One Gospel, All of Grace

As Paul wrote to the believers in Galatia of his work in the gospel, he wanted to impress that the message he and Barnabas preached from Antioch was the same as that preached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.  He retells an occasion (Gal 2:1-10) when the Lord had revealed that he, Barnabas, and Titus should make the trip to Jerusalem and meet with the church leaders explaining the work among the Gentiles.

This act would benefit both the church in Antioch and Jerusalem.  Paul and Barnabas could tell firsthand how the gospel was being delivered and what was being required of the Gentiles concerning the Law.  The Jerusalem leaders could readily give their acknowledgment for the work and fruit of the labor.  Titus was the example of how a Greek could receive and abide in salvation wholly of grace, apart from circumcision or other works of Law.  Even when false brethren had made their way into the church seeking to require adherence to Moses, Paul and Barnabas stood firm.

They met quietly with James, Peter, and John who noticed immediately the grace going forth from Paul's teaching and sealed the fellowship.  The work being accomplished was validated. Both churches had clear mandates concerning the gospel, and this meeting acknowledged the ministries as being undertaken by co-laborers in different fields of service.

I do not see this passage as a blueprint for how to resolve conflict between Christians.  There is no hint animosity on either side.  Tension might be expected on a human level from Jerusalem: it was the "mother church," some of the original apostles were still in the city, and Jesus' half-brother was an elder.  On the other hand, Antioch was a growing work with the giftedness of Paul and his companions.  This was where things were happening.  Yet there is neither jealousy nor fear circulating between the two churches.  They affirmed the same gospel was going forth from both locations to the glory of God.  His people were of one mind.  Only those of the evil one had wrongly crept in and sowed discord.  Rather this passage is a testament of the gospel of grace manifesting that

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph 4:4-6).

Working for Grace or Because of Grace?

Call it a legalism trifecta (see my last two posts), but this caught my eye.  Paul McCain of Cyberbrethren received an e-mail and answered it in a blog post.  Here is the pertinent portion of that initial e-mail:

Being a southern Baptist all my life, I had no idea that the gospel really was this wonderful. When I read things like what Martin Luther said on our questioning God, it is as if he wrote it specifically for me. I was wondering if you could give me an idea on what I should read considering my evangelical background concerning Luther and Lutheranism. I don’t know how much longer I can live on the steady diet of “commit” more to Christ, ask Jesus into your heart week after week.

Apart from the specific request concerning Lutheran materials, that was quite familiar.  A believer was in a congregation that apparently emphasized what "every good Christian should do."  Basically, God justifies me in Christ, but after that the sanctifying work is all mine, so I better get to work.  A passing mention is made of the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer to give power in daily life, but the practical outworking of that theology is a constant struggle to do just a little more so God will accept my pitiful existence in the local church.  Failure begets failure until one withdraws into a cocoon, insulated from the world and its working, with the end that I rejoice in my self-protection and teach others to do likewise.  Or the burden becomes so great that the whole thing is thrown off and apostasy sets in.  I have watched both take place.  Of course, the answer is to stop following that course, which leads to McCain's response.  I give the bulk of it here.

I want you to know, first of all, that your experience with Law and Gospel is precisely what the Holy Spirit wants you to be going through, and has led you to go through.  You see and recognize your sin, you are led to know and love your Savior, whose blood covers all your sins (1 John 1:7).  I understand where you are coming from, with the steady diet of “revivalism” and legalism that keeps pointing you back to what you can do, or should do, or shouldn’t have done, instead of leading you, always, to keep looking to the Crucified and Risen Lord, who loves you. In grateful response to that love, you live for Him, not because “you better or else you can never know you are a Christian” but because you have been crucified with Christ and the life you now live you live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave himself up for you, as Paul puts it in Galatians 2:20.

Let me hasten to add that it is not “unique” by any means to Baptists to feel the way you are feeling.  Many life-long Lutherans as well never really “get” the Gospel either, in fact, none of us ever “fully get” it.  We now know in part, but are fully known and some day will see Him just as He is (1 Cor. 13:9-10).  We are all sinners who struggle every day with the temptations we face, from our old sinful selves, from the world around us, and from the Devil himself who, as St. Peter warns us, prowls around like a roaring lion, just looking for a victim to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  This is why we, with St. Paul, are always facing the reality of our sin, but rejoicing always in the reality of the Savior (Romans 7:15-25), for it is Christ who is always greater than our hearts that are often filled with doubt and fear (1 John 3:20).  He is the Good Shepherd who leads us into the green pastures of His refreshing love, mercy and grace, which we receive through the concrete, reliable, and rock-solid means by which He touches our lives.  We Lutherans refer to these gifts as the “means of grace” and by that we simply are referring to the work of God, outside of ourselves.  God gets the credit and the glory.  We do not have to keep wondering, “Did my decision for Christ really count?  Was I sincere enough?  Did I mean it?  What happens when I do not “feel” like I fully gave my life to Jesus?”  Instead, we can say, “God’s Word promises me that He loves me, through Christ, who died for me.  He has claimed me as His own.  I am baptized into Christ. I’ve been drowned and died and have been raised with Him (Romans 6:1-2).

This response mentions "means of grace."  Those are the preached word and the Lord's Supper which they hold to be vehicles of God's grace to you.  I disagree with what is taught concerning those, but laying that aside, this piece brings up an important matter—the work done on the cross is complete.  No favor can be earned by my efforts, but I rest in the finished work of Christ.  I know people that insist that they must feel a certain way at appropriate times or must be praying a minimum amount of time or reading X number of chapters in their Bibles or…  They are so caught up with doing the right things the right way in order to somehow add to their salvation, when in reality salvation just needs to be lived out in Christ and let him add to it.

Lastly, do not think that Lutherans have this Law and Gospel thing worked out.  No local body of Christians is immune.  At times we all get it backwards: working to gain grace, rather than working because of grace.

Who's the Boss?

The following outline is from Aaron Telecky's message based on Col 2:16-23 in his continuing series on that book.  The audio can be found here.  I thought it appropriate in view of what I posted yesterday concerning those who come in to our churches with an established legalistic mindset.  The outline is a bit sparse but gives the core of the message.


Who's the Boss?

Introduction
1.  You will often meet other believers who are interested in improving your Christian walk (vv. 16-19)
2.  You will be tempted to adjust your behavior to look or to feel "more spiritual" (vv. 20-23)

Three warnings meant to guard the purity of our walk
1.  Danger of settling for lesser things (vv. 16-17)
      We chase shadows rather than walk in Christ.
      We come to love the routine more than the Savior.
2.  Deception of following lower authorities (vv. 18-19)
      Beware those who want to improve you by subtraction (i.e., asceticism)
      Beware those who insist that certain spiritual practices not in scripture are the best method for growth.
3.  Disappointment of obeying legalistic standards (vv. 20-23)
      Self-imposed rules can be the worst for us.  Those things are temporal; seek for the eternal.

Three questions to ask when faced with legalism
1.  "Where did you get that?"  Is it biblical?  Am I being told something that can be identified in God's word as for his people?  More times than I care to think, what someone has told me with good intention is actually a preferential, inconsequential matter.
2.  "Are you sure that's what it means?"  Assuming the argument is biblical, what is the context of the scripture being used?  People latch on to Bible verses without seeing the balance of the passage.  Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason continually tells people, "Never read a Bible verse."  For more on that go to this post on the STR website.
3.  "What makes this so important?"  Why is someone telling me this?  Do I really need this (it is possible), or is someone trying to rob me of my freedom in Christ and is needing to be resisted? (Gal 5:1)

Big Idea: The Lordship of Christ Leads to Freedom