Jesus didn’t die for this

 Today my thought are based on an article I read last week.  I also used the article as a basis for my teaching yesterday at Amana, but since most of you weren’t there I thought a summary might be helpful.

Lot’s of error has crept into the Christian Church because of vague ideas about what Jesus died for. The article was helpful in pointing out some things He didn’t die for.

The American Dream. We are promised riches in Glory, not here on earth. There are two many impoverished Christians whose walk shames our own to hold to this idea. Jesus does point out that our Father cares for us more than the birds and lilies, but we fail to distinguish between needs and wants. It’s a scandal that some teach that physical blessings are a sign of God’s favor. Do we forget that Jesus taught that the spiritual life is tougher, not easier for the rich? Sometimes keeping us in a payday-to-payday state is a gift from God. He gives us what we can handle, whether it be blessings or burdens.

Jesus didn’t die for political purposes. Some of us seem to think that Jesus is a democrat or a republican. Some of the disciples had the same problem. They wanted a Messiah who would change the world politically. One day world government will be perfect, but that will be when Jesus is established as King of Kings. Until then we will be governed by far less than perfect men. It’s a good thing to be involved in politics, but not if it takes it from our mission. No political party can change hearts or save souls.

Jesus didn’t die so you wouldn’t have to change. Some preach the gospel of libertinism – this essentially says that because we are under grace, any word of exhortation, admonishment, or challenge to be sold out to Jesus Christ and deal with issues in one’s life is “religious,” “legalistic,” and “wrong.”

Jesus died so we could change. Without Jesus we’re trapped. We couldn’t obey God even if we wanted to. He sent Jesus to take on our sin. This encounter with such unimaginable grace will change you.

Will you still sin? Yes, until the day you die. But, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Christian will persevere. God will begin to grow your love for him and his people and begin to kill off your love for your sin and self. Salvation is both a radical recalibration as well as a slow, steady march, which allows us to be more and more like Christ each day.

Grace not only saves us, it trains us.  It is this grace that brings you to repentance,  like a slave shedding his chains for the first time.

Jesus didn’t come to enhance the law.  Although grace is all we need, some scream for us to add our “Do” to Jesus’ “Done.” This is the gospel of legalism – this is essentially the message that says, “God is holy, you’re not, try harder.”

So few Christians really understand the full gospel today and still drift toward the American Dream, political utopian, legalism or libertinism.

What is more, those who have imbibed the gospel of legalism wrongly believe that those who truly know God’s grace are libertines. And those who have imbibed the gospel of libertinism wrongly believe that those who are under the lordship of Christ are legalists.

“The libertine lives as if there is no God. The legalist lives as though she or he is God to everyone else. Both attitudes are incompatible with the life of Christ.”

The sad result is  the nasty, viscous way that Christians treat one another and the nasty, viscous way they treat people who are in the world. Many legalists are nasty and viscous because they work out of a self-righteous, judgmental, critical attitude. Many libertines are nasty and viscous because they work out of the carnality of the flesh.

Legalism is the counterfeit to the lordship of Christ.

Libertinism is the counterfeit to the liberty of the Spirit.

The problem is not so much that some of us live all the time as legalists or libertines, or focused on riches or politics. The problem is that all of us act as these some of the time. The solution is to do like a juggler. These guys don’t try to look at all the things they are juggling. They focus on a spot in space. We need to focus on Jesus. We recognize how those we know are sometimes legalists, sometimes libertines, sometimes materialist and sometimes politicians. So are we. We need to look past all that and directly at Jesus.

Thanks again to Caleb Flores for the article, and to Frank Viola whose thoughts are always challenging, some of which I borrowed today.