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maybe there is no gospel after all

Sep 3rd, 2009
by Drew Tatusko.

I am continually amazed at how some people do not see those whom Jesus challenged as reflected in their very Pharisaic slavery to the law. Paul believed himself to be a slave to Christ not the law because he understood Jesus to have fulfilled the law of death with the law of grace and mercy. If this is not the heart of the Gospel then the Gospel does not exist and we call Jesus a liar.

Paul understood this to leave an opening to allow people to sin more. Jesus saw this too. Both reflect on this issue. Jesus mentions that the law will not pass away and Paul simply, but directly, says "By no means!" However, this does not nullify the heart of the matter. The law that once chained us is broken and it is the person and work of Jesus that broke the chains of the law with the gift of freedom that is God's grace and mercy. As God gave humanity the gift of grace and mercy revealed in Christ, so now humanity needs to respond in kind – not with law, but with the new life given through grace and mercy.

It is befuddling to me that this absolutely central meaning of the Gospel is lost on today's heresy hunters like Ken Silva who are hell bent on exacting retribution on those who would dare offend his image of God. I would invite them to bask in the freedom of the law of love that Christ revealed on the cross. With that freedom from the bondage of sin and law as Paul so vividly describes, there is new life to give to others. This new life is not in the form of legalistic bondage to the law, but in grace and mercy which Christ revealed to us is the new covenant. As others wrote, there are other gospels out there that are false. What could be more false than a gospel that does not preach the demand for grace and mercy among the people of God for the sake of the world that God loves?

Related posts:

  1. does the gospel hang on one word?
  2. revised statement of faith
  3. statement of faith
  4. justice or mercy?
  5. the word of god became human…

Posted in: Religion, Theology.

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  • belliott57
    Great points Drew! If Christianity is indeed diminishing in Western society, and I'm not arguing that it is or isn't, it is God's will.

    The PC USA's Brief Statement of Faith says,

    "In life and in death we belong to God
    Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
    the love of God,
    and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
    we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel,
    whom alone we worship and serve.

    With a God like that why would I fear (not following) the law?

    A while back I heard Christine Yoder, of Columbia Theological Seminary, talk about Proverbs at Montreat. Proverbs is her specialty. Anyways, that reminded me of Proverbs 10:24 "What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted." and Proverb 10:27 "The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short."

    Obviously those Proverbs are kind of talking about what pastorboy brought up.

    My point , however, is that God is still active in this world through the Holy Spirit. Therefore just as God took a shepherd boy, David, and made him a king, God still uses each of us and works through us today. So while I have a healthy fear of God, see my Proverbs references, I don't fear going down "a departure from the truths" path.

    I will choose to follow the path of the Greatest Commandment, even if it is to a fault. Churches using fear is driving people away. I hope at my church and all churches/communities of faith that we will always focus on love to help grow the church. I believe this is the point that Drew, and others, has been driving home for some time now at this blog.

    Drew, I sent you an email through Disquis. That thing is new to me so please let me know that you got it. My kids were torturing me as I wrote it and I really want to hear your responses. When you have time of course. Thanks.
  • i don't think i got that email. can you give it another shot?
  • belliott57
    Ok, so obviously just replying to a Disqus email does not work. Hmm... I will try to do it through my Disqus profile, right?
  • belliott57
    Lol, I tried Contacts and had a hiccup but it should be in your email now.
  • just use the contact page here. i know that works!
  • pastorboy
    My Friend,

    This is not a libertine Gospel, however. Grace is transformational. The Grace of God given to us does not mean a departure from the truths found in the scripture. Your friends call out grace! grace! tolerance! Yet, the grace of God changes us into His image, restoring the imago dei if you will to its redeemed and restored standing in Christ.

    So, yes to grace, no to law, for the law can bring us only to the cross and no further. But should I go on sinning that grace should increase? May it never be!! If we love God, we keep his commands, and these commands are not burdensome to us.
  • 1) are we ever fully redeemed? no. only christ is the redeemed one who grants us the gift of imputed righteousness in an act of grace.

    2) it sounds like you are saying, if we love god we will follow the law and it will not be a burden. yet if we do not love god then we will follow the law and it will be a burden. either way we follow the law. which law? all 613 commands around which the pharisees ordered their lives?

    3) your focus seems to be here not so much on the relationship one has with others, but on following commands in order to get one's self right with god as a means to receive god's grace. my question is how that gift of grace god has given us is given by us to others. do you believe that as those who follow god we ought to impart grace and mercy to others? or are we limited to the law in that process?

    4) i am not sure what you mean by "libertine" since i no where suggests a "do whatever you want" ethic. however, both paul and jesus are very clear that grace grants freedom. it is freedom from the burden of sin and freedom from the burden of the law that reveals sin to us. the law of grace requires a great deal of work on our part since it requires us to be unselfish and self-giving. both paul and jesus were aware that self-interest drives people to behave. god calls us to be the opposite. that is the transformation that grace begins to work in us.
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