Today I will be picking up my writing concerning Kevin Wax's book, Counterfeit Gospels. I apologize it has taken so long to get back to these survey of fake gospel presentations. I encourage you to look back in my September blogs to see the first two of these counterfeits. As you read these blog posts, you will see that I do not agree with everything Wax shares, but I do believe his presentation is helpful in thinking about the true gospel.
Today we will look at the moralistic gospel. Wax describes this counterfeit as a fake in regard to how we are made right with the living God. The first two counterfeits we investigated dealt with the gospel story. The moralistic gospel and the quietistic gospel are counterfeits regarding the gospel announcement. As Wax describes it,
"Graeme Goldsworthy has defined the announcement this way: 'The gospel is the word about Jesus Christ and what He did for us in order to restore us to a right relationship with God.' We need the gospel story in order to know why we need a right relationship with God. We need the gospel announcement in order to know how to escape the storm of God's wrath. You can't tell the gospel story without making the announcement of good news; neither can you properly make the announcement without telling the story." (89)
The point of Wax's treatment of the gospel announcement is that unwittingly many have forgotten that the gospel announcement is all about what Jesus has done. Instead of the emphasis on Jesus, many have made the gospel announcement about what God has done for me. This change to personal testimony instead of the announcement of Jesus, the savior of sinners, has truncated authentic Christianity.
So what is the moralistic gospel? Wax lists a host of counterfeits. He describes how the evangelical church can often be guilty of proclaiming good advice instead of the good news. He also describes how many begin the Christian journey with Grace, but then turn back to the law. I believe this counterfeit is the primary moralistic presentation in my area. Unfortunately such thinking leads to great frustration, shallow expressions of spirituality, and communities that do not attract the lost to Christ.
Are you captured by this counterfeit? Wax gives a great description of this version of the gospel:
"To many times we think, Of course we are saved by grace, but ... That 'but' is deadly. It indicates that we think something other than grace will bring life transformation. It doesn't matter what good activity you put after that 'but' (now you need to tithe, now you need to give up this or that, now you need to evangelize). The 'but' bogs the operating system down in upgrades.
Life transformation doesn't follow 'but'; it follows 'so now'. You are saved by grace so now you are free to live for God in this way or that. Life change is grounded in the gospel alone, not in the law's updates.
The Christian life will never run the way it is supposed to if the law is the fuel. The gospel alone has to be the engine. All our good works must flow from sheer gratitude, not an updates-based system that keeps tell me to reboot and start again." (113)
So why would we be attracted to this counterfeit? Wax explains that the moralistic gospel is safe. It helps us develop sin lists that are easy to manage so we stay in control.
He also explains that the moralistic gospel appeals to our longing for universal morality. Unfortunately, in our fallen state our ideas of universal morality often include only that which is important to us! It is ironic how we will ignore the true law for a law that we can live by and enforce on others.
This counterfeit also emphasizes the need for transformed character. It is so true that many profess Christ, but their lives are not marked by holy living. Thus, what we need to do is teach how to live. This is so seductive, but it ends in frustration, shallow forms of spirituality, and Christian communities that do not attract the lost!
So what can we do? How about emphasize the true gospel! Authentic spirituality is about repentance and faith. Mortification of sin is found with a changed heart. Such change only occurs through the grace of God transforming us. Unfortunately, most character change found in Christian circles today is from religious self-effort instead of dependence upon Grace.
The true law will point out our sin. When we see it, we need to confess, repent, and believe God's love for us even as law breakers. We do not need to minimize the Law. We need to see it for what it was meant to be: a tutor pointing us to our need for Christ. (Gal. 3:24) In response to very real sin that inhabits our hearts, we should look to Christ for mercy and grace. Lord help me a sinner!
As we relish in His love and mercy, our heart is changed by grace. I can only speak for myself, but I find that the fleshly sins and thoughts I struggled with years ago are not so dominate in my life today. My struggles with pride and arrogance have changed considerably! I praise God for this. God has changed my heart, which has changed by actions.
Yet, I am not now free from sin's entanglements. In fact, I now see other areas of pride and self-righteousness that are even more pernicious than what I struggled with before. I cry out for mercy. I bask in His love as He give it! I look forward to seeing how God changes my heart. I give Him all the glory for this change, because I surely cannot do it on my own.
May the true gospel dominate your thoughts and prayers this day!
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