Resources:
Episode: Take Up Your Cross
Giveaway: "Recovering Eden" by Zack Eswine
FREE EBOOK: Theocast.org/primer
https://youtu.be/THpB7373Yp8
Semper Reformanda Transcripts
Justin Perdue: Welcome to the Semper Reformanda podcast.
When we were having the conversation back on the regular portion of the podcast, we alluded to several things: one of them being these principles of a theology of the cross versus a theology of glory; it's very applicable to the conversation about dying with dignity and hope. The reason that people react quite strongly to a statement like that, that what we're doing in the care of souls is to help people die with dignity and hope in Jesus, people buck that and say, "No. There is a lot more that we need to be doing. We need to be churning out strong, valiant, fearless, uber mature disciples who look and talk a certain way, and don't struggle in certain ways. And if we're not doing that, then we're failing. That's what we need to be doing as pastors." Our response to that is some of what we said in the regular show, but I think we want to unpack this more here.
We actually have been told in Scripture that yes, we will grow and yes, we will be conformed into Christ's image, and in this life we will still be weak. We, in this life, will not have a strength of our own that we can trust him. We will know that God's strength is sufficient, His grace is sufficient, His power is made perfect in our weakness, His grace and Christ's work has paid for every failing, and that Christ has us. And we're going to learn that more and more and more, and be driven more deeply into the gospel, and be driven more deeply into Christ, and we'll know ourselves to be more dependent as we grow in the faith. You and I don't grow in our sufficiency as we mature; we actually realize how insufficient we are as we mature, and so we cling to Christ all the more.
If that's what you mean by being stronger in the faith then I'm all for it, but I don't think that's what most people mean. It's because we have confused these categories of the theology of the cross and the theology of glory. A theology of glory is very much earthbound. It's focused on this life and strength and power and improvement now—getting glory now. Whereas a theology of the cross actually says something different: that we are weak, needy, frail, and feeble now. Christ has accomplished our salvation and glory is coming, but it's a pattern now of weakness and suffering and then glory in the next life, not this one. I think the church, having confused this, is pretty obvious in a number of ways. I know you're going to make an observation that's more about teaching and stuff.
One observation I would just throw out there: how many really good songs have you heard written about heaven in the last 50 years? Good theological stuff written in the last 50 years. Not much. The fact that so much of our thinking is centered on improvement now... And I'm not talking about prosperity gospel theology here; we're talking about improvement in our maturity and strength and stamina and discipline and all these things, but it's so earthbound nonetheless. It just sounds more holy.
Jon Moffitt: Monday, I turned 40. As I get older, I think that I should be getting better, I should be progressing, I should be overcoming my weaknesses and failures. I am often reminded that everything I struggle with, everything that's wrong, is all going to be made right. My wife and I were driving on our way to dinner last night through the backfields of Tennessee, because that's where we live. It is beautiful. Just beautiful.
Justin Perdue: It's the stuff country songs are made of.
Jon Moffitt: I'm just thinking, as we're driving, that one day, my wife and I will be in the fields enjoying the creation of God and I won't be feeling anxious and exhausted. That gives me hope. This is 1 John where it says what we will be, we are not yet. But in this, we hope. And while we await, we purify ourselves as Jesus is pure. So I look to Christ and I'm excited about what I will be—and I definitely want to reflect that now because it is good and it brings me joy, but I'm not discouraged by what I am not because this is not it. There is more to it. Don't be duped by the reality that if you're suffering, if you are frail, and if you are weak, that is part of this world. That's the theology of the cross. That's really what it is. Not only have we died spiritually, but we're going to die physically. And then the resurrection comes. And then the hope comes. When all you hear is a theology of glory—which is progress, be better, do better—the worst thing about theology of glory today is that in a Joel Osteen world, it's wealth and progress, but in the conservative evangelical or even conservative Reformed world, it's ultimate salvation—it's how you can fully know you're a saved that's the final justification. It is even worse.
The whole "plant a seed of money and God will give you more didn't work out, but at least I'm still saved" is one thing, now theology of glory is calling into question their salvation. That is the only hope we have. Why would you ever want a congregant to walk away doubting whether or not God's good with them based upon their actions?
Justin Perdue: My immediate reaction, of course, when you say what you just said is related to so many things: it's a theology of the cross versus theology of glory issue, it's a confusion of law and gospel. We've talked about that on other shows.
Here's a thought. I would only say this on the SR podcast but I wouldn't say this in the regular one for fear of being misunderstood. I think that this could easily be misunderstood, but I stand by it. I've said this in that same conversation that I was referencing on the regular show that I had yesterday. At least for me, the way that I was often presented with sanctification in the Christian life—and I'm talking about from a Calvinistic evangelicals perspective, and not some other very aberrant perspective—but what we would generally call orthodox and evangelical and five points and all that good stuff basically made it sound like we're going to continue to get better and better and better. Jon and I affirm progressive sanctification, but we want to define it appropriately, and we acknowledge that it's not clean and linear, that we often don't perceive it well, and that a lot of times our progress looks like greater trust in the Lord in the midst of our failure. But the way I was taught, I at least absorbed this, is that we're going to keep getting better and better and better and better until we die, almost as though we want to do as much as we can in this life and be as holy as we can in this life so that by the time we die, it's almost like God doesn't have to do so much at the resurrection to make me perfect. How stupid is that? How absurd is that? I used to question that. Last I checked, all of my good works are tainted. They're only accepted on the basis of Christ because they're done in faith. Even if I have grown in holiness significantly in this life, there's a boatload of work for God to do to raise me imperishable, incorruptible, and perfectly holy. I don't think He needs help. He's going to do that. So what is the purpose of my sanctification and what is this all about?
The two things that I cling to now as I think about sanctification—and one of them is what we brought up most pointedly today—sanctification is ultimately about God producing steadfastness in me through suffering and trial, where I learn more and more of my dependence upon Him, and I clean all the more tightly to Christ. That's growth. That matters. But the second thing is that my sanctification is for my neighbor and that my neighbor benefits as I am grown in maturity and godliness. It's not for me in that regard.
Sanctification makes sense, and of course all this honors God. But I think that this whole presentation of onward, upward, better for your sake is not biblical. It confuses people. It either makes people proud because they think they've done pretty well or it causes most people to be anxious and despairing because they realize how much they failed in it. It's just bad. Whereas, I think what we need to be emphasizing is the life to come, trust Christ, and love each other.
Jon Moffitt: When you finally get this motivation to say, "I have significance in this life. I don't need to be known, I don't have to write books, and I don't even have to be a pastor. I can help people rest in Christ. I can help them die with dignity and hope. What I do matters. My role in the body of Christ matters. Lord, sanctify me so I can be more effective in helping my brothers."
Justin Perdue: So I won't be ineffective. 2 Peter 1.
Jon Moffitt: When I do these really great works, first of all, they're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Secondly, let me just read this from chapter 16 of the 1689, where it says, "Good works are only those works that God has committed in his holy Word." When someone tells you that you need to do this and you need to do that, if it's not clearly stated in God's Word as a good work, then no, you don't. There's 1,001 things about social justice and all this kind of stuff out there that you have to have these perspectives on or you need to do. No, you don't. Spiritual disciplines can be thrown in there as well. Listen to that episode.
But when we do these good works, please don't ever take pride in them. Because what does point three say? "Their ability to do good works does not arise at all from themselves, but entirely from the Spirit of Christ." There are 1,001 verses we can give you on that. "To enable them to do good works, they need—in addition to the graces they have already received—an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do for his good pleasure."
Justin Perdue: So two things: one, would the conclusion and the takeaway after having listened to that, be "I'm less motivated now to pursue good works." My answer is. "Huh? How would you ever draw that conclusion?" This is what blows my mind sometimes—and I know where it comes from—it comes from a legal spirit where the only motivations that we know of in our legal minds are merit and escape from punishment. When those are removed, why worry about anything else? Why do anything else?
Again, I don't think you've understood the gospel if that's your reaction. My reaction is I listened to you talk about how every member of the body is used, and how we have a wonderful purpose in loving one another and encouraging one another in the Lord Jesus, that we all might die with dignity and hope, and that we all might be with God forever. My goodness. That motivates me to love my brother and sister, and pursue righteousness, and flee from sin. Just because you have now taken the weight off my shoulders that tells me to go be some individual Green Beret for Jesus, now I don't now feel unmotivated to pursue a life of godliness and good works. I feel motivated and free to do so. That's one thought.
A second thought that I have over and over again is how the fundamental battle of this Christian life is always the fight for faith. I know we say this constantly, but even as we're talking about this today, and a theology of the cross that says we are weak now but glory is coming, God, give me faith because I am so weak, I am prone to doubt, and I am prone to be so myopic. I tend to get consumed by the things of this world, even ministry things, that I lose sight of why we're doing this. I lose sight of the fact that there really is this rock solid hope that is ours in Christ that's coming. Lord, help us believe this. Help us to trust this in our best and worst moments.
You talked about motivation. Some people just by personality or maybe by being hurt enough, they say, "Yeah, I get that. But I don't really want to invest in people. I don't like people." My encouragement to you is first of all, it's biblical, but there's also a promise that is attached to it. We were told a lot of things can give us joy; the world tells us joy can be found through money, sex, fame, entertainment. Christianity tells us that joy can be found through our progress of sanctification. Then we try to force joy into things. And then Jesus says this phrase in John 15: "These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full." And what is it that he's spoken to us? He literally says before that, "that you love one another." And so my encouragement to you is that you pursue sanctification in that you actually do it: you work it out, be patient, be kind, be longsuffering, and you come alongside people and you do your job at the church so that you can have joy. It literally is as you love people, God promises you joy. And love is messy. There's a reason why he says longsuffering, patience, kindness, and mercy, because we as sinners need that. But the promise is not the good-job-slap-on-the-back kind. The thing that all of us truly want in this life is peace and joy. We already have peace because that's found in Christ, and our joy is stable because no one can stop you from loving people. You can't be stopped. How does someone stop you from loving someone? You can't do that. It's not in their hands to stop you. Therefore, your peace and your joy are always steady because they're always in Christ and not in yourself.
Amen, brother. This has been an encouraging conversation for me and I hope that it's been an enjoyable one for the listener. We hope you've been encouraged in the Lord Jesus and the fact that he not only has just accomplished everything that we need, but that in him, we do have this rock solid hope that's coming. We live for the next life, the life to come, not for this one—but that sets us free to now love others and be used by God. God does intend to use every member of the body in helping others die with dignity and hope. We await the resurrection and the consummation of our redemption. It's going to be wonderful. May the Lord give us faith to trust in Christ and to believe his promises.
We're grateful for all of you and for you partnering with Theocast the way that you have. We are excited. In spite of how tired Jon or I may be, we are excited about the various things that the Lord seems to be doing through Theocast. SR is a part of that. Your support of Theocast financially is making things possible. Thank you for giving your resources to see this message spread further and wider, and we pray that only continues.
May the grace and peace of Lord Jesus Christ be with you guys and gals, and we will speak with you again next week.
Jon Moffitt: Download the app. Get the private podcast.
Justin Perdue: Goodbye. Grace and peace.
