How wise were the Reformers in expressing biblical Christianity in the form of the Reformation Solas! Yet how quickly do you and I stumble away from the simplicity of the gospel and these clear expressions of the one true faith. In my pastoral counseling, I often see such straying in one of two forms.
The first variety comes in the way of an Antinomian Christianity, meaning a lifestyle that is undisciplined, being justified by one’s “freedom in Christ” from the law of God. After all, if we are saved by grace, I do not want to try to “add” something to the work of Christ in my life. This thought sounds noble on the surface and it may be a genuine desire of this person, but one will find much deeper issues upon probing a little further. Although this mentality can lead to licentiousness I generally find that people falling into this trap are spiritually lazy as well as lazy in other areas of life. The attempt to excuse one’s behavior, or more accurately the lack of activity, is often hidden within this appeal. Scripture is clear that we as believers must be disciplined in our pursuit of godliness if we will follow in Christlikeness. Romans 5-7, 1 Timothy 4:7, and other such passages point us to the necessity of being disciplined if we will experience the full bloom of Christianity on this side of death. A disorderly approach to seeking the face of God, in which one may or may not rise early in the morning for Bible reading and pray or one may or may not share the gospel or one may or may not attend corporate worship on a regular basis, will result in a weak faith followed by meager attempts to quite the conscience. I love what Donald Whitney says about this subject. He writes, “The only road to Christian maturity and Godliness (Christlikeness and holiness) passes through the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines. These personal and corporate disciplines promote spiritual growth and have been practiced by God’s people since biblical times. Jesus modeled them for us and expects us to pursue them.” Such discipline will actually result in greater freedom as one adheres to the commands of Christ as found in Scripture. After all, the Truth shall make us free, including the truth that Christ requires something from us for godliness-a disciplined pursuit of Him.
What is the opposite line of failure in the pursuit of godliness? The opposite of Antinomianism would be the second form of straying from the biblical faith, namely man-centered Fundamentalism. By this phrase, I mean a list of do’s and don’ts that will supposedly lead of godliness. Am I being contradictory in this statement? Am I condemning what I just promoted? It is not a contradiction, but a difference in understanding that the above is only accomplished by the grace of God through faith in Christ rather than by one's righteous works. The difference is that those who create regulations for godliness stray into the mentality that their works have produced their “godliness.” Somehow they have accomplished something that they can bring to the throne of grace as merit before God. What a person with this mentality does not grasp is that the heart is the wellspring of all actions and simply creating certain standards, even the best ones, will never get to the root problem of the heart. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees of Israel for thinking that their man-made regulations would justify them before God, when their hearts were corrupt. Out of the heart flows sin, even sin that does not hatch into outward manifestation (Mt 5). This is the point of frustration for such individuals as their actions may be regulated and their sins of the flesh may be squelched for a time, but sin will always rear its ugly head and leave the Fundamentalist to “try harder” and “hunker down” in this battle. To this person, the simplicity of walking by faith in the grace of God is too elemental. This person says, “Now that I have received Christ for salvation, I must proceed in godliness by not doing _______ or by making sure that I ________.” Such efforts are far short of godliness and actually distract from the joyful delight that one experiences when he realizes the existence of and honestly admits to his inability to be godly, thus requiring him to humbly approach God for grace.
What a freeing reality is the pursuit of godliness through disciplined adherence to the commands of Christ as found in Scripture. If we love Him, we will keep His commands…commands such as making disciples (evangelism & discipleship), loving our neighbors (evangelism and mercy), not forsaking the bride of Christ (fellowship and corporate worship), fasting, prayer, etc. Pursuing God through disciplined grace will bring about godliness and freedom from our feeble attempts to be perfect. When we fail, we are pointed back to the simplicity of the gospel (Colossians 2:6-15) that confounds the ungodly man, who cannot understand the wisdom of God. It is only by Grace through Faith in Christ as seen in Scripture for the chief end of man, which is Glory to God Alone. Soli Deo Gloria.
The first variety comes in the way of an Antinomian Christianity, meaning a lifestyle that is undisciplined, being justified by one’s “freedom in Christ” from the law of God. After all, if we are saved by grace, I do not want to try to “add” something to the work of Christ in my life. This thought sounds noble on the surface and it may be a genuine desire of this person, but one will find much deeper issues upon probing a little further. Although this mentality can lead to licentiousness I generally find that people falling into this trap are spiritually lazy as well as lazy in other areas of life. The attempt to excuse one’s behavior, or more accurately the lack of activity, is often hidden within this appeal. Scripture is clear that we as believers must be disciplined in our pursuit of godliness if we will follow in Christlikeness. Romans 5-7, 1 Timothy 4:7, and other such passages point us to the necessity of being disciplined if we will experience the full bloom of Christianity on this side of death. A disorderly approach to seeking the face of God, in which one may or may not rise early in the morning for Bible reading and pray or one may or may not share the gospel or one may or may not attend corporate worship on a regular basis, will result in a weak faith followed by meager attempts to quite the conscience. I love what Donald Whitney says about this subject. He writes, “The only road to Christian maturity and Godliness (Christlikeness and holiness) passes through the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines. These personal and corporate disciplines promote spiritual growth and have been practiced by God’s people since biblical times. Jesus modeled them for us and expects us to pursue them.” Such discipline will actually result in greater freedom as one adheres to the commands of Christ as found in Scripture. After all, the Truth shall make us free, including the truth that Christ requires something from us for godliness-a disciplined pursuit of Him.
What is the opposite line of failure in the pursuit of godliness? The opposite of Antinomianism would be the second form of straying from the biblical faith, namely man-centered Fundamentalism. By this phrase, I mean a list of do’s and don’ts that will supposedly lead of godliness. Am I being contradictory in this statement? Am I condemning what I just promoted? It is not a contradiction, but a difference in understanding that the above is only accomplished by the grace of God through faith in Christ rather than by one's righteous works. The difference is that those who create regulations for godliness stray into the mentality that their works have produced their “godliness.” Somehow they have accomplished something that they can bring to the throne of grace as merit before God. What a person with this mentality does not grasp is that the heart is the wellspring of all actions and simply creating certain standards, even the best ones, will never get to the root problem of the heart. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees of Israel for thinking that their man-made regulations would justify them before God, when their hearts were corrupt. Out of the heart flows sin, even sin that does not hatch into outward manifestation (Mt 5). This is the point of frustration for such individuals as their actions may be regulated and their sins of the flesh may be squelched for a time, but sin will always rear its ugly head and leave the Fundamentalist to “try harder” and “hunker down” in this battle. To this person, the simplicity of walking by faith in the grace of God is too elemental. This person says, “Now that I have received Christ for salvation, I must proceed in godliness by not doing _______ or by making sure that I ________.” Such efforts are far short of godliness and actually distract from the joyful delight that one experiences when he realizes the existence of and honestly admits to his inability to be godly, thus requiring him to humbly approach God for grace.
What a freeing reality is the pursuit of godliness through disciplined adherence to the commands of Christ as found in Scripture. If we love Him, we will keep His commands…commands such as making disciples (evangelism & discipleship), loving our neighbors (evangelism and mercy), not forsaking the bride of Christ (fellowship and corporate worship), fasting, prayer, etc. Pursuing God through disciplined grace will bring about godliness and freedom from our feeble attempts to be perfect. When we fail, we are pointed back to the simplicity of the gospel (Colossians 2:6-15) that confounds the ungodly man, who cannot understand the wisdom of God. It is only by Grace through Faith in Christ as seen in Scripture for the chief end of man, which is Glory to God Alone. Soli Deo Gloria.
Post a Comment