GOD’S
WORD AND HIS WORK: PRACTICAL MOTIVATION OR OBLIGATORY TRUTH
As
a Christian and as a minister, I have found a common struggle with the
functionality of the church regarding how to handle biblical truth, i.e. should
the church handle God and his work as obligatory truth irrespective of how it
makes us look to an onlooking world or merely as practical motivation for moral
living? Questions like this arise, in my mind, from the disparate approaches we
see in local churches. Where some churches seemingly treat God’s work and his
word as merely motivational, others take his word quite literally and approach
his work as active and effective. The most common way this plays out in local
churches is by writing off those who have perhaps committed seemingly atrocious
acts at some point in their life no matter how far in the past they may be. As
unbiblical as it is, we tend to make excuses in feeble attempts to find their
unworthiness or disqualification from service in any way. Surely, there are
legitimate reasons for concern in some cases; yet, the church leans toward not
allowing people to serve rather than grace. If we teach that service is one of
the primary marks of a believer, how can we justify such a stance? There are
also those who fall in the middle. Many of any of these approaches, however,
seem to be unintentional.
Upon years of
observation, personal experience, and pontificating, I submit that, if we are
to be a people of genuine faith, God’s and his work should doubtlessly be
obligatory truth rather than mere practical motivation. Said another way, the
church must cease viewing grace and faith through the same grid as the world
but rather should function in a vastly disparate manner. Our faith in God
should cause us to live completely contrary lives to the world. Often, however,
the opposite is true: the church seemingly takes a faithless approach and views
God’s word and work merely as practical motivation rather than obligatory
truth. While this approach is likely subconscious, I suggest four primary ways
the church presently takes such an approach.
We Treat Local Churches as Businesses
One
of the most apparent ways Christians view God’s word and work is by treating
local churches as businesses. That is, of course, how the world and
governments, whether federal, state, or local, view local churches.
Nevertheless, God’s economy is vastly different from the world’s economy, which
is why the faith of people God used in the Bible is seemingly senseless on the
surface. The truth, however, is that since God is for us, no person can be
against us; (Rom. 8:31) therefore, no matter how senseless the call of God may
seem, obedience is always right and always the most sensible action.
The
church is not a business. There is nothing wrong with business. In fact,
Christianity needs godly businessmen and women who operate from a Christian
worldview. The church, however, does not and should not have a CEO or business
model. In Western culture at least, churches have moved from a people centered
around the person and work of Christ to an organization who builds itself for
its own publicity. Even the language we use implies a business mindset. Pastors
are admired to the point of idolatry; churches make decisions solely based on
money; and members are considered consumers who shop around until they find the
right fit for them, i.e. a church that caters to their wants, which are often
mistaken as needs. All of this equates to a business model, although the church
is not a business and should not function as such. Such a model is not implied
or even hinted in the New Testament. By approaching the church in this way, we
exemplify faithlessness, selfishness, and a small view of God which sees his word
and work as merely motivational rather than life-transforming truth.
We Believe in God’s Transforming Power but in Word Only
Secondly,
we approach God’s word and work as motivational rather than obligatory by
claiming belief in his transforming power but denying it in action. As the
adage goes, actions speak louder than words. We often claim that the Bible is
true, that what is written literally happened, and that God can even perform
greater works than what we have recorded (although even these professions are
diminishing in the Christian faith); yet, it is difficult for us to believe
that God can truly change someone who has murdered, who has cheated, or who has
committed sexually deviant acts. These, nonetheless, are precisely the kind of
works God accomplishes. If we tell the great stories of God throughout history
but neglect to live lives that point to his present work, we effectively admit
our disbelief in his power.
On
a personal note, I know many people whom God has drastically changed: a murderer,
people who have committed and been convicted of sex offenses, former
alcoholics, abusers, and liars. I have seen it firsthand. Furthermore, it
likely does not take looking far for anyone to find such people. Why then do we
so speedily write off claims that God has changed one who has committed
outrageous acts? When we do this, we cease to act as the church and instead act
like the world. God’s word and work then become practical motivation, moral
lessons, and inspiring stories rather than obligatory truth with transforming
power.
We Delineate between Grace before and after Salvation as if
There Is a Difference
A
third way we treat God’s word and work as purely motivational is by delineating
between God’s grace before and after salvation. Certainly, there exists
salvific grace in which God, by the call of the Holy Spirit, saves those whom
he chooses; yet, his grace continues even after that point. Additionally,
Christians continue to be transformed or sanctified progressively. (2 Cor 3:18)
What we often miss, as Christians, however, is the fact that progressive
sanctification does not necessarily mean a ceasing of magnificent mistakes.
Progressive sanctification means that God continually forms the hearts of his
people as they struggle and as they are perpetually transformed until the day
they are with Christ.
The assumption
then should be that Christians continue to struggle and often even more than
before. For example, someone who has been genuinely saved at an early age could
struggle with sexual sin with which many adults struggle since he or she did
not have those sexual desires at an early age. It could be easy to think in
line with this thought since so many biblical people had drastically evil lives
prior to knowing Christ, e.g. the Apostle Paul. Additionally, however, several
who made mistakes after knowing and pursuing God also come to mind also, e.g.
David, Noah, Moses, and even Peter in his blatant denial of Christ. God’s grace
is sufficient not only prior to salvation but also after because we still need
it. If we think that simply because we are Christians, we will not make
mistakes, we have misunderstood our drastic need for God’s grace. The church
often treats Christians who fall worse than the world does. It is incredibly
telling and sad that we treat our own brothers and sisters with contempt so
that we appear to empathize with the world. For believers, a time of discipline
is sometimes necessary. If the goal of discipline is restoration, however, we
should follow through to that end. God’s grace is not suggestive but mandatory.
By acting as if a Christian who falls deserves no grace, we operate from a
worldly approach rather than a godly one.
We Are Easily Swayed by the World’s Opinion
Sadly,
the church is too easily swayed by the world, i.e. we care too much what the
world thinks of us. We justify this by saying that we should hold a good
reputation to the world around us. A good reputation, however, does not mean a
lack of grace, for that is, in fact, the way the world operates and should not
be the same for the church. There is a fine line between holding a reputation
of high standard and fully employing decisions based on grace. What does Paul
mean when he says that deacons of the gospel should have a good reputation
among their peers and proven as blameless? (1 Tim 3:10)[1] It does not mean that one
must not have ever made a mistake even after salvation, for that is surely
impossible; Paul infers that one’s lifestyle who desires to serve is the same
outside the walls of the church community as it is in the church community. I
am familiar with those who have murdered, abused, and been addicted to drugs
who now live godly lives and still periodically make mistakes. Their lives,
however, reveal a pattern of sanctification. If David was a man after God’s own
heart, how is it justified that he murdered a man and took his wife? Those
actions, as horrid as they may be, are not the sum of his life. Since the
church does not function based on the world’s economy but on God’s, which is
often contrary to the world, our decisions should not be based upon the same
criteria. The church, however, is seemingly and sadly too swayed by the world
and what the world thinks of her when we should only care what God thinks and
about the glory he receives.
How Can We Be Givers of Grace and Protect Our Churches?
A
practical question might arise in this discussion: how can we protect our
churches, make wise decisions, and be givers of grace simultaneously? We should
realize that, in our humanity, we will err; it is guaranteed. It is,
nonetheless, better to err on the side of grace than to adopt a standard set by
the world. If we continue to adopt the world’s standards for how we operate,
how will we be any different besides preaching a message of grace and
repentance that we obviously do not live practically? Jesus was certainly
different and caused tension between himself and the religious and political
leaders of the day. Similarly, our basis for practical decisions should be
based on God’s grace. The word of God and the work of God are not purely
stories of motivation; God’s word and his work rather are obligatory truth to
which all Christians should conform. If we read the Bible as moralistic
stories, we miss the point and prove ourselves simply as moralistic-therapeutic-deists.
God, however, calls us to more. Let us be people of faith, people who love
greatly, people who forgive without hesitation time and time again, and people
who are transformed by God’s word and his work in our lives.
