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[onaf]

Of Dogs and Children

Believers in Christ have their hang-ups, their own theological baggage when it comes to the faith. This doesn’t always come in the form of outright denial of the core tenets of the Christian religion. But it can mean there are teachings that are quick to be absorbed mentally, yet slow to penetrate the heart.

For me, one of the most difficult things to understand at heart about Christ is how He condescends to sinners like myself. When I read Matthew 11: 28-30, Christ’s character takes on a peculiar timbre:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

To some, this may be an inconsequential passage. But I wonder how one can think that! What is easier for me to understand is that Christ - the One through whom the universe was created - has authority to judge the living and the dead. It isn’t hard for me to accept how He performed miracles, for what is difficult for the Christ? Theophanies? Old Testament prophecies about Jesus? Awesome!

But a Christ that is lowly? A savior that is gentle when with but one word He could annihilate all that is unholy (namely myself)? A King to whom I am - by rights - condemned forever, but gave Himself as a ransom for me? More food for thought from Hebrews 4:14-16...

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

I think many of us can understand that God would be a righteous judge against ungodliness, that He has wrath against sin, that He wields great power, and that He is holy. But I hope I’m not alone in finding His closeness to the downtrodden, the fallen, and the broken as being really hard to wrap my mind around!

This is a deeply practical problem. You can’t divorce theological conviction from how you live your daily life. Finding Christ’s meekness a difficult concept to absorb, I sometimes lean toward an imbalanced life. Without meditating enough on Christ’s mercy and sympathy to the struggles of a wicked man like myself, I gravitate more toward what I believe I do understand: my wretchedness.

What do you get when you have a believer who understands that he is a sinner deserving of eternal judgement but struggles to accept that he is a recipient of mercy? Though his heart yearns for Christ and His righteousness, a lie makes the honest truths seem beyond reach. The lie is: your redemption is insignificant.

A heart in this condition is divided. The honest hope of this man is truly in Christ, and his salvation has been secured already by the grace of God. But a pernicious untruth has craned the neck of this believer to look inward at the remaining filthiness of sin and to believe this to be the most accurate representation of his state. The Spirit-led part of his heart hopes for the Kingdom of God, but - since his focus has been on the irredeemable sin of his flesh - he has been convinced that the honest hopes of his heart are actually born of self-deception. It is a confusion of the highest order, one that prevents a Christian from living out his true calling with his undivided attention - and a confusion with which I am well-acquainted.

In short, instead of believing that I am a child of God by grace, a fallen part of me condemns me as if I was not. So, in my weaker moments, my heart resorts to an unholy compromise: that perhaps I am welcome in the house of God, but only as a dog. I may be in the dining room, but I only lay on the floor and eat the crumbs from the table while others more worthy garner God’s more rapt attention.

Matthew 15:24-28 says...

“He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ And He answered, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ She said ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.”

There’s a theme there that I grabbed onto a long time ago. I knew that I had been bought with a price, the Lord wouldn’t let me forget that. But my heart refused to unfocus from my sinful nature. It instead used this passage in Matthew and keep me where I didn’t belong. The mistake in my thinking was that Christ redeemed me who was dead in my trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) and made me a dog - a second rate, quasi-Christian. For the hopeless, going from being dead to being a dog isn’t that bad of a deal. Unless you know better, it’s a great deal. From being cast into outer darkness to at least being in your gracious masters’ dining room is a worthy trade! Everyone knows, however, a dog has no share in the inheritance of the master's children.

But this falls short of what the Bible teaches. To settle for being a dog is a tragedy when, in reality, you’ve been adopted as a son or daughter! The obsession with relegating oneself to the station of a cur is to, in reality, choose to disbelieve the promises of God. It is a tacit allegation of dishonesty on God’s part - saying that He is either not that mighty to save or that your sin makes you an exception to the redemptive rule. This is faithlessness hidden under the veil of fake piety.

Consider the following:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  Luke 19:10

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”  Romans 8:1-2

But most importantly, this:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:31-39

To say to your own soul that the best God did for you was to bring you from death to a grudgingly-awarded spot on the floor in His general vicinity (with the unspoken threat of expulsion for the slightest mistake) is to do violence to His mighty ability to bring about your salvation (Zeph. 3:17). Why does my heart insist on its own harm by attempting to shackle God’s redemptive work?

One of the greatest resources I’ve encountered lately in dealing with this struggle is found in The Bruised Reed, by the Puritan Richard Sibbes. A great quote here:

“If Christ should not be merciful to our weaknesses, He should not have a people to serve Him. Suppose therefore we are very weak, yet so long as we are not found amongst malicious opposers and underminers of God’s truth, let us not give way to despairing thoughts; we have a merciful Saviour.” (pg. 58)

Even to those who are in Christ but find themselves in sin - as we do all too often - there is hope. Sibbes continues:

“What course shall such take to recover their peace? They must condemn themselves sharply, and yet cast themselves upon God’s mercy in Christ, as at their first conversion. And now they must embrace Christ the more firmly, as they see more need in themselves; and let them remember the mildness of Christ here, that He will not quench the smoking flax.” (pg. 60)

Through these struggles, I have learned some things:

Christ is indeed lowly enough in heart so as to understand our weakness and not despise it.

The redemption that true believers find in Him is no lie, it is not done by half measures - since it is with the death and resurrection of Christ’s whole body that we have been purchased. Thus, the redemption is total, to be fully seen in due time.

To doubt one’s standing with God after being redeemed by Christ is to accuse Him of being less than He is. Do you believe Him to be an effective Savior? Then you must trust that He is qualified to save!

When a sinner is saved by grace, it is to no small and insignificant station. Consider the following:

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”  Romans 8:15-17

Where, then, is there room for God’s children to act as though they are just dogs at the dining room table?

[onaf]

We have to condemn publicly the very idea that some people have the right to repress others. In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousandfold in the future.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, “The Gulag Archipelago”

[onaf]

Galatians 3 - and why it matters

If you’ve spent more than 15 seconds on social media or watching the news, you’ve noticed something. And, perhaps, you didn’t notice that you noticed it. In the midst of the pain, suffering, rage, riots, violence, racism, the ALL CAPS ONLINE SHOUTING MATCHES, virtue signaling, gaslighting, the politics - Lord help us, the politics - of current events, you’ve picked up on a theme.

The theme is: I am clean, you are not.

See, you did notice it, didn’t you? I could pull from a million examples - ranging from headlines, Facebook statuses, meme-sharing, article pushing, tribal-mentality driven drivel that floods my smart phone every day.

“Such and such a camp is permitted to do or say this because...” - I am clean, and you are not.

“Such and such a group needs to atone for the sins of their ancestors because...” - I am clean, and you are not.

“It is time to burn it all to the ground regardless of collateral damage because...” - I am clean, and you are not.

“I refuse to think on whether or not I have hated my neighbor in any way because...” - I am clean, and you are not.

“I refuse to love those who hate me because...” - I am clean, and you are not.

As a Christian, I must say the ridiculousness of it all has gotten a mite worse. It seems that so many have begun to believe that the unifying power in the church is no longer Christ and His saving work on the cross and the power of His resurrection, but rather in creating a new list of dogmas, lingo - a new quasi-theological system by which justification no longer comes through faith, but by voting a certain way, having a certain view on history, by using certain phrases, or by changing one’s social media profile picture filter.

The American church no longer identifies Christ as the Son of God, the Authority, the Word - our factionalism and lack of Spirit-driven love has come to the fore. And we have become ugly.

We have lost sight of our first love.

I am clean. You are not.

“... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put foward as a propitiation by His blood to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance, He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:23-26

This is Basic Doctrine 101. Most of orthodox Christianity knows this and asserts this - albeit with varying degrees of dedication. We sinned, God justifies us through faith in Jesus through Jesus. There’s a lot that goes into explaining that, but there it is. Irreducible Christianity.

But there’s an issue. The Christians in Paul’s day in the church of Galatia were hosting a growing movement of legalists, who were trying to get the Christians to adhere to the Old Testament law - as if the gospel was really about works and not faith, or at least works + faith = salvation.

You know what Paul said?

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” Galatians 3:1-3

The church in Galatia had begun to say “Yeah, yeah! What Christ did on the cross was cool, but, you see - I need to be justified. So, no disrespect to you, Son of God, I think I’ll do, do, and do some more to try to measure up to the moral law so I can show God we’re cool.”

It’s a classic case of trying to say...

I am clean.

What they didn’t understand is exactly what Paul tells them:

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse: for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Galatians 3:10

To summarize the thought, think of it this way.

If you want to show God that you’re clean by having “good morals,” or by “adhering to the Law,” (a.k.a. “being a good person” or “being a good Christian”) you are henceforth under a total obligation from birth to your death to follow God’s moral Law completely in every thought, word, and deed. If, even once - for the briefest of moments and in the smallest of ways- you break God's Law, you're guilty of breaking all of the Law. From then on, no amount of works can restore you or atone for what you've done.

To shorten it further: if you’re gonna rely on moral performance to show God why He should love and accept you, you dang well better be perfect or you’re done.

Any Christian ought to realize that they cannot be perfect! Paul even goes on to say that the Law isn’t even designed to save. It is designed to point the way, by contrast (among other ways), to the one who is able and authorized and good enough to save.

Enter the perfect Son of God.

“Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ But the law is not of faith, rather. ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’ - so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:11-14

In essence, the ability to say “I AM CLEAN” comes through reliance and faith on the one who justifies us - not through spiritual and performance to gain God’s favor.

But that’s where we have seemed to go wrong. The American church is in turmoil despite most of us adhering to salvation-by-grace. Good on us. 10 points for Gryffindor. However, I have seen a new system arise where people in the church are in a panic - seeking to justify themselves before men and God by taking up any new fad - a new system of kneeling and lingo and constitutionalism, pro-life vs. progressive - all out of a desire to say to men and God...

“I AM CLEAN.”

It’s not working.

The reason is summed up in a phrase so old and trite, it’s ridiculous, but heavy with relevance. “Well, nobody’s perfect.” The same people who say that have been, in my experience, saying that they think they’re good people. Good as in decent. But they cannot say good as in perfect. They grade on a curve. A really... really... big curve. This is another way of saying that they think they’re justified as long as they don’t look at perfection. As long as it’s a game of comparisons, we’re good. There’s bound to be someone else who is worse than I am so - as much as it’ll suck to be that guy - I’m fine. Probably.

So... it’s about performance?

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse: for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Galatians 3:10

Again. If it’s about performance, you’re either obligated to be perfect or you’re done. So why is the American church forgetting this? Has God’s standards of justification changed or have we simply moved the goalposts hoping that God wouldn’t notice?

I could go on, but I’ve probably lost 80 percent of you already - at least. I’ll try to hurry up.

"I am clean... AND YOU ARE NOT.”

I see so many Christians - especially now - saying that one evil act or another, one evil attitude of the heart or another, one hateful word or another is justified. Why? Because they were wronged first, and they were wronged worst. What I can’t understand is how any of this - ALL of this - is Godly. How does one’s uncleanliness purge me of my uncleanliness? How does one’s evil override my evil? How does one’s sin draw God’s attention away from mine?

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have no received reconciliation.” Romans 5:6-11

We are all sinners. God doesn’t grade on a curve and nothing we could ever do will convince Him to give up His holiness and wink at sin.

But because of what Christ has accomplished, we have every reason to seek true reconciliation, repentance, and forgiveness.

Are you thinking that your sins are purged by posting trending hashtags, changing profile pictures, or by parroting the latest edgy one-liners of today? Repent, you have tried to justify yourself through your own means instead of the means God has provided to you - namely Christ. You might receive the praise of some for your efforts, but man is fickle - today they'll love you but tomorrow they may cancel you.

Are you a closet racist who makes excuses for your hate by hiding behind patriotism and constitutional jargon? Repent, turn to the one who has created all men equal, then reconcile - learn to love your neighbor because of the love Christ showed you. Don’t make a fool of yourself by assuming cultural, political, or national identity makes one person better than another before almighty God.

Are you cheering on the destruction of the lives and livelihood of others - hoping that the sins of past generations will distract God to what you’re doing now? Repent, the cost of doing violence to your neighbor will fall on your own head - you will be the only one to answer for your sins. Reconcile with the ones who are collateral damage in the path of your rage. Forgive even the ones who hate you - not for their sake - but for the sake of the one who died for those who killed Him with the utmost malice.

Are you telling fellow Christians that the gospel “simply isn’t enough” to combat sin and despair in the world? Repent - you speak on something that you apparently know very little, and you show contempt for Christ’s redeeming work. The gospel permeates through every inch of our lives, despite you yourself relegating it only to the four walls of a church sanctuary one day a week. Think on this: “The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The Lord is great in Zion; He is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is He! The King in His might loves justice, You have established equity, you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the LORD our God; worship at His footstool! Holy is He!” Psalm 99:1-5... does that sound like the author of an ineffectual gospel that needs your help to succeed?

Are you creating sub-factions in the church, telling other Christians that they may come “this far and no further” because you think they aren’t "getting with the program"? Repent, for they were created in the image of your maker - who is not a respecter of persons (James 2:1-13). Reconcile, for this should be your aim: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

To the American church, I say this: maintain the testimony of Christ in you. Don’t give up. Show the world that, in Jesus, all mankind is offered reconciliation and justification. Don’t subject yourselves to vain shows of morality, since we know that morality on any level doesn’t justify. We are justified by the Son of God - not by traditions or faddish jargon or glory-seeking outward signs of good works.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

So, with all that said, Christians must drop the “I am clean, you are not” attitude. Instead, say “In Christ, I am clean, and, in Christ, so are you.”