Both a "moralist" approach and a "quietist" approach to the Christian life is wrong.
In the Bible, Paul doesn't ask, “What is the moral way to act?” Neither is he saying, “We don't need to order our steps at all.”
Everything, including our initial salvation experience and the daily experience of Christian living, must remain centered in the Gospel of grace. Because of the human tendency toward moral self-effort, the need for the Gospel in ongoing.
Self-generated morality and religious practice can become a type of pseudo-savior; something we come to rely on if we're not careful. It can become a replacement for Christ.
For a Christian to despair over their sin saying, “I'm just too bad of a person to receive the forgiveness of God”, is a form of self-righteousness because it is a rejection of God's mercy. It is unbelief.
Tim Keller put it this way, “A heart that says, “If I haven't earned it, I won't take it as a gift (or that says, If I [beat myself up] for a long time, then it will atone for what I've done) is as deeply self-righteous as the heart of a proud Pharisee. It wants Jesus to be an example and a Rewarder of the Righteous, but not to be a gracious Savior”.
For example, if you're saying, “I find it hard to forgive myself”, its because you've failed your real god, the god of your righteous standard. This is an imagined god; a god that is demanding and never gracious.
In the past, when we were first saved we joyfully and tearfully identified with the prodigal son; over time some of us may have become more like the elder brother, angry, frustrated, mechanical, superior and condescending.
Maybe we've lost touch with grace. |
