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How to Trick People into Rejecting Biblical Authority (Hint: Many of Our Churches are Doing a Pretty Good Job)

The road to hell isn’t obscure or hard to find. It is a super-highway, lined with familiar faces and paved with sincerity and good intentions.

Many of its travelers are self-proclaimed followers of Jesus who are oblivious to their final destination (Matt. 7:21-23). They were simply pointed that way by other well-meaning ‘Christians.’

How did they wind up on this super-highway? For many, it wasn’t a quick, conscious decision. Yet slowly, over time, they learned to reject the authority of the Bible.

And they learned to do this by sitting in the pew next to you.

We set them up for failure. We domesticated the authority of Scripture. By “we” I’m referring to many of our churches and fellow believers – not the least of which are many preachers, teachers, and parents today. We have sanitized Scripture, so much so that it no longer tugs on the heart or troubles the sinner.

Note some of the subtle ways we practically beg churchgoers to reject Biblical authority:

1. Avoid Talking About Important Topics

There are some preachers who rarely, if ever, talk about certain Biblical subjects. This is due to any number of reasons. Perhaps they haven’t studied a particular subject enough to address it with confidence (the end-times, transgenderism). Perhaps they have doubts about a particular subject themselves (unauthorized worship practices, eternal punishment). Perhaps they know the congregation is divided about the issue (alcohol, divorce). Maybe they generally just don’t like talking about the subject, regardless of how clearly it is taught in the Bible (church discipline, holiness).

As a result, the people of the pew are left with a vacuum in their understanding of the Bible. The funny thing about vacuums, however, is that they always get filled with something, eventually. Sin begins to fester. Truth, if not consistently taught on even the most difficult of issues, will be replaced with misconceptions and lies. And if some brave soul eventually does comes along and teach the truth, he/she will be challenged.

2. Act Embarrassed by the Bible

Building on #1, some churches prefer to just sweep the touchy subjects under the rug. Or, even worse, they hire preachers who say stuff like this: “Today’s sermon is from Matthew 19:9. Like other passages about this subject, the Bible has some pretty harsh things to say about divorce. I don’t like talking about this, but then again the Bible says some things I’m not 100% proud of.”

Even though this preacher has theoretically submitted to the authority of the Bible, he [perhaps unwittingly] deceived people into thinking that he is more gracious and lenient on people than even Jesus Himself.

However, like Paul, we cannot be ashamed of any part of the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16). All (parents, teachers, preachers, elders) must communicate the entirety of God’s truth – plainly and unapologetically.

We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Cor. 4:2)

3. Give an Ounce of Legitimacy to Things God has Condemned

The Bible is remarkably straightforward about many things: the existence of heaven and hell, the reality of sin, mankind’s impending eternal judgment, the singularity of the church, the existence of false teachers, the essentiality of baptism, the exclusive nature of salvation through Jesus Christ, the demand for Christians to live holy lives, etc.

However, by listening to many of our pulpits today, you wouldn’t know the Bible is clear about much of anything. In an effort not to “come on too strong,” many have all too eagerly embraced postmodernismparticularly the idea that virtually every religious view has at least some merit to it.

We’ve gotten soggy with deconstructionism. That is, the attitude that any kind of conviction about anything should be held with contempt and therefore pulled apart and displayed alongside an opposing view.

It is no secret that there are opposing views about virtually every issue. Yet, just because an intelligent person happens to believe, for example, that homosexuality is okay doesn’t mean that the Bible falls short of emphatically declaring it a sin.

We can get as “academic” as we want. But when people grow up hearing remarks about “different views” about sexuality, the inerrancy of the Bible, salvation, grace, sin, the church, etc., – with the preacher being so timid he can’t bring himself to say, “This is what the Bible says” – no wonder they learn to reject Biblical authority about these subjects.

Christians cannot afford to be anything less than emphatically clear when it comes to what Scripture teaches – directly or indirectly.

4. Adopt all the Latest Churchy Fads

It is to our shame that many followers of Christ read more contemporary religious books than they do the Bible (if they are reading books at all). This has caused several problems, not the least of which is a stunted ability to identify wrong beliefs.

Self-help sermons and how-to lessons reverberate in our auditoriums today. It is not uncommon to hear preachers talk about the importance of environmentally-friendly lifestyles, smart money management, coping with divorce, diversity appreciation, dealing with grief, appreciating grandma/grandad, becoming more tolerant, developing self-worth, etc. Self-help sermons in moderation are appropriate at times. Yet, while the Bible does speak to these subjects, it is not primarily about these subjects.

Unless we want to diminish the authority of God’s Word, we cannot neglect teaching the core themes of the Bible: what it means to have faith, the horror of sin, living holy lives before God, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the importance of the church, and learning how to suffer as a Christian. When we preach today’s fads at the neglect of the rich theology of Scripture, we minimize the extent to which the Bible is authoritative in our lives.

5. Compartmentalize the Bible to Accommodate Busy Lifestyles

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word. […] Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word (Isa. 66:2, 5)

We’ve forgotten how to tremble.

An inflated view of our self-sufficiency blinds us to our need to read and re-read God’s Word. Constant gigabytes of data from the world consume our minds and hearts and desires. It is a stretch to believe someone who is swimming in pornography, pursuing an illicit sexual relationship, or consumed with envy is also investing much time with God’s Word. Our churches have enabled this behavior by making sure the Sunday sermon is “under 30 minutes,” and all the other church services are considered “optional.” People are busy, after all.

Here’s What We’ve Asked For

Do these five things, and the people sitting in the pew next to you will begin to reject Biblical authority over time. It will manifest itself in one of two extremes:

  1. Churchgoers will emphasize Biblical authority in theory yet reject it in practice. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times: “We want the Bible, and the Bible alone, preached here.” Yet show them how to better distinguish truth from tradition, pursue holiness, and correct their misconceptions, and they will often turn their backs on you.
  2. Churchgoers will claim Biblical authority in practice yet de-emphasize it in theory. On the other extreme, churchgoers often refuse to talk about Biblical authority or inerrancy, and instead want to “get past the specific words of Scripture” and “find the message God is trying to communicate through Scripture.” History testifies to the fact that these groups tend to drift quickly away from the Bible. These type of churchgoers have zeal, but not based on knowledge (Rom. 10:2).

An Appeal to Correct Our Wrongs

A negative list like this should invite us to positively pursue the opposite. Let’s talk about the important topics (even if they are uncomfortable). Let’s embrace the entirety of God’s Word. Let’s not be afraid to paint the Bible as “black and white” on most issues. Let’s not get swept up by the latest self-help book on the New York Times bestseller list. And let’s learn to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, instead of bread alone (Matt. 4:4).

Your comments are welcome and encouraged, even if they are in disagreement. However, please keep your comments relevant to the article. For my full comment policy, click here.

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A Tale of Two Gods: How Calvinism’s God & the Bible’s God are Two Very Different Gods

One very popular denominational preacher and writer, John Piper, is famous for saying that “all things” – even down to the subatomic level – “are ordained, guided, and governed” by God.[1] The idea that God determines everything can be traced back to Augustine of Hippo in the 5th century and is particularly popular among a branch of Protestantism known as Reformed theology.

Reformed theology, more commonly known as Calvinism[2] (we will use these words interchangeably), is a religious philosophy that follows the teachings of John Calvin and other Protestant theologians from the Reformation era. It is should be noted that Reformed theology, or Calvinism, is experiencing a resurgence in America today. So popular is Reformed theology that any Christian who reads relatively conservative denominational literature is well acquainted famous Calvinistic authors. Understandably, younger preachers thirsty for truth tend to be particularly fond of their writings because of their often passionate, yet conservative, approach to many Biblical issues. (And as a result, their Calvinistic influences sometimes unknowingly creep into the young preacher’s respective pulpit.)

The reason it is important to examine Calvinism as it relates to this study is because Reformed theology has traditionally emphasized God’s sovereignty and predestination over everything else. In fact, the idea of the sovereignty of God is the basis of Calvinism itself. Reformed theologians take great pride in the lofty ways in which they talk about God. Ben Warburton writes, “The one rock upon which Calvinism builds is that of the absolute and unlimited sovereignty of the eternal and self-existent Jehovah.”[3]

But herein lies the problem: The sovereign God of the Bible and the sovereign God of Calvinism are two very different Gods. Calvinists have redefined the meaning of the word sovereignty. To the Bible-believing Christian, sovereignty simply means God’s ability and right to rule the world (chapter 5 of You Are A Theologian: Thinking Right About God). However, to the devoted Calvinist, sovereignty means “divine determinism.” Divine determinism is the belief that God determines, causes, and orchestrates everything in history according to His preconceived plan, including sin and evil.

Calvinists erroneously believe that God is the reason for sin, since – according to Calvinism – “sovereignty” is somehow synonymous with “total control.” Thus, they create a false dichotomy,[4] claiming that if God is sovereign, He must orchestrate and control everything that ever happens – and if He does not control everything, He supposedly cannot be sovereign. Arthur Pink, a famous Calvinist, writes, “Only two alternatives are possible: God must either rule, or be ruled; sway, or be swayed; accomplish His own Will, or be thwarted by His creatures.”[5] In the words of Jack Cottrell, Calvinists “equate sovereignty with causation, and say that the only way for God to be sovereign is if He is the sole, ultimate cause or originator of everything that takes place, including events in the natural world as well as human decisions.” Consequently, Cottrell continues, “there is no truly free will”[6] for mankind in the Calvinist worldview.

As a result, according to Calvinism, if someone commits a horrible atrocity, it is ultimately because God must have willed it to happen in the first place. Edwin Palmer, a well-known Calvinist, said it bluntly: God “has foreordained everything […] – even sin.”[7] How horrifying a thought. R.C. Sproul Jr., another leading Calvinist today, terrifyingly said, “God in some sense desired that man would fall into sin […] He created sin.”[8] Chilling, right?

Just as egregious is the Calvinistic idea that God subjectively causes individuals to have faith. To the Calvinist, the words “I have personal faith in Christ Jesus” have no real meaning because God is supposedly the cause of all things. To the Calvinist, you cannot choose to have faith; God must put it in you. According to the Synod of Dort,[9] God chooses who will believe in Him and who will not.[10] This, of course, makes the words of Jesus powerless: “whoever believes in Him may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Why? Because you can’t “believe in Him” without God causing you to believe in Him! To call this cruel would be an understatement. It is like dangling crutches at the top of the stairs, saying to a paraplegic below, “Come and get them!”

Historically, Christians have distinguished between God’s sovereignty de jure and de facto. De jure is a Latin word which in this context refers to God’s right to rule; De facto is a Latin word which in this context refers to God’s meticulous control over all events. Ardent Calvinists see this distinction as a mere formality; they believe God is both sovereign de jure and de facto all the time. Yet, New Testament Christians have always acknowledged that God is always sovereign de jure and chooses to limit His sovereignty de facto. In other words, God has the ability to meticulously control everything, but in His wisdom and love for mankind, He has chosen not to determine everything yet.

We find the distinction between God’s sovereignty de jure and de facto when Christ taught His disciples to pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). If God is already micro-managing every detail of history, why would anyone need to pray for God’s will to be done on earth? If God is sovereign de facto, it would already be done.

Any honest observer must acknowledge that the Bible is permeated with the implication that God has given men the choice to serve Him. We could fill this book with examples of God giving mankind the freedom of choice. How otherwise could God extend His kindness if people are unable to choose repentance (Rom. 2:4)? How otherwise can we be commanded to “grow in the grace” of the Lord Jesus Christ if are unable to choose to do so (2 Pet. 3:18)? Why would Joshua tell the Israelites to choose whom they would serve if they could not actually choose (Josh. 24:15)? How could God not “show partiality” if He individually chooses on whom to force faith (Acts 10:34)? How calloused is God if He “commands all men everywhere to repent” if they are unable to repent (Acts 17:30)?

The Bible does, in fact, teach that God is sovereign, but it certainly does not teach that God determines mankind’s decisions and preordains mankind’s actions. Let’s be very clear: You can be entirely dedicated to the doctrine of God’s sovereignty while simultaneously being absolutely sure of mankind’s free choice.

An excerpt from my upcoming book, You Are A Theologian: Thinking Right About God.

This is another volume in the You Are A Theologian book series. Thinking Right About God challenges readers to think more Biblically about God’s attributes, His triune nature, and His sovereignty. Like the first book in this series, it is ideal for a broad range of applications: personal study, small group discussions, and college/young adult/adult Bible class curriculum.

Coming August 2017

Your comments are welcome and encouraged, even if they are in disagreement. However, please keep your comments relevant to the article. For my full comment policy, click here.

Sources
[1] John Piper, “Confronting The Problem Of Evil,” DesiringGod.org

[2] Calvinism, also known as Reformed theology, is basically the body of religious teachings and traditions started by John Calvin (1509 – 1564 A.D.) and other Reformation-era theologians such as Ulrich Zwingli and Jonathan Edwards. Calvinism can be summarized in five false religious ideas: (1) Total Depravity (babies are born guilty of the sin of their parents), Unconditional Election (God arbitrarily chooses – independent of any known standard – who will be eternally saved and who will be eternally damned), Limited Atonement (Christ did not die for everyone), Irresistible Grace (you do not have a choice as to whether or not you will obey the gospel), Perseverance of the Saints (it is impossible for a Christian to rebel against God).
[3] Ben A. Warburton, Calvinism, p. 63
[4] A dichotomy (pronounced “die-kot-uh-mee”) is the division of two mutually exclusive things or ideas. Thus, a false dichotomy is the division of two things or ideas that are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, it is a false dichotomy to say, “You either like bacon or sausage.” Why? Because real men like both bacon and sausage.
[5] Arthur Pink, The Sovereignty Of God, p. 14
[6] Jack Cottrell, The Faith Once For All, p. 81
[7] Edwin H. Palmer, The Five Points Of Calvinism, p. 25, emp. added.
[8] R.C. Sproul Jr., Almighty Over All, p. 53
[9] The Synod of Dort was a very important meeting in denominational history ultimately deciding the future of Calvinism. It was held between the years 1618-1619 in the town of Dordrecht (“Dort”) in the Netherlands. The Synod of Dort was held to silence honest, Scriptural challenges to Calvinism, and at its conclusion, the traditional five points of Calvinism were formalized, namely: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints.
[10] See Article XIV of The Articles Of The Canons of Dort (1619). “Faith is the gift of God; not in that it is offered to the will of man by God, but that the thing itself is conferred on him, inspired, infused into him. Not even that God only confers the power of believing, but from thence expects the consent, or the act of believing: but that He, who worketh both to will and to do, worketh in man both to will to believe, and to believe itself, […] and thus He worketh all things in all.” (Translated By Thomas Scott, p. 301).

 

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A Tale of Two Gods: How Calvinism’s God & the Bible’s God are Two Very Different Gods

One very popular denominational preacher and writer, John Piper, is famous for saying that “all things” – even down to the subatomic level – “are ordained, guided, and governed” by God.[1] The idea that God determines everything can be traced back to Augustine of Hippo in the 5th century and is particularly popular among a branch of Protestantism known as Reformed theology.

Reformed theology, more commonly known as Calvinism[2] (we will use these words interchangeably), is a religious philosophy that follows the teachings of John Calvin and other Protestant theologians from the Reformation era. It is should be noted that Reformed theology, or Calvinism, is experiencing a resurgence in America today. So popular is Reformed theology that any Christian who reads relatively conservative denominational literature is well acquainted famous Calvinistic authors. Understandably, younger preachers thirsty for truth tend to be particularly fond of their writings because of their often passionate, yet conservative, approach to many Biblical issues. (And as a result, their Calvinistic influences sometimes unknowingly creep into the young preacher’s respective pulpit.)

The reason it is important to examine Calvinism as it relates to this study is because Reformed theology has traditionally emphasized God’s sovereignty and predestination over everything else. In fact, the idea of the sovereignty of God is the basis of Calvinism itself. Reformed theologians take great pride in the lofty ways in which they talk about God. Ben Warburton writes, “The one rock upon which Calvinism builds is that of the absolute and unlimited sovereignty of the eternal and self-existent Jehovah.”[3]

But herein lies the problem: The sovereign God of the Bible and the sovereign God of Calvinism are two very different Gods. Calvinists have redefined the meaning of the word sovereignty. To the Bible-believing Christian, sovereignty simply means God’s ability and right to rule the world (chapter 5 of You Are A Theologian: Thinking Right About God). However, to the devoted Calvinist, sovereignty means “divine determinism.” Divine determinism is the belief that God determines, causes, and orchestrates everything in history according to His preconceived plan, including sin and evil.

Calvinists erroneously believe that God is the reason for sin, since – according to Calvinism – “sovereignty” is somehow synonymous with “total control.” Thus, they create a false dichotomy,[4] claiming that if God is sovereign, He must orchestrate and control everything that ever happens – and if He does not control everything, He supposedly cannot be sovereign. Arthur Pink, a famous Calvinist, writes, “Only two alternatives are possible: God must either rule, or be ruled; sway, or be swayed; accomplish His own Will, or be thwarted by His creatures.”[5] In the words of Jack Cottrell, Calvinists “equate sovereignty with causation, and say that the only way for God to be sovereign is if He is the sole, ultimate cause or originator of everything that takes place, including events in the natural world as well as human decisions.” Consequently, Cottrell continues, “there is no truly free will”[6] for mankind in the Calvinist worldview.

As a result, according to Calvinism, if someone commits a horrible atrocity, it is ultimately because God must have willed it to happen in the first place. Edwin Palmer, a well-known Calvinist, said it bluntly: God “has foreordained everything […] – even sin.”[7] How horrifying a thought. R.C. Sproul Jr., another leading Calvinist today, terrifyingly said, “God in some sense desired that man would fall into sin […] He created sin.”[8] Chilling, right?

Just as egregious is the Calvinistic idea that God subjectively causes individuals to have faith. To the Calvinist, the words “I have personal faith in Christ Jesus” have no real meaning because God is supposedly the cause of all things. To the Calvinist, you cannot choose to have faith; God must put it in you. According to the Synod of Dort,[9] God chooses who will believe in Him and who will not.[10] This, of course, makes the words of Jesus powerless: “whoever believes in Him may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Why? Because you can’t “believe in Him” without God causing you to believe in Him! To call this cruel would be an understatement. It is like dangling crutches at the top of the stairs, saying to a paraplegic below, “Come and get them!”

Historically, Christians have distinguished between God’s sovereignty de jure and de facto. De jure is a Latin word which in this context refers to God’s right to rule; De facto is a Latin word which in this context refers to God’s meticulous control over all events. Ardent Calvinists see this distinction as a mere formality; they believe God is both sovereign de jure and de facto all the time. Yet, New Testament Christians have always acknowledged that God is always sovereign de jure and chooses to limit His sovereignty de facto. In other words, God has the ability to meticulously control everything, but in His wisdom and love for mankind, He has chosen not to determine everything yet.

We find the distinction between God’s sovereignty de jure and de facto when Christ taught His disciples to pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). If God is already micro-managing every detail of history, why would anyone need to pray for God’s will to be done on earth? If God is sovereign de facto, it would already be done.

Any honest observer must acknowledge that the Bible is permeated with the implication that God has given men the choice to serve Him. We could fill this book with examples of God giving mankind the freedom of choice. How otherwise could God extend His kindness if people are unable to choose repentance (Rom. 2:4)? How otherwise can we be commanded to “grow in the grace” of the Lord Jesus Christ if are unable to choose to do so (2 Pet. 3:18)? Why would Joshua tell the Israelites to choose whom they would serve if they could not actually choose (Josh. 24:15)? How could God not “show partiality” if He individually chooses on whom to force faith (Acts 10:34)? How calloused is God if He “commands all men everywhere to repent” if they are unable to repent (Acts 17:30)?

The Bible does, in fact, teach that God is sovereign, but it certainly does not teach that God determines mankind’s decisions and preordains mankind’s actions. Let’s be very clear: You can be entirely dedicated to the doctrine of God’s sovereignty while simultaneously being absolutely sure of mankind’s free choice.

An excerpt from my upcoming book, You Are A Theologian: Thinking Right About God.

This is another volume in the You Are A Theologian book series. Thinking Right About God challenges readers to think more Biblically about God’s attributes, His triune nature, and His sovereignty. Like the first book in this series, it is ideal for a broad range of applications: personal study, small group discussions, and college/young adult/adult Bible class curriculum.

Coming August 2017

Your comments are welcome and encouraged, even if they are in disagreement. However, please keep your comments relevant to the article. For my full comment policy, click here.

Sources
[1] John Piper, “Confronting The Problem Of Evil,” DesiringGod.org

[2] Calvinism, also known as Reformed theology, is basically the body of religious teachings and traditions started by John Calvin (1509 – 1564 A.D.) and other Reformation-era theologians such as Ulrich Zwingli and Jonathan Edwards. Calvinism can be summarized in five false religious ideas: (1) Total Depravity (babies are born guilty of the sin of their parents), Unconditional Election (God arbitrarily chooses – independent of any known standard – who will be eternally saved and who will be eternally damned), Limited Atonement (Christ did not die for everyone), Irresistible Grace (you do not have a choice as to whether or not you will obey the gospel), Perseverance of the Saints (it is impossible for a Christian to rebel against God).
[3] Ben A. Warburton, Calvinism, p. 63
[4] A dichotomy (pronounced “die-kot-uh-mee”) is the division of two mutually exclusive things or ideas. Thus, a false dichotomy is the division of two things or ideas that are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, it is a false dichotomy to say, “You either like bacon or sausage.” Why? Because real men like both bacon and sausage.
[5] Arthur Pink, The Sovereignty Of God, p. 14
[6] Jack Cottrell, The Faith Once For All, p. 81
[7] Edwin H. Palmer, The Five Points Of Calvinism, p. 25, emp. added.
[8] R.C. Sproul Jr., Almighty Over All, p. 53
[9] The Synod of Dort was a very important meeting in denominational history ultimately deciding the future of Calvinism. It was held between the years 1618-1619 in the town of Dordrecht (“Dort”) in the Netherlands. The Synod of Dort was held to silence honest, Scriptural challenges to Calvinism, and at its conclusion, the traditional five points of Calvinism were formalized, namely: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints.
[10] See Article XIV of The Articles Of The Canons of Dort (1619). “Faith is the gift of God; not in that it is offered to the will of man by God, but that the thing itself is conferred on him, inspired, infused into him. Not even that God only confers the power of believing, but from thence expects the consent, or the act of believing: but that He, who worketh both to will and to do, worketh in man both to will to believe, and to believe itself, […] and thus He worketh all things in all.” (Translated By Thomas Scott, p. 301).

 

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Why It’s Wrong To Keep Truth And Grace In Balance

We want to be balanced people. It is considered a good thing to have a balanced diet or to keep a healthy balance between work and pleasure.

But sometimes, balance is a bad thing. For example, finding a balance between fidelity and infidelity in marriage – or between honesty and dishonesty – doesn’t make any sense.

With this in view, sometimes people express the funny notion that grace and truth somehow need to be kept in balance. “We want a preacher who will preach about grace as much as he preaches truth,” says the preacher search committee. “Grace is a wonderful thing, but you have to keep grace and truth in balance so you don’t go to extremes,” says the Bible study teacher. (After all, no one wants to be thought of as an extremist!)

The problem with this reasoning is that it separates grace from truth – as if they are opposed to one another.

Grace and truth are not opposites; they are conjoined twins! You cannot have one without the other.

Grace is truth, and truth is grace.

Both are perfectly united in Jesus, who is the “only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Thus, we have “grace and truth through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16).

You can’t talk about grace without talking about truth.

What does grace without truth even look like?

It is a mistake to emphasize God’s grace while neglecting the necessity of obedience. If a church hears not much more than a constant drivel of “self-help” and “God is love” sermons, it won’t be long before the members start to conclude that costly obedience is not very important.

But this wouldn’t really be “grace” in the first place. If God’s grace is taught in any way that somehow lessens the seriousness of sin, undermines the importance of obedience, or cheapens the necessity of holinessthat isn’t grace; that’s license (Rom. 6:1, 15; Jude 4).

You cannot have grace without truth. By God’s grace, He has saved us and instructed us how to live obediently to Him. Note Paul’s words:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:11-12)

Those who do not love the truth of God’s Word – both the “hard” parts and the “easy” parts – have forfeited God’s grace. Knowledge of the truth of God’s Word is what gives us freedom (John 17:17; John 8:32). The fact that God has extended His grace to those who are perishing, and has given us instruction on how to be free from the slavery of sin, is truth!

You can’t talk about truth without talking about grace.

The core of Christianity is God’s grace. That’s why Paul refers to salvation in Christ as a “grace” system (Rom. 6:14).

To preach that we are saved purely by perfect law-keeping and therefore need no grace is errorIt is a false gospel (Gal. 1:8; 5:4).

Yes, we must obey God from the heart (John 14:15). Yes, we must obey 100% of God’s commands to the best of our ability (Heb. 10:26). Yes, we will be in some way “judged according to our works” (Matt. 16:27; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 2:23; 20:12-13). Grace, after all, is only found through the obedience of faith (Eph. 2:8).

But why do we obey? Because of God’s grace. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). And – even after our best efforts to obey the truth – we will still be “unprofitable servants” (Luke 17:10). God, by His grace, still cleanses us of sins and shortcomings (1 John 1:7). That is why the gospel is still the good news for Christians!

Thank God for His glorious grace, which makes me want to obey Him even more!

They aren’t opposites.

The lie that we need to somehow find a balance between grace and truth might sound good to those who don’t know any better, but it is a devastating idea.

Grace and truth are not opposite sides of the coin – they are on the same side!

If you’re going to draw a line, draw it between rebellious, immoral living and thinking you can make it to heaven simply by our own meritorious works. And in that case, both are equally wrong (and we don’t need to find a balance between them).

Thus, we begin to see that there is technically no such thing as being too far to the “right” or too far to the “left.” Moderation, or “balance,” between these two is just a mirage. There is only right and wrong, and we must be fully committed to the grace & truth that is found only in the last will and testament of Christ.

Grace and truth are synonymous because they are both found in Jesus. Therefore, let us be 100% committed to both.

Your comments are welcome and encouraged, even if they are in disagreement. However, please keep your comments relevant to the article. For my full comment policy, click here.

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1 Timothy 2:7 – What does God want a preacher or teacher to be?

Tagged: 1 Timothy 2:7, Preaching, teaching, The Word of God

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