Religion vs. the Gospel

I recently listened to a lecture given by Tim Keller on the difference between the gospel and religion. This was my introduction to Mr. Keller and I appreciated what he had to say so thought I would share my notes. I know my notes do not do the lecture justice, but perhaps something in it provides a good reminder. I believe this lecture was given at the Resurgence Conference fall of 2005.

Keller says religion operates on the principle that I obey, and therefore God accepts me where as, the gospel operates on the premise that I am accepted because of what Jesus Christ has done for me, therefore I obey. Luther says the default mode of the human heart is to believe that we are accepted because we obey. Why? Perhaps part of the reason this is so, is that it allows us an illusion of being able to control our lives by what we do rather than accepting the radical grace of Jesus Christ for our salvation. Accepting salvation on the sole basis of God’s grace towards us takes our control totally out of it.

On the surface, you may not see a great difference between those living on the basis of the gospel or those living on the basis of religion. Both are earnestly seeking to obey and honor God, but it is the inward motivation that is drastically different. In religion, I am driven to do all I should out of fear of rejection and/or insecurity. If one accepts the gospel as ones starting point then one does all he/she should in an effort to please, resemble and delight the one who loves us unconditionally.

What we believe effects how we live out our Christian life. If I base my justification on my sanctification and performance then when I sin I am either mad at myself for not living up to what I know I should, or mad at God for not sparing me from myself. As a result, in religion it is absolutely critical that I see myself as a good person. Otherwise, I can have no self esteem because my worth is based on my behavior. In contrast, when one whose beliefs are founded in the Gospel sins, then he/she may struggle, but can ultimately rest in knowing that my punishment, all of it, fell on Jesus and He will exercise His fatherly love in my trial. The gospel affirms that I am more wicked than I ever believed and I am more loved than I could ever imagine. This produces incredible humility and yet a healthy sense of pride, and does not over value or undervalue tradition.

On Being Content

Getting ready in the morning, I was thinking about all the money we had spent repairing the car the last few weeks. I said to myself, “I am never going to get where I want to be.” I realized my error quickly and said, “I should have said God is never going to get me where I want to be.” I shook my head as I realized I still did not have it right and I tried again. I said, “Apparently God is going to get me where He wants me to be and I need to learn to be content with that.” Finally… I could stop talking out loud to myself and finish getting ready.

I sighed and kept getting ready as I realized the truth in my third sentence to myself. I know God is my provider and I regularly submit to it, and yet I so easily go back to having an illusion of control. It is such a balancing act. I certainly believe that I do need to do my part and wisely manage the money God has entrusted me with and I believe I need to work to earn money in an honorable way, but on the other hand I can’t believe that by doing what I am supposed to, that I have any control.

I struggled with 1 Chronicles 29:11 – 13 when I had to memorize it for Crown years ago, but it has come back to me often. “11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.” I do not know how to reconcile that with my strong tendencies towards freewill, but I do believe those verses. I believe them, but they certainly do not always seem to make sense. Yikes – look at some of the people out there who have wealth and honor! I am reminded of David’s lamentations about the wicked people who are prospering and God reminds David that there is a bigger picture to keep in mind.

If I accept the truth of those verses then being content needs to become a goal that is high on my priority list. How do you experience a sense of contentment, and cultivate a mindset of being content in the midst of a society that profits off of, and hence pushes discontentment? I have three recurring thoughts when I consider how to develop a mindset of being content in much or in little. To experience contentedness, I need to: develop a sense of overflowing gratefulness for that which I do have, have an eternal perspective, and have a perspective that takes into account those people who are in more challenging straits than I am. As I thought about my frustration with the car I realized I was grateful that we had the funds to fix the car and I was grateful to have a car. I thought about the many, many people who lack any form of convenient transportation. I thought about what really matters. My financial goals are really only goals that serve to give me greater freedom to be the woman God has called me to be.

If I can catch myself feeling dissatisfied and in that moment ask myself what I am grateful for, why does this really matter, and how does it compare to the struggles of people near and far then I hope I will reinforce a spirit of contentment. In that spirit of contentment I can seek to do my best while at the same time relinquishing the illusion of control.

The Sabbath

What does the Sabbath mean to us today? If we decided to observe the Sabbath what would that look like? Why do many of us not specifically set aside a Sabbath day? I’ll be the first to admit I do not know a lot about the concept. The word "Sabbath" even sounds out of place, and I am not sure how it is supposed to be practiced in our crazy, busy culture and age. I have this general idea that I should not work on Sundays, but I also have a feeling there is more to it than just not working at my Monday – Friday job. I also have a sense of tension between the freedom we know God allows us and the things He asks us to do.

Recently, I listened to a podcast by Rob Bell where he talked about how he began to observe the Sabbath about two years ago and it has revolutionized his life. He says the Sabbath is not something to be legalistic about, but rather is a gift to be savored. Taking a proper Sabbath energizes and restores us to wholeness in preparation for the next six days of the week. Personally, he found it extremely difficult to begin to refrain from business or busyness on his Sabbath, but that now it is a day he and his family look forward to.

I found his comments interesting, especially since this is a topic that has been on my mind the last several months. Mark Buchanan’s “Your God is Too Safe” is one of the best books I have read in the last few years and I was excited to hear he had a new book out. His new book is, “The Rest of God,” and I am told that it deals with the concept of the Sabbath. Hmmm...now that I know what it is about, I half want to read it, and half am afraid to read it. The concept came up again when my small group at work recently was going through the Life@Work curriculum, and we came across a quote that said something to the effect that it takes faith to observe the Sabbath. I have been thinking about that quote now for about two weeks. I think sometimes we think if we do not create our own opportunity for advancement it will never come. Sometimes going above and beyond and working all weekend is one way we see to get ahead. Ouch – I am reminded that if I am doing my part in being a good employee then I can trust God to do His part in making me as successful as He wants me to be.

I think another reason we do not take a Sabbath is because we do not understand the value of taking a break and renewing ourselves. I have heard a few people, who very intentionally take a Sabbath, talk about what observing the Sabbath does for them and it is obvious they feel it is a practice that adds immense value to their lives. Perhaps the rest of us are missing out on something?

Any thoughts out there in blog world? If you do, or were to, practice a Sabbath what would it be defined by? And, secondly, why do you, or why do you not observe the Sabbath?