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 words “Finally,
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
