Keith’s Blog

Rediscovering the Gospel (3) – the yeast of legalism

‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.’

When I was young, I was always enthralled by Lewis Carroll’s wonderful imagination and the amazing twists and turns it allowed him to build into every page of his writing. Like the one he spoke of in his life as an Anglican clergyman, Carroll (his real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) was simply great with words.

So what is it that we mean when we use the word ‘Gospel’? And, much more importantly, what is it that God means?

Well, having explained why I believe we desperately need to revisit these questions, let me jump right in and state my conviction that the first and most important yeast we need to free ourselves from, to rediscover the joy of the Gospel, is that of legalism. It is not the only pollutant that has crept in but it may well be the major one.

When Paul tells those in the church at Ephesus, “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast,” (Eph 2:8-9) could it be that he is saying something that all of us have heard but few of us have ever rightly understood? I think so. I think it is not only possible that what we mean by those words is no longer what Paul, and the Apostles and many of the inspired Christian writers throughout the centuries, meant. I think it is a reality. And we need to put that right.

In our culture, we have somehow allowed any number of variants to this text to float about unchallenged and become the version of the Gospel held and propagated through our churches. Here’s but a few of what’s on regular offer as an alternative to Ephesian 2:8-9:

“We are saved by grace alone through faith and by
.... attending the evening service.”
.... speaking in tongues.”
.... opposing abortion.”
.... by believing in a literal six day creation.”

And my personal favourite, to which we will return next time, “we are saved by grace alone through faith and by not being a Catholic.”

When Paul says to the early Christians in Rome, “we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law,” (Rom 3.28) what he is trying to communicate is something that I fear we have not only lost sight of in our preaching to others, he is saying something that we may well have lost experience of in our own spiritual journeys.

In the Gospel, people are made right with God, we are made right with God, apart from the observing of any laws, even our most precious, long-standing or historically significant ones. On the cross Jesus has born the full intensity of our rebellion and alienation and taken the consequences of it entirely upon himself. Having done that, and for reasons almost impossible to fathom, he now simply extends to us the offer of reconciliation – freely, without price, deserving or effort. All we have to do is acknowledge our need, turn to him in repentance and faith and receive from him his amazing gift of grace. In Christ, not only are we forgiven, we are reconciled. Moreover, it is by this same grace that we remain right with God, reconciled with God and intimate with God. As in justification, our sanctification is just as assuredly, apart from the observing of any laws. I maintain that it is in large part because we have forgotten this, it is because we have allowed our religious culture’s grasping bylaws to become part of the unwritten tenets of our faith that we have not only slipped into theological and missiological confusion, but have been robbed of the joy God so desires for us.

There can be no additions to the gospel of grace. Anything we try to add to it only subtracts from it, diminishes it. It needs no qualification, no protection. It is just perfect as it is. By grace, we are Sons and Daughters. By grace, we are those now embraced, forgiven, accepted as Children of the living God. By grace, God has chosen to reconcile us to himself. By grace, we are invited to walk with him once again and to have him walk with us. Surely this is good news indeed, and yet how many of us continue to live like those who need to justify our presence in God’s household, like those lucky to be there and needing to remember it, like those who have been given a second chance and better not screw it up this time, like those whose security is determined by how hard we work and how well we obey, like those who are hired servants, mere employees, barely tolerated house guests?

What causes us to live this way when we are offered such complete acceptance and invited to such intimacy in relationship with God and all of it free of charge? Above all the other issues we will discuss, surely it is the yeast of legalism – growing and distorting, stifling and corrupting, tainting and warping, robbing us, and those around us, of the pleasure and nourishment of unleavened joy.

Why do we let it in? Perhaps it is because the only world we know is the world we’ve seen and we’ve never seen grace before. Perhaps it is because we’ve never known what it is to be in a relationship where we are accepted without deserving, and thus, we are confused and uncertain as to what these things actually mean in practice. It is into just such a praxis vacuum that the yeast of legalism so easily creeps and so efficiently blooms. Since it doesn’t make sense that God would love us freely, we begin to act in such a way as to assure Him that he has made the right choice in forgiving us. Slowly, but surely, we then begin acting in particular ways to ensure that God continues to show us his favour – if we are truly messed up, even to begin to repay God for the kindness shown to us in Christ. Before we know it, we are wittingly or unwittingly earning our salvation. In fact, we are pretty sure we actually deserve it and the counter for the Pharisees has clicked on once more.

Perhaps it is just that we allow other people around us to use guilt and shame to squeeze us into the acceptance of legalism. Perhaps it is just our pride that wants to hide from our need of grace.

Whatever the cause, it is great to remember that others have been similarly confused and nonetheless rediscovered what the gospel was all about. Martin Luther himself knew what it was to wane under such a religion of law and then find afresh the gospel of grace. After his journey, he could joyfully write, “faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favour that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. “

May that same rediscovery be ours!