In the modern era of independent-thinking, self-help narcissism, it almost seems to be well-nigh impossible to 'get the GOSPEL right'. Read this short article from Modern Reformation Magazine. This link to the MR webpage, A Two-Part Gospel? should cover my bases.
Reformation Diaries - Jan. 15 , 2008
A Two-Part Gospel?
by Joseph Martin
“We’re concerned because you’ve cut off half the gospel!” Such was the exasperated, but sincere, comment from a senior staff member during the devotional time at a monthly clergy gathering. As a predominately evangelical group of clergy, we always began our district meetings with noonday prayer and a discussion of the upcoming Sunday readings. Being Advent, we were sharing our thoughts on Matthew 24:42, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
As expected, the discussion focused on the word “watch” and the various disciplines that Christians should be involved in during this season of preparation for the Lord’s coming. As Episcopal/Anglicans, we were to use the Advent season to refocus our lives on more contemplative prayer, Bible reading, and service, and to encourage our church members to do the same.
After a few exchanges of point-counterpoint to my attempts to establish the foundation of Christ’s righteousness as the basis on which anyone is prepared for the Lord’s return, I asked, “So what will be the bottom line of our sermons this week? What will we tell our people about how to be prepared for the Lord’s return?” Once again, all around the room, was more of the same: “Be diligent, be alert, be prepared.”
As the discussion was about to close—and I could see that the bottom line focused on what we do in order to be prepared without a mention of what Christ has done to provide our preparation—I shared as honestly as I could the frustration I felt in trying to establish the basis of being prepared in terms of trust, faith, and belief instead of works. “Why do I feel I’ve been in a sparing match over such a foundational evangelical principle as faith in Christ alone as the basis by which anyone can stand before God on the Day of his return?” I said with a genuinely broken and frustrated heart. Then the lid came off, “Because that’s not what the passage says and we’re concerned that you have cut off half the gospel!”
Never in a million years would I have believed that the evangelical church in which I found refuge twenty-five years ago would become an adversary in my understanding of the gospel. They had been my friends, my allies, my shelter from the wishy-washy secularized church in which I had grown up. Now, after my life-saving reception of the gospel, as articulated from a Reformation perspective, and my adherence to the sound Reformation scholarship represented by the Modern Reformation camp, suddenly I had become an irritant, an object of concern, and a one-dimensional grace hound unconcerned with “our part” in the gospel.
Space does not allow in this short article to outline the complexities of the evangelical transformation over the past twenty to fifty years, but suffice it to say that modern American evangelicalism has clearly reshaped the gospel of Christ into a two-part message: what Christ has done (on the cross), and what we need to do to complete the transformation. The announcement of the gospel as the “one way” love of God* that declares us righteous through the sacrificial death of Christ, completely apart from our participation or cooperation, is seen as narrowly one dimensional and dangerously antinomian, releasing Christians from the various spiritual disciplines necessary for the exaggerated progress that all followers of Christ are expected to make in this life.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, as the one-way declaration of our righteous standing before God propels us out of gratitude to love and serve him, and any addition to the once-offered sacrifice of Christ is clearly the Galatian problem; nevertheless, to take such a stand in the modern evangelical camp will no doubt raise some eyebrows and possibly bring on some heat. Either way, we can rest assured that we stand fully righteous and “prepared” to meet the Lord only because of the one-part gospel of Christ: his work done on our behalf. Oh, what a relief!
*The “one way” love of God is the definition of grace offered by the Rev. Dr. Paul F. M. Zahl in his book, Grace in Practice (Eerdmans, 2007). Grace in Practice - Monergism Books
Joseph Martin is pastor at Church of Our Saviour in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania.
More on this important issue can be gleaned from the Audio Clip on the View my complete profile page.
Reformation Diaries - Jan. 15 , 2008
A Two-Part Gospel?
by Joseph Martin
“We’re concerned because you’ve cut off half the gospel!” Such was the exasperated, but sincere, comment from a senior staff member during the devotional time at a monthly clergy gathering. As a predominately evangelical group of clergy, we always began our district meetings with noonday prayer and a discussion of the upcoming Sunday readings. Being Advent, we were sharing our thoughts on Matthew 24:42, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
As expected, the discussion focused on the word “watch” and the various disciplines that Christians should be involved in during this season of preparation for the Lord’s coming. As Episcopal/Anglicans, we were to use the Advent season to refocus our lives on more contemplative prayer, Bible reading, and service, and to encourage our church members to do the same.
After a few exchanges of point-counterpoint to my attempts to establish the foundation of Christ’s righteousness as the basis on which anyone is prepared for the Lord’s return, I asked, “So what will be the bottom line of our sermons this week? What will we tell our people about how to be prepared for the Lord’s return?” Once again, all around the room, was more of the same: “Be diligent, be alert, be prepared.”
As the discussion was about to close—and I could see that the bottom line focused on what we do in order to be prepared without a mention of what Christ has done to provide our preparation—I shared as honestly as I could the frustration I felt in trying to establish the basis of being prepared in terms of trust, faith, and belief instead of works. “Why do I feel I’ve been in a sparing match over such a foundational evangelical principle as faith in Christ alone as the basis by which anyone can stand before God on the Day of his return?” I said with a genuinely broken and frustrated heart. Then the lid came off, “Because that’s not what the passage says and we’re concerned that you have cut off half the gospel!”
Never in a million years would I have believed that the evangelical church in which I found refuge twenty-five years ago would become an adversary in my understanding of the gospel. They had been my friends, my allies, my shelter from the wishy-washy secularized church in which I had grown up. Now, after my life-saving reception of the gospel, as articulated from a Reformation perspective, and my adherence to the sound Reformation scholarship represented by the Modern Reformation camp, suddenly I had become an irritant, an object of concern, and a one-dimensional grace hound unconcerned with “our part” in the gospel.
Space does not allow in this short article to outline the complexities of the evangelical transformation over the past twenty to fifty years, but suffice it to say that modern American evangelicalism has clearly reshaped the gospel of Christ into a two-part message: what Christ has done (on the cross), and what we need to do to complete the transformation. The announcement of the gospel as the “one way” love of God* that declares us righteous through the sacrificial death of Christ, completely apart from our participation or cooperation, is seen as narrowly one dimensional and dangerously antinomian, releasing Christians from the various spiritual disciplines necessary for the exaggerated progress that all followers of Christ are expected to make in this life.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, as the one-way declaration of our righteous standing before God propels us out of gratitude to love and serve him, and any addition to the once-offered sacrifice of Christ is clearly the Galatian problem; nevertheless, to take such a stand in the modern evangelical camp will no doubt raise some eyebrows and possibly bring on some heat. Either way, we can rest assured that we stand fully righteous and “prepared” to meet the Lord only because of the one-part gospel of Christ: his work done on our behalf. Oh, what a relief!
*The “one way” love of God is the definition of grace offered by the Rev. Dr. Paul F. M. Zahl in his book, Grace in Practice (Eerdmans, 2007). Grace in Practice - Monergism Books
Joseph Martin is pastor at Church of Our Saviour in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania.
More on this important issue can be gleaned from the Audio Clip on the View my complete profile page.
No comments:
Post a Comment