Wednesday, May 7, 2014

An open letter to Bart Millard from your former Pastor

Dear Bart,

I’m writing to you in regards to your recent Time Magazine article entitled Dear Religion, I Quit You!  from April 17, 2014. I’m deeply troubled by the article and would like to address a few of your points. Let me first say I found it shockingly imbalanced. It seemed quite the caricature of any place where you (and your view on grace) aren’t. Maybe the best way to address my concerns is by addressing yours point by point.

You say
I’ve spent my whole life looking for grace. REAL grace. Not religion, but grace. There’s a difference ya know. I found “religion” at 13. I bought in hook, line and sinker. Grace? I discovered grace about 2 years ago. It has changed me to the core, and I ain’t going back.
My thoughts……
Bart, I don’t know what “religion” you “found” at 13, but I encourage you not to dispense with religion altogether. James 1:27 says Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Not only should you not dispense with religion, you should seek pure and undefiled religion that’s attentive to orphans and widows and that makes efforts to resist worldliness.

You say
Religion says “Give 110%.”
Grace says “Rest in the finished work of the Cross.”
My thoughts…..
Ironically one of the most grace-centric books in our bibles, Romans, also says in Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”. I’m not sure how “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” would work out percentage-wise, but I think it must be pretty high. In some ways, God says through Paul, “in light of the last 11 chapters of scandalous good news, respond with nothing less than all that you are.” (my paraphrase) So, I’d offer that the most appropriate (and biblical) way to “rest in the finished work of the Cross” is to respond with everything you have and are. In regards to salvation, the work is indeed finished. In regards to a fitting response to His work, only your very life will do.

You say
Religion says “Don’t disappoint God.”
Grace says “God has been pleased with you since the day you called His name!”
My thoughts……
I think you’re on to something here, Bart. Romans 8:8-9 says “those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit.” It looks like from this passage the good pleasure of God rests on those who are “in Christ.” (8:1) While this is absolutely and completely true, it’s doesn’t reveal the truth completely. We can, in fact, live and love in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians with these wordsFinally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.” (1 Thess 4:1) Bart, how we live and “walk” does influence God’s pleasure or displeasure much like we can be pleased or displeased with our children’s actions. Paul is both affirming the Thessalonians here and he’s encouraging them to work even harder at pleasing God as “you do so more and more.

You say
Religion says “Being good is a start.”
Grace says “Christ on the cross is enough.”
My thoughts…
I think what you’re saying here is that we can’t be good enough and Christ’s work was/is good enough. I agree with you here, Bart. In fact, I herald this each week. On our best day or our worst day, we wear an alien righteousness that comes from faith in The One who was “good enough.” That’s some seriously good medicine. Please though, in light of this rich truth, don’t dispense with being “good.” Jesus said “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 5:16) He also said “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matt 7:19)

You say
Religion says “Get it right!”
Grace says “I’ll be there when you get it wrong!”
My thoughts……
I love that we have a High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses without Himself “getting it wrong.” (Heb 4:15) Don’t equate this wonderful truth with the notion that Christ winks at our sin though. The same Christ that is a sympathetic High Priest called seven churches in Revelations to account for how they lived, walked and worshiped. And most of them didn’t fare well. The Ephesians had left their first love. (Rev 2:4) The Pergamites held to the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. (Rev 2:14-15) The Thyatirans tolerated Jezebel. (Rev 2:20) The Church in Sardis was sleepy and their works were incomplete (Rev 3:1-2). And the Laodicians had grown lukewarm. (Rev 3:15-16) Bart, our sympathetic High Priest, who is no chump by the way, declares to the Ephesians that He will “remove your lampstand…..unless you repent”. (Rev 2:5) To the Pergamites He says “I will come……and war against” the unrepentant “with the sword of my mouth.” (Rev 2:16) To the Thyatirans He says He’ll throw Jezebel and those who follow her onto a sickbed and He’ll “strike her children dead.” (Rev 2:22-23) Our faithful and sympathetic High Priest declares “And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart and will give to each of you as your works deserve.” To Sleepy Sardis He says “I will come like a thief , and you will know at what hour I come against you.” (Rev 3:3) And to Lukewarm Laodicia He says “because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev 3:16)

Bart, how we live and respond to the good news matters in the high court of heaven. We will give an account for how we’ve lived once adopted into this family. It matters and it’s not a heavy yoke of religion to “consider how we can stir one another up to love and good works”. (Heb 10:24)

You say
Religion says “We’re bad people trying to be good…you sin, you’re out”
Grace says “We’re Holy, righteous and redeemed. So when you do sin, it’s ok.”
My thoughts….
Bart, first let me say I don’t personally know of any churches in the Greenville area that are saying what you suggest “religion says” here. I’m sure they’re out there, but none that I’m aware of in our community, to include the church where you grew up.

What you may be thinking about is those who are living in and continuing on in unrepentant defiant sin. While I know of no churches saying “you sin, you’re out”, I hope there are MANY churches calling their people to repentance when continuing in unrepentant sin. What I fear you mean above is “we’re Holy, righteous and redeemed. So when you sin and aren’t repentant, it’s ok.” If you don’t mean it, you certainly imply it. Bart, Hebrews 10:26 says “if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” The passage goes on to equate continuing unrepentant sin as “trampling underfoot the Son of God” and “profaning the blood of the covenant” and “outraging the Spirit of grace”. I fear your understanding of grace means there’s no accountability for how we live after we trust Christ. Yet all of the epistles are full of exhortations to obey. I wonder what the man sleeping with his mother in law in 1 Corinthians 5 would think of your imbalanced message? He’d love it, I’m sure. Paul on the other hand would hate it and may want to inflict bodily harm on you. (just kidding…..but kinda not)

You say
Religion says “Your heart cannot be trusted.”
Grace says “You have the heart and mind of Christ
My thoughts
Bart, Matthew 15:19 says “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” I believe the blessings of the New Covenant are a new heart capable of obeying in a way that would make Old Covenant saints jealous. (Jer 31, Ezek 36 and Heb 8) And I believe Eph 3:17 that Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. However, I can’t and don’t want to trust my heart to guide me through life……for I can be deceived. I don’t know about your heart, Bart, but I know I can’t always trust mine. What I can trust, though, is God’s word. It’s true through and through. It and it alone reveals the thoughts and intentions of my heart. (Heb 4:12) I’ll have the “mind of Christ” only in so much as I am abiding in His heart-revealing word. (John 8:31-32)

You say
Religion says “Try harder.”
Grace says “Rest.”
My thoughts…..
The good news of the gospel is that we can rest in regards to salvation. When Jesus said “it is finished,” He meant it. The saving work is finished! Over! Done!

However, there’s plenty of fitting and appropriate work to be done in response to His finished work. (Read Eph 2:10 in light of 2:1-9) This is the essence of the entire book of James, that true faith works!! I’ve always enjoyed Hebrews 4:11 where the Hebrews preacher encourages his church to “strive to enter that rest.” The “rest” mentioned here is God’s Sabbath rest, which for us is Christ and His work!! The word “strive” though suggests work and effort are involved in resting in the right thing (Person). Our days are filled with magnetic attractions, activities, and stuff screaming for our attention. It’s work to fend off the world and to rest in Christ.

You say
Religion says “Please God.”
Grace says “Trust God.”
My thoughts
It’s possible to both trust God and want to please Him. These aren’t mutually exclusive. Ideally we are trusting Him while we desire to please Him by living in a manner worthy of the gospel. Philippians 1:27 says Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel

You say
Religion says “Give more.”
Grace says “Give up.”
My thoughts….
Faith says “give all”. Jesus said in Matthew 22:36 says “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”


Bart, I really believe and trust you love the Lord. I believe you want to honor God and make much of His Son. Please let me challenge you to examine your message. There’s too much at stake to let it continue out of balance and off kilter. Best case scenario, if your message goes unchecked, someone who comes from a legitimate legalistic background (teaching salvation is by works) would likely find great encouragement in hearing our salvation is by grace through faith and not our own doing. (Eph 2:8-9) This is a REALLY good thing. However, the worst case scenario is terrible!!!! Scores of people listening to you will believe they’re covered in grace when continuing on in lives unaltered by the gospel.
I believe there’s another scenario that may be best. This one involves a singer/songwriter/speaker presenting a balanced message of grace and obedience…..of forgiveness and an offered life…..of rest from saving work and zeal in responding with good works…..of joy and freedom in Christ best enjoyed as an accountable part of a body of believers exercising pure and undefiled religion.

Please ask yourself these questions about your message. Could it comfort the hurting? I think so. Could it assure the lost? I’m afraid so. Does it make people feel better about themselves? I imagine it does. Does it make people feel better about God and what He’s done for us in Christ? This is a tough one. Could you do a better job of sharing a more robust gospel? I trust you can.

Sincerely,

Ben McGraw
Teaching Pastor