The Gospel is Better Than Unconditional Love
The following quote comes from David Powlison’s article, Idols of the Heart and “Vanity Fair.”
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The Gospel is better than unconditional love. The Gospel says, “God accepts you just as Christ is. God has ‘contra-conditional’ love for you.” Christ bears the curse you deserve. Christ is fully pleasing to the Father and gives you His own perfect goodness. Christ reigns in power, making you the Father’s child and coming close to you to begin to change what is unacceptable to God about you. God never accepts me “as I am.” He accepts me “as I am in Jesus Christ.” The center of gravity is different. The true Gospel does not allow God’s love to be sucked into the vortex of the soul’s lust for acceptability and worth in and of itself. Rather, it radically decenters people—what the Bible calls “fear of the Lord” and “faith”—to look outside themselves.
Peace with God
Romans 5:1-5
1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
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We have peace with God. This is our hope. Enough said.
The Gospel Vs. “Enough”
The following post comes from J.D. Greear and I came across it at Redemption Hill’s site (can be accessed here):
The word “enough” is the enemy of the Gospel. The word “enough” about killed me spiritually.
For many years I have lived with a complex… Have I given enough? Do I love enough? Do I share Christ enough? Do I sacrifice enough? Should I be living in a downtown Durham project? Should I adopt 3 adolescent runaways from Russia? Should I be sharing our house with a homeless man? Should I give away 50% of my income?
Every time I have heard a new preacher with a new “cause” I have left thinking, “Do I have to do that to be a real disciple of Jesus? Am I doing enough?”
That is because many well meaning (though I think misguided Christian preachers) preach a message built on enough. Their message often appears to be, “Do you give enough to the poor to really consider yourself a good Christian? Why don’t Christians in America die like Jesus’ first followers? After all, good Christians… adopt, live poor, die martyr’s deaths, win all their neighbors to Jesus, use only recycled cooking oil, drive hybrids… etc.” I am forever left thinking, “If I were a real Christian, I’d be doing this or that…” (and, to be fair, it’s not always the individual preacher’s fault, sometimes it’s how I misinterpret them–which has more to do with me… I seem addicted to works-righteousness and can turn anything into a new “standard” to reach.)
Obviously, giving and any form of sacrificial living are all important questions and things that many Christians who have experienced the love of the Gospel will want to do. But never in the context of “enough.”
Whenever we preach “enough” we preach legalism. Legalism has two unmistakable marks: pride in those who feel like they live up to the standard or guilt-complexes in those who don’t. The Gospel creates neither. The Gospel is not about how much you give, or whether or not you die, or if you adopt, or if you go overseas, the Gospel is about a heart of love that does things simply and freely in response to what God has done for us.
“Not under compulsion” is one of Paul’s favorite phrases in the context of generosity. The word “enough” is its own type of compulsion. The Gospel is not about any response that is “enough”; the Gospel is about the free response of love flowing from gratefulness for the sacrifice of Christ which set us completely free.
The Gospel is not about what we are to go and do for God, but about what He has done for us. There are only two ways to approach God… one says, “I’ll obey some standard, and because of that I’ll be accepted.” The other says “I’ve been accepted by what Christ has done for me, and I love in response.
This is why the preaching of the announcement of the Gospel (that Christ has DONE all that is necessary to save us) is so absolutely essential for all Christian living. If you do not preach the announcement of acceptance because of what Christ has done, there is no way he can create free love. Legalistic preachers, no matter how “evangelical” or “radical” they seem to be, don’t create love for Jesus in people, they create pride and guilt-despair. Because they don’t preach an announcement of freedom, they preach an obedience of captivity.
Paul said in 1 Cor 13:1-4 that “real Christianity” had nothing to do with “giving enough” or “dying enough” or “suffering enough” or “witnessing enough.” He said it had to do with love, and love, as I’m saying, only grows in absolute freedom.
The only time the word “enough” ought to be used for the Gospel is in reference to what Christ has done for us. Those who understand this will live their lives in response, and their lives will be characterized by radical love.
The Gospel is not spelled “D-O” or “D-O-N-T” but “D-O-N-E.” If you don’t love and live radically, think about what Christ has done. Repent of the idols and saviors you have served in place of Him, and when you do , He will change your heart from one of selfishness to one of love.
For Your Sake
John 1:1-17
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15( John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
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This opening to the book of John is amazing both in its description of the magnitude and beauty of our Lord and also as an introduction (or foundation) to the rest of the book. From the very beginning, Jesus is the source of life and all things that have come into being come from him. The magnificent one, who is both the author and the end, came to us, a people in darkness. This is remarkable and yet we so easily glide from chapter one to chapter 2. The light of the world came to the rebellious ones and made us children of God! The glorious one came to the non-glorious ones and lived amongst us, giving himself fully to us so that we could know God and receive grace upon grace. I pray that we will be blown away by this. The glorious one through which all things have been made (and through which are held together) came to those who were (are) dead so that we could experience life. And this is only chapter 1 – Are you kidding me?
2 Corinthians 8:9 – For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
The Good News
The following quote comes from Michael Horton’s recently published book, The Gospel Driven Life. I highly recommend it. You can purchase it here.
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“It is interesting that the biblical writers chose the word “gospel.” The heart of most religions is good advice, good techniques, good programs, good ideas, and good support systems. These drive us deeper into ourselves, to find our inner light, inner goodness, inner voice, or inner resources. Nothing new can be found inside of us. There is no inner rescuer deep down in my soul: I just hear echoes of my own voice telling me all sorts of crazy things to numb my sense of fear, anxiety, and boredom, the origins of which I cannot truly identify. But the heart of Christianity is Good News. It comes not as a task for us to fulfill, a mission for us to accomplish, a game plan for us to follow with the help of life coaches, but as a report that someone else has already fulfilled, accomplished, followed, and achieved everything for us. Good advice may help us in daily direction: the Good News concerning Jesus Christ saves us from sin’s guilt and tyranny over our lives and the fear of death. It’s Good News because it does not depend on us. It is about God and his faithfulness to his own purposes and promises.”
Luther: The Strange Blessings Gathered by the Labors of Another
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I am a sinner, but I am borne by his righteousness which is given to me. I am unclean, but his holiness is my sanctification, in which I ride gently. I am an ignorant fool, but his wisdom carries me forward. I deserve condemnation, but I am set free by his redemption. . . . [I]n [this] we are lifted up not only above our evils, but even above our blessings, and we are set down in the midst of strange blessings gathered by the labors of another. . . . We are set down, I say, in Christ’s righteousness, with which he himself is righteous, because we cling to that righteousness whereby he himself is acceptable to God, intercedes for us as our mediator, and gives himself wholly to us as our high priest and protector. Therefore, just as it is impossible for Christ with his righteousness not to please God, so it is impossible for us, with our faith clinging to his righteousness, not to please him. It is in this way that a Christian becomes almighty Lord of all, having all things and doing all things, wholly without sin.
I was stunned by the next sentence.
Even if he is in sins, these cannot do him harm; they are forgiven for the sake of the inexhaustible righteousness of Christ that removes all sins. Really? No harm at all? Is this another of Luther’s exaggerations for the sake of effect? Gloriously not. ‘Inexhaustible’ is just the right word. Listen to that sentence again.
Even if he is in sins, these cannot do him harm; they are forgiven for the sake of the inexhaustible righteousness of Christ that removes all sins. . . . He who does not believe this is like a deaf man hearing a story. He does not know Christ, neither does he understand what blessings are his nor how thye may be enjoyed. –Martin Luther, “Fourteen Consolations,” written to Elector Frederick the Wise when Frederick fell deathly sick, in LW 42:164-65
Do You Fear Rejection, Failure, Chaos and Being Out of Control?
The following comes from an article entitled Perfectionism by Richard Winter. You can download it here.
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All the great religions of the world, except one, have this same driving force- how can man overcome his limitations and become like God? And most of the great religions of the world have rituals, ways of making oneself good enough. So all the great religions of the world, except one, are a process of reducing anxiety by human achievement, reducing fears by works and rituals, in the service of some god or another, thus giving the illusion of possible acceptance and security.
Christianity is profoundly and wonderfully different. Francis Schaeffer never used to tire of saying that Christianity is both the hardest and the easiest religion in the world. It is the easiest because we come with nothing, with empty hands, to the foot of the cross. And yet it is the hardest for that very same reason, because our pride does not want us to accept that we should come with open hands; we want to bring something, we want to contribute to our own salvation, we want ultimately to have the last card in our hands, to be the one who says we are in control rather than God.
So, perfectionism can also be the road to heaven, because it drives us to see that we cannot reach God’s standards on our own. Like the law, it “leads us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” Gal. 3.24. We come with nothing. accepting the free gift of his love, acceptance, and sacrifice on the cross for us, bowing in dependence on him, submitting our will to his knowing that we are accepted, forgiven, loved and valued not for what we do, not for what we have achieved, not for being perfect, but because we recognise how imperfect we are, how sinful we are, and how far we fall short of the perfection of God.
So my worth in the eyes of God does not depend on my works. I don’t need to live under law but under grace. So many perfectionist Christians still live under law. Somehow they cannot appropriate and accept the grace of God because there is a basic insecurity with deep fears of rejection, of failure, of non-being, of chaos, and of being out of control. But all these deep fears are dealt with by returning to a relationship with a loving God who accepts us, with all our failures and imperfections. He has plans to make this old ruined cottage of my life, into a glorious palace fit for a king to live in, and he is the one who is going to make us perfect because we cannot do it ourselves.
