Selective Obedience: The Real Legalism/Never a Failure
Posted by: ba <ba@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Outlines of Faith
Selective Obedience: The Real Legalism
by Greg Tidwell
How can I know I am saved? In answer to this
question, some have looked to themselves, seeking
to earn or deserve salvation. This is legalism,
and it is wrong.
Salvation is by the grace of God. As we sing in
the old hymn: "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I
owe." There is nothing I can add to the work done
for me by Christ. As the apostle wrote: "For by
grace you have been saved through faith. And this
is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not
a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph.
2:8,9).
Grace, however, is conditional. Not everyone will
be saved, but only those who accept God's free
gift through repentance and faith, as expressed in
the good confession, in baptism, and in the
faithful life which begins with baptism's new
birth.
The Community Church movement, however, cheapens
grace by teaching a gospel devoid of penitent
faith. Using "grace" as a catch-phrase, they
dismiss any call to obedience as "legalism".
Perhaps no holy word has been more desecrated in
the current apostasy than the word "grace".
Sometimes I hear people complain that the
Community Church teaches too much about grace.
This, however, is not possible. As we sometimes
sing:
"could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the
skies of parchment made; were every stalk on earth
a quill, and every man a scribe by trade; to write
the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,
nor could the scroll contain the whole, though
stretched from sky to sky."
The problem is never that truth is taught too
much, but rather that what is taught is not true.
God's grace, in Scripture, means forgiveness of
error. In the Community Church movement, grace has
come to mean acceptance or indifference towards
error.
While the Community Church confesses Christ with
its lips, its heart is far from him. For healing
to come, hearts must be changed. There must be
both repentance and the fruit appropriate for a
penitent heart.
The Bible is a book of grace, revealing our Lord
as the loving husband who buys back the unfaithful
wife. This is the power of the restoration
principle: not that we are perfect, but that we
aspire to the perfect standard. If we are faithful
in the small things, God's grace will permit us to
be faithful in much.
The Community Church Movement, however, does not
stress repentance, but rather acceptance as a
response to grace. This emphasis comes through
clearly in the hallmark question of the Community
Church Movement: "Is that a salvation issue?"
Implicitly, this question consigns most, if not
all, doctrinal and moral matters into the dustbin
of irrelevance.
Selective obedience is the greatest legalism
threatening the church today. Rather than
believing God's objective way of salvation, the
Community Church movement has presumed to decide
for themselves who is saved and who is lost.
Setting themselves up to decide which commandments
are required and which are optional, they set
themselves up to play God. The way of faith
accepts God's right to command without question.
The concept of selective obedience springs from a
lack of faith.
In contrast to this infidelity, the Bible shows
clearly that repentance is a salvation issue. A
Christian, bought and paid for by the blood of
Christ, is not free to indulge in selective
obedience. If it is the will of God that I sing to
him without instrumental accompaniment, for
example, I disobey God's will in this matter at
the risk of my soul. Every aspect of our obedience
to God is a salvation issue, not only the things
which are culturally convenient, but (more
importantly) those aspects of obedience which
cause us to deny ourselves.
None of us is perfect. We are not perfect in our
doctrinal understanding, so we continue to study
the Scriptures. We are not perfect in our
attitudes nor in our actions, so we continue to
repent and to rely on God's mercy. We are sorry we
have failed in our service to God. Loving the
Lord, we want to please him in every way.
The Restoration ideal is simply applied
repentance, recognizing that God's way is right
and must be followed in all things. Such obedience
is not legalism. It is humble service before a
gracious God.
Column: Heavenly Connections
Never a Failure
by Tim Hall
"Fail" is a word that makes me cringe. My
experiences as a student in school were often made
tense by the prospects of failing an exam, or even
failing a class. I certainly did not want to be a
failure, though I'll have to admit I failed on a
few occasions.
There's a distinction that we must be careful to
make: "failed" vs. "failure". The old adage is
true which says "to err is human". But no one has
to accept being a failure. It just doesn't have to
be.
Some of the most famous people in history have
failed on numerous occasions. Abraham Lincoln
tried his hand at political office many times, and
many times failed in his quest. But who would look
back over his terms as President of the United
States and call Mr. Lincoln a failure? Rather, he
set the standard for all who would follow him in
that office.
Some of the greats of baseball have also made
marks at failing to hit the ball. Ever heard of
Babe Ruth? Few have struck out more times than
this legendary player. But only one has hit more
home runs, and that's the thing for which we best
remember Babe. He did not allow his many times of
striking out to consign him to "failure" status.
He kept on swinging.
The apostle Peter - did he not fail on many
occasions? Granted, his heart seemed to always be
in the right place, but how often he missed the
mark! Jesus once told him to "Get behind Me,
Satan" (Matt. 16:23, NKJV) for resisting the plan
of God. He earned a place in the Hall of Shame for
denying Jesus three times in one conversation. But
who could match Peter's contributions to the early
growth of the church? Yes, he failed; no, he was
not a failure.
You and I will also see times at which we fail in
our various quests. But are we failures? Only if
we allow that title to stick inside our minds. As
long as we determine to keep on trying, we can,
with the help of God, rise above past failed
attempts. "Now to Him who is able to do
exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that works in us, to
Him be glory . . ." (Eph. 3:20,21). It's not about
us, you see; it's about God, and His willingness
to use flawed and broken vessels to accomplish His
will.
Don't dwell on the times you've failed in the
past. Instead, focus on God's promises to be with
you in the future, and to give you the power you
need to succeed. It's the difference between
realizing you've failed (inevitable for any of us)
and considering ourselves failures (a choice we
need not make).
----
You can help us get the word out. Here's how:
forthright.antville.org/stories/340415/