If you know Jesus—really and truly know Jesus, not just know of him—you’re gonna want to follow him. You’re gonna want to do
Goodness is
Likewise if you don’t wanna be good, not only do you lack the Spirit’s fruit: You’re probably not even Christian. And yes, bluntly saying so has a tendency to really offend people: “Goodness doesn’t make you Christian!
Let’s not be naïve. “Obey Jesus” is a hard lifestyle choice. The world is against us.
Plus
Still, if we have the Holy Spirit in us, we’ll want to do better. And we’ve got to trust him to help us out with this. We absolutely can’t do it alone. God offers us power to live for him. Grab it with both hands. You accepted his salvation. Now accept his sanctification.
Lawless Christians.
- ANTINOMIAN
æn(t).i'noʊ.mi.ən adjective. Believes grace frees Christians from any obligation to observe the moral law. - [Antinomianism
æn(t).i'noʊ.mi.ən.iz.əm noun]
Matthew 7.19-23 KWL - 19 “Every tree not growing good fruit is cut down and thrown into fire.
- 20 It’s precisely by their fruits that you’ll recognize them.
- 21 Not everyone who calls me, ‘Master, master!’ will enter the heavenly kingdom.
- Just the one who does my heavenly Father’s will.
- 22 At that time, many will tell me, ‘Master, master! Didn’t we prophesy in your name?
- Didn’t we throw out demons in your name? Didn’t we do many powerful things in your name?’
- 23 And I‘ll explain to them, ‘I never knew you.
- Get away from me, all you Law-breakers.’ ”
The words Jesus used for “Law-breakers” is
The reason there are Law-breakers in Christianity is really simple: It’s easier to stay the same, than change. It’s easier to disguise our flaws, than work on them. So that’s what plenty of Christians do: Pretend we’re good when we’re not. And make excuses for whenever people catch us being evil.
We want God’s grace
Now, antinomians have exceptions. Sin against them, and suddenly they’re all about “justice” (really vengeance) and how some things shouldn’t be forgiven. And certain acts which personally offend them will also cross their boundaries: They don’t like murder, so Christians shouldn’t murder. They don’t like homosexuality, so Christians shouldn’t be gay. They don’t like gun control, so they’ll bend a few verses to support that cause too; plus any other political views which they’d rather defend than the Law.
So sin is acceptable, and obeying God is "legalism”? Um…
Isaiah 5.20-21, 24 KWL - 20 How sad for those who say, “To do good is evil. To do evil is good.”
- Who decide dark is light, and light dark. Who decide bitter is sweet, and sweet bitter.
- 21 How sad for those who are “wise” in their own eyes,
- who “see what’s right in front of them.”
- 24 So, like tongues of fire eat up stubble, like dry grass wilts in the flame,
- their roots will decay. Their flowers will go up like dust.
- For they rejected the L
ORD of War’s Law. - They treat the Holy One of Israel’s word with contempt.
Y’see, antinomians frequently like to say the Law was only for Old Testament times—but y’notice there were plenty of antinomians in Old Testament times too. The people of Isaiah’s day also believed in God’s grace… and abused it like crazy. Since God forgives all, they kept sinning as usual, and figured their ritual sacrifices made up for it. Instead of goodness, they just killed tons of animals, and remained evil.
God’s response? He was sick of their sacrifices. They no longer meant anything. He didn’t even want to listen to their prayers anymore. He only wanted them to stop sinning; it’s all he ever wanted.
Isaiah 1.11-18 KWL - 11 “What are your many sacrifices to me?” says the L
ORD . “I’m full of burnt-up rams and animal fat. - I’m not interested in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.
- 12 When you come before my face, walk in my courtyard, who requested this from your hand?
- 13 Don’t bring me empty offerings any more! Incense? It disgusts me.
- Calling monthly and Sabbath assemblies? I can’t stand wasteful conferences.
- 14 My soul hates your monthly and special feasts. They’re a burden to me which I tire of carrying.
- 15 When you spread your hands, I hide my eyes from you.
- When you pray ‘great’ prayers, I don’t listen: Your hands are full of blood!
- 16 Bathe! Get clean! Get rid of the evil deeds before my eyes. Stop doing evil.
- 17 Learn to do good. Seek right judgments. Straighten out oppressors.
- Judge orphans fairly. Defend widows.
- 18 Come now; let’s decide,” says the L
ORD . “Your sins are like scarlet dye. - They can be made white like snow. If they’re red like worms, they can become like wool.”
God offered the Hebrews sanctification: He’d make ’em white as snow, white as wool could become. But the Hebrews had to stop sinning. There’s gotta be some give-and-take
Antinomians insist all these Isaiah quotes refer to the wrong dispensation, but Paul taught the very same stuff.
Romans 6.15-18 KWL - 15 So what? May we sin, since we’re not under Law but under grace? Absolutely not!
- 16 Don’t you realize whenever you offer yourselves as attentive slaves,
- you’re the slaves of whatever you pay attention to?
- Either that’s sin, which kills you; or obedience, which rights you.
- 17 Praise God: You were slaves to sin,
- yet you wholeheartedly paid attention to the kind of teaching you were given.
- 18 Freed from sin, you were enslaved by rightness.
Grace isn’t provided to catch us when we deliberately dive into it. It’s to catch us when we unintentionally fall.
1 John 2.1-6 KWL - 1 My children, I write these things to you so you won’t sin.
- When anyone sins, we have an aide from the Father: Righteous Christ Jesus.
- 2 He’s the atonement for our sins.
- Not only for ours, but for the whole world’s.
- 3 In this way we know we’ve known him: When we keep his commands.
- 4 Saying, “I’ve known him,” and not keeping his commands: It’s a lie, and truth isn’t in this.
- 5 God’s love is truly achieved this way: In whoever can keep God’s word.
- In this way we know they’re in God.
- 6 Any of you saying you owe Jesus loyalty:
- You’re to walk in the same way he walked.
By John’s standard, to put it bluntly, antinomians don’t know Jesus. If they did, they’d be as offended by sin as Jesus. They’d try to shun it; they might not be as successful as Jesus, but they’d try, for crying out loud. Grace is for those who try, but they won’t even do that. So we gotta seriously doubt their relationship with Jesus: They don’t give a rip about him. They only want sin without consequence, evil without punishment. They don’t really want his kingdom; they only want to avoid death and hell.
The first step towards sanctification.
Obviously goodness and sanctification aren’t the same thing.
Whereas if we don’t produce fruit, if we don’t respond properly to the changes the Spirit’s making in us, he’s gonna stop the ship and wait for us to get on board. Notice how some of us are making him wait an awfully long time.
So let’s not!
Christians have a truly sucky reputation of not being good; of being full of excuses and self-righteousness instead.
