Confession #45: I preached the message of less sin

By Jeremy Statton On April 13, 2011 · 18 Comments

I have shared with you my fear about sharing the gospel. Maybe you have never struggled with this or perhaps you were so incredibly motivated by what I said that you are now living a reformed life and talk about Jesus with everybody you meet.

So what exactly are you telling them?

The Message

I ask because as the father of four kids I get to hear other people talk to them about Jesus and I think many of us are telling our kids the wrong message. We inevitably explain that the single biggest reason for them to come to know God at a young age is because it will make their life easier. It will save them from sin and trouble that they might otherwise succumb to as teenagers.

Perhaps you are so used to this line of reasoning that your brain is numb to the idea, but I hope you stopped and said, “What? Doesn’t this sound like a type of prosperity gospel? Are we telling kids that an easy life is the reason to know God?”

We typically explain to our children that if they become a Christian while they are young (and by young we usually mean before they are interested in dating or cigarettes or alcohol) then their life will be better in the long run. Right living in high school and college will give them a head start in life.

We are in danger of teaching them that what God is really interested in seeing them clean themselves up on the outside so they can be good people.

The Problem

The reason we preach this as parents is because we want our kids to be successful and happy. Is this wrong? Probably not, but we have to be careful how we define success and happiness.

The typical goal of teenage parenting is to get through these difficult years without our child getting into too much trouble. By trouble I mean being arrested, getting pregnant, drinking or flunking out of school.

These are good goals and I am not discouraging them. But we are teaching our kids that in order to be happy, they just need to sin less, or at least sin less outwardly. Never mind the issues of selfishness and pride since those sins do not get anybody pregnant.

And what happens when our kids disappoint us? How do we respond when they mess things up? What do we say when someone does become pregnant or gets a DUI? What happens when young adults say they are Christians but they still fall?

If our efforts are primarily focused on sin avoidance, then most likely we will respond very negatively when sin does occur. And sin will happen. Sometimes it is big and sometimes it seems not so big, but our kids will choose sin. They already do.

And let’s face it, in general the church has a bad history of treating “wayward” teenagers with anger and disgust. For many the church becomes not a place for help and healing, but judgment.

The Gospel

The gospel, though is about being broken and sinful and being rescued from it. It is about being reconciled with God. Sin can make life very, very complicated, but the point of the gospel is for us to have a relationship with God, not to live moral lives.

At no point does Jesus ever really promise that following him will lead to happier, easier lives full of college scholarships and six-figure incomes. The gospel is not a means towards living the American Dream. If anything he tells us the opposite, that we will live lives that are filled with struggle and persecution and heartache. When we become Christians we must die to ourselves.

And when we die to ourselves, then we can truly live meaningful lives. Then we get to serve him and do his will which will provide purpose in life no matter how difficult it might become. As we love him more, we will become more like him, we will hate our sin more, and less sin will happen as a by-product.

The potential for a good life is not found in avoiding sin or owning a big house or not smoking or waiting till you are married to have sex, but rather in knowing God.

What kind of gospel are you preaching?

Zemanta

Matt

Broken people, those of us who can’t seem to get our act together, are the ones who need the healing message of the gospel. Jesus said “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” A message that is essentially, “Come to God or else,” isn’t enough to modify behavior, even if that was the goal to begin with. If anything, the Law presents a challenge to the flesh, which then rises up in rebellion and sin. After sin’s consequences, after it has resulted in a DUI or AIDS or prison, we long for redemption, only to find that the people who are forgiveness “brokers” in our lives aren’t ready to sell. Thank God that through Jesus we can approach Him directly. Thank God that all we have to do to obtain the only forgiveness that counts is simply to ask. Young people are running from church because they don’t feel forgiven. Of course, that’s not the message being preached, but it’s often the message being received. And for the lucky ones who’ve never committed any of the “big sins”: watch your back! If you sin, that may be forgivable. But if you’re actually caught… don’t expect to hear from us ever again. Thank God that Christ did not confine his associations to the “best,” most “mature” and “uplifting” people. I wouldn’t have a chance.
- http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy Statton
  
  None of us Would stand a chance. Thanks Matt.
MarieP

I agree wholeheartedly that the Gospel is not “believe in Jesus and live the American Dream” or “Believe in Jesus and all your problems will magically go away.” And I know that there are those who say the Gospel is “turn a new leaf” or “get your act together” which is equally false. Both are devoid of the Person and work of Christ. Like you say, both are concerned only with the outer man, not the inner man.

But it seems to me a false dichotomy to say “the point of the gospel is for us to have a relationship with God, not to live moral lives.” Perhaps I’m misunderstanding you, or maybe we aren’t defining “moral” in the same way (I am using it to describe true Biblical morality, not human definitions of morality). Maybe you are simply saying that relationship comes first before morality (God spurned the outward obedience of those in the Old Testament who were actually full of hypocrisy- He wanted their hearts first and foremost)

What about these texts explaining the goal of our salvation?

Eph 1
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Is verse 4 merely positional holiness and blamelessness?

Titus 2
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Why did Christ die for us? To redeem AND purify us. The grace of God that brings salvation (the Gospel) teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (live a Biblically moral life).

Granted, not America’s view of a moral life. Not the legalist’s view of a moral life (don’t dance, drink, smoke, or chew, and don’t go out with girls who do). Certainly not the Keswick or Wesleyan view of a moral life (perfectionism). But a moral life nonetheless.

“As we love him more, we will become more like him, we will hate our sin more, and less sin will happen as a by-product.”

I agree ! This is because of the Spirit’s work in our lives. It is because we have been given a new heart that loves God and desires to walk in His ways. We’re not only forgiven and justified but regenerated and adopted. But I don’t think it is a mere by-product. Jesus not only saves us from the penalty of sin but the power of it. The point is not just “a relationship with God”, nor is it just “living a moral life.” It’s about Christ crucified and risen. We need all the work Christ did and does for us!

Phil 3
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Romans 8
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
- http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy Statton
  
  I agree that morality follows the relationship, but often our goal is primarily morality and I don’t think it should be. We tell people that if they love Jesus, then their lives will be better. What we really mean is that if they control themselves and establish an outward morality, then their lives will be better. We should be telling people that they should love Jesus because he is worth it. The greatest value in being a Christian at a young age is not in the avoidance of outward sin, but in getting to develop that relationship early.
  
  It would be impossible to answer all of these verses, so I will choose one. Eph 1:4. I have to ask you a question. Is anyone holy and blameless based on what they do?
  
  My holiness before God has nothing to do with anything I do, it can only be found in Jesus. I am just as guilty of adultery as the man who physically cheats on his wife. I am no more holy than he. If I don’t cheat on my wife, then my marriage is better, my family is better off, and my kids are better, but I am still guilty of adultery. I still carry blame, but my sins are forgiven. My identity is not in keeping a commandment, but in Jesus and his keeping this commandment.
  - MarieP
    
    “We should be telling people that they should love Jesus because he is worth it. The greatest value in being a Christian at a young age is not in the avoidance of outward sin, but in getting to develop that relationship early.”
    
    I agree! Since coming to Christ, I am more aware of my own sin than I was before coming to Him. I know this is the testimony of anyone who has come to the Lord. I’ve often heard the illustration that the brighter the light, the more blots and blemishes we can see. But I also have the assurance that I am not a slave to my sin, and that I have the ability by the Spirit to put sin to death, unlike before.
    
    “It would be impossible to answer all of these verses, so I will choose one. Eph 1:4. I have to ask you a question. Is anyone holy and blameless based on what they do?”
    
    Depends on what you mean by that… God accepts us because we are in Christ, not because of any deeds we’ve done. Christ is the one who died on the cross for our sins and rose for our justification. We can never be “more accepted ” by God or any less accepted.
    
    But didn’t David pray in Psalm 119:80, “Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, that I may not be ashamed.” And in Psalm 119:13- “Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression.” Of course, David also knew that “my goodness is nothing apart from You” (Psalm 16:2). But why would David ask those things of God if holiness and blamelessness was merely a description of our status?
    
    Paul said in Phil 2:14-16- “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless [same Greek word as in Ephesians] and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. ”
    
    Isn’t he telling those who already have the status of blameless in the courtroom of God to become “blameless” in reality? And, yes, by the Spirit (we continue in the Spirit just as we began by the Spirit, per Galatians).
    
    “My holiness before God has nothing to do with anything I do, it can only be found in Jesus.”
    
    What of 2 Cor. 7:1- “Therefore, having these promises [the promises of relationship with God], beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
    
    And Ephesians 4
    But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
    
    And Hebrews 12:14- “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:”
    
    Of course, in the midst of this activity, we need to remember, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thess 3:12-13)
    
    “My identity is not in keeping a commandment, but in Jesus and his keeping this commandment.”
    
    I agree our identity is not in a commandment but in Christ. We are not betrothed to the Law but to Christ, as Romans says. I’m not understanding the dichotomy though between relationship with God and growing in Christlikeness. As 1 John and James both say, the love and the faith we claim to have result in obedience.
Joel

Another good thought provoking post. I think we sell short by not correctly teaching the character of God. His love for us is amazing and the communion we have with him here on earth and in Heaven in the future should be the focus of our lives. The apostles in the book of Acts rejoiced when they were counted worthy of persecution. The christian culture in America tends to move toward safety and comfort above serving and loving God.
I have to say all these things to myself first as I try to kill my inner pharisee. That incorrect teaching to the young is now permeating the whole church. We need to understand what it means to “store up treasures in Heaven.”
- http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy Statton
  
  Not understanding what it means to store up treasure in heaven is a great point. We think we are doing this if we drive s Honda instead of a Lexus, but that’s not it. It’s about offering a self-sacrificial love.
wife of a legalist

Matt, you said the word “caught” and it immediately made me think of the woman caught in adultery. What did Jesus do to her? What did the people want to do to her? It’s an amazing story of forgiveness of a big sin. If it weren’t for the fact that Jesus was the one who said “go and sin no more” with out a stoning ( or punishment or some proof that she really is sorry for her sin) than we might be criticizing His choice here.
- http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy Statton
  
  We would criticize him for several reasons. One is that he broke the law. Stoning was appropriate. Another is that he did not seem bothered by her sin. There was no lecture or rebuke, There was no “come back in 6 weeks and prove to me that you did better,” conditional sort of agreement. It makes you wonder whether or not we would criticize Jesus if he were around today.
  - MarieP
    
    Are you saying that Jesus broke the law, or that is what some would accuse Him of? Jesus broke plenty of men’s laws, but never did He break any of God’s laws.
    - MarieP
      
      The stoning law needed two witnesses before it could be carried out.(Deuteronomy 17:7). The Pharisees were convicted of enough sin that they fled when Jesus wrote on the ground and said he is without sin cast the first stone. I think the point is that the men who fled were worthy of being stoned by that same law- He was pointing out their inconsistency, not that He took sin lightly. Also note that Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more.
    - http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy Statton
      
      Do you think that the Phrisees did not know that two witnesses were needed and that they did not have a second? Do we break God’s law when we do not stone an adulterer? He told her to sin no more, but do you think she kept that direct commandment from Jesus himself? Maybe she never committed physical adultery again, but what if she wished she could? What if she lusted? Wouldn’t she be guilty then? And if Jesus ever interacted with her again, would he have stoned her then considering he told her to sin no more and she did? If she sinned in some other way (and certainly she did) would he then get angry with her and stone her because she did not obey him? What does it mean to take sin lightly? If Jesus forgave her, then is that taking sin lightly? If no, then why would me forgiving people be taking sin lightly?
      - MarieP
        
        The witnesses had to be the first to cast stones, but they fled. Jesus was not a (human) witness to her adultery (though He surely knew about it as God). Jesus was under no obligation by the Law to stone her.
        
        I didn’t say that forgiving people is taking sin lightly. I am saying that Jesus did not do anything that was against God’s law. As Matthew 5:18-19 says, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
        
        Plus, I believe the woman saw that the Man standing with her was the Messiah. She used the term kurios, after all. Yes, I believe she would sin again, but I believe that there is atonement for those sins in the blood of Christ.
        
        As for the stoning law, I believe it was part of what was one of the laws that was done away with and fulfilled in the death of Christ. It was part of the Israelite theocracy.
http://www.3-foldcord.com Carla

Great post. You brought up so many great points. Many times the gospel message is about making life easier, or making it easier not to sin, or simply sealing our fate for heaven instead of hell. But it really is about our relationship to Christ. While we are called to morality in the Bible, Paul also points our numerous times that we cannot be moral in our own power, we must do it through the Power of Christ working in us- which comes with a relationship.

I once had the privilege of “presenting Christianity” (I say that because we got kicked out for not presenting Christianity and instead conducting “Bible Study”) to women at a drug rehab shelter. These were women who were struggling to get clean from drugs and living in a shelter with their children- trying to love their children in ways they had never been loved. They responded to our message because we told them how much Christ loved them- even in the midst of their messy lives and that He forgave them of all their past mistakes. They were shocked to hear they didn’t have to do anything to be saved- just simply ask Jesus into a relationship with them. They had been told so often they had to clean up their lives before they could accomplish anything, it was a relief to be offered anything free of conditions. When they continued to ask what changes they needed to make we told them that was between them and Jesus. We said Christ wanted them just as they were and if they let Him lead their lives they would know what they needed to do eventually. We gave them each Bibles and it was amazing to see over the weeks what they had learned in their own prayer time and study as well as in our presentations. I learned a lot about presenting the Gospel in the weeks we visited those women. People have been told all their lives what to do, rarely are they told how loved they are.
http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy Statton

What a great story Carla. Thanks for sharing it. We worry so much about theology and whether or not we are on Rob Bell’s side or John Piper’s side when helping people whose lives have been ruined is what Christianity and the church should really be about. Perhaps theological debate has a place, but loving someone who isn’t lovable by most standards is what Christ does for us.
http://charlieschurchofchrist.wordpress.com Charlie’s Church of Christ

I’m rabbit trailing off something you said early on in the post – hope you don’t mind….
I am actually very fearful of having my daughter raised in the church. Yes, that’s what I said. I don’t want her manipulated and oppressed by religion, and I am very uncomfortable with what and how we teach kids about God/Jesus. I think I’d rather her not be apart of it at all (I’d rather she experience a community group with us).
I don’t know how we should raise kids in the faith – it’s an interesting question as Christianity is based on broken, desperate people meeting a God who restores – and how do you teach this to a kid who sneaks sugary snacks?
- http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy Statton
  
  I don’t think it is a rabbit trail. I think its the point. That we teach our kids religion and not Jesus.
http://melindalancaster.com Melinda Lancaster

Thanks for this insightful post, Jeremy. You always make me think. “What kind of gospel are you preaching?” Now there is something that each one of us needs to ponder.

In terms of raising kids, I often wonder why parents are so adament about watching what their kids are being taught at school and yet so lax about keeping the same vigilence elsewhere. Are we too trusting. too busy, or just too plain lazy to take the time to study the Word for ourselves.(okay, I confess, I’m speaking of myself) Apparently so because we believe a lot of nonsense.

It is dangerous to eat out of someone’s hand week after week without checking in “the Book” to make sure that what is being offered is truth. Yet we do it more often than we care to admit. We’ve become so stunted in our spiritual growth that we need to go back to the basics. That obviously is not about rules but rather relationship.

I’m reflecting, as I write this, on a conversation I had with a 21 year old who is troubled because he can’t seem to figure out what it means to “live for God.” He’s struggling to try to fit various teachings into some kind of mold. Our advice to him was to stop listening to people’s opinions & start reading the words of Jesus. If all we had, in our possession, was Scripture we would have all that we need to live a godly life. Where things have gotten mucky is all of the fussing over who is right and who is wrong or who is spiritual and who is not. It is causing great confusion to people who are not grounded in the faith. They don’t know what to believe. We’ve got to get back to the Word.

I am currently reading a book and found what the author had to say about receiving the forgiveness from God to be interesting. I don’t just mean mental ascent. I mean embracing it to the point that you feel it deep down in your bones. She stated that the reason that the “religious police” (her term, not mine) don’t guide people into the knowledge of such loving grace is because they feel that it will make them too vulnerable to repetitive sin. Her arguement was that the more that people feel hopeless in terms of living a godly life the more they will tend to sin. They will feel like beaten down failures due to an over-conciousness of sin and eventually give up on having a genuine relationship with God. I’ve seen that happen. It’s not pretty.

On the other hand, this author felt that those who have experienced the cleansing power of God’s forgiveness will probably think long and hard before they run right back into the mud. I tend to agree with her. I believe that when we try to focus on and “fix” our sin, (our others) and sinful nature, we are putting far too much faith in ourselves and far too little faith in God.

I’m not advocating “cheap grace.” I just believe that we’re being asked more and more to accept one of two extremes. All grace with no judgement OR all judgement with no grace. Neither are a result of “rightly dividing the Word.” People need to know what the Word says. We need an infusion of God’s truth in the body of Christ.

You made this statement…”We are in danger of teaching them that what God is really interested in seeing them clean themselves up on the outside so they can be good people.” This kind of reminded me a group of people who Jesus often tangled with during His earthly ministry. What concerns me about this kind of teaching is that it nullifies all that Jesus said and did. It sets us back instead of propelling us forward into a deeper relationship with God.

I’m sorry this is so long. I didn’t mean to be a “blog hog.” I’ve been up all night so if I’m rambling please forgive me. I really do have a growing concern about what you’ve shared in the post. Thanks for bringing it up.

Confession #45: I preached the message of less sin

Related Posts

Visit my new website!

Get a free copy of my new eBook

Popular Posts

Categories

Looking for something?

Visit our friends!

Archives

Pages

The Latest

Missing You

More