Heart Transforming Grace

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

Galatians 5:6

"In the book The Nature of True Virtue, Jonathan Edwards demonstrates that most moral people are complying to ethical standards mainly out of self-interest, pride, and fear.  He called this "common morality" and contrasted it with "true virtue," which flows from a life transformed by experiencing God's grace.  Edwards discerned a loving and joyful heart that acted not out of superiority, nor fear of consequences, but out of delight in God for the beauty of who God is in himself."

Tim Keller, "Preaching Amid Pluralism," Leadership (Winter 2002), 35.

Last evening in our gospel-centered discipleship class, we were discussing how one must be sanctified by faith.  In the class, our discussion revolved around the topic of how hard it is to believe that faith is what actually changes us.  We shared that the overarching concern by many is that if one emphasizes faith and grace as the drivers of change, then people will not walk in holiness.

One of the participants pressed this point by illustrating the arguments made by professing Christian folks who endorse and encourage monogamous homosexual relationships as good because we are all covered by grace and those in these relationship are showing love.  These folks argue that scripture that teaches against homosexuality is merely cultural while grace and love are universal.  Thus, these professing Christians argue in support of homosexual marriage because it illustrates "faith expressing itself through love."

In response to such libertines, many other Christians have taken the exact opposite tact.  They have argued that the Law must be obeyed as proof of sanctification.  Soon, as they seek to follow the Law or "the Law of Christ" they struggle under and against the Law's commands.  If they do a better job then most, they become a self-righteous "helper of the weak" while if they fail they cover it up so as not to be exposed in their failings.  In hoping to steer clear of the shoals of absolute freedom that promotes sin (antinomianism or against the Law), they run their life toward the cliff of despair and self-righteousness that are found in legalism.

How do we escape both the shoals of antinomianism and the cliffs of legalism while remaining true within the current of the gospel?

We focus on how the gospel transforms hearts through the process of repentance and faith.  This means that we clearly teach that "There is a way that seems right to us, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 16:25.  In other words, we are sinful beings who always run away from God apart from His grace.  We prefer to break our relationship with God, with the way we are created to be, and with what is best for us because it "just feels right."  Because of these relational issues, we walk in sin.  All of the ways of the flesh, from our sinful self-effort and self-righteousness to our sins of inappropriate sexuality and anger, derive from our relational distance from God.  We need to repent of our heart's rebellion against God and cling by faith in Christ as our only cure.

Such teaching is found in every generation of the church.  It is the string that holds together the true Church.  Unfortunately, it is also followed and believed by only a small minority of professing believers.  

Why?  Because it feels like death to walk in faith and to rest in God's grace and beauty as all we need.  It is much more comfortable to take control of our lives, either through "sanctifying" our sinful liberty or emphasizing our ethical behavior and effort as central.  Both of these tendencies reflect our inward desire and need for control.  

Faith means trusting God's control and love as enough.  The only way we can have such faith is to know and believe that God's love and plan are good and sufficient.  The only way to know that in our heart (not just our head) is for our hearts and souls to be captured and enraptured by the beauty, perfection, and love of God.  Such heart transformation enables us to release our idols of control, self-reliance, fear, and pleasure because we want and know something better than our shallow idols.

How do we get such faith?  How do we know if we have it?

Good questions.  

I believe it was Calvin who argued that true knowledge of self points to our need for God and true knowledge of God points to correct self awareness.

Do you know your absolute need for grace?  Do you see the fruitless attempts at finding love, acceptance, and significance through your pursuit of control and pleasure apart from God?  Do you realize that your real problem is not your "fleshly desires" but the heart in rebellion against God that produces these desires that run contrary to true life?  Do you despair of even your attempts at doing good because you realize your mixed motives?  Do you feel like a fake and a poser because you know of the hypocrisy within you?

If so, repent and believe!  Confess your sin, your rebellion, your sinful ways and cling to Jesus Christ as your only hope.  With eyes of faith, look upon Him and see forgiveness instead of condemnation.  Turn to Him for your satisfaction and life.  Repent of your idols.  Ask for grace to set them aside.  Allow the joy of Christ's presence to give you all you need.  Hope in the promises for as Isaiah states,

"The Lord longs to be gracious to you;

he rises to show you compassion.

For the Lord is a God of justice. 

Blessed are all who wait for him.

O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.  How gracious he will be when you cry for help!  As soon as he hears, he will answer you.  Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.  Whether you turn to the right or left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way, walk in it.'  Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold, you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, 'Away with you!'"

Isaiah 30: 18-22