CHAPTER ELEVEN: Religion and the Gospel
August 6th, 31e by Todd Johnson
This is an excellent chapter on how “grace changes everything”.
I’ll begin with the following quotes and give all of you plenty of room for comment.
“Sin and evil are self-centeredness and pride that lead to oppression against others, but there are two forms of this. One form is being very bad and breaking all the rules, and the other form is being very good and keeping all the rules and becoming self-righteous. There are two ways to be your own Savior and Lord… It is possible to avoid Jesus as Savior AS MUCH by keeping all the Biblical rules as by breaking them.”
“Self-salvation through good works may produce a great deal of moral behavior in your life, but inside you are filled with self-righteousness, cruelty, and bigotry, and you are miserable. You are always comparing yourself to other people, and you are never sure you are being good enough. You cannot, therefore, deal with your hideousness and self-absorption through the moral law, by trying to be a good person through an act of the will. You need a complete transformation of the very motives of your heart.”
“The devil, if anything, prefers Pharisees - men and women who try to save themselves. They are more unhappy than either mature Christians OR irreligious people, and they do a lot more spiritual damage.”
“There is, then, a great gulf between the understanding that God accepts us because of our efforts and the understanding that God accepts us because of what Jesus has done.”
“The Christian message is that we are saved NOT by our record, but by Christ’s record. So Christianity is NOT religion OR irreligion. It is something else altogether.”
13 Responses to “CHAPTER ELEVEN: Religion and the Gospel”
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About Todd
Name: Todd Johnson
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Contact: todd@crossroadslive.com
About: Todd is the husband of Sharon, the father of Morgan, Caleb, Makenzie & Claire, and a pastor at Crossroads Church. He considers each of these roles the greatest of privileges.
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“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
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August 6th, 2008 at 9:39 am
It seems odd, I suppose - but this view of morality is brand new to me. Interesting that I’ve both read about it in this chapter and heard it in a podcast this week.
I don’t think I ever got this idea before - that the flip side of immorality is morality with self-righteousness. We are so corrupt, that any goodness that we stir up in ourselves will inevitably lead to pride and judging others.
That pride and self-righteousness is itself sinful because it’s ridiculous. Even our best morality is self-serving.
I love how Keller shows this so clearly. The ONLY way that any good can come of us - good that is not rife with self-righteousness is through Christ.
Great stuff.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:30 am
The Jekyll & Hyde illustration got the point across for me. “A horrid nausea and the most dreadful shuddering…I looked down…I was once more Edward Hyde.”
The whole thing made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but how true in regards to our sin. Without a real relationship with the Lord and a true transformation we will always be our own versions of Edward Hyde.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Recently in a sermon, John Macarthur made the point that most people in Hell are religious.
It’s all in Romans:
Legalism:
Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?
Grace:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we ]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Al Poppenburg, the grandfather of Bethany Poppenburg, died at 1am this morning. His wife Theresa and his son were with him when he passed. He knew the Lord. Please pray for the family.
August 7th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Perry & all - The Poppernburg family is in our prayers.
Chris - Pretty monumental, isn’t it. So true. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. Jesus = solid Rock! All else (immorality, morality) is sinking sand.
Keller nailed it.
August 7th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Mike Smith Chp. 10–Comment #39. To try and answer your question Mike, here we go.
1. How solid is the typology in the O.T. in the book of Leviticus between leproosy & sin? It is very good. As, Leprosy is a type of sin, that reveals the terrible nature of sin. Both of them make life barren and unfruitful. Both affect the whole person.
2. Can we apply how the priests were commanded to deal with leprosy in Lev. 13 to our lives in reference to sin?
Yes, as Leprosy is a fatal disease and makes a person unclean. That brings judgment, separation from God and must be confessed, as all our sin must. Leprosy must be confessed (Lev. 13: 45-46) Then there was the offering and the sprinkling of the blood to clean them, now we have the blood from the High Priest, Jesus. When are born again, it is the same as being pronounced “clean” and forgiven of the ravages of sin. (or Leprosy)
3. Did God really intend for us to look back on the O.T. and draw out application for our lives? Yes, in so many ways, this typology compares the lives of people in the O.T., to show a better way. It “”ALL”" has meaning, as you can see.
I hope this help answer some of your questions.
Blessings…
ps. the turkey was great!!!
August 7th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
This chapter is a great follow-up to chapter 10. Do you think he planned it that way on purpose? He he!
Reading this chapter was like reading the story of my own Christian experience.
I started out overjoyed at my salvation and basking in the knowledge of the Truth. Then after a short time, a very short time, I began to sustain my salvation through works. I was so proud of my piety and hard on those that didn’t measure up. A couple years of that lead me to a feeling of utter hopelessness and futility. As hard as I tried I just couldn’t live up to my own expectations. I had no joy and no peace. I thought I could attain those things through obedience but even when I was obedient I still lacked joy because of fear that I would sin again and loose God’s favor.
Frustrated I gave up for nearly two years. During that time I wallowed in sin just like the prodigal son. One night, tired of living a life I was no longer comfortable in I accepted an invitation to a men’s Bible study. There was a speaker that night on video. I don’t remember what he spoke on. All I remember was at some point during the message I had an overwhelming sense of God’s grace on my life. I felt an intense joy! I didn’t ask for forgiveness (though going to the study was my attempt at returning to the Father). I just knew God had forgiven me. It blew my mind! I had sunk pretty low in my sin during that time yet at that moment the Father took it all away. This was the first time I had a true revelation and understanding of grace. But it would take a few more revelations over 17 years before I finally arrived at where I’m at today.
What was wrong with me? How come it took so long for me to get it? Why didn’t God reveal all the wonderful truths I now understand at the moment of salvation? Why all the pain and struggle?
Because God is glorified in the process. As I look back on 25 years of difficulty I can see that every bit of progress I made was due to the direct result of God’s intervention. I had nothing to do with it. It was all Him, and because of that He will be the only one to get the glory and I will spend eternity thanking Him.
It’s a very humbling thing when you see yourself as you truly are, lost and completely helpless, dependant solely on the grace of another. It’s also freeing. I’ve stopped working and I’ve started enjoying.
Edward Hyde still lives in me but I don’t worry about him anymore. I know that one day Christ will rid me once and for all of his presence. But now, instead of losing my joy over the reality of my sin nature, I use it to lead me to the foot of the cross every minute of every day, where I hear those precious words, “It is finished!”
“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-25, ESV)
August 7th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Perry… you have learned, “TO DO SMALL THINGS IN A GREAT WAY.” That is where our TRUE joy and peace is, doing for His Glory and not ours. He “ALWAYS” knows our heart.
Blessings…
August 7th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Thanks TW! You know, Keller is really hitting on some great stuff! These last two chapters have been very profound, and very encouraging.
August 7th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I liked this statement from, The Difference of Grace”,
…because of the contentment and confidence Grace brings…
“I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less. I don’t need to notice myself—how I am doing, how I’m being regarded —so often.”
A glimpse of REAL Grace can lessen my desire to be a “somebody”, and that desire is replaced with a more fulfilling and peaceful journey in life.
August 8th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Hi from family camp! Using Tom’s I phone, he says hi! Ken loved the quote.
August 9th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Listening to these 5 little girls sing the National Anthem gave me goose bumps. I’ve never heard anyone sing it better!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284
August 9th, 2008 at 12:28 am
hi from Vienna. It’s a beautiful morning here as you all sleep. Enjoy family camp. We miss being there with you. I’ll check in whenever free wifi allows.