the nature of the grace of God in the salvation of humanity. One view became known as "Lordship Salvation" (LS). This position is predicated upon a few central ideas:
First, LS claims that true faith (what they call "saving faith") in Christ involves not only belief in Christ's sacrifice on the cross, but also a commitment to submit to Christ as Master over every area of life. The idea is that "repentance" (which LS defines as "turning from sin toward God") is a necessary component of genuine faith - and that without such a commitment to turn from sin, a person is not exercising legitimate faith in Jesus. One common cliche popularized by this camp is "You cannot accept Jesus as Savior while rejecting Him as Lord." Sounds reasonable enough, doesn't it?
Secondly, LS asserts that in the life of all true believers, genuine faith will be "proven" by a lifestyle of increasing victory over sin, a demonstration of consistent obedience, and a track-record of obviously good works. Among the passages used to defend this idea are James 2:14-26 and Jesus' various statements in the Gospels related to "denying" or "dying to" oneself in order to come to Him.
On the other side of the debate, another view became popularly known as "Free Grace" theology (FG). This school of thought also emphasizes some core ideas about the nature of the Gospel proclaimed by Jesus and the Apostles.
In contrast to LS theology, FG theology affirms that Biblical faith in Christ is nothing more or less than simple "trust" or "confidence" that the Gospel is true and that it's promises apply to us personally the very moment we place our trust in this work of salvation Christ accomplished. FG advocates distinguish faith from "surrender to Christ's Lordship" on the grounds that adding mandatory results as a "litmus test" for whether or not one's faith is genuine is unbiblical and runs against the nature of grace itself - which is defined as God's unmerited favor received as a free gift on the basis of simply trusting in the promises of Christ.
Secondly, FG advocates insist that while "repentance" CAN and often DOES involve a turning from sin, we must be careful to define repentance Biblically. The Biblical definition of the verb "to repent" means literally "to change one's mind or perspective". It does NOT mean "to turn away from sin", although as I just mentioned, it could and often WILL include turning away from sin. Popular passages used to defend the FG position include John 3:16 and following, along with various passages in the Pauline Epistles which affirm that grace and the Law are two entirely different systems with unique purposes.
At one time I was a staunch, card-carrying member of the Lordship Salvation camp. Over the years, and with many reasons brought about through careful study of the Scriptures, I have journeyed toward the Free Grace camp in my understanding of the Gospel. Some of the primary voices among the LS camp include John MacArthur, R.C Sproul and John Piper. Noteworthy advocates of the FG position include Zane Hodges, Charles Swindoll and Charles Ryrie.
While I respect each of the men I just mentioned in various ways, I am definitely thankful for the movement toward Free Grace theology that I have experienced as a believer and pastor. I cannot possibly go into all of those issues in this format, but I would be interested in knowing where you fit along this spectrum of thought. What exactly DOES it mean to have faith? What does repentance mean? And how do the two of these ideas fit together (if at all) in bringing about eternal life?
If you have non-combative ideas to share - stuff that you would be able to defend Scripturally and with respect to other viewpoints - I would love to hear from you. As Christians, we all believe that salvation is by grace through faith - but what exactly does that mean? Let's have a good discussion...
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Religion Kills
Have you ever stopped to take a close look at Jesus - independent from the religious baggage we've attached to Him? I was talking to a guy at Peet's Coffee who asked me what I do for a living. When I told him I was a vocational pastor (which is unfortunately a predictable conversation-killer in most cases), he promptly told me that he wasn't a religious person, but that he respected those who have faith.
You should have seen the look on his face when I responded that I am not a particularly religious person either. "But I thought you just said you are a pastor," he replied, "How can you say you're not a religious person." I began to explain my opinion that there are crucial differences between those who are religious and those who follow Jesus.
When Jesus came into the world, the last thing on His agenda was to launch a new religion. The Jewish culture into which He arrived was chock full of religion. In addition, the Roman Empire was a cesspool of pagan religious practice as well - from Caesar-worship to Greek mythology to ritualistic cults. Jesus came to launch a rebellion - not a religion. In essence, religion is virtually all the same. Sure there are key differences among man-made religions, but they are all essentially about pleasing or appeasing their Deity or Deities through some form of human effort. Even the Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism - while not so much affirming belief in any one "god" - operate on a system of Karma and essentially working one's way to a higher state of reincarnated life.
Jesus' message was quite literally: "To hell with all that!" The rebellion Jesus started was focused on an upside-down way of relating to God - one in which God did all the work, initiating a loving relationship with His creation and salvation that comes as a free gift rather than something you work for. For some people, this message is too good to be true. It is a blatant affront to the prideful human sense we all share - that somehow we want to prove ourselves at least partly "worthy" by contributing to our own salvation.
In the Book of Matthew - chapters 5-7 - Jesus shocks His audience with a message Christians commonly refer to as "The Sermon on the Mount". In that message He challenges religious thinking head-on. The entire foundation of the sermon is built upon a very key phrase where Jesus says, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, you cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven." This was so shocking because from the outside looking in, the Pharisees were the most pious religious sect among the Jews. They were known for their outward religious adherence to the strictest interpretation of God's Law.
You can imagine how the common people felt when Jesus told them that in order to receive salvation they had to be MORE righteous than these so-called "perfect" religious folks. But that - we would eventually find - was precisely Jesus' point! He wanted to drive them to the desperate realization that in and of their own effort, it is impossible to live up to God's perfect standards. In stating this, Jesus was setting the stage to introduce what for them would be an entirely new concept - namely, that we could exchange our lives for His life. He was claiming that God had sent Him to live the perfect life on our behalf, and that through simply believing in His perfect life and sacrifice on the cross, we could exchange our sinful lives for His perfect life even though our behavior remains imperfect.
The exchanged life that Jesus proclaimed is a radical rebellion against religion. Whereas religions says, "There's a lot of work to be done," the message of Jesus is, "The work has already been done." There is a radical difference between religion and the message of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, humans have neutered the raw power of the rebellion by attaching all kinds of religious baggage to Jesus. But even through the 2,000-year-old fog we've created, the clarity of Jesus' voice rings through loud and clear: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in (your) weakness..." (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Jesus is not about mustering up enough strength to be religious. He is exactly the opposite. He is about admitting your weakness and need for a Savior - and allowing Him to begin living His supernatural life THROUGH you by faith. That's how our lives are changed and become filled with power and joy. Religion kills. Don't let it kill you! Come to the Author of life and let Him exchange His life for yours. And remember, if you hear someone talking about Jesus and the message doesn't sound too good to be true, then you're not hearing the true message of Jesus. His grace ALWAYS sounds too good to be true. That's precisely what makes it grace!
I can hear some of the religious combatants now... "What are you talking about, Jeremy? If you teach people that Christ's grace is an unconditional, irreversible disposition of favor and tenderness toward people - then they will be tempted to abuse God's grace as a license to sin." To which I reply, "DUH! If grace were not open to the possibility of abuse, it would at that very moment cease to be grace!" And yet, when we truly begin to catch a glimpse of God's irrationally free gift of grace toward those who simply receive it though faith in Christ, that same grace begins to change us into grateful creatures. We begin to respond to His unfathomable tenderness with a disposition of surrender to Him as our Heavenly Father, Friend and Lord. But this cannot happen until we rest in the all-sufficiency of His grace. Grace is what sets Christianity apart from man-made religious bondage. it's what makes the message of Christ unique.
If you are reading this and your experience of Jesus has been the kind with all the religious baggage attached, I encourage you to join the rebellion and meet the real Jesus - the One who will never leave you or forsake you. The One who loves you as you are and not as you "should" be. The One who loves you so much that He would rather die for you than live without you for eternity. And yes, the One who loves you exactly the way He finds you - but also loves you WAY too much to leave you that way! He has the power to change your life. Will you let Him?
That's the way I see it. I welcome your thoughts... :)
You should have seen the look on his face when I responded that I am not a particularly religious person either. "But I thought you just said you are a pastor," he replied, "How can you say you're not a religious person." I began to explain my opinion that there are crucial differences between those who are religious and those who follow Jesus.
When Jesus came into the world, the last thing on His agenda was to launch a new religion. The Jewish culture into which He arrived was chock full of religion. In addition, the Roman Empire was a cesspool of pagan religious practice as well - from Caesar-worship to Greek mythology to ritualistic cults. Jesus came to launch a rebellion - not a religion. In essence, religion is virtually all the same. Sure there are key differences among man-made religions, but they are all essentially about pleasing or appeasing their Deity or Deities through some form of human effort. Even the Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism - while not so much affirming belief in any one "god" - operate on a system of Karma and essentially working one's way to a higher state of reincarnated life.
Jesus' message was quite literally: "To hell with all that!" The rebellion Jesus started was focused on an upside-down way of relating to God - one in which God did all the work, initiating a loving relationship with His creation and salvation that comes as a free gift rather than something you work for. For some people, this message is too good to be true. It is a blatant affront to the prideful human sense we all share - that somehow we want to prove ourselves at least partly "worthy" by contributing to our own salvation.
In the Book of Matthew - chapters 5-7 - Jesus shocks His audience with a message Christians commonly refer to as "The Sermon on the Mount". In that message He challenges religious thinking head-on. The entire foundation of the sermon is built upon a very key phrase where Jesus says, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, you cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven." This was so shocking because from the outside looking in, the Pharisees were the most pious religious sect among the Jews. They were known for their outward religious adherence to the strictest interpretation of God's Law.
You can imagine how the common people felt when Jesus told them that in order to receive salvation they had to be MORE righteous than these so-called "perfect" religious folks. But that - we would eventually find - was precisely Jesus' point! He wanted to drive them to the desperate realization that in and of their own effort, it is impossible to live up to God's perfect standards. In stating this, Jesus was setting the stage to introduce what for them would be an entirely new concept - namely, that we could exchange our lives for His life. He was claiming that God had sent Him to live the perfect life on our behalf, and that through simply believing in His perfect life and sacrifice on the cross, we could exchange our sinful lives for His perfect life even though our behavior remains imperfect.
The exchanged life that Jesus proclaimed is a radical rebellion against religion. Whereas religions says, "There's a lot of work to be done," the message of Jesus is, "The work has already been done." There is a radical difference between religion and the message of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, humans have neutered the raw power of the rebellion by attaching all kinds of religious baggage to Jesus. But even through the 2,000-year-old fog we've created, the clarity of Jesus' voice rings through loud and clear: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in (your) weakness..." (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Jesus is not about mustering up enough strength to be religious. He is exactly the opposite. He is about admitting your weakness and need for a Savior - and allowing Him to begin living His supernatural life THROUGH you by faith. That's how our lives are changed and become filled with power and joy. Religion kills. Don't let it kill you! Come to the Author of life and let Him exchange His life for yours. And remember, if you hear someone talking about Jesus and the message doesn't sound too good to be true, then you're not hearing the true message of Jesus. His grace ALWAYS sounds too good to be true. That's precisely what makes it grace!
I can hear some of the religious combatants now... "What are you talking about, Jeremy? If you teach people that Christ's grace is an unconditional, irreversible disposition of favor and tenderness toward people - then they will be tempted to abuse God's grace as a license to sin." To which I reply, "DUH! If grace were not open to the possibility of abuse, it would at that very moment cease to be grace!" And yet, when we truly begin to catch a glimpse of God's irrationally free gift of grace toward those who simply receive it though faith in Christ, that same grace begins to change us into grateful creatures. We begin to respond to His unfathomable tenderness with a disposition of surrender to Him as our Heavenly Father, Friend and Lord. But this cannot happen until we rest in the all-sufficiency of His grace. Grace is what sets Christianity apart from man-made religious bondage. it's what makes the message of Christ unique.
If you are reading this and your experience of Jesus has been the kind with all the religious baggage attached, I encourage you to join the rebellion and meet the real Jesus - the One who will never leave you or forsake you. The One who loves you as you are and not as you "should" be. The One who loves you so much that He would rather die for you than live without you for eternity. And yes, the One who loves you exactly the way He finds you - but also loves you WAY too much to leave you that way! He has the power to change your life. Will you let Him?
That's the way I see it. I welcome your thoughts... :)
Monday, July 5, 2010
A Few Thoughts about America and God's Grace
Having recently celebrated Independence Day with friends and family, I was reflecting on the song "America, the Beautiful". One of the lines in the song is the phrase "God shed His grace on Thee..." It got me thinking, is it really accurate to say that God has shed His grace upon a particular country?
As an American, I love this nation where I derive my earthly citizenship. As a Christ-follower, I love grace, because it alone secures me in my eternal citizenship both in and beyond this world. In the New Testament, grace is offered to individuals in numerous ways, not the least of which is through Christ's sacrifice for sin on the cross. So if the New Testament concept of grace is extended to individuals regardless of race, color or national identity, the question is worth asking: In what sense is God's "grace" shed on America - or any other nation, for that matter?
I do believe that America's foundational documents (i.e. the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc.) are morally superior to other systems of human government. And while we have at times fallen very short of living up to the ideals of our founding intentions, these documents are nonetheless a beautiful and Scripturally rooted set of values by which we seek to perpetuate freedom for our citizens. In that sense, God has indeed been gracious to the citizens of this nation - allowing us to live in relative peace, prosperity and political freedom by comparison to the vast majority of the global population.
And yet, under the New Covenant God no longer operates through specific "chosen nations" such as He did in the Old Testament. For "there is neither Greek nor Jew, slave nor free, male nor female - but all are one in Christ Jesus". The New Testament concept of grace is centered upon the unmerited favor of God being freely bestowed upon those who will simply receive God's grace as a free gift through faith in Christ. Obviously, not everyone in America believes this message. So again I ask, "In what sense is God's grace been shed upon America?" Or is that particular line of the song misstated?
Biblically, grace is the highest and sweetest expression of the love of God toward humanity. It is the offer of complete forgiveness of sin and eternal life based upon no effort of our own. So when we say that God has shed His grace upon America, do we mean that He loves Americans more than others? Is this line something that should be sung by Christians, thankful and patriotic as we may be about our country? I would love to know your thoughts...
As an American, I love this nation where I derive my earthly citizenship. As a Christ-follower, I love grace, because it alone secures me in my eternal citizenship both in and beyond this world. In the New Testament, grace is offered to individuals in numerous ways, not the least of which is through Christ's sacrifice for sin on the cross. So if the New Testament concept of grace is extended to individuals regardless of race, color or national identity, the question is worth asking: In what sense is God's "grace" shed on America - or any other nation, for that matter?
I do believe that America's foundational documents (i.e. the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc.) are morally superior to other systems of human government. And while we have at times fallen very short of living up to the ideals of our founding intentions, these documents are nonetheless a beautiful and Scripturally rooted set of values by which we seek to perpetuate freedom for our citizens. In that sense, God has indeed been gracious to the citizens of this nation - allowing us to live in relative peace, prosperity and political freedom by comparison to the vast majority of the global population.
And yet, under the New Covenant God no longer operates through specific "chosen nations" such as He did in the Old Testament. For "there is neither Greek nor Jew, slave nor free, male nor female - but all are one in Christ Jesus". The New Testament concept of grace is centered upon the unmerited favor of God being freely bestowed upon those who will simply receive God's grace as a free gift through faith in Christ. Obviously, not everyone in America believes this message. So again I ask, "In what sense is God's grace been shed upon America?" Or is that particular line of the song misstated?
Biblically, grace is the highest and sweetest expression of the love of God toward humanity. It is the offer of complete forgiveness of sin and eternal life based upon no effort of our own. So when we say that God has shed His grace upon America, do we mean that He loves Americans more than others? Is this line something that should be sung by Christians, thankful and patriotic as we may be about our country? I would love to know your thoughts...
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